10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

A couple of the biggest of bird families are restricted to the Americas. Both can be found in nearly every available habitat, one is infamous for giving birders identification malaise, the other for putting on dazzling natural shows of grit and iridescence. Just about anywhere a birder ventures, the miniscule members of the latter family can be seen, and in most tropical locales, it’s not just one species.

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Costa Rica Nicaragua Panama Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Our favorite birds of prey fly south. “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird. I would fly about the earth. seeking the successive autumns.” (George Eliot). Appearing now (or very soon) at a Flyway near you – fall raptor migration! Thanks to HawkCount.org for sharing tallies from over 300 North American (and Central American) sites.

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Belize Mississippi Bald Eagle Mexico 212

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

There are 35 raptor species that have a presence in the United States and Canada, 56 (more or less) if you count by subspecies, and they are all covered in admirable, exhausting, unbelievable detail in B irds of Prey of the East: A Field Guide and Birds of Prey of the West: A Field Guide by Brian K. Wheeler. These guides are sequels, updates, and complements to Wheeler’s previous classic books, Raptors of Eastern North America and Raptors of Western North America (PUP, 2003), now out-of-print an

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North America Birds Mississippi Bald Eagle 191

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

The Juniper Titmouse ( Baeolophus ridgwayi ) is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The American Ornithologists’ Union split the Plain Titmouse ( Parus inornatus ) into the Oak Titmouse and the Juniper Titmouse in 1996, due to distinct differences in song, preferred habitat, and genetic makeup. The featured image above is a Creative Commons (CC) photo from Rich Hoeg.

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2017 New Mexico Groups Abandon 152

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

I watched some movie the other day, in which an artist, a real historical figure, says something how art is a… well, I didn’t write it down immediately and couldn’t find it googling later (assuming that the thought is as historical as the artist), but I recognized birding in those words. Simply replace “art” with “birding” and it made perfect sense.

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Birds Ethiopia Science Raised 139

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2018

Below the tropic of Capricorn, the omnipresent Turdus position is filled by the Rufous-bellied Thrush. In much the same way that the American Robin fulfils the requirement to the north of the Tropic of Cancer, the Rufous-bellied Thrush entertains southern birders from wild forests to urban parks and all points in between. Being so ubiquitous has its drawbacks.

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Brazil Groups Species Birds 135

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018

There is a virtual flock of new and interesting bird science news all of the sudden, including the rediscovery of an extinct Bahama Nuthatch. But here I want to note, and for now, dismiss, a find from Madagascar. It was always thought that humans first inhabited the island of Madagascar about four or five thousand years ago or so. It was after that date that many of the great and strange animals of that island went extinct, presumably because of human hunting.

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Madagascar Humane Elephants Bahamas 125

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

Now that fall has officially fallen over the Northern Hemisphere, we can finally embrace apple cider, football, and anything flavored with pumpkin spice. Even better, this time of year is exactly when fall migration occurs. Did your weekend feature any fall migrants? Without any real birding or outdoor activity during what was a gorgeous New York weekend, I still observed plenty of birds.

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2018 New York City New York Birds 124

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2018

Many birders have places they return to year after year, special pilgrimages promising scenes and species they see nowhere else. Enjoying these locations over time allows us to experience our beloved birding sites in all their multifaceted glory, even when those facets aren’t exactly glorious. The birding mecca on my mind is Chincoteague NWR, renowned far and wide for avian profusion (and wild ponies!

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2018 Ponies New York City Tennessee 124

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2018

I know this isn’t how you’re supposed to judge, but this book has a cover photo of a Jackdaw chowing down on chips* and a blurb by Jamie Oliver. In some ways, this particular cover can let you extrapolate everything you need to know about the whole gosh-darn volume. 1. It is very, very British. Although much of its advice – from the importance of looking up to the ins and outs of digiscoping – could apply anywhere, at its heart this is a London book by a Londoner, focused

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Wildlife Rights Birds Species 120

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10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Imagine waking up to the call of thousands of ducks, geese, and every kind of marsh bird you can imagine. That is exactly where Week 30 in our Little Big Year adventure found us. Right, smack dad in the middle of Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge. Our 5th wheel and truck are parked in just about as close to the middle of this central Oregon refuge as possible.

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Blackbirds Mules Beavers Wildlife 120

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Well what’s the big deal, you might ask? I see those all the time. But you’ve never seen one like this before, because A Hawk in the Woods is the title of my debut novel, coming this February from Word Horde. The hawk in question is a Red-tailed Hawk – not a species strongly associated with myth or horror, like the Raven , and not a rare or spectacular or symbolic species, like the Gyrfalcon.

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North America America Species Birds 119

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

We are wrapping up our last week in the great state of Oregon, and made visits to many of the old haunts of my childhood. Two full days at Hart Mountain Wildlife Refuge, three days at Dog Lake, and a short visit to Upper Cottonwood Lake brought back many great memories, in addition to a nice list of birds. Then, to finish the week, we visited the famous, and not necessarily for all the right reasons, Malhuer Wildlife Refuge.

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Oregon Owls Wildlife Barn Owls 115

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Speckled Woods are found through most of Palearctic. Two inches across, they are grey-brown with creamy spots, which are brighter and more yellowish in females. They inhabit grassy, flowery habitats in forest, woods and glades, also hedges and urban parks. While not the most colourful, they are as charming as any butterfly. When you see the two Speckled Woods circling the patch of sunlight on the forest floor (illustrated by Catherine Putman), you may be forgiven for dreaming of poetry in motion

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Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

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Experience

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

The sun was setting fast as my mom and I left Council Grove, Kansas, after a delicious steak dinner and a three hour expedition across the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Cattle fields surrounded the small town, the cows forming dark silhouettes against the rapidly graying skies. We felt in high spirits after a gorgeous afternoon in the grassland, tallying up over 20 species of birds, including three lifers for me.

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Kansas Pelicans ALA Cows 115

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

The first part of this week finds us in south central Oregon, at one of the nation’s true gems, Crater Lake National park. I came here looking for some of the birds that tend to live in the higher altitudes, but found myself, again mesmerized by this incredible, scenic wonder. With all the forest fires going on in the area, again this year, we were quite concerned if we would even be able to see, but Mother Nature provided us with a very nice northerly breeze, and blew all the smoke out of the a

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Oregon Bald Eagle Birds United States 115

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

September has drawn to a close, but the birding excitement may just be getting started, depending on where you live. Migratory season can last a while, so pace yourselves! I finally made it to one of my favorite patches, but all I found were swarms of agitated chipmunks. They must have chased the birds away! Fortunately, two White-throated Sparrows proved courageous enough to withstand the chipmunk horde.

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2018 Chipmunks Birds Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

Little Woodswallows- Artamus minor are the smallest of the Woodswallows at only 12-14cm and prefer areas where there are cliff faces and rugged terrain. They can be found close to Broome around the Willie Creek area and at the nearby ephemeral lakes, though, despite the lack of cliffs. One of the easiest places to find Little Woodswallows in the Kimberley which is accessible by bitumen is Geikie Gorge close to the town of Fitzroy Crossing.

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Species Birds Australia 113

Speaker: Gabriel Wagner Presenter

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

During the last weekend of September, birds are well and truly on the move all across the world. So why aren’t you birding right now? I will be out and about trying to catch migratory action in the Rochester area this weekend. Corey will be doing the same around Queens. How about you? Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding? Share your plans in the comments below.

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2018 Birds Rights 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

Our little adventure now moves us farther north, into Idaho’s Teton Valley area, and a visit to Jackson, Wyoming. As we get a little farther north, my target list for bird species has diminished a bit, as there are a lot of repeats, and not many new bird opportunities. Now, the stunning mountain vistas, incredible waterfalls, seemingly bottomless canyons and a bunch of incredible animals certainly have kept this part of the drive adventurous.

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Wyoming Idaho Blackbirds Canada 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

Sanderling- Calidris alba have been returning to Broome over the past few weeks from their northern migration. Each year the Sanderling depart from Australia and head north to Siberia to breed and then return to be observed running frantically along the water’s edge. Sanderling prefer sandy beaches and they are found along Cable Beach , northern Cable Beach , Reddell Beach and Gantheaume Point when they are present in Broome.

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Australia 2000 2018 Breeding 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

Brazil boasts 5 of the World’s 8 species of Aramides rails. They all show a combination of grey, rufous, chestnut and black plumage with yellow/green bills and orangey/red legs. The 10,000 Clicks section of 10,000 Birds is fast becoming the repository for Aramides archives as we bring you the third in the enthralling series. Click the links for Episode 1 , Episode 2 , or binge blog the box-set.

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Brazil Groups Birds Species 113

Speaker: Steve Romanco

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Towns across New York state are celebrating Homecoming this weekend, which seems appropriate from the perspective of cooling temps and the urge to nest ahead of winter’s bite. As birders, however, we focus more on those restless creatures struck with the sudden, irresistible urge to leave. Birds all across the world are leaving last season’s homes for next season’s breeding or wintering grounds.

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2018 New York Birds Breeding 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018

Last weekend a Sora was spotted at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and I had no time to go see it. Having only seen three Sora in my decade-plus in Queens I was hoping against hope that the bird would last through the week so I could go see it this weekend. Amazingly, the bird stuck, and after birding Fort Tilden early in the AM with Seth and Mary we three headed to Jamaica Bay’s East Pond to try to track down either of what had become two Soras being seen in the refuge.

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10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2018

Most of us have heard the phrase, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” while imagining such infirmity only befalls lesser souls. Every once in a while, though, even the most indomitable birder has to sit on the sidelines due to illness or injury, no matter how rare or plentiful the action is. Amazing birds have been flying through Rochester airspace, but a foot problem has kept me out of the field.

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2018 Birds Experience Experiments 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2018

The Great-billed Heron – Ardea sumatrana is one of the most elusive of all the herons in Australia and it stands over one metre tall. Although you can’t observe them around Broome itself you can travel north on the bitumen a couple of hours to Derby. You need to head out to the Derby wharf and take careful note of the tides and then it is basically down to luck!

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2017 Australia Species Birds 113

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10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2018

We’re in it now, and by “it” I don’t mean another academic year, although the recent rash of school open houses means were in that too. For birders, “it” is another season of migration, another extended influx of passing birds en route to their next layover. Enjoy it! During such a time, one needn’t travel far for fun times (unless a hurricane is barreling through your yard).

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2018 Birds 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2018

The Northern Hemisphere hops harvest of 2018 is well underway.* In my own small way, I’ve been busy this week doing my part in this annual tradition, handpicking the fragrant green cones off several twisted bines that spent the summer creeping up lines of twine in my yard. It’s a modest but no less rewarding effort compared to the massive global endeavor of hop harvesting, which sees the entire Northern Hemisphere crop picked and processed in a matter of weeks.

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Portland South Africa New Zealand Oregon 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

We’re in the shoulder season now, perfectly poised to enjoy the fruits of the passing season and the one that lies ahead. Whatever the wind blows your way this weekend, be ready! I’m headed down to the Chincoteague area for my annual pilgrimage, hoping to find a bevy of birds that have eluded me so far this year. Corey has the entire New York Atlantic coast to scour, which means he’ll be busy this weekend.

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2018 New York Birds 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

This first weekend of September is still in motion for many of us, which makes our review of best birds slightly premature. Keep in mind, though, that birders bird always, not just on Saturday and Sunday. Feel free to wait until day’s end to post your best, or just keep doing your thing regardless of the day of the week. I enjoyed seeing American Goldfinches scour the last shards of seed from my coneflowers, which I’ve delayed cutting back until the birds seemed satisfied.

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2018 Suffering Birds Fish 101

Speaker: cha cha dwyer

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