10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2021

All the best birds in my corner of New York over the last few months have been shorebirds, which explains why I dragged myself once again to Rochester’s fabled East Spit to bag a rare local Baird’s Sandpiper. Not only did I pick up that little brown job, but I found plenty more species that looked verrrry much like it.

California 264

California New York Birds Experience 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Richard Fried spent 2011 doing a New York State Big Year and managed to top the record of 350 species which was only set in 2008 by Scott Whittle. Richard totaled 352 species, an impressive number, by seeing almost all of the regularly occurring New York birds and the vast majority of the rarities that showed up in 2011.

New York 172

New York Puerto Rico 2011 Japan 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2021

Of all the species he saw he had one that was easily his Best Bird of the Weekend, as it was a new bird for him in New York State. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. That’s because very early on Saturday morning he chased a Wood Stork in Suffolk County.

New York 253

New York Sparrows Birds Breeding 253

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2020

Starlings, they’ll dutifully explain, are ruthless invasives that have been responsible for the serious declines of several beloved native species, like the Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ) and the Eastern Bluebird ( Sialia sialis ). A starling with nesting material at Normanskill Farm in Albany, New York, in May.

Farming 180

Farming New York Breeding Unwanted 180

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2021

I wonder what he would have made of the extraordinary peregrinations undertaken by this species in 2021, with birds turning up well north of their usual range in an event the American Birding Association has coined – with hashtag – #spoonbillsummer? Still, I was looking for a wine as pink as a spoonbill to celebrate our sighting.

New York 262

New York South Carolina North Carolina Massachusetts 262

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2021

And what could be better than a new bird-themed brewery opening up less than two miles down the road from me? I first noticed The Warbler Brewery in the Albany, New York suburb of Delmar back in November, a little over a week before their grand opening the day before Thanksgiving.

New York 261

New York Boston 2019 Collecting 261

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Also, I somehow doubt that whether I am stuck at work or not really influences how everyone else experiences spring but this is my blog post so I can use whatever criteria I want to measure how well spring has gone. Spotting 57 species of birds in the couple of hours we put in to seeking out birds was never so ho-hum in my life.

New York City 162

New York City New York Walruses Birds 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

I was shocked to still find a number of shorebird species up at Braddock Bay, perhaps because of how much productive mud the dropping lake levels have exposed. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Hopefully, you’re looking forward to the month ahead!

2020 217

2020 Connecticut Virginia New York 217

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2021

Of the species I spotted at Carbon Canyon Regional Park the bird I most appreciated was the California Thrasher , especially the one that cooperated for some portrait photography. Mike absconded from New York the day I returned and despite missing his connecting flight he is safely in Alaska right now.

Alaska 217

Alaska California Birds New York 217

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2020

Suffice to say, migrants were having no part of the Arctic chill enveloping Western New York, which means we’re still mired in the first wave of spring arrivals. Of the 132 species he spotted he decided photographing a Common Nighthawk in Queens for the first time entitled the nighthawk to be his Best Bird of the Weekend.

2020 166

2020 New York Birds Experience 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2020

While birders were out birding the coast of Queens on Friday as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay hit New York City, Corey was stuck working. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. If you spend any time in the NYC Metro area, you know what I mean!

2020 229

2020 New York City Whales Whaling 229

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2021

Consensus is forming that the bird is a Gray-breasted Martin , a rarity that isn’t expected even in south Texas, much less New York. Whatever species it turns out to be it is Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

Texas 167

Texas New York Birds Owls 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2020

Corey enjoyed a foul-weather seawatch on Saturday morning and birded a couple of locations Sunday morning before leading a walk for New York City Audubon in Forest Park. There’s something about the simple black, red, and white coloration of the species that makes it stand out as Best Bird of the Weekend.

2020 162

2020 New York City New York Birds 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

Without any real birding or outdoor activity during what was a gorgeous New York weekend, I still observed plenty of birds. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Though these feisty corvids reside here year round, fall particularly bethinks me of Blue Jays. How about you?

2018 124

2018 New York City New York Birds 124

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2014

The book I am writing is the New York edition in the new series of American Birding Association field guides. Officially called Field Guide to the Birds of New York , it is scheduled for publication in October of 2015. And, no, I don’t have to use my middle name in order to write a field guide. (I

New York 194

New York New Jersey Colorado Pennsylvania 194

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2019

We’re still driving towards the depths of winter here in New York, but I just noticed that our days are getting longer. Corey enjoyed leading a New York City Audubon bird walk at Forest Park on Saturday morning and visiting Breezy Point on Sunday. Spring migration will be here before you know it, right?

2019 113

2019 New York City New York Birds 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

His topic was the report recently issued by the Audubon Society where the organization claimed 314 species of birds in the United States and Canada are threatened by climate change. If 314 species are threatened in the United States and Canada then the numbers world wide must be absolutely staggering. Get involved!

New York City 210

New York City New York United States Canada 210

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2019

i got my fill of cygnets and goslings this weekend, but the best sighting was an adult Cattle Egret that apparently didn’t realize how far Upstate New York was from wherever it should be. Of those species, his favorite was a young Killdeer , which easily became his Best Bird of the Weekend.

2019 128

2019 Cattle New York Birds 128

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

Consequently, I observed no birds more interesting than Gray Catbirds this weekend, and those birds stand out only because the sudden chill enveloping Upstate New York reminds me of how soon catbirds will be leaving. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2019 126

2019 Philadelphia New York Birds 126

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2019

This month may have brought uncommon cold and rain to Upstate New York, but June went out on an exceedingly high note for us. Luckily, for birds, I didn’t have to, as a skulky Winter Wren sought shelter right outside my dining room window, adding a highly improbable third wren species to my yard list.

2019 126

2019 New York Shelters Birds 126

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2018

Many birders have places they return to year after year, special pilgrimages promising scenes and species they see nowhere else. Enjoying these locations over time allows us to experience our beloved birding sites in all their multifaceted glory, even when those facets aren’t exactly glorious. How about you?

2018 124

2018 Ponies New York City Tennessee 124

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2019

I definitely didn’t see much, but sometimes the usual species satisfy well enough. Corey enjoyed a weekend upstate in his hometown, beating the heat that baked New York City. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2019 132

2019 New York City Virginia New York 132

10,000 Birds

MAY 14, 2018

Second, the Kirtland’s Warbler was the last “eastern warbler” I needed to see not just in the United States but in New York State. Third, Kirtland’s Warbler has only recently made the New York State checklist with two sightings in 2014. ( One of which is documented here.

New York 108

New York New York City Michigan United States 108

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2015

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a new bird in New York State for him, a difficult feat when approaching 400 species checked off the checklist. But New York’s first chaseable Crested Caracara was well worth the effort, even though it took two visits to Orange County to see it!

2015 161

2015 New York Birds Florida 161

Animal Person

MARCH 18, 2009

The New York Times presents us, this morning, with "Equine Alternative" regarding the recent discovery that horses decided to allow themselves be domesticated by humans for our mutual benefit, earlier than we had thought (3500 BC, and we preciously thought it was more like 2500 BC). And that fact gives rise to a thought-experiment.

Experience 100

Experience Experiments Horses Transported 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2021

The survey also sought to identify “the key attributes important to birding experiences” and learn more about “decisions to participate in birdwatching and level of identity as birdwatcher.”. Nationally, most birdwatching occurred in California (9%), followed by New York (6%), Texas (5%), Pennsylvania (5%), Florida (5%), and Ohio (4%).

Minnesota 264

Minnesota Research Pennsylvania Ohio 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

Solid Air: Invisible Killer- Saving Billions of Birds from Windows is the summation of Dr. Klem’s expertise, experience, and professional life–what we scientifically know about bird and glass collisions, a handbook on how to prevent them, and, not insignificantly, the story of a remarkable career.

New York City 249

New York City Birds Illinois Science 249

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2014

The trees are of one species and nearly devoid of insect life, the only plants are ornamental or lawn, and the amount of cover at ground level is virtually nil. Almost every year there are a few birds that stick around at Bryant Park long after they are gone from the rest of the New York City area. And the noise! Pretty nice!

New York City 208

New York City New York Birds Sparrows 208

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2019

We encounter all sorts of exciting FOY species, including a particularly gorgeous Black-throated Green Warbler. A first for New York State, Corey grabbed his gear and his son and drove as quickly as safety and sanity would allow the fifty or so minutes it took for them to get to Timber Point Country Club.

2019 114

2019 New York Birds Experience 114

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

When I returned Sunday morning with appropriate optics, warblers were nowhere to be seen, but a veritable profusion of sparrow species along with a mess of Marsh Wrens made up for their absence. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his favorite species, a Green Heron , at the Great Vly in his hometown of Saugerties, New York.

2016 154

2016 New York Birds Collecting 154

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a relatively common species though it was uncommonly cooperative. A juvenile White-crowned Sparrow is an expected bird in late fall in New York State but it is always nice when one sits still for a digiscoping session. How did you fare? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2014 168

2014 Bats New York Birds 168

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

My core values demand that I get outside often enough to experience the real world, rather than what I see while watching football. He was pleased to spot all of his target species, from Yellow-breasted Chat to Ovenbird. But his Best Bird of the Weekend was the fifth Western Tanager he’s ever seen in New York State.

2016 134

2016 Squirrels New York Birds 134

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

Formerly, as you can tell from its name, it was a military base, mostly tasked with keeping New York Harbor safe from attack. I was joined on the platform by Luke Musher, a recent transplant to New York City who I met a week earlier in the same location with Doug Gochfeld. And this bird was way out over the water.

New York City 192

New York City New York Battery Experience 192

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

Doug Futuyma is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, State University of New York, and he has taught much of this material to undergraduate and graduate students, and also birders in later years, for literally decades. The book is smartly organized into 12 chapters.

Science 207

Science Albatross Research Birds 207

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2014

It’s all over but the year bird counting, so take stock of any species you’ve added this weekend. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was New York State’s first Couch’s Kingbird in the incongruous location of the West Village in Manhattan. And that’s a wrap. Birding best bird weekend'

2014 172

2014 New York Falcons Birds 172

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2014

So the massive project I’m working on reaches its climax this weekend, and my laptop is still broken… so here is a New Zealand bird story that is in the New York Times of all things! It’s seems the media has learnt of the amazing Counting Robins of Zelanadia. A North Island Robin on a cache.

New Zealand 173

New Zealand New York Times New York Experience 173

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

If you read my weekly posts bookending theweekend birding experience, you know that I pay close attention to phenology. The way the ebb and flow of each season impacts out experience of the natural world must inform our efforts to observe avifauna if we want to optimize our experience. Birding best bird weekend'

2014 167

2014 New York Birds Experience 167