10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2017

There should be thousands of birds at this time of the year, Dimitris Michalakis from the Karla Lake management authority told me. In early August this year, I saw 77 species here (69 on the lake, plus 8 more in the surrounding areas) but barely more than a thousand individuals. Located in Thessaly province in central Greece, what is now left of the lake where the god Apollo was married and where the Argonauts built their kingdom is officially called the reservoirs of the former Lake Karla.

Greece 186

Greece Killing Pelicans Eagles 186

4 The Love Of Animals

AUGUST 13, 2017

Like so many of us who share our lives with a beloved dog, we had our dog Teddy microchipped when he became a permanent family member after a short foster period.

Dogs 190

Dogs Family Pets 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2017

We birders share common cause with farmers in our obsession with seasons, always wondering what new crop of avifauna is coming in. But any time of year is the right time to pay attention to uncommon avian behavior, even from common birds. For example, I saw all kinds of special species this weekend, but nothing impressed me more than displays of the tyranny of tiny birds.

2017 113

2017 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 113

4 The Love Of Animals

AUGUST 16, 2017

We had the chance to read a fun new book called Cats I’ve Known: On Love, Loss, and Being Graciously Ignored.

Cats 140

Cats 140

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2017

I’ve been back from Belize for several days now and have fully recovered from the chiggers, the sunburn, the sand flies, the rum, and the exhaustion of international travel. (I know, I know, poor me, right?) Thinking back on the time we – the family and I – spent enjoying a new country for all of us I realized that my favorite birding of the whole trip was while we were at Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge, along the Hummingbird Highway near Blue Hole National Park.

Belize 101

Belize Woodpeckers Species Family 101

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2017

I still use the term “bird watching” rather than “birding” This is the term that I grew up with and it more accurately describes the way that I derive my simple pleasures. Come summer, while the listers wallow in the doldrums, you might see me sitting in the shade just watching. This is not behaviour that I would advocate to the 10,000 Birds beat community who should be sparing no effort to pad out the collaborative list, but the summer is cruel to my western palearctic c

San Francisco 101

San Francisco Collecting Birds 101

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2017

I have had a certain love/hate relationship with the nighthawks. I love watching them sail around just as the sun set, joining the local bats in search of dinner. I hate the fact that the normal time of day that they show up, makes for very poor photography. Shutter speeds slow down, no matter what settings I use, so I end up with blurry streaks of brown, on a black background.

Bats 100

Bats Birds Mexico 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2017

On our recent trip across the north of Australia we were lucky enough to encounter several Sarus Cranes- Grus antigone , which are incredibly tall and elegant birds. Our first encounter with Sarus Cranes was shortly after we left Normanton heading towards Karumba and it was a family group of two adults and one juvenile near the Corduroy Creek crossing.

Australia 100

Australia 2017 2015 Family 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2017

Birders have been apprehensively watching developments regarding the construction of a border wall through the renowned birding location of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Santa Ana NWR, which consists of approximately 2,100 acres along the Rio Grande, is considered one of the crown jewels of the refuge system. One might assume that construction of a border wall through a sensitive national wildlife refuge would be prevented, or at least slowed, by a thicket of lawsuits under statu

Laws 132

Laws San Diego United States Arizona 132