10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2014

When discussing this topic for local media, I often say that because of their White-tailed Eagles , the Scottish island of Mull makes 2 million pounds per year from birders alone. By the end of a day, the best bird was the White-tailed Eagle that caught and ate a fish right in front of us – a species they have seen in the UK only once.

Serbia 175

Serbia Eagles Birds Sparrows 175

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

It stops those thousands of migrating birds flying across the Gulf of Mexico and directs them right onto the trees, fields, sanctuaries, beaches along the Bolivar Peninsula, where they hopefully find food and fresh water. Seaside Sparrow. I imagined walking right up to them. High Island in April requires Weather, so I was told.

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Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 209

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 10, 2016

We also feel that unique sense of togetherness by knowing that each of us is out there concentrating on the birds and covering the ground even when our lips ache from pishing, House Sparrows fail to become real sparrows, and we can’t help but wonder to ourselves, “Um, why am I doing this”? Gulls on the cold Niagara.

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Costa Rica 2016 Eagles Belize 235

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2019

The first one that showed up a couple of weeks ago is the Five-striped Sparrows. Here are a few images of the Five-striped Sparrows that I have been able to capture. Spotting any hummingbird nest, short of the one right outside your kitchen window is always a challenge, and so therefore a real treat.

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Arizona Sparrows Mexico California 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2018

Still, this way or another, the year is ending with some glorious species, e.g. a rare Greater Spotted Eagle. I observed my first GS eagles in India some 8 years ago, then the first for Europe in Greece only last December , and finally I have them in my home country list.

Moldova 118

Moldova Birds Serbia Greece 118

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle : I rarely see this rare raptor. This year, I watched at least three along with 45 other species of hawks, kites, hawk-eagles, falcons, and other diurnal raptors. One of those Black-and-white Hawk-Eagles. I caught up with my country bird at a small wetland near San Ramon during a Big Day attempt.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica 2015 Eagles Birds 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2015

Owls and eagles and ducks and hummingbirds and parrots and woodpeckers are all things that a regular nonbirding joe or jane can, with time and a few color photographs, see the appeal of. Even sparrows, if you choose the right species and play your cards right, can be elevated to ‘cute’ status.

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Seals Lifestyle Turtles Parrots 220

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2015

With regular birding in the right places, the most likely additions will be White-tailed Hawk, Pearl Kite, Mississippi Kite, Bicolored Hawk, and Black Hawk-Eagle (should have had that one already!). For example, including falcons and excluding owls, I have seen 34 species and still have a chance at several more.

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Costa Rica 2015 Species West Virginia 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

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. That does not mean that we can’t make a stop or two along the way, right? Here is the male Tree Sparrow. Here is that White-cheeked Bulbo.

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Qatar Sparrows South Africa Africa 114

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2018

The sub-adult Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) below was photographed from the same blind. This Belted Kingfisher ( Megaceryle alcyon ) was perched over the pond right next to the SNWR visitor center. I hope you enjoy it. The featured image above was taken from photo blind #1 at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR).

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Wildlife Sacramento Bald Eagle Falcons 101

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

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. ( So, expect to find warblers before sparrows if you are browsing. Birding Guide to the Greater Pasadena Area, 2nd ed.

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Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 194

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

all the time pointing with my right hand while holding the steering wheel with my left, and the hardest thing, keeping my eyes on the road. Greater Spotted Eagle – Clanga clanga. White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla. House Sparrow – Passer domesticus. I screamed “UralOwlUralOwlUralOwl!!!”,

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Owls Greece Serbia Woodpeckers 105

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2018

The next morning we were on the island exploring and going for a hike out to Ewing cove, where I ran across Hammonds Flycatchers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Spotted Towhees, Savannah Sparrows, House Wrens, Bewick’s Wrens, White-crowned Sparrows , and a pair of Black Oystercatchers along the shore where we landed the dinghy.

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Oregon Bald Eagle Owls Groups 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

If you think one of the birds is a Song Sparrow call it “ Song Sparrow &# and not the unspecific “sparrow.&# No, none of the images below feature a Song Sparrow.* Jason Mar 15th, 2011 at 10:41 pm Hooded Merganser, Monk Parakeet, and House Sparrow. Yes, you are right: I have never been to Queens.

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2011 Bald Eagle Sparrows Parrots 182

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

Given the different sets of habitats, that sounds about right, these are some details and questions associated with those numbers: Very few waterbirds : Anyone who has plotted a Big Day is aware of the vital role played by waterbirds. Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow. How many Resplendent Quetzals? :

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Costa Rica Species San Jose Birds 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

The national park ranges some 100 km in length along the right bank of the Danube (the left bank is in Romania), where the river varies in width from 5 km / 3 mi to only 150 m / 500 ft and the mountains rise up to 800 m / 2600 ft a.s.l. The turn off from the main road is east of Dobra. The Woodchat Shrike, Boljetin, June 2014.

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Serbia Turtles Birds Eagles 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2014

We once took in seven tiny brown whatsis, and just figured they must be House Sparrows ,” wrote Donna Osburn. But we kept calling them House Finches because, well, you know, House Sparrows are invasive and non-native and all that. He was right! But eventually … they turned into House Finches! The joke was on us!”.

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Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Falcons Pit Bulls 249

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2021

Of course, with the Drakensberg still not that far away from Capetown and South African explorers obviously very fond of saving mental energy by simply starting bird names with the word “cape”, we have the Cape Robin-Chat … … the Cape Rock Thrush … … the Cape Sparrow … … and the Cape Weaver.

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South Africa Africa Lesotho Nigeria 231

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2014

A large raptor just across the hilltop… Georgos says that at this time of year, we can expect Common Buzzard , Booted , Lesser Spotted and White-tailed Eagles. The bird is not showing again, so we use the elimination system: the first and the last are way too different, and dealing with the other two, we ID it as a Lesser Spotted Eagle.

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Greece Pelicans Breeding Buffalo 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2013

Those are places rich with the birds that made Montana great — American Dippers , Bohemian Waxwings , Pygmy Nuthatches , Bald Eagles on flyby, and so on and so on. This building, though fine in its own right, is but sparsely landscaped and parked in a residential/business ecosystem in the middle of town. A woodpecker.

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Woodpeckers Bald Eagle New York City United States 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2013

Confusing, right? And certain other birds look like Black Hawks, but may or may not be in the same genus: the Montane Solitary Eagle currently straddles both Buteogallus and Harpyhaliaetus depending on who you ask. His name Makataimeshekiakiak meant Black Sparrow Hawk , which on this side of the Atlantic refers to the American Kestrel.

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Chicago South America 2013 Illinois 242

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2016

By the last year of the war, the US increased its military aid to the Greek Government and introduced a new weapon: the first napalm attack after World War II took place right here! Short-toed Snake-Eagle – Circaetus gallicus. House Sparrow – Passer domesticus. Tree Sparrow – Passer montanus.

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Bears Greece Europe Slovenia 269

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2019

Even before we entered the park we had seen Black-naped Orioles , Tree Sparrows , Large-billed Crow , Javan Myna, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Olive-backed Sunbird and an Oriental Dollarbird. We had not been expecting to see a Banded Woodpecker and there we had one right in front of us.

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Singapore Unwanted Pets Woodpeckers Parrots 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2017

You can hear its song in spring, but even then, it is a rare privilege to have one posing at the very ends of willow branches right next to one’s car. White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla. House Sparrow – Passer domesticus. Eurasian Tree Sparrow – Passer montanus. Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea.

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Serbia Breeding Woodpeckers Feral 116

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2013

I started at Lucky Hammock for several reasons — very high diversity of wintering flycatchers, sparrows, and raptors but with the caveat that activity shuts down after around 10AM. Being at the right place at the right time, Ft. The Lesser Nighthawks never materialized. It was over. But was it good enough?

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Miami Virginia Bald Eagle 2013 138

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2016

He came out, we grabbed coffees and his car, and awaited the arrival of the third member of our impromptu twitching team, young birding wunderkind Adrian Burke (who I first met when twitching this bird ), fresh off his discovery of multiple Seaside Sparrows by the bike path on the west side of Manhattan a couple of days earlier.

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New York Bald Eagle McDonalds Fast Food 101

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

This wonderful piece of birding real estate can be found 8 miles east of Olympia, and an hour’s drive south of Seattle Washington, right along the I-5 corridor. At one point, standing in the middle of one of the first dikes, I was able to spot 17 Bald Eagles , a Peregrine Falcon , two American Kestrels , and Northern Harrier.

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Wildlife Seattle Bald Eagle Geese 105

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

We follow the tire tracks in an off-white, salty soil and then, without a word of warning, our guide/driver turns into the bushes, driving left and right… until one and then another Short-eared Owl flushes in front of us. Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus. Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix grisea.

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India Birds Eagles Boars 222

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2013

I also pulled three species of tailorbird along with Asian Glossy Starling , Black-naped Oriole , and White-bellied Sea-Eagle en route. I went right to the main pool to get a ration of Old World shorebirds. Also worth the walk was the shot at Baya Weavers along the road. Welcome to Sungei Buloh!

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Singapore Zebras Zoos Owls 135

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2016

For a split-second I was considering the white morph of the Booted Eagle… while noticing that they do not have long stork necks and that they were… Egyptian Vultures ! Asia: Somewhere below that mysterious eagle, at the far shore of the lake, lies one Bengal Tiger … and further to the right – two more!

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Wildlife Tigers Asia Europe 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2015

whose occupants have already left for Africa, but a clump of elaborate closed nests of Spanish Sparrows hang underneath it. Checking the birds on the stork’s nest, I found both House and Spanish Sparrows. The roadside bush held one Willow Warbler , while the nearby sandpit was adorned by Northern Wheatear.

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Greece Pelicans Geese Breeding 252

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2013

A few of the highlights include ; Black Baza, Crested Serpent-eagle, Blue-rumped Parrot, Greater Coucal, Spotted Wood-owl , Dollarbird, Oriental Pied-hornbill, Mangrove Pitta, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Pied Triller, Ashy Minivet, Olive-winged Bulbul, Arctic Warbler. Spotted Wood-owl. You may also find familiar faces. Black-crowned Night Heron.

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Singapore Woodpeckers Parrots Zebras 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

These Blasts From The Past Bald Eagles are Getting Spoiled… Help Save Migratory Birds! Wicked, right? Win a Copy of Hawks at a Distance Great Horned Owl Taking a Deer Leg Cats Are Still Public Enemy Number One, For Birds Crossley ID Guide Giveaway Winners.Or Sabrina Didn’t Make the American Idol Top 12?!? Hat-tip to Stella.

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Experience Experiments Deer 2011 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

Guianan Cock-of-the-rock (left) and Andean Cock-of-the-rock (right) by Adam Riley Redgannet’s choice turned out rather, well, pedestrian: I was bloated with smugness after stalking and managing to get a photograph of what I imagined to be a rare and elusive rallid during a trip to Costanera Sur on an Argentine autumn morning.

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2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 181

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

This immature Verreaux’s Eagle-owl was one of the first birds I saw at Kruger, on the introductory afternoon ride through the park. Verreaux’s Eagle-Owls are amongst the heaviest and longest owls in the world. And so, I went on the American Birding Association Safari to South Africa. This is a big young ‘un!

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South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 253

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2018

In the meantime, I’m still going to keep a year list and maintain said list right here at this post. Black Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus tyrannus; Lands in Love, 12-Jan. Orange-billed Sparrow – Arremon aurantiirostris; El Tapir, 1-Jan. Black-striped Sparrow – Arremonops conirostris; Sarapiqui, 2-Jan.

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Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 155

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2017

In Costa Rica, instead of seed feeders attended by chickadees, sparrows, and other small, hardy species, we have tanagers, woodpeckers, chachalacas, euphonias, saltators, toucans, and more that come to wooden platforms with papaya and other tropical fruits. Red-headed Barbet at the Cafe Colibri, Cinchona, Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica 2017 Birds West Virginia 114