10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

The coastal subspecies of California Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila californica californica ) can be found in sage scrub that was once abundant from Ventura County to northern Baja California. But its U.S. range largely consists of valuable real estate along the Southern California coast and urban development around San Diego and Los Angeles has eliminated much of its habitat.

California 189

California District of Columbia Los Angeles San Diego 189

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Don’t you hate it when you cannot communicate while birding overseas? Having mobility issues, I still remember birding from a van along a rather productive dirt road in Costa Rica ( Broad-billed Motmot , Lineated Woodpecker , Cocoa Woodcreeper , etc.), while the rest of the group took a hike. Seeing several birds from that spot and deciding that that’s it, I asked the driver in English to move the van a few hundred metres down.

Bears 146

Bears San Jose Greece Costa Rica 146

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Most birders love a good double-hyphenate. Except, of course, for those who don’t yet know what a double-hyphenate is. Double-hyphenates are birds with two hyphens in their common name, which is a characteristic that suggests a high degree of rarity or difficulty. Common birds, you see, tend to have simple names, like House Sparrow, House Finch, or House Wren.

Sparrows 140

Sparrows Mexico United States Groups 140

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

Have you ever heard the saying, “Sometimes you win; sometimes you learn,” as a positive spin on failing to win? I definitely learned something this weekend, particularly regarding how best to see interesting birds. Basically, you have to actually go where they are rather than sit in your office waiting for them to fly by. Imagine that! Consequently, I observed no birds more interesting than Gray Catbirds this weekend, and those birds stand out only because the sudden chill enveloping

2019 132

2019 Philadelphia New York Birds 132

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

Over the last two weeks we have observed a huge number of migratory shorebirds return to our shores. They have mostly been absent for several months now, because they have been in the northern hemisphere. Hopefully they have had a successful breeding season in the north. Several migratory shorebirds with juvenile plumage are already on our beaches, so the arrival of both old and young birds is in full swing now.

Australia 119

Australia Breeding Family Birds 119

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

eBird have applied their new taxonomy as of July/August 2019. What a boon for listers. Desk-top birders have been anxiously awaiting the new catalogue, hoping for splits to boost numbers rather than lumps to reduce them. In publishing the most current thinking, eBird have become the month’s biggest contributor to the life list, expanding it by 7 brand new species and pushing it to 3774.

2019 118

2019 Arizona Ghana Tucson 118