10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

The first stop of the morning: young White–tailed Eagle , right next to the road and several dozen Rooks around. The winter of 2014 is quite warm and the numbers are much lower, but the Opovo record, as counted by Vuckovic, is 250 owls. Long-eared Owls are irresistibly cute. And the citizens of Kikinda are justly proud of it.

Serbia 243

Serbia Owls Rodents Eagles 243

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

At the snowy Danube riverbank, we are waiting for geese to come to their roost inside the mostly submerged island. A shot or two coming from the opposite bank, but they do not sound like geese shooting – more like boar hunting. warns me of two locally rare Bean Geese. An hour and 20,000+ geese later, we head back.

Geese 180

Geese Hunting Boars Birds 180

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2024

I had been hoping that the Barn Owl I’d seen here a couple of days before would appear, but it was clearly back at its roost. I noted from the log that I should have been there on Christmas Day, when a White-tailed Eagle had been seen.

Birds 221

Birds Albatross Barn Owls Sparrows 221

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

This cold weather and snow does not seem to have much effect on the huge number of ducks and geese, but the smaller song birds, all seem to wake up much later in the days, and only after it has warmed up a bit. Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels, and a fair number of Bald Eagles all can be found on the refuge year round.

Fox 131

Fox Washington Geese Sparrows 131

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2015

A quick check of the Collins 2 (I think American birders know this book as the “Birds of Europe”, but here, some branding mastermind has interconnected the company’s name and the book title) revealed that we are facing two Siberian Greylag Geese (race rubrirostris ). Picture 2: Lesser Spotted Eagle – Clanga pomarina.

Greece 249

Greece Woodpeckers Eagles Birds 249

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

I was to go inland to Pocosin Lakes NWR, home of massive flocks of Tundra Swans and Snow Geese. We saw both, though the goose flock was too distant to pick out the Ross’s and Cackling Geese that are usually tucked within. The owl had put me at 195 and I felt pretty confident I would get there. The second was better.

North Carolina 172

North Carolina Owls Geese Alligators 172

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2015

Clapper Rail , American White Pelican , Snowy Owl , Cackling Goose , Blue-winged Teal , Bald Eagle , Lark Sparrow , Clay-colored Sparrow , Pine Warbler , and Turkey Vulture are all good birds for the count. Oddly, on count day we only found one of the two Cackling Geese that have been around Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Bald Eagle 103

Bald Eagle Birds Sparrows Pelicans 103

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2014

It was the height of baby season, I was insanely overworked and underslept, and I did not – I repeat, did not – do waterbirds, except for mallards and Canada geese and wood ducks and swans etc. I had a cockatoo, a vulture, a Snowy Owl , and various hawks that all turned out to be pigeons,” wrote Joanne Cina-Dreeben. I have no idea!

Wildlife 253

Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Falcons Pit Bulls 253

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

No Snow Geese or swans yet, and no Sandhill Cranes , but it did renew my taste for some of the simpler, homier pleasures of birding. There’s always the possibility of Great Gray Owls , Northern Pygmy Owls , and Boreal Owls moving south and/or downhill in the colder months. Stay tuned to find out.

Bald Eagle 109

Bald Eagle Montana Owls Italy 109

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Nearly 800 acres of wetlands and tidal flats provide diverse habitat for the local birds, as well as large numbers of migratory species, including thousands of ducks and geese. I had a nice visit with the local biologist, who gave me a heads up on where to find some owls, but try as I might, I never was able to locate them.

Wildlife 106

Wildlife Seattle Bald Eagle Geese 106

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

Young raptors like the above Bald Eagle chick are a different matter. If you find a young hawk or eagle out of the nest and it is covered in down and is unable to stand on its huge feet, it needs to get back in the nest. Owls are a little different. The first few years for female ducks and geese are kind of practice rounds.

Birds 265

Birds Fox Raised Ducks 265

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2018

Saddle-billed Storks, Yellow-billed Storks, Woolly Storks, Sacred Ibis, Gray Herons, Reed Cormorants, Three-banded Plovers, White-crowned Lapwings, Blacksmith Lapwings, Egyptian Geese, White Faced Ducks and African Palm Swifts have been there every day. I have managed to find two owls, the first was this pair of Verreaux’s Eagle-owls.

Lions 121

Lions Buffalo United States Zebras 121

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2012

The park even features a Welcome Back Waterfowl day when the community is encouraged to come out and learn about the ducks, geese, and swans that visit the valley – an event that usually occurs in early April but this year took place on March 24. A second pond held not only more of the same, but some American Coots and Canada Geese.

Wildlife 169

Wildlife Montana Geese Bald Eagle 169

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2018

A pair Bald Eagles were doing fly-bys over our heads , and there were Belted Kingfishers, Canada Geese , A pair of Mallards, and three Great Blue Herons. My first surprise of the day came in the form of a great look at a Barred Owl, just sitting on an open branch. No matter what, spotting two owls in the same day is awesome!

Oregon 100

Oregon Bald Eagle Owls Groups 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2024

The lakes usually have quite a few waterbirds, with Mute Swans and Egyptian Geese , Greylag Geese , and Canada Geese being abundant. Very rarely, Barnacle Geese are also seen feeding on the lawn, probably on passage. I have also heard Tawny Owl and Eurasian Eagle Owl at night.

Geese 130

Geese Birds Germany Woodpeckers 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2024

Pinkfooted Geese in North Norfolk – winter visitors from Iceland My British list is, in fact, merely an East Anglian list, as I haven’t (so far) ventured out of the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. Always a good bird to see: a Short-eared Owl. Seeing eagles is always exciting, and I much enjoyed these two encounters.

Spain 130

Spain Eagles North America Ducks 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

I was high and happy, not from “420” drugs but from the altitude and the anticipation of seeing woodpeckers and owls I had never seen before. Late summer 2023 the lakes and ponds had been empty, presumably because the ducks and geese were moulting. What is 100% true is the flight number I took into Denver: 420.

Denver 172

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2013

I cajoled my friends into a trip up to Polson to see the Snowy Owls. Besides the owls themselves, I promised them the best pie in Montana, which is to be found in the Ronan Cafe. A cruise by the shore revealed some Canada Geese , Common Goldeneye , and Bufflehead. We saw not an owl either. It was a good start.

Bald Eagle 153

Bald Eagle Montana Owls Eagles 153

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2012

This breathtaking part of the world is home to a dazzling array of bird species including many species that are easiest seen in the Okavango – birds like Pel’s Fishing Owl, Slaty Egret and Wattled Crane. Specials include birds like African Pygmy Geese, Racket-tailed Roller and Western Banded Snake-eagle.

Botswana 211

Botswana Zebras Lions Elephants 211

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

One of the neognath branches is called Galloanserae and consists today of the the Galliformes or landfowl (megapodes, guans, guineafowl, patridges, pheasants, grouse, turkeys, quail, and relatives) and the specialized aquatic Anseriformes or waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans, and related waterfowl, along with the weird South American screamers).

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2018

Then I pulled out my bluetooth speaker and started broadcasting a Northern Saw-Whet Owl call only to have the battery die after about thirty seconds. Sure enough, it was just to our north harrying a…wait, that’s a Bald Eagle ! It was not an auspicious start to the day. Species number 81!

2018 205

2018 Bald Eagle Battery Birds 205

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2017

The standout was the Cape Barren Goose , which not only has an awesome name but is also thought to be the last survivor of a lineage of geese that used to forage the grasslands of Antarctica before the whole place got all icy. Southern White-faced Owl or African Scops Owl ? United Arab Emirates: No Bird Award. Okay, context.

United Arab Emirates 100

United Arab Emirates 2016 Ethiopia New Zealand 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2017

Swan : “any of various large heavy-bodied long-necked mostly pure white aquatic birds (family Anatidae, especially genus Cygnus ) that have webbed feet and are related to but larger than the geese.”. Many individual species get an entry too, though they are generally not capitalized.

Albatross 105

Albatross Bears Ducks Bald Eagle 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

Moved by an unseasonable bout of optimism, I went owl-chasing this weekend and actually encountered what has been a true nemesis bird for me: Northern Saw-whet Owl ! The Snow Geese at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge will soon be winging their way north, so he spent some quality time with them, his best birds of the weekend.

2011 133

2011 Deer Birds Owls 133

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

Here’s a tidbit from the NRA’s Hunters’ Rights website: “Sandhill cranes are hunted much like geese, with decoys set in fields and hunters stationed in blinds. AND you can use lead shot, which will impact any scavenger like a bald eagle that happens to feed on the carcass you leave. Isn’t that neat?

2011 251

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 251

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2012

Greater White-fronted Geese are one of many species that mate for life. Aside from geese, various albatross, alcids, eagles, owls, cranes, swans and condors have life partners as well. Believe it or not, this is what “fidelity” looks like.

Albatross 198

Albatross Birds Lifestyle Raised 198

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2017

I’ve seen all kinds of bird likenesses applied to beer bottles, cans, and cases, but invariably it’s ducks, geese, hawks, eagles, owls – maybe the occasional heron. I’ll admit I was completely stunned when I saw this week’s beer on the shelf at my local distributor.

Birds 100

Birds Chicago North America Sparrows 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

There’s some excitement in putting up feeders and in discovering which species are gracing us with big invasions this year (2011, Montana: Snowy Owls ) but much of the time its a slog. Walking home at night, I hear a Boreal Owl calling from the conifer-coated mountains.

Bald Eagle 157

Bald Eagle Montana Owls Dogs 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2024

This one on birding in Skåne claims that “ in winter, golden eagles, buzzards and werewolves are often seen ”. I dipped on both the Golden Eagle and the werewolves, which left me with mixed feelings. A variety of species of geese, ducks and swans swim on the lake while the woods and reeds have every warbler imaginable.

Sweden 130

Sweden Geese Portugal Minnesota 130