10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2015

Worried by the lack of appropriate action by the authorities (as described in the previous post ), this year I invited two more wildlife protection organisations to take part in the annual census of Pygmy Cormorants in Belgrade. Here is a joint media release: WWF, Decembar 11, 2015 – This December, 3,800 Pygmy Cormorants are wintering by the river Sava in Belgrade, Serbia, representing 2 percent of the global population and 5.4 percent of their European population.

Serbia 186

Serbia Protection Europe 2015 186

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2015

Yesterday, Sunday, 20 December, was the 2015 Queens County Christmas Bird Count. With the mild weather we had been experiencing we had high hopes for some good birds and we were not disappointed. I covered the western section of the Rockaways which mostly consists of trying to find birds on the ocean, the beach, and the bays. We did not have a great day on the coast: we missed Surf Scoter , only had three Sanderling , and didn’t get anything particularly rare at all.

Bald Eagle 103

Bald Eagle Birds Sparrows Pelicans 103

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2015

Many weekends come and go without great birds, but during the Christmas Bird Count, most field ornithologists have reason to beat the bushes. Let’s see what everyone found… The arrival of true winter weather triggered my instinct to stay indoors as much as possible, which means I saw nothing more exciting than a Blue Jay this weekend. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was actually a bunch of birds, none of which he saw!

Bald Eagle 101

Bald Eagle 2015 Nashville Pelicans 101

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2015

Africa has a superabundance of antelopes, and one of the cutest and most unusual is the Klipspringer. Literally ‘rock-jumper’ in Afrikaans, this tiny antelope is rarely found far from rocky outcrops (or koppies) or mountainous outcrops. My only sighting until this year had been a distant speck on a far off koppie in Kenya, but this pair (they live in pairs) came very close to my safari vehicle in Madikwe in South Africa.

South Africa 100

South Africa Kenya Leopards Africa 100

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2015

Last week I was living it up in beautiful Honduras at the exceptional Lodge at Pico Bonito at the behest of friends at Leica. Ostensibly I was there to check out the brand new line of Trinovid binoculars Leica is releasing (or is it re-releasing?) next month, and I’ll be reviewing those soon on The ABA Blog, but I also had the opportunity to engage in some other fun optics related exploration.

Honduras 100

Honduras Branding Experience Experiments 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2015

Mike’s weekly call for your birding intentions is a Friday night staple in our house. Then we look forward to checking the comments section in his Monday post to see if you have lived up to your promises. Did you make it, or did that one last drink on Saturday evening weaken your resolve on a cold Sunday morning? Did you get up to brave the elements?

Birds 100

Birds Owls 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2015

According to NORAD, Santa is already on the move. Many of you may be as well. In the mad rush to count birds and collect presents, try not to forget what really matters this holiday season… more birds and presents! I’m heading down to rural Pennsylvania to enjoy my Xmas Eve tradition of bagels and lox, the legacy of an NYC upbringing. Corey is already in southern California tracking east to Utah looking for lifers and good holiday cheer.

Pennsylvania 100

Pennsylvania 2015 Utah Collecting 100