10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2021

When you mention “Africa” to a birder, it is likely that at least two thirds will instantly think “Kenya”, and for a good reason: it is home to over 1,060 bird species and boasts many globally important birding areas. Also, Kenya is covered in Nigel Wheatley’s Where to Watch Birds in Africa from 1995.

Kenya 264

Kenya Africa South Africa Penguins 264

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Nat Geo Wild is airing an amazing show tonight called Shark Attack Experiment: LIVE! It is home to some of the most concentrated and diverse shark populations in the world, including species with a reputation for attacking people, such as great white, bull, tiger, black tip, ragged tooth and dusky sharks. Will you be tuning in?

Sharks 100

Sharks Experience Experiments South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

So, it sometimes comes to South Africa to relax and enjoy relative anonymity. Colorful bills and heads seem quite popular among Letaba’s bird species – see the African Jacana (blue and black) … … the Striated Heron (yellow and blue) … … and the Yellow-billed Stork (yellow and red).

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

Before self-rule it was administered by South Africa and known as South-West Africa. After a brutal colonization that included genocidal campaigns against the Herero (80% killed) and Nama (50% killed) tribes, the Germans lost control when South Africa invaded soon after the declaration of the First World War.

Namibia 264

Namibia Angola Lovebirds South Africa 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2013

The 1,500 km route included a great diversity of habitat types, elevations along the west and east facing slopes of the Andes, jaw dropping landscapes, contrasting microclimates, cultural diversity and a potential list of well over 1,000 species. Official presentation of our team: The Zululanders from South Africa.

Peru 258

Peru Birds South Africa United Kingdom 258

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

I don’t think I’ve ever done a post on my home patch of Cape Town, South Africa. The little seaside village of Rooiels is famed for being a wonderful location to pick up some choice South African endemics but it is also one of the most beautiful spots in the Cape.

South Africa 253

South Africa Penguins Birds Africa 253

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I live in the southeast of Europe, for a while lived in the south of Africa and also have extensively birded western and central India. Which leaves only East Africa. And it shows.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Finally, the Similan Islands are perhaps one of the most beautiful islands in the world and form a stunning backdrop to this species, one of the loveliest pigeons in the world. The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY. Carlos’s BBOTY – the Nicobar Pigeon. I also blogged about that dreamy day.

2014 202

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 202

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2018

When we were planning this trip, New Zealand, Australia, and most certainly South Africa got all my attention. It was an all around quality experience. This trip, all the way around the world, has been a whirl-wind of amazing stops, fantastic people, and bird species that I never imagined to see in my life time!

South Africa 100

South Africa New Zealand Costa Rica Qatar 100

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 only owl species that were around when I was a child were the Great Horned Owls, so any other species found since then have been a huge level of special for me.

Owls 167

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Storks are typically viewed as wetland species and whilst some storks are restricted to aquatic habitats, others are not. It is also related to Wood Stork of the Americas and Milky Stork of Asia.

Africa 248

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 248

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. How do they know? I do wish there was more about research on female bird song.

North America 279

North America Research Birds Groups 279

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2014

The lure of an staggering number of species at a particular location is a draw for many people. In fact, the number of “heard only” annotations next to a species names is more frequent in bird list resulting from rainforest birding than birding in any other habitat type. Birding in the Amazon Rainforest has its pros and cons.

Peru 197

Peru Birds United Kingdom South Africa 197

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Elephant The big – two species of elephant are now recognized as occuring in Africa, the smaller and more secretive Forest Elephant and the larger, more familiar African or Bush Elephant. The African Elephant used to occur throughout Africa outside of the rainforest zones, where its close relative the Forest Elephant replaces it.

Buffalo 220

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 220

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

Cape Petrels, also known as Pintados (Spanish for painted) or in the vernacular Cape Petrels, are a common species of fulmarine petrel from the Southern Ocean. Indeed their name reflects where the species was first collected; the Cape of Good Hope, even though none breed anywhere close to there!

New Zealand 159

New Zealand Albatross South Africa Brazil 159

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. Our group got to see another species that is a master of camouflage on our trip for the Honduran Emerald. Which is why seeing them was such a great experience.

Honduras 259

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 259

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2011

For me there are few experiences more satisfying than releasing a fish that has put up a great fight. The quest to see a particularly challenging species is something I dream about, plan for, study and rave about. A Scaled Antpitta at Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador by Luke Seitz Most antpitta species are very tough to see.

Ecuador 150

Ecuador South Africa United States Hunting 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Growing up within an hour of one of the world’s premier shorebird destinations -- West Coast National Park in South Africa -- helped for sure. Getting to know the subtleties in differences between closely related species takes years of dedication and practice. For me, there’s a few things that drive this fascination.

Florida 206

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 206

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

International teams compete for 6 days and 5 nights with the express purpose of recording the most bird species, by sight or by call, while the clock ticks down. In early December of 2012 we had the opportunity to cover this hard-core rally in the south of Peru. The E-Birders – Cornell, USA.

Peru 243

Peru 2012 Birds Falcons 243

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2012

Due to the large number of specialty and range-restricted species it is a must-visit destination for any South African birder who wants to surpass the 800-mark of a Southern African life-list. I can speak from experience that this place should only be accessed by a 4 x 4 vehicle. Just be prepared for well…almost anything.

Zimbabwe 208

Zimbabwe Buffalo Mozambique Birds 208

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

This time I’ll be working with Wildlife ACT in Zululand, helping that NGO monitor wildlife in a range of reserves and parks in the east of South Africa. Volunteering provides a very different experience to tourism though. And come the new year I’ll be telling you all about my experiences this time around.

Uganda 163

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

More than 150 bird species are known to have become extinct over the past 500 years, and many more are estimated to have been driven to extinction before they became known to science. The Gray Crowned-Crane is a new addition to the list of the world’s Endangered species, creeping up a category from Vulnerable.

Endangered Species 206

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 206

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

Found patchily in sub-Saharan Africa, this large, ginger-colored owl can never be guaranteed on a trip to the continent. It is classified as threatened in South Africa – where its numbers have dwindled due to loss of habitat and pollution – and is uncommon and localized elsewhere. What a beauty! What a place.

Owls 258

Owls Fish Botswana Barn Owls 258

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

In this epic post, Patrick depicts just how dynamic the pelagic birding is off Cape Point in South Africa. Generally, it is the Antarctic Prion ( desolata ) that occurs sporadically off Cape Point in the winter months, although other species of Prion have also been reported from time to time.

Albatross 193

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 193

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2016

For most of the birders in our group, visiting the Taj Mahal was the fulfillment of a bucket list experience, and they left feeling ecstatic over its beauty. The species is crepuscular and nocturnal, but can sometimes be seen during the day. India was not on my list of places to go in 2016. It was a big owl.

India 189

India Tigers Birds Owls 189

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

However, the great birding experience that is Sani starts lower down. Both species of southern African otters are also regularly encountered ( Cape Clawless and Spot-necked.). The final southern African stronghold of this species is the high Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho. Photo by Adam Riley. Image by Adam Riley.

Lesotho 183

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 183

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa).

Ethiopia 251

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 251

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2011

By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially the live raptor display by well-known Master Falconer, Jonathan Wood. My 8-year old daughter got interested in birds from a VERY early stage.

Birds 279

Birds Game Wildlife Family 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

The countryside too is full of signature European species like European Bee-eaters, European Rollers and Great-spotted Cuckoos … Within a shortish drive of the lodge is an unusual birding spot called Pulo do Lobo or The wolf’s Leap. This is worthwhile to pick up some rocky terrain species and the scenery is stunning.

Portugal 183

Portugal 2011 Deer Birds 183

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

All twitchers will experience it at some stage or another. For those that might not fully comprehend, the birding slang-term to “dip” or to “dip out on” a bird is to go looking for a particular species and not find it. Anita still makes impolite noises when the name of this species comes up.

Norway 245

Norway Delaware Pennsylvania Philadelphia 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2011

On the grounds, Punta Cana has preserved a 1,500 acre Ecological Park that is an excellent place to view the local endemic bird species and enjoy nature. This project has ensured that this critically endangered bird is being brought back from the brink of extinction.

Dominican Republic 200

Dominican Republic 2011 Birds Deer 200

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. I’m wondering as I write if you are shaking your head, uneasy that all these FACTS will interfere with your love of observing owls, an experience that easily borders on the mystical for some of us. But what do we know beyond these commonly seen and heard behaviors?

Owls 231

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 231

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

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 –especially when reviewing books like A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia or Far from Land: The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds.

Penguins 279

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

Madikwe , in South Africa, wasn’t a site of importance before it came into existence. And so South Africa’s fifth largest park came to be (it’s worth remembering that its largest park, Kruger, is the size of Israel) on marginal land that no one in particular could do much with. Yes, there are birds.

South Africa 166

South Africa Leopards Giraffes Africa 166

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2019

4%: Mexico, West Papua (Indonesia), New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya. Yet, the fact that tiny Panama is as popular as huge Brazil, with twice as many bird species, speaks volume for Brazil’s stage of ecotourism development. Africa is a huge continent with varied landscapes and rich biodiversity. 8%: Brazil, Panama.

Papua New Guinea 214

Papua New Guinea America Costa Rica Sri Lanka 214

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

My best bird of the year is based on the sighting rather than the species. Hornbills are spectacular under any circumstances, but when a pair lands in a bush beside you at eye-level and begin mutual preening , it makes for a spectacular experience. Only trouble is, which of the seven species I saw this year do I pick?

2013 168

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 168