10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

It breeds in a broad and not quite coherent band from Iceland in the west through central Europe and southern Scandinavia all the way to eastern Russia, wintering in Africa, parts of India, and Southeast Asia to Australia. Judging by my experiences with the species, the Black-tailed Godwit’s behaviour is restricted to two aspects.

Germany 173

Germany Russia Iceland India 173

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

The Iceland Gull at Wanchese was a no-show. This is my second ridiculous mink experience. The addition of Blue-winged Teal and Marsh Wren at Bodie Island, owl-less during the day, pulled me to 198. The ducks, like this Northern Pintail , are plentiful and unworried at Bodie Island. It was then that things started falling apart.

North Carolina 169

North Carolina Owls Geese Alligators 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

Eagle-eyed Pat spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull in nonbreeding plumage and other birders that week noted a Thayer’s Gull (which we may have seen too–I mean, who expects Iceland Gull in April?). This was the High Island Experience, I was told. Well, he did pause for his photo-op, unlike his cousins. It was amazing.

Houston 201

Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 201

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

It’s the warbler that is often the last unchecked species on birders’ life lists and, whether you list or not, for most of us observing it is a once in a lifetime experience. Let me know if you have seen the Kirtland’s Warbler, if you were part of the Magee Marsh experience or if you made the trip to Mio, and what that birding trip was like.

Michigan 221

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 221

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

As promised, I teased a single Iceland Gull out of an endless horde of more common gulls. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. The shortest month of the calendar year tends to be one of the less birdy as well. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2019 100

2019 Iceland United States Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2016

This year, visiting Niagara Falls until January 6th gave me the chance to experience a bit of both latitudes. Iceland Gull – Larus glaucoides; Niagara county, 2-Jan. The locals don’t always get along with the migrants. Bonaparte’s Gull – Chroicocephalus philadelphia; Niagara county, 2-Jan.

Costa Rica 101

Costa Rica 2016 San Antonio Sparrows 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2011

While on a residency in Iceland, during which I pursued interests in music and invention, I brought a camera to record little moments in a strange new landscape. The lagoon outside offered other experiences too. Once it ignited, I became the one lurking, waiting, watching birds watch each other. I was transfixed. … a.

San Francisco 197

San Francisco California Condor Coyotes Minnesota 197

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2011

The research, although widely accepted, was greeted with some skepticism early on (Sutton 1966), and eventually followup attempts to replicate his research and experiments near Clyde River Nunavut by Richard Schnell found that the data could not have been have been collected as Smith’s publications had indicated.

Research 166

Research Europe Iceland Panama 166

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

It was a heart-pounding scene straight out of Jurassic Park, an odd experience for a laid-back pursuit like birding. I wrote about the experience here. But really, the year was sewn up six days in when one bird made a spirited attempt to disembowel me with claws as long as my hand (or at least that was what he seemed to want to do).

2012 143

2012 Birds Guatemala Florida 143

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

The way Harrison explains it, its current “lump” with Iceland Gull is not satisfactory; he follows Malling Olsen (Danish field ornithologist and gull guide author) in keeping it as a full species “pending further study” (p. The value of Harrison’s artwork lies in his decades of experience.

Albatross 278

Albatross Penguins Groups Family 278