10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Their common names reflect their size, appearance, residence, and sometimes their sound, ranging from the simple to the eponymous: Little Owl, Powerful Owl, Pharaoh Eagle-Owl, Cloud-Forest Pygmy-Owl, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Morepork, Christmas Island Boobook, Blakiston’s Fish-Owl. They are also hunted.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

Eagle-eyed Pat spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull in nonbreeding plumage and other birders that week noted a Thayer’s Gull (which we may have seen too–I mean, who expects Iceland Gull in April?). Many birders left at the first drops, but I crowded with a few other birders under the shelter of the volunteer kiosk.

Houston 225

Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 225

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

The sheltered bays of the Coromandel are home to another endemic, the Southern Merganser. In Cantebury, where there are moa there might be Haast’s Eagles. We’ve got a couple of stake outs where we can watch not just for this raptor, the world’s largest, but where moa kills can sometimes be seen too.

New Zealand 211

New Zealand Ducks Australia Mountain Goats 211