10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2013

I can hardly begin to describe the surreal experience that unfolded before me. Hundreds of birds all huddled closely together, dangling from the jagged ledges, seemingly separated by species in separate levels along the cliff. It is truly a magical place, an experience like none other. Patience, thus, is key.

Iceland 182

Iceland Puffins Europe Birds 182

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2015

I think I was 19 when I made my first bucket list of things I’d like to do, from horse-back riding to sailing, rafting, caving, climbing… all sort of things Willie Garvin was good at (minus the knife throwing). Somewhere at the very back of the list was birdwatching. Why at the back? What more would I ask from eBird?

Serbia 189

Serbia Bosnia Research Lions 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2015

They formed their little clumps along the water, all the species mixed together until a walker approached too closely. The horse flies were also out in full force, and we scurried down the hot trail and back to the car in our efforts to escape. Shorebird cluster along the beach. Still, we were in for another birding surprise.

North Carolina 169

North Carolina Alligators Wildlife Woodpeckers 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

My colleague Doug wrote me an email describing the whereabouts of these “rosy finches” and my wife had to manage my excitement with horse tranquilizer… What a fantastic little birds. My hosts could confidently tick off the species on their life list. I flew into Denver from Mexico. We stopped at Rosie’s Diner. I can recommend it.

Denver 158

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 158

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

Not only have dogs and humans influenced each other for tens of thousands of years, they have done so in far more profound ways than any other two species on earth, and primarily in the direction of acting on the capacity for love in all its different manifestations, such as showing sympathy, feeling empathy, and expressing compassion" (xi).

Dogs 100

Dogs Pit Bulls Greyhounds Kennels 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

For this reason, the species is evaluated as Vulnerable.” The Rufous-tailed Robin used to be called Swinhoe’s Robin but apparently, somebody decided that there were already too many bird species (6, according to the HBW) named after him. The Latin species name, however, is still elegans. And it is still justified.

Birds 191

Birds China Eggs Owls 191

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2018

While some people never overcome this vestigial aversion to sour and bitter sensations, this innate prejudice can be overturned with experience, becoming acquired tastes we learn to enjoy just as much as the more dependable, uncomplicated pleasures of sweetness, salt, and fat. Louis, Missouri population. That is, unless some St.

Collecting 100

Collecting St. Louis Dogs Sparrows 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

Basically, this species is so dimwitted, it doesn’t know how to survive. Because, Pink Pigeons are not capable of doing the tasks required to create and bring up children of the species. Don’t these birds care about propagating their species? Horses bolted. Is this the type of avian experience we want?

Mauritius 101

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 101

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2018

In Costa Rica, we know it by way of windy nights with clear skies, slightly cooler temperatures, and an abundance of festivities featuring carnie rides, prancing horses, and parades. I didn’t see many species actually. It’s not that often that I add a species to my country list. The end of another year is nigh.

Costa Rica 159

Costa Rica 2018 Birds West Virginia 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2023

In Kangding, there is a rather opulent bird hide – two stories, solid construction, spacious, lots of glass, a separate paved parking lot, though mysteriously (and as far as I can tell from my experience of living in China for almost 20 years, not indicative of fundamentally different physical needs of Chinese people) missing a bathroom.

Birds 147

Birds Mammals St. Louis Monkeys 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2016

Now, if you quickly call to mind the pattern of Asian species reaching Europe as vagrants, you will remember that most are from Siberia. Well, of course I don’t know, but it seems quite plausible that the “white wagtails” are amongst the species/forms most underidentified in Europe. Why is that so?

Germany 100

Germany Sharks Morocco Europe 100