Animal Person

MAY 28, 2009

Image via Wikipedia I found The Goode Family disappointing on the vegan side. One complaint many of us have with "liberals" and "progressives" is that they tend to leave veganism and animal rights out of their sphere of concern. Is The Goode Family Good for the Environment? Yeah, lots of mockery, but I didn't laugh.

Family 100

Family Vegan Vegetarian Animal Welfare 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Yet they also bring up questions, which I’m going to talk about right now before diving into the specifics of the guides themselves. Steve Howell has spent decades of experience in the field studying the birds of Belize, Costa Rica, and especially Mexico. Two issues came to mind immediately when I examined my reviewer copies.

Costa Rica 216

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 216

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

Its founder, Chris Vlachos, has extensive experience and background in wildlife photography, starting his career more than 20 years ago. Wildlife Explorers, amongst the numerous trips organized every year, has incorporated some that are designed for both the photographers and their families.

Wildlife 175

Wildlife Greece Mammals Reptiles 175

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2021

I don’t know whether head brewer Chris Schell – a Delmar native with a decade of craft brewing experience – is a birder or not, but each beer is adorned with trippy, vaguely sci-fi depictions of birds by Boston artist Ian Tartasky , some of which seem to be identifiable to species.

New York 263

New York Boston 2019 Collecting 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Where a birder goes in the Caribbean determines which birds are seen including toy-like todies, Carib hummingbirds, cool pigeons, quail-doves, unique avian families and outrageous woodpeckers. One such special place is the Centro Manu, a small family run reserve that features several star bird species of Costa Rica’s Caribbean lowlands.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Puerto Rico Birds Owls 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

It is home to four diverse forest ecosystems (deciduous, mixed, boreal, and lowlands), experiences seasonal weather systems ranging from cold dry Arctic winters to humid, thunder-storm filled summers, and, according to the latest official checklist, hosts four professional sports teams with bird names.* state and Canadian provinces.

North America 213

North America Birds Owls Canada 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2019

Though Corey arrived in Southern California late Friday night, he didn’t get much birding in this weekend other than dipping on a Nazca Booby at Dana Point after delaying his departure to go look for it to accompany his family to the beach. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2019 121

2019 Birds California Raised 121

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

Hey, in 1959 Walt Disney set up a studio on the island and filmed Swiss Family Robinson there! I did however manage to be in the right place at the right time to experience a gang of Magnificent Frigatebirds that had a Red-footed Booby surrounded. Today, it very much retains its wild side.

Fish 216

Fish Rights Species Birds 216

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2020

The birds have to be correctly drawn, show the right colors, postures, and be painted with care but when it all comes together, beautiful bird art is in a category of its own. Not only is this the right way to go about using paper, but it also adds a touch of old-school class.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Birds Species Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2020

I savor the timeless experience of scanning these tropical waves for storm-petrels and lost jaegers. Local guide and birder David Mora Vargas has been spending much of his time at his family’s farm in the Sarapiqui lowlands. Like a spy or avian investigator, I can scope them right through the front door, watch them at will.

Costa Rica 215

Costa Rica Birds Thailand Family 215

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

A family motel and passion for responsible ecotourism brought her home to the Oregon Coast where she and her husband, Erik, adventure and record a podcast ( Hannah and Erik Go Birding ), created in an effort to inspire others to get out and bird. I learned of the trip right as it had been delayed and made a vow that I would be on that ship.

South Africa 263

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 263

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

Getting to actually see four species, in the last two weeks, and to hear two more is almost unheard of in my experience. The Great Horned Owls that live in the palm trees right above our RV have returned and brought with them a pair of fledglings. That was no deterrent from landing right in the middle of the road.

Owls 152

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 152

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

The Trogon family (and order, since the order only includes one family) is quite widespread, being found in all the tropical (and some subtropical) regions of the world. It is also fascinating to see how similar Old World trogons look to their New World relatives, right down to the same flamboyant color patterns.

Mexico 184

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

So best of luck to any and all creatures striving towards a distant horizon right now. But Corey also hit up the Forest Park bird feeders with his family Saturday afternoon and Desi, his five-year-old, was so taken with a Red-bellied Woodpecker (the one above) that Corey had to choose it as his favorite bird of the weekend too.

2015 207

2015 Birds Woodpeckers Experience 207

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

The inner side of the front cover contains the visual Quick Reference with paintings of one representative of the family followed by the relevant page number. You can zoom right into the photos, illustrations and maps, to enlarge the details. and having them in your pocket makes a huge difference in your birding experience.

Africa 264

Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2021

Groups them by family too and by their shape” His extra long arm extended and passed me that precious book. One such surprising experience happened with grouse. In keeping with gamebird tradition, my first experience with grouse wasn’t one of a bird on a branch or something singing from a tree. “Check it out!”

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Chickens Pennsylvania Litter 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2022

I do not (yet) have any accessibility issues, and my only experience regarding anything akin to accessibility has been limited to the period when my daughter was in a stroller, which presents only a tiny sliver of the challenges faced by many. That’s the hashed-out area to the right of the top space in the photo below.)

Portland 193

Portland Oregon Laws Experience 193

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Around this time of year, I keep an eye out for White-throated Sparrows landing around my home… they were right on time! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a total surprise while on a family outing to Edgemere Landfill in Queens. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2014 168

2014 Birds Sparrows Experience 168

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2015

He yelled a relatively unintelligible explanation as he ran to the car, abandoning his family, and sped to Jamaica Bay where he parked and ran out to the breach of the West Pond where he relied upon the kindness of other birders, who let him use their scopes while he got his breath back. Instead, it antagonizes us with petty worries.

2015 162

2015 Jamaica Canada Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

While I was on a call with Corey, what should fly into the tree right outside my window but a Yellow-throated Warbler ? This species is quite rare during migration in my area and this bird was, in one sense, way too early but, for my purposes, right on time. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

2014 188

2014 Birds Rights Experience 188

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

We all have them: families of birds that are maddeningly similar, forever leaving nagging doubts about our identifications. But I am afraid to post my photos of these with IDs, since I am never quite sure I got them right.). The Ruddy-capped Nightingale Thrush is, in my experience, the hardest of the three species to see.

Mexico 139

Mexico Argentina Experience Experiments 139

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2020

Kroodsma waited for years for the right opportunity to record its different songs, a “cascade of sweet and liquid notes,” one naturalist said, “like the spray of a waterfall and sunshine.”. Like he does, say, for the Canyon wren. He had long wondered, Kroodsma says, how many songs, exactly, the Canyon wren has in his repertoire.

Virginia 245

Virginia Boston North America 2020 245

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

As usual, my experience with such boardwalks was somewhat underwhelming, as was Eshowe as a whole, but there were still a few birds worth mentioning at the forest and in the area surrounding Eshowe. These Hadada Ibis were right in the garden of the place where we stayed. I think the people running the place even fed them.

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa 2018 Birds 147

4 The Love Of Animals

JANUARY 24, 2012

Having a pet is a wonderful and rewarding experience. Use this guide to help you choose the best breed for your lifestyle, so that you and your new family member can lead the happiest life possible. There’s a reason so many of us call our dogs our best friends.

Lifestyle 100

Lifestyle Breeding Dogs Rights 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2012

The summer span of school-free days from late June to early September always seemed to me to be an experience all United States students held in common. Thus, I was surprised and a little saddened to learn from my Kentucky family that kids in the Bluegrass State go back to school next week. Maybe Kentucky has it right.

Kentucky 159

Kentucky 2012 Michigan United States 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2016

Pretty swanky, right? Corey spent the weekend camping in the northern Catskills Mountains and was extremely pleased to have a family of fledged Eastern Kingbirds in and around the campsite. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2016 100

2016 Birds Farming Hunting 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

In the mean time, a family group of Black-throated Magpie-Jays were frolicking in the breeze high over the dry valley, showing off their exorbitantly long tail streamers. It did not take long before we had a family group of Tufted Jays right by the side of the road (KM 216) and an uncommon Gray-collared Becard at the same spot.

Mexico 193

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 193

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In this first installment, I will focus on my impressions and experiences in the highlands portion of our tour. Many Neotropical families and genera have some of their northernmost members here, such as the spinetails ( Rufous-breasted Spinetail ), Tangara tanagers ( Azure-rumped Tanager ), and guans ( Horned Guan ).

Honduras 216

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 216

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2015

Red-billed Curassow ( Crax blumenbachii ), a large, ground-dwelling bird belonging to the same family as the more familiar Plain Chachalaca of southern Texas, was never a very widespread species. There are certain birding experiences that stay with you forever. Is that all we are going to get? Or so we thought. And that was it.

Brazil 215

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 215

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2011

It may seem like cruel and unusual punishment for we denizens of the New World to spend an entire week celebrating what is surely the coolest family of birds in the world, a family that is sadly absent from the Old World, but it can’t be helped. Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

United States 183

United States South America Cooking Family 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2013

They are usually in a group and our garden regularly has a family group of eight visit it. They have listed under “Other names” in one of our field guides “Happy Family & Yahoo”! If you have any experience with these birds then it makes perfect sense. Birding Australia Babblers Broome'

Australia 157

Australia Groups Family Experience 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2014

That’s right, I, along with my family and some really good friends, was camping. It was big, private, right next to the lake, and well-maintained. No, I wasn’t being punished, the apocalypse had not come, and I was putting myself through these privations voluntarily! There is still some bug to go. I like phoebes.

New York 175

New York Cooking Chipmunks Owls 175

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

At the end of October, my family flew to Florida for a multi-day road trip aimed at the beautiful springs. Other than donning a snorkel mask and being in the right place at the right time, I don’t know how to seek these beautiful aquatic birding experiences!

Florida 100

Florida Fish Turtles Shelters 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2019

I also spent a week in northwestern Costa Rica on a family vacation, a long weekend in Barbados, a week in Georgia, and two week-plus-long trips to visit relatives in southern California. Let’s get right into it, shall we? Our family trip to Barbados was mostly about the beach but it was also chock full o’birds!

2019 139

2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 139

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences. I would have known this right away if I was up to date on my Alexander Skutch. Which is why seeing them was such a great experience. We may have been wrong.

Honduras 250

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 250

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2015

One particular family of owls had particularly evaded me. Brian had been completely right – a real owl had answered the one on my smartphone! Almost the entire family had us surrounded. I even saw one throw up an owl pellet, a simultaneously gross and awesome experience. Three owl species seen, many more to go!

Owls 150

Owls Florida Family Raised 150

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2015

Many of these species were very high on my life bird wish list, and the country itself would be a totally new experience: a vibrant and enchanting culture, a varied and tasty cuisine, and stunning and new landscapes. Unlike most other members of the family, this species of motmot occurs in quite open and dry habitats. Time flew by.

Mexico 175

Mexico Owls Birds Sparrows 175