10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

Most of the time, I know enough about an area, or have done some research into what is found there, that I am pleasantly surprised at best. This 57,331 acre refuge was set aside as a critical wintering location for tens of thousands of Geese, Ducks and Sandhill Cranes. There was also a small raft of Ruddy Ducks.

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Tucson Costa Rica 113

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Lifers includes Gambel’s Quail and Neotropic Cormorant, but the real highlights were the morning fly-out of Sandhill Cranes and the evening fly-in of Snow Geese. I mention these trips because, along with other trips and experiences closer to home, they inform my research into my future birding travel.

San Francisco 100

San Francisco Portland United States Puerto Rico 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

Late summer 2023 the lakes and ponds had been empty, presumably because the ducks and geese were moulting. Empty no more, the ponds were now brimming with ducks of all creeds and persuasions – it was spectacular. After a pleasant morning with ducks, crisp snow and sunshine, we followed the wildlife trail on our way out.

Denver 165

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

Or, a Tufted Duck or Cackling Goose. Ducks, swans, and geese may initially appear easy to identify. It’s heavily illustrated with both drawings (72 Colour Plates, 920 drawings) and photographs (over 650), and employs extensive references to and from each section, which makes research relatively easy.

North America 149

North America Asia Europe America 149

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

This is the story of Fox’s experiences on board the Achiever, the research vessel of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. It’s a small group of 10 to 12 researchers and crew members, and Fox is the sole person responsible for the bird surveys. Although we are not close nor on a direct course, the geese are skittish.

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

For my new book, due out in 2012 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I’ve been researching sandhill crane hunting. A Great Backyard Bird Count Miracle Best Bird of the Weekend (Last of January 2011) What is the International Bird Rescue Research Center Anyway? You don’t even have to have a duck stamp! Isn’t that neat?

2011 245

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 245

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

The term “Eastern Waterbirds” may include many different types of birds, from waders to shorebirds to ducks such as the stunning King Eider above to any of the many gulls and terns that migrate through Atlantic waters. Wood Duck, for example, is included with dabbling ducks, even though it is in a separate genus.)

Ducks 231

Ducks Groups Species North America 231

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

(l-r) Brushland Tinamou ( Nothoprocta cinerascens ), Southern Cassowary ( Casuarius casuarius ), Greater Sage-Grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ), Mandarin Duck ( Aix galericulata ). Have you noticed ducks and quail replacing loons and grebes at the beginning of newer bird field guides and checklists? This is why. Jarvis et al.

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2012

I also want people to know that our understanding of birds’ mating habits are constantly changing and evolving…there is still a lot of research to be done here, and we will be learning a lot more in the years to come. Greater White-fronted Geese are one of many species that mate for life. Photo courtesy of Redgannet.

Albatross 191

Albatross Birds Lifestyle Raised 191

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2016

66 million years ago, and one of those groups gave rise to the ducks and geese. The different main groups of living birds differentiated from one another prior to the extinction of the dinosaurs, ca. One of the few reasonably well studied really early true birds is a member of this group, the genus Vegavis.

Groups 169

Groups Collecting Primates Bats 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2011

The more I learn about ducks, the more impressed I am with their blatant promiscuity. Mallards , of course, bring new meaning to the term dabbling duck , what with all those wild mallard hybrids and domestic cross-breeds running around. But apparently, all the Anas -species ducks are overly amorous or at least indiscriminate.

Ducks 228

Ducks North America Denmark America 228

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2017

“Ducks, Geese, and Swans” in the front, “Blackbirds” in the back; “Caracaras and Falcons” next to “Old World Parrots,” “Loons” about one-third of the way down the list, after “Tropicbirds” and before “Albatrosses.” The wonder of research?

North America 182

North America America 2017 Birds 182

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

Of the dozen gifts mentioned in the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” seven are birds: the seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and – of course – a partridge in a pear tree. And similarly with 99 other birds — raptors, songbirds, ducks, and otherwise.

Birds 242

Birds Colombia Collecting Bald Eagle 242