10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. In other words, eBird is effectively a complete history of my birding experiences. After an initial period when all species are new, the lifers begin to follow a pattern. Texas and Florida round out the Top 5. and Canada.

Puerto Rico 162

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

This spurred her to pursue a career in environmental education and wildlife nature tourism as a park ranger in Texas and as the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail Coordinator with Florida Fish and Wildlife. Marion has a fascinating history with invasive species. Salvin’s Prion.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

Yesterday, Audubon released a report years in the making, entitled, “ Survival by Degrees: 389 Species on the Brink. ” As Communications Director for Audubon Florida, I wanted to both digest their findings and reflect on what their conclusions mean not only as a birder, but as an environmentalist as well.

Science 117

Science Florida Fox Protection 117

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2017

Over the weekend, a fellow naturalist friend of mine came to visit the Florida Panhandle from the Big Bend’s Cedar Key. I remember my first months of birding; the excitement when discovering a new species, the challenge of recognizing field marks in my Sibley guide, the novel way I began to look at the world. ” I wondered.

Florida 100

Florida Fish 2013 Turkey 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

APRIL 1, 2014

We took in a bit of the Disney experience this time down – it’s hard to avoid it with young children and doting grandparents – and even I cannot deny the skill at which the Disney corporation packages and sells nostalgia. As with most watery, natury, places in Florida, the birding is always good and often spectacular.

Florida 184

Florida Rattlesnake North Carolina Ducks 184

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2015

I have now officially moved to the Emerald Coast of Florida, a beautiful region on the Florida Panhandle. I am within one of Florida’s sub-tropical zones, and my birding experiences have expanded, with life birds galore. As part of my new job I work on Okaloosa Island, separated from the beach merely by the dunes.

Florida 157

Florida Birds Mice Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2016

I got a good dose of seaducks this weekend up at the mouth of Irondequoit Bay; the most interesting species amidst the mixed flocks was a lone Bufflehead hobnobbing with Common Goldeneyes. 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 102

2016 ALA Arizona Horses 102

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. We had an ambitious itinerary planned: six springs within eight Florida State Parks. Water quality was good that day, and we could perfectly see the waving eelgrass, the freshwater fish species, the adorable turtles.

Florida 100

Florida Fish Turtles Shelters 100

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. Note: this bird wasn’t the handsome one above photographed by Doug Gochfeld in central Florida.). How about you? Birding best bird weekend'

2015 170

2015 New York Birds Florida 170

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2012

A Bay-breasted Warbler was my best bird of the weekend though I could have chosen almost any of the 64 species I spotted. Mike was with his kids doing the theme parks in Florida and had as his best bird one of his Florida favorites, a White Ibis. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2012 175

2012 Chicago Florida Birds 175

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Dorian’s gregarious personality and self-deprecating sense of humor makes even the most meditative sections one of a piece with his birding experiences, producing a good read that may make you think. Plus tales of birding from the point of view of the traveling cyclist. There are also surprises. This is a smartly written book.

Birds 239

Birds Los Angeles Massachusetts New York City 239

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2012

Birding the Dry Tortugas in late April has always been high on my bucket-list of the best birding experiences in North America. And last week I got to celebrate my coming of (young) age by crossing one off the old list, courtesy of my mate Adrian Binns and Wes Biggs of Florida Nature Tours. That means I used to be very young.

Florida 250

Florida Kentucky France North America 250

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

The brilliant orange coloration and rich, haunting song of the Spot-breasted Oriole ( Icterus pectoralis ) makes this species one of my favorite permanent residents in southeastern Florida, even though it is an introduced exotic. How can an introduced species be a favorite among birders?

Miami 182

Miami Costa Rica Florida 2005 182

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2021

“This beautiful and singular bird, although a constant resident in the southern extremities of the peninsula of Florida, seldom extends its journeys in an eastern direction beyond the State of North Carolina.

New York 264

New York South Carolina North Carolina Massachusetts 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Pelagic birding off the Atlantic coast of Florida can be a frustrating experience, usually involving long waits of up to an hour or more interspersed with brief flurries of activity — a far cry from pelagic birding off of coasts blessed with cold water currents and nutrient rich upwelling such as California, southeast Australia, and Peru.

Florida 169

Florida United States Fish 2005 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2020

As the cold fronts begin to sweep through the northern states ushering in a wave of seasonal change and color, South Florida becomes a gathering place for migratory birds far and wide across the country. Black-bellied Plover is a common migrant in South Florida, occurring at both inland and coastal sites. Tricolored Heron.

Florida 264

Florida Miami Birds Falcons 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

Such is the burden that a digiscoping bird blogger bears when he visits the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida in January. Grant McCreary of The Birder’s Library , who shared the experience with me, probably has pretty much the same problem. What do you do with hundreds of picture of Purple Gallinules ?

United States 200

United States Florida South America Europe 200

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Do you ever have those moments when you’re supposed to be paying attention to something serious, but you’re immeasurably distracted by the bird species around you? For me, that experience encompassed an entire trip to Picayune Strand. Located near Naples, FL, Picayune Strand is part of the wider Everglades.

Birds 133

Birds Turkey Florida Experience 133

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2016

I enjoyed encountering a lot of first-of-year spring arrivals, but the species that most piqued my interest was White-winged Scoter , with a late flock of 17 hanging around Braddock Bay. And on that note, do we really believe Corey saw the famous Florida Cuban Vireo if he doesn’t have visual evidence?

2016 100

2016 Adoptable Florida Birds 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Southern Florida offers many unique wintering birds, but perhaps none more so then the sparrows that call different parts of Florida their winter homes. The flight shot of the male Eurasian, taken by Tom Dunkerton, shows the unique plumage that is completely diagnostic to that species.

Florida 176

Florida South Dakota Sparrows Wildlife 176

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2013

Great Gray Owl , Northern Hawk Owl , Snowy Owl – this trinity captures the imagination of most birders with their imposing presence, unique adaptations, and beauty as among the most desired species of bird to see in the world. On the third day, we finally connected with the species I wanted to see the most and just could not miss.

Minnesota 208

Minnesota Owls Bald Eagle Hoarding 208

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2014

I can’t wait to be in Florida! The 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is less than a month away and while we don’t have snow down yet here in New York City I am pretty sick of cold weather and could use some warmth and Florida sunshine! It was awesome. You can see what participants saw here and here.

Wildlife 157

Wildlife 2015 Bald Eagle New York City 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2013

Well, I will start by saying I am not new to non-stop birding; some friends and I tried to break the 24-hour record number of birds in Florida (Big day). For those with little experience in the Neotropics familiarizing with the long list of birds expected along the Rally’s route was a daunting task to say the least.

Peru 259

Peru Birds South Africa United Kingdom 259

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2014

That is, of course, dependent on me finishing a manuscript in a timely way by the end of February which I am well on my way to doing, having completed over one hundred species accounts thus far. In the meantime, I have whittled down the number of birds I want to include to 298 species, which is still a bit more than I am supposed to include.

New York 220

New York New Jersey Colorado Pennsylvania 220

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2020

Every other year or so, we experience the lightest of frosts, nothing killing, and our warmest temperatures (in the 80s and 90s) occur in late spring. We share some plant options with southern California, and others with Florida. But I don’t have space for any more trees in my garden, so my personal experience with these is nil.

Birds 164

Birds Woodpeckers Madagascar Nashville 164

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2011

For many birders a highlight of birding the southeastern United States, maybe even the definitive birding experience of the region, is taking in the great numbers and diversity of long-legged wading birds. It was all to easy to catch opportunities for inter-species interactions, like the one below consisting of four species of fish-eaters.

South Carolina 157

South Carolina Alligators Florida United States 157

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 203

Peru Birds United Kingdom South Africa 203

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I challenge that false notion and welcome those to visit Anhinga Trail in late winter and see one of the great wildlife spectacles of Florida. Regardless, it is still freshwater wetland birding in Florida at its best.

Wildlife 144

Wildlife Florida Alligators Miami 144

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2015

All the local birders had seen them, and though I arrived on the Florida Panhandle too late to observe them when they were young, I fervently wished to see them all grown up. 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

JANUARY 29, 2012

I’ll admit that I rarely reach 20 bird species a day, especially this time of year. That magnificent predator was too distant for decent photos, so I snapped some of the Long-tailed Ducks on which the owl has been sustaining itself… As for Corey, his Space Coast experience is yielding ABA birds and lifers in buckets.

2012 166

2012 Birds Medical Owls 166

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2017

I go somewhere new, I’m excited about the experience, I write about it. In the summer, my bird lists mostly consist of mockingbirds and the ever-aloft Turkey Vultures , but winter in Florida is an excellent time to look for different avian varieties: the songbirds are back. But all birders know the value of your home turf, a.k.a.

Birds 100

Birds Turkey Woodpeckers Florida 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

For example, there are years with a strong winter and an influx of northern species, making them quite easy to chase, and years with mild winters where these species will be much harder to track down. One of the best aspects of this post is that it is not about a specific bird species. Frustration all around.

Feral 220

Feral Species Asia Rights 220

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

It was a very pleasant experience. Florida Canyon, AZ. Not because I think the birds will be traumatized by the experience, but because I just don’t want that experience to be my experience. This Rufous-capped Warbler was seen and photographed without the aid of playback. Here are a couple excerpts.

San Francisco 245

San Francisco New York Experience Experiments 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

We assembled at nine in the morning in a small parking lot outside the naval base in Key West, Florida. The weeks leading up to spring break had been a whirlwind, and the days before the trip mostly spent driving and exploring Florida. Dry Tortugas National Park: Bird Banding Sooty Terns. That was mostly my fault.

Birds 194

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 194

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2016

The good news is that I was helping lead the Central Florida Specialties trip the next day and Noah had signed up for it which meant I would have another chance to show him a Carolina Wren , which is, to belabor the obvious, not a bird that is normally considered a central Florida specialty.

North Dakota 137

North Dakota Birds Florida Wildlife 137

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2018

Except for one species: I have a clear childhood memory of seeing black swans. ” A 1726 colored engraving depicting Black Swans and the ships of Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia in 1697 – the first European encounter with this species. Easy come, easy go.

Australia 126

Australia Pelicans Europe Florida 126