10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

What I am getting at here is that I have seen lots and lots of Ruddy Ducks at Jamaica Bay but never one that looked like this particular individual. She was essentially cream-colored, much lighter than the typical female Ruddy Duck. Anyway, enjoy the images and keep an eye out for odd ducks! Go check it out! Get yours today!

Ducks 150

Ducks 2011 Jamaica Deer 150

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. This species has also eliminated the need for childcare – the chicks emerge from this pile on their own and never even get to see their parents. Similarly, the Grey Shrikethrush is neither a shrike nor a thrush.

Australia 181

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 181

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

It was also great to finally travel overseas again, meet a lot of people I did not know (and some I did), to be in a new country… and not just the new country, but its best birding area, where almost all local hotspots are yellow (150+ species) and several are ochre (200+ sp.), impressive for Central Europe.

Austria 295

Austria Factory Asia Battery 295

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2023

Between March and May, we say goodbye to more than half our duck and wood warbler species, as well as about half of all our shorebirds, vireos, hummingbirds, buntings, sparrows, and orioles, and many members of other avian families. And there is some sweetness in these bittersweet months. They are our summer consolation prizes.

South America 166

South America Pigs Mexico Species 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

In late July, I travelled a half hour north of Morelia to Lake Cuitzeo (kweet-SAY-oh) to see if our two inevitable first migratory species from up north, Baird’s Sandpiper and Wilson’s Phalarope, had begun arriving. At that point, neither species was yet present, and there wasn’t much of a lake, either.

Ducks 249

Ducks 2020 Eggs California 249

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2022

It also summarizes the vagrancy status of every bird family in the whole wide world, which makes it fun to read as well as superbly educational. per cent of individuals of a species at a given time” and a vagrant bird as a bird that shows up outside of this range (p. The Family Accounts are the fun part of the book.

Birds 256

Birds Compassion Eagles Science 256

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2023

We walked over there, stopping to see several birds along the way, and when we finally topped the bank surrounding the pond, there was indeed a duck floating on the water. This duck had a long, ever-so-thin bill, and a surprising brown crest. The addition of a family of Least Grebes was a nice touch. But which one?

Mexico 177

Mexico Morocco Cuba Jordan 177

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks , Muscovy Ducks and Blue-winged Teals were around us, together with Green , Great and Little Blue Herons , Cattle and Great White Egrets , Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons , plus one locally rare Pinnated Bittern in the floating vegetation, as well as several dozen Neotropical Cormorants.

Costa Rica 227

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 227

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2022

However, I rarely get to travel with family or friends who share my obsession. But this time, it was soon clear that there were some ducks bobbing among these waves. I had never actually seen marine ducks on the ocean before. Better yet, these ducks turned out to be Surf Scoters.

San Francisco 147

San Francisco California Battery Ducks 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2020

That is because we receive so many extra species from up north, which can double the number of potential species in many of our most important avian families: Ducks, Hummingbirds, Wood Warblers, New World Sparrows, Tyrant Flycatchers, and many others. I went back to Las Mesas, just east of Morelia, a week ago.

Game 155

Game Lions Africa Family 155

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America was published in 1934 by Houghton Mifflin (note–Peterson was 26 years old), after being rejected by four publishers. Adding the 76 new species in the Hawaii section, this makes coverage of approximately 884 species.

North America 201

North America America Hawaii Birds 201

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

So I contacted him for the exact location, which turned out to be a beautiful 14-acre property that belongs to his family, and he kindly invited me over. But the Mexican Ducks say otherwise. Which it was! We didn’t manage to make it happen the first Monday, but on the 28th of June, we birded his property together.

Barn Owls 254

Barn Owls Owls Mexico Leopards 254

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

These two Hadada Ibis are reenacting the mirror scene from “Duck soup” (sort of). At vulture family gatherings, it is always a bit of a bother for the organizers to cater to the needs of the Palm Nut Vulture. But the same species was never found again. I think the people running the place even fed them.

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds 2018 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The National Audubon Society Birds of North America covers all species seen in mainland United States, Canada and Baja California. The press material says it covers over 800 species, so you know I had to do a count.

North America 278

North America America Birds California Condor 278

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2011

This fear of the dark and deep is the reason why I am happy and grateful every day I wasn’t born a duck. Seriously, ducks must be the toughest creatures ever, the Chuck Norrises of the bird world, because they endure this thing all the time. He doesn’t go there for the ducks, but for the fish.

Zoos 186

Zoos Ducks Elephants Tigers 186

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2012

One of the sweetest subsections of the duck family has to be the sawbills, formally known as mergansers. Mergansers are a family of diving waterfowl in Merginae , the seaduck subfamily of Anatidae. It is also a species in rapid decline, considered vulnerable by some authorities and endangered by others.

North America 224

North America Thailand Russia Ducks 224

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2018

On May 2nd we bush walked to an ephemeral lake approximately 55 kilometres/34 miles from Broome with my Mum, who also enjoys birds and walking, to find more ducks present than on our previous visit a couple of weeks ago. Looking across to the far side of the lake we noticed a very large duck and it was swimming close to the edge.

Ducks 100

Ducks Australia Geese 2009 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2018

July often means travel, which sometimes means tourist attractions, which occasionally means exotic or introduced bird species. The reason I ask is because my family and I visited the Bronx Zoo this weekend. Turacos, hornbills, and diverse ducks were far more interesting than the robins and catbirds scrounging around the exhibits.

2018 100

2018 Zoos Birds Raised 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2019

But come spring, an even luckier few may even find a fellow survivor of their own kind with whom to start a family, unwittingly causing contentious debates among birders about the countability of established feral populations in the process. What’s in a name?

North America 113

North America Vermont America Farming 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2020

The bird family that got his attention was originally the herons, egrets and other wading birds, but as time went on New World warblers, woodpeckers and ducks fueled the passion further. If you see him on the field or contact him, he will be sure to join you since birding is always better with an extra pair of binoculars.

Canada 163

Canada Cuba Miami Florida 163

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

The month and this particular period is all the more auspicious for me and mine, as so many friends and families celebrate spring birthdays. My family took our annual post-Easter Egg hunt hike at Powder Mills Park, where I spied several gorgeous matched pairs of Wood Ducks along with lots of different woodpecker species.

2012 180

2012 Birds Eggs Hunting 180

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? Not a great place for a family vacation, though I think Duncan will disagree. The Indexes show images of the most common birds of the area against a painted background, with page references to species accounts. Now, I’m not so sure. Back to the field guide!

Brunei 173

Brunei Birds Asia China 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2018

In the winter this place is alive with thousand of ducks and geese. Today, I saw a handful of Mallards , two Common Mergansers, and a Wood Duck Family. For those of you following along on my “ Little Big Year” the numbers are as follows: Little Big Year species – 814. USA species – 111.

New Zealand 111

New Zealand Seattle Qatar South Africa 111

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2014

Fairy Martins were busy nesting under the bridge and the water body and surrounds were home to Glossy Ibis, Black-necked Stork, Australasian Grebe, Australasian Darter, Plumed Whistling-Ducks, White-faced Herons and Great Egret to name a few species. Plumed Whistling-Ducks. Black-winged Stilt. Red-kneed Dotterels.

Birds 145

Birds Ducks 2015 2014 145

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

On the drive I had picked up the flamboyant Red-collared and Long-tailed Widowbirds , extraordinary members of the weaver family who’s ridiculous tails make them easy to spot even from a moving car. Longclaws are African members of the pipit and wagtail family, and unlike the rest of the family they have gorgeously-coloured throats.

South Africa 145

South Africa Africa Falcons Family 145

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

we learn) that are home to coveted boreal species, breeding wood-warblers, and two species of Grouse. There are 461 species on the Maine checklist. This field guide covers 265 species, the ones most likely to be seen–residential and migratory, almost all nesting birds, many wintering birds.

Los Angeles 188

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 188

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

My Eastern Sibley served me well, replacing the Peterson’s with which I learned my ducks and waders. I was a little sad to see that the newer editions don’t have the second signature birds (Wood Duck for Eastern, Tufted Puffin for Western) and regional maps on the spine. This means that loons are no longer first!

North America 155

North America 2003 Birds America 155

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2015

Since we’ve covered some generalities already, once a month I’ll be exploring how a species, genus, or family of birds got its name, and how those names fit in with our larger understanding of, and relationship with, birds. At the request of blog management, I’m embarking on a series of posts on the names of birds.

Falcons 259

Falcons Eagles Meat Geese 259

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2019

Confusion is exactly the problem when the topic of bird names arises… and it always arises, particularly when trying to reconcile for a new birder the disparity between what a certain species is called and what it actually is. Too many birds are named for people or locations only loosely associated with a species. Well, no more!

Birds 113

Birds Woodpeckers Ducks Suffering 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2016

Blackbirds, as a family, often have those simple descriptive names that are easy to mock ( Yellow-rumped Warbler , ugh) until a non-birder comes describing such a species to you and asking for an ID. Audubon greatly and sincerely admired Brewer, by all available evidence.

Blackbirds 189

Blackbirds Boston Science Sparrows 189

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2017

I had a bunch of birds to choose from this weekend as I spent the afternoon hiking upstate with the family and all morning on Sunday building up my new year list. Here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful 2017, full of amazing birds and experiences.

2017 124

2017 2016 New York Birds 124

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

They are endemic to New Zealand, but unlike many endemic species that have not suffered at the hands of humans, in fact they have expanded their range as forests have been opened up for pasture. They are the only endemic duck species that hunting is permitted for, in fact, the other species being either too rare or outright extinct.

New Zealand 156

New Zealand Sanctuary Suffering Ducks 156

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2014

I spent this past weekend in Saugerties at my folks’ house in order to look for Easter eggs, let Desi enjoy time with his cousins, and generally have a good ol’ time with family. I had no luck with the rails or bitterns but I did manage to see quite a few species, including some that were very cooperative.

New York 169

New York Birds Ducks Blackbirds 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. The guide covers 1,433 species, the number of birds documented at the end of 2014, the cutoff point for the book.

Bolivia 169

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 169

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

In Broome we only have one species of Gull-the Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae. It can appear to be a different species due to the distinct differences. You can clearly see from the photograph below of two Pacific Gulls Larus pacificus in Tasmania earlier this year that they are a much larger species!

Ducks 178

Ducks Fish Species Family 178

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

Magpie Geese were breeding close to the main highway south of Broome and so were the Whiskered Terns , White-winged Black Terns , Purple Swamphens , Comb-crested Jacanas , Wandering Whistling Ducks and Plumed Whistling Ducks. The more brightly coloured female bird remained at the back of the family group as they swam to shore.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2017

As birders, we tend to spend more time in wetlands than most of our peers, neighbors, and family members. Unless those non-birding folks happen to be duck hunters or love to go fishing, they tend to stay away from the marshes, the riparian zones, the bottom lands. Fortunately, we managed Spot-breasted Wren before taking to the river.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Birds Ducks Pelicans 100