10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

In late July, I travelled a half hour north of Morelia to Lake Cuitzeo (kweet-SAY-oh) to see if our two inevitable first migratory species from up north, Baird’s Sandpiper and Wilson’s Phalarope, had begun arriving. At that point, neither species was yet present, and there wasn’t much of a lake, either. So trusting.

Ducks 247

Ducks 2020 Eggs California 247

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

When you monitor a species of birds over many years you learn a lot from your observations and you soon become aware of the fact that some birds are just better at parenting than others. There is egg predation, chick loss and sometimes possibly just some “bad parenting”!

Eggs 165

Eggs Raised Breeding Family 165

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Then, I was not sure whether this was the right thing to do. Some other members of the shrike family were a bit less testosterone-driven at Nanhui – like this Bull-headed Shrike … … this rather attractive-looking Tiger Shrike … … or one of the many Brown Shrikes passing through Nanhui on migration.

Birds 218

Birds LACS France Japan 218

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2017

The grass is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and now we have numerous species of dragonfly to enjoy as the season starts to change. Masked Lapwings have been busy breeding for some months now and some may well be on their second clutch of eggs. Masked Lapwing nest with eggs and chicks. Masked Lapwing on a nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Protection Cows 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2020

At mid-life crisis, the mother, Lili, decides to leave her husband (Gabe’s father) and return to take up farming on her family estancia in eastern Uruguay, far from the delights of Montevideo where most of her rambunctious, rollicking family resides, overseen, not always approvingly, by Gabe’s quirky abuela. Gabe agrees to come along.

Uruguay 152

Uruguay 2001 Bald Eagle Science 152

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2019

While I harbor mixed feelings about zoos in general, this facility seems to make the best effort possible to keep animals in interesting enclosures, move them to different areas of the zoo to maintain novel surroundings, and invest money and space into a 30 acre mixed species enclosure, where the animals can move freely.

Geese 113

Geese Zoos Canada Rhinos 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

Hongbenghe is a very small village in Yunnan, right next to the border with Myanmar. I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. “It is not deep enough yet!

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 209

Dissection Birds Research Europe 209

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2019

Travel to Tiquicia for birding is high on the list of most birders because it’s not too far from Canada or the USA, there is good tourism infrastructure, and most of all, it’s pretty easy to see hundreds of eye-catching bird species. Watch that one and keep an eye on the others because all sorts of species can show at any time.

Costa Rica 195

Costa Rica Cooking Birds Chickens 195

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

Our recent bush-walking has involved some long muddy walks and are always productive as far as birds and wildflowers go and we have found several species nests. Australian Painted Snipe nest with four eggs. Four eggs in the Australian Painted Snipe nest. Two birds on the right and one on the left-note the bills!

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2014

yanked the steering wheel to the right, slammed on my brakes, grabbed my binoculars, and threw myself out of the car. A half-hour boat cruise around Eastern Egg Rock gave me a glimpse of seabird paradise, then yanked it away. There are boat trips to Eastern Egg Rock, as well as to other small islands. Soon the girls emerged.

Puffins 274

Puffins Eggs Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle 274

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2012

It seems strange that I’ll miss the return of the Sun this year, as I leave this week for a trade show and then a short trip out west to see my family. Right now we’re pretty much a three species town, Ravens with a chance of Hoary Redpolls and a sprinkling of Rock Ptarmigan. “Do you mind?

South America 159

South America Eggs Family Raised 159

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2018

I have observed this species many times (my eBird says 28 times this year alone) and never had one landing near me. Personally, I wasn’t happy, but I do not live there and do not have a septic tank in my backyard, so I felt that I have no right to complain against something that would obviously improve the lives of local inhabitants.

2016 166

2016 Eagles Birds Otters 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2020

Sedge Wren – There are records of this species in Queens, generally along the coast in fall. Great Shearwater – At this point, seabirds are my weakest family in Queens with the most species having reported in the borough that I have not seen. Western Tanager – Pretty unlikely but a guy can dream, right? 0 out of 1!).

2018 157

2018 2015 Birds 2019 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2011

Life, Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. From what I read, birds are the class of Aves [feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying and vertebrate animals]. No surprise: there are about 10000 different species of birds in the world currently living. And counted each and every family.

2011 110

2011 Family Eggs Rights 110

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2011

As far as I can tell it is the most northern breeding record for the species. Last year the nest failed, the eggs apparently not viable, never hatching. I had crossed the stream and was approaching for a quick look to see how many eggs were in the nest this year. A quick peek revealed a rapidly growing family of six nestlings.

Porpoises 177

Porpoises Eggs Family Birds 177

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Here they are a common breeding bird, one of our two species that migrate from here to Europe and then south. I had hoped to have some Semipalmated Plover chick photos for comparison but as of last night they seem to be still at the egg stage. These ones had a head start, nesting right near the shore. With some serious legs.

Eggs 183

Eggs North America Breeding Europe 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? Not a great place for a family vacation, though I think Duncan will disagree. The Indexes show images of the most common birds of the area against a painted background, with page references to species accounts. Now, I’m not so sure. Back to the field guide!

Brunei 172

Brunei Birds Asia China 172

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2016

I used the family summer cottage as a base camp, placed in an old orchard where no branches are ever cut off, even when old or rotten – only supported from below. As a result, I had 15 species in the first hour. She was half-right, it turned out. The only question is, is the town of Lajkovac left or right?

Turtles 110

Turtles Serbia Breeding Breeders 110

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

I would have known this right away if I was up to date on my Alexander Skutch. We saw a smaller member of the potoo family, Northern Potoo , Nyctibius jamaicensis , at Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, boating and birding the Salado River. This living ball was so small, we all thought it was a Little Tinamou, Crypturellus soui.

Honduras 242

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 242

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

First published in 1973 in association with the Asa Wright Center, the book focuses on species descriptions, with illustrations grouped together in plates positioned in the center of the book. It is organized taxonomically, with families identified by first scientific and then popular name. The AOU has not accepted that split.

Trinidad 189

Trinidad Birds South America Research 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2012

Jake lives in southern Florida, so he and his friends had to be interested in learning about these birds, which they saw everyday, right? The boys knew what Owls looked like, they saw Screech Owls (and Barred and Great Horned Owls) at a local wildlife park, and we photographed Burrowing Owl families every year at Brian Piccolo Park.

Birds 205

Birds Owls Switzerland Lions 205

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2011

This happened to me recently on a birding trip, with somewhat egg-on-the-face results. We were driving up to northwestern Michigan from our homes in Ohio (me) and West ByGod Virginia (Geoff) in search of a bird species that would be a lifer for both of us: the Bohemian Waxwing. Wicked, right? “Missed it!&# “Kinda.&#

2011 211

2011 Birds Michigan Ohio 211

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

It didn’t occur to me till I started reading The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird that there was also a possible threat to the eagle herself: poachers, who steal raptor eggs and chicks. McWilliam realizes he’s dealing someone special, a career falcon egg-thief.

Falcons 200

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 200

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 277

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

It’s a unique bird, even its scientific name is wonderful, so it’s not surprising that Gerard Gorman, Woodpecker Expert Supreme, has written a book all about the species. But they are woodpeckers: the genus Jynx of the subfamily Jynginae of the Picidae family. They are beautiful, but in a different way.

Woodpeckers 224

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 224

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

They are part of a family of New World Quail which includes Gambel’s, Mountain, Scaled and Montezuma Quail, as well as the Northern Bobwhite. In California, coveys break up and pairs begin forming in February or March, followed by nest building and egg laying in May or June. References: 1 Baicich, Paul J. and Harrison, Colin J.

California 212

California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 212

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Once you reach Coconut Wells the road bears to your right and just as the bitumen ends you take a left turn towards the beach. Last weekend we went by vehicle to check on the Pied Oystercatchers that breed along that stretch of beach and there has been continued egg loss over the past few weeks. Pied Oystercatcher shading an egg.

Eggs 140

Eggs Birds Investigation Bears 140

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. Therefore, humans are fish with feet, right? So, here’s the thing.

Monkeys 132

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 132

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. Within each group, birds in the same family are grouped together and birds in the same genus “usually occur consecutively.” 210-531), indicated by brown page tabs.

Australia 105

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 105

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

The most common member of the Grebe species around Broome is the Australasian Grebe- Tachybaptus novaehollandiae and it has taken advantage of our exceptionally good Wet Season early this year and has been breeding very successfully. This is a bird species that much prefers to dive instead of fly, so taking photographs can be problematic.

Breeding 100

Breeding Geese Ducks Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

Although designed as a field guide, it is a hefty book, 376 pages long, covering 336 species. Many species are dimorphic, with females looking different from males. Many species also differ with age. And, there are some odonate species that include andromorphs, females which look like the males. Yes, 675 photographs.

United States 225

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 225

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2023

The family has about 37 species, but that includes several fulvettas – only 21 of the species have “parrotbill” in their names (and frankly, the bills of fulvettas do not look like those of parrots at all). A paper on breeding of the species was actually researched right here at Wawushan.

Pandas 194

Pandas Birds Eggs China 194

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2015

In Broome it is very easy to get 100 species on January 1st, which looks great for a while, but then you realise that before long other Beat Writers have jumped on aeroplanes and wandered further from home than we have. Pied Oystercatcher family together for the last time in 2014. What a nice way to end the year!

2015 177

2015 2014 Ducks Ponies 177

Animal Person

OCTOBER 26, 2009

Yet he spends time describing the miserable deaths of day-old male chicks and understands what happens in dairy production, and I assume he doesn't partake of anyone's eggs or milk. He is against it for himself and his family. But why does he say "vegetarian?" In all fairness, most people's only reference is PETA.

Factory Farm 100

Factory Farm Factory Farming Animal Vegan 100

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 29, 2006

According to Dr. Spock: Most families have become more conscious about the fat content of meats, and many are choosing the lower-fat cuts. My emphasis] There are other reasons why families are looking more favorably at plant-based choices. Children stay in better calcium balance when their protein comes from plant-based sources. (pp.

Animal 40

Animal Meat Cows District of Columbia 40

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

I couldn’t wait to give names to all my new species. I tried using the Internet, but found it frustrating for all the usual reasons; websites either didn’t include all species or were difficult to use for identification. Each species account is 2-pages long, one page of text and one page of photographs.

Ireland 168

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 168