10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

Many refuges are strategically located along major flyways, allowing ducks and geese to hopscotch their way up the continent to northern breeding grounds and back down again. Several endangered species are (or have been) highly dependent on specific tracts of federal land.

Virgin Islands 208

Virgin Islands Alaska United States Endangered Species 208

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

But when taken as a whole, the impact of the Refuge System is truly profound, supporting population-level numbers of numerous bird species. These refuges support huge numbers of swans, geese, ducks, cranes, and shorebirds as they hopscotch their way to breeding grounds in the north. It’s not just for the birds.

Wildlife 189

Wildlife Grizzly Bear Puerto Rico United States 189

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Aleutian Cackling Geese on Buldir Island, Alaska, where they made their final stand. Aleutian Cackling Geese are another bird very familiar with the Pacific; they are the only species of goose that nest on Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands. A curious Laysan Duck takes a stroll at Midway Atoll. Half Moon Bay, CA.

Albatross 203

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 203

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

For example, Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico is renowned for its winter birding, featuring huge numbers of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese, among others. Critically, NWRs preserve habitat and wildlife, often for endangered species. Duck Stamps help conserve critical avian habitat regardless of who is in the White House.

Wildlife 245

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 245

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2017

The Orange-fronted Parakeet is a critically endangered species that I came agonisingly close to seeing but didn’t. So I was particularly pleased when one of the last birds I saw was a Spot-billed Duck, a local bird and lifer. A new duck! See, according to eBird, that isn’t a species. How awesome.

United Arab Emirates 100

United Arab Emirates Ethiopia 2016 New Zealand 100