10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2018

In the e-era now, print magazines are going the way of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Take a moment, then, to give thanks for the remaining good ones, the primary example being National Geographic. This year, the one now coming to a close, has been “The Year of the Bird,” as declared by National Geographic (as well as the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and BirdLife International).

Birds 121

Birds Minnesota Protest Protesting 121

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2018

A year ago, we presented a barleywine, a very strong beer, as a stand-in for the traditional Champagne in our New Year’s Eve edition of Birds and Booze. It was a rich and complex beer, perfectly enjoyable as a sipper on a cold December evening, and with a lovely Northern Cardinal on the label – but it wasn’t the customary bubbly I’d hoped to find for the occasion.

Fowl 113

Fowl Birds France 2019 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2018

Graduation ceremonies are quite long, and one weekend in December I attended my 5th such ceremony celebrating my husband’s bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Graduation is a time to reflect, celebrate achievement, look towards the future… But there’s also a lot of empty wait time. So, on the morning of his Gainesville commencement ceremony, I amused myself the way any birder would: how many species could I see from the stadium?

Alligators 113

Alligators Florida Birds Species 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2018

Eight days ago, on Sunday, 16 December, a whole big bunch of intrepid birders headed out across my fine home borough into abysmal conditions to conduct the 2018 Queens County Christmas Bird Count. In the predawn darkness as the wind and rain shook my car, I started getting text messages and emails from individual birders cancelling their participation and sector leaders letting me know about still more cancellations.

2018 113

2018 Birds Bald Eagle Falcons 113

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2018

We have escaped the clutches of the Bahamas, and are finally back “home” in Tucson, Texas. The return home included a total of 5 ½ hours of flight delays, one missed flight, and we subsequently missed the entire town of Charlotte, North Carolina. We did however gain an extra night, at our expense in Miami, Florida, all of which was in the dark, so I could not even run out and put a couple of birds on a Florida State List.

Bahamas 125

Bahamas Costa Rica Abandon Abandoning 125

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2018

The end of another year is nigh. In Costa Rica, we know it by way of windy nights with clear skies, slightly cooler temperatures, and an abundance of festivities featuring carnie rides, prancing horses, and parades. Other reminders of December in Costa Rica are palm trees festooned with Christmas lights, an abundance of annual bird counts, and sightings of winter birds like gulls, ducks, and a scattering of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Costa Rica 167

Costa Rica 2018 Birds West Virginia 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2018

We have rarely visited Kununurra in November for a camping holiday due to the very hot weather that can also include some severe tropical storms. The last time we spent a significant time there in November was in 1999 on our way to Broome. On that visit we paddled from Lake Argyle back to Kununurra over three days and that was a magnificent experience.

Cattle 114

Cattle Geese Birds Australia 114