10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

Their habitats vary widely in both rural and urban landscapes; open habitats are preferred and the species generally shuns only extensively forested areas and wetlands 1. To show how adaptive this species is, the following photograph was sent to me by one of my readers and I use it with her permission.

Hunters 183

Hunters Hunting North America Game 183

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2022

It sounded birdy and I was game. Other species include Grey Wagtail and Marsh Tit. Easy species here are Corn Bunting , Hawfinch , Spotted Flycatcher , Red-backed Shrike , Woodlark , Eurasian Golden Oriole , European Turtle Dove. Somewhat harder but realistic finds may include Ortolan Bunting , Red-rumped Swallow , Sombre Tit.

Serbia 257

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Romania 257

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

The bird eluded me for nearly 20 years until I stumbled across one at Phinda Private Game Reserve , where I worked in northern KwaZulu-Natal. It was early afternoon and myself and a few of the other game rangers were out birding a productive fig forest close to Mkuze Game Reserve, our neighbor to the north of Phinda.

Owls 257

Owls Fish Botswana Barn Owls 257

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

While much of the attention that Africa’s tourism industry gets is for its (deservedly) popular national parks and game reserves, a lot of wildlife viewing is possible away from the big name places. Spotted Eagle Owls are one of several owls that can be seen here. Red-crested Korhaans are attractive members of the bustard family.

Zimbabwe 101

Zimbabwe Botswana South Africa Endangered Species 101

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

we learn) that are home to coveted boreal species, breeding wood-warblers, and two species of Grouse. And of course, two raptors that are a part of North American birding history: the Great Black Hawk of Portland and the Steller’s Sea-eagle of Boothbay Harbor and other local areas. (

Los Angeles 216

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 216

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 251

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 251

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2017

Avian-themed teams simply don’t do very well in the big game. Teams named for Homo sapiens historically do better in this game. nationalist, holy person, or some species of pirate has won it all. Of course, the team who conquered the best of the NFC can win the Super Bowl. But will they? Based on team name alone, NO.

Falcons 111

Falcons Atlanta 2001 Game 111

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2013

After several game drives, once again we are at the front gate of the Gir National Park in the state of Gujarat. This park protects the largest remaining tract of dry deciduous forest in the west of India, offering visitors 37 species of reptiles, 38 species of mammals and, not to be forgotten – almost 300 bird species.

Lions 239

Lions India Mammals Boars 239

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2016

On my recent visit I managed to see specialties like Spotted Eagle Owls , Swee Waxbills , Cape Sugarbirds , Malachite Sunbirds and Cape Francolins. Spotted Eagle Owl. The deep reedbeds and pools hide many species, including some hard-to-see hippos! Cape of Good Hope. Fynbos flowers are highlight of the cape.

Penguins 172

Penguins Birds Mongoose Ostriches 172

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

Getting to actually see four species, in the last two weeks, and to hear two more is almost unheard of in my experience. The only owl species that were around when I was a child were the Great Horned Owls, so any other species found since then have been a huge level of special for me.

Owls 166

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2012

It can be reached by car or by bus, and parking is shared with a set of games fields that borders the park here (I once found a football on the path some way into the forest, so I took it back and threw it into the field!). The field overlooks the harbour, and I’ve seen White-bellied Sea-eagles here.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Game India Eagles 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

But even without huge herds of elephants large game is defiantly the major draw for most people on the cruise. Perched high above the river were a number of birds of prey, including the one with the most evocative call of the African bush, the African Fish-eagle.

Botswana 162

Botswana Birds Lesotho Elephants 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

We gamely hit a bunch of spots, had to completely bail on others, as it was getting close to 50 degrees and that nasty wind just would not let up. In the end, I ended up with 9 species, 4 of which were new to the list, the Black-crowned Sparrow Lark, White-checked Bulbo, House Crow , and the Indian Silverbill. Scotland Species: 94.

Qatar 123

Qatar Sparrows South Africa Africa 123

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2012

Due to the large number of specialty and range-restricted species it is a must-visit destination for any South African birder who wants to surpass the 800-mark of a Southern African life-list. An incredible close encounter with this magical cat species. Just be prepared for well…almost anything.

Zimbabwe 207

Zimbabwe Buffalo Mozambique Birds 207

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2018

It’s needed if “success” is synonymous with seeing a higher percentage of target birds (even if that just means any possible species), the trip being rather glitch free, and having abundant coffee available at all hours. If they are different, though, it’s a whole new tropical ball game.

Costa Rica 109

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Game 109

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

The inscrutable species frustrated me and I found myself especially stumped by the difficulty I had distinguishing them, and wildly mystified by the excitement they inspired in my fellow-birders. Watching the birds in action felt like playing a video game, where your field of vision is constantly pelted by flying objects.

Puffins 183

Puffins Whales Whaling Bald Eagle 183

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Way, way back, during our inuagural game of Gone Birding , my friend Molly developed a theory of birds. And apparently, non-birders are more apt to divide birds into general kinds than species lists. almost everyone knows a Bald Eagle and a dove, a woodpecker and a Wild Turkey. According to Their Kind Everyone knows this one.

Montana 163

Montana Bald Eagle Owls Ducks 163

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2012

He told me where he’d found them, and we hung up and I went back to my card game. In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen over 20 new species. Birds like American Coots and Long-eared Owls in Arviat, to Bald Eagles in Whale Cove. This is the 3rd year for these most northerly known breeding pair of loons.

Bald Eagle 175

Bald Eagle Breeding Raised Whales 175

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Storks are typically viewed as wetland species and whilst some storks are restricted to aquatic habitats, others are not. This is another wetland species that nests in sometimes huge colonies atop trees bordering rivers and lakes.

Africa 247

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 247

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Finally, the Similan Islands are perhaps one of the most beautiful islands in the world and form a stunning backdrop to this species, one of the loveliest pigeons in the world. Apart from being an incredibly exciting bird, this is a species I had longed to see since my first trip to southern Africa way back in 1991.

2014 201

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2011

Besides that, I teach environmental ethics courses for biology students at the university and currently I am working also on an exciting project of producing a simulation game called ecosim (primarily an education tool for students) in which the player has to fulfil conservation tasks in an interactive ecosystem (e.g.

Badgers 145

Badgers Ethics Africa Spain 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2024

Nor have I chased particular birds, either: almost all the birds I have seen have been encountered during a normal day’s birding, not a targeted twitch for a particular species. A lone Whooper Swan on a grey January day in Norfolk As for the ducks – I’m now up to 15 species.

Spain 130

Spain Eagles North America Ducks 130

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. It keeps a monthly record of sightings, so I can tell you that it was in February that I recorded my highest monthly species total (106), while my lowest total was in August (39).

Estonia 239

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 239

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2013

A large portion of North American birders are relatively new to the game, with less than ten years under their belts. We have more California Condors , Bald Eagles , and Peregrine Falcons , but there seem to be less Spotted Owls , Burrowing Owls , Sooty Shearwaters. Hello my birding sons and daughters.

San Diego 176

San Diego California Condor California Bald Eagle 176

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Nowhere else in Africa do the preconceived ideas of the continent really exist in such living detail; tall, red-robed Maasai herding their skinny cattle, endless grasslands studded with flat-topped Acacia trees and grazed by herds of zebras and wildebeest, and dramatic volcanic calderas brimming with big game and fierce predators!

Tanzania 232

Tanzania Africa Stud Leopards 232

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2012

What this land-locked country lacks in endemic birds it more than makes up for in accessibility of tough species, numbers of birds and the overall wildlife experience. Okavango sunset Almost 40% of all land in Botswana is under conservation either as wilderness areas, game reserves or national parks.

Botswana 219

Botswana Zebras Lions Elephants 219

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

Way back on 16 May I managed to see my 312 bird species in Queens to add to my Queens list. Somehow I forgot that the last time I predicted what the next ten species I would see in Queens would be was back on 30 December 2013, when my list was sitting at 302. The godwit was my forty-first shorebird species in Queens.).

2013 160

2013 2010 2012 2011 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

Hunting sandhill cranes in Kentucky is a bad idea from a public relations standpoint, considering the growing cadre of birders and nature enthusiasts for whom cranes are a touchstone species. Initiating a hunting season on a large, charismatic species like a crane is no way to resuscitate hunting.

2011 257

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 257

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

I was planning a trip to South Africa, I had about five days to fill, I wanted to get a bunch of desert species (particularly the Springbok – not a bird) in a way that wasn’t too hard to reach from Johannesburg. And lo, it was good. I stumbled on Madikwe completely by accident. I’m so glad I did. Or Cheetahs.

South Africa 164

South Africa Leopards Giraffes Africa 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2022

Lango Camp deck overlooking Lango Baï, by Congo Conservation Company The forests of the Congo Basin contain more than a 1,000 species of birds, together with 400 species of mammals, including Okapi, Hippos, Leopards, Chimpanzees and Bonobos. Other primates include Chimpanzee and Putty-nosed Monkey, several duiker antelope species, etc.

Central African Republic 306

Central African Republic Congo Gabon Gorillas 306

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2020

Over the years, birders have followed suit and Thanksgiving Weekend at Niagara has become popular among birders hoping to get their gull game on. Many have enjoyed the parade of oropendolas, tanagers, and hummingbirds that visit the feeders, and views of more forest-inclined species on the trails. A soaring Black Hawk-Eagle.

Costa Rica 249

Costa Rica Turkey Iceland Eagles 249

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2022

In addition, it has over 450 bird species and more than 30 in-country endemics, of which it is possible to see every single species! More than 140 bird species have been recorded, a list that includes dozens of rainforest and/or wet-zone specialists unlikely to be seen anywhere else readily accessible to tourists.

Sri Lanka 147

Sri Lanka Ghana Uganda Eagles 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2011

To my disappointment the biggest and most visible species I saw was the introduced Common (Ring-necked) Pheasant , and my first lifer was the equally introduced Gray Partridge. And although the single Bald Eagle we spotted just outside the park was probably more interested in fish, they are known to enjoy fawn as well, when they can carry it.

Rattlesnake 165

Rattlesnake Bald Eagle Mules Mammals 165