10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2011

This is the story of the nectar wars from Tandayapa Lodge in north-west Ecuador. Nestled in cloud forest at 6000 feet on the western slope of northern Ecuador, this place is a true birding lodge with comfortable accommodations, excellent birding leaders and great tasting coffee. There is no need for modern humans to be 6 ft 10.

Ecuador 240

Ecuador Giraffes ALA Species 240

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

I had just ended my ten-day birding adventure in Ecuador (which is a story for another time) when I decided, since I had an amazing time, to prolong my trip a bit longer before heading back to Europe. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I caught traveler’s diarrhea four days ago in the jungle (Imodium to the rescue, but just barely).

Colombia 218

Colombia Birds Raised Ecuador 218

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2012

My first birding trip outside Ecuador was fantastic and added nearly 200 new birds to my list. This was an amazing experience which confirmed the continued destruction of the forest caused by the insatiable expansionism of humans. My wife and I spent two weeks in Brazil birding the Atlantic Forest and The Pantanal.

Brazil 150

Brazil Ecuador Birds Humane 150

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2013

The species is being re-introduced in Colombia and Ecuador where the condors are either locally extinct or persist in very low numbers. The cause of this decline is not necessarily poisoning by humans, but this is just a contributing factor. It is estimated that only a few thousand birds remain in the wild.

Livestock 175

Livestock Chile Colombia Ecuador 175

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In 2009, I traveled from New York City to the tropical rainforest of Ecuador. The chapters on “Human Ecology in the Tropics” and “The Future of the Neotropics” succinctly describe the amount of damage humans have wrought on the rainforests and outline the complexities of current conservation initiatives.

South America 150

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 150

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

In the majority of cases, it is humans who are to blame for the plunging numbers of animals, and Corwin is very clear about the extent to which we have destroyed the world around us. For only $450,000, we could buy almost all of the habitat neded to protect Ecuador's remaining frogs.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

There is a photo of him caring for a White-chinned Sapphire in the book, the only human pictured in Dunn’s 16-page collection of hummingbird photographs, and it is inspiring. A good part of The Glitter in the Green is devoted to the history of how hummingbirds have been treated and depicted and valued or not valued by human beings.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2013

It seems that some birds are not as afraid of the cars as they are of humans. The Nariño Tapaculo has eluded me until I finally was able to lure him out while I called (playback) from my car. This bird jumped out of the shadows to call back and claim his territory like a brave little soldier.

Humane 147

Humane Birds Ecuador 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

There are are presently thought to be five species of kiwi with a possible sixth extinct species, all of which have suffered varying degrees of range contraction since the arrival of humans. The Bay of Islands is a very popular area for tourists, both those looking for natural history and for human history.

New Zealand 145

New Zealand 2011 Deer New York 145

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Other birds with webbed feet, including ducks and geese, have only three webbed toes; the hallux (which in birds is usually the “hind toe&# and in humans, the “big toe&# ) is free. For all of recorded history, humans have classified other living things by their physical characteristics. Thanks for visiting!

2011 152

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 152

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

On Seymour Island, my group witnessed a very human-like interaction amongst three boobies , one female and two males. This wonderful experience happened when I visited the Pacto Sumaco community on the east slopes of Ecuador.

2011 181

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 181

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

A Guan was collected in 1876 in a mangrove forest near the border between Peru and Ecuador. After all, what was thought as its habitat was heavily deteriorated and converted to agriculture as the human population grew. A large and striking bird like this would be hard to neglect in a museum collection.

Collecting 269

Collecting Peru Neglecting Hunting 269

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2013

The way things should be is a very powerful motivating factor in human lives. An example of this from outside hunting – Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park. I wonder instead if this is actually about the difference between advocacy and action, and about the way things ‘should’ be. A hungry child should be fed.

Tigers 172

Tigers Hunting Game Protection 172

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2011

Just before dawn I received a serenade by the Little Tinamou who comes next to the cabañas probably looking to defend his territory from some human playback in the distant past. The next day we were accompanied by Alcides who guided us to the highest viewing area of the reserve (El Mirador) via Choco Tapaculo Trail.

Monkeys 170

Monkeys Birds Farming Woodpeckers 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

The adults presumably have already learned that humans are not usually good news even if not named Donald Trump. I guess you cannot be too choosy while traveling, as I have learned when on trips in Ecuador and other places. A Lesser Cuckoo stayed in one of the Nanhui microforests for a few days, not being afraid of humans at all.

Birds 130

Birds Tigers Humane Ecuador 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2019

Who can forget Mike and Corey’s stories about Maria, the Giant Antpitta at Refugio Paz de Las Aves, Ecuador, or James Currie ‘s quest to see the Scaled Antpitta at Tandayapa Lodge? Then, I remembered how often 10,000 Birds writers have written about Antpittas. Patrick has had his share of sightings in Costa Rica as well.

Research 140

Research Eggs South America Costa Rica 140

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2015

“Spooked” is a bit of a strong word as I was very likely the first human this bird had ever seen and it stuck around for quite a while merely five metres away from me. I decided to go for my very first visual pitta encounter, a Hooded Pitta I spooked next to the trail.

2015 184

2015 Costa Rica Birds Sparrows 184