10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

Of course, I jest a bit in the above paragraph because as a sometime New Jersey birder I have birded the Delaware Bay and seen sights such as the memorable image below, in which thousands of Red Knots, Dunlins, and Short-billed Dowitchers fly up as if connected telepathically.

Delaware 176

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2014

A good state bird guide needs to offer details about a bird’s look, sound, behavior and habitat in language that is specific enough to differentiate the bird from similar-looking species, but nonscientific enough not to intimidate novice birders. Species are organized in American Ornithologists’ Union taxonomic order.

New Jersey 234

New Jersey Birds 2014 Species 234

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2012

Ever since part of assignment at work has involved me spending time in Bayonne, New Jersey, I have found time before or after meetings to get out for short birding outings in a couple of the parks with better habitat in Bayonne. After that experience it would be difficult to find much better and, sure enough, I didn’t.

New Jersey 165

New Jersey Sparrows Birds Experience 165

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 192

New York New Jersey Colorado Pennsylvania 192

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

GISS—general impression, size, shape—is intuitive, the result of an unconscious cognitive process derived from experience in the field. It is not a handbook, though it approaches species from a collective viewpoint. “BBI These chapters differ in length and content, depending on the number of species in each group.

Birds 168

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 168

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

I like observing them, reading about them, grappling with species and subspecies identification, and even—on a good day—talking about sparrow taxonomy. Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America covers 61 species of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae that breed in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.

North America 141

North America Sparrows America United States 141

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

That was the first thing we–our New Jersey Audubon group of 11 birders, led by Scott Barnes–noted as we exited the airport. 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. There was no snow.

Honduras 241

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 241

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

I was on New Jersey Audubon’s Grand North Dakota birding tour this past July, driving along dirt roads through the prairies of western North Dakota. I wanted to see prairie birds and I wanted to experience a new state. I love sparrows, so seeing a feather-worn Vesper Sparrow this past July filled my heart with joy.

North Dakota 134

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 134

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

Here are some of the best experiences of my excellent trip. This was a wonderful re-introduction to the desert species I was seeking. I eventually did get my Life Elegant Trogon during the next part of my Arizona sojourn, which was the New Jersey Audubon trip, led by Scott Barnes and Linda Mack. Audubon trip ended.

Arizona 102

Arizona Lovebirds Phoenix New Jersey 102

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2017

We might not get the variety of a New Jersey autumn but we do get major numbers of species that winter in South America. However, this year, we opted for a site that could also give a chance at Great Jacamar and a few other key resident species in addition to migrants. I wonder what else is back there?

Costa Rica 149

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Farming 149

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

Even still, there are believed to be only 100 pairs of Pel’s Fishing Owls in the entire delta, an area roughly comparable in size to the US state of New Jersey. Our trip to Botswana produced some great owl species besides the reclusive phantom, including some of the smallest and some of the largest owls in Africa.

Owls 239

Owls Fish Botswana Barn Owls 239

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 182

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 182

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

The Refuge is now home to nearly 200 species of birds, over 50 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a wide variety of insects, fish and plants. The Louisiana black bear’s threatened status warrants protection under sections 7 and 9 of the Endangered Species Act.

Fish 142

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 142

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

New York City apartments don’t allow feeders to be hung from fire escapes (though I know certain birders that skirt that rule), and it wasn’t until I had already been birding for four-and-a-half years that I obtained a small yard in central New Jersey in which I could place a feeder or two or three.

Birds 165

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 165

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

There were birders from a wide cross-section of the United States: Colorado, Ohio, Idaho, Iowa, Wyoming, Washington State, Pennsylvania, New York State, New Jersey, California, Texas, Florida. Betty’s Bay was also a great place to see all of South Africa’s cormorant species, including the endangered Bank Cormorant.

South Africa 251

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 251

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2012

The new edition adds 11 species, birds such as Zone-tailed Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, and California Condor that are only seen in specific areas of North America. As birders in New Jersey recently found out when a Crested Caracara showed up in a farm field in the middle of suburbia, hawks just might show up anywhere!

North America 214

North America Bald Eagle Birds Eagles 214

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. Photograph of a Wild Turkey at Flatrock Brook Nature Center, in Englewood, New Jersey, by Corey.

Turkey 197

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 197

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2013

Many years of experience have been lost. There have been 221 species recorded on the count, including goodies like Gyrfalcon , King Rail , Western Tanager , Ash-throated Flycatcher , Sedge Wren and Black-throated Gray Warbler. This is pretty impressive for the cold northeastern United States. (It

Birds 163

Birds New York City New York New Jersey 163

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. On Sunday at Kissena Park I saw five species of sparrows. A mixed species flock of sparrows (american tree, field and chipping) was by the bike track parking lot. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 153

2011 New York Deer Birds 153

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2011

On a single trip I have seen four species of turtle, which must be my all time high in one day. Unfortunately, I have not managed a decent photograph of a Snapping Turtle in New Jersey yet, so you will have to be happy with shots of only three of the species I have spotted. Happy turtling!

Turtles 179

Turtles Terrapins New Jersey Reptiles 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

The economic impact of refuge visitation is broad: Recreational visitors pay for recreation through entrance fees, lodging near the refuge, and purchases from local businesses for items to pursue their recreational experience. Critically, NWRs preserve habitat and wildlife, often for endangered species. million; 63 jobs.

Wildlife 238

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 238

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

Written in the tradition of the classic Hawks in Flight , but very much a product of the experiences of its birder authors, this is a groundbreaking book that offers a new way of identifying migratory birds at sea to all of us who observe the waters of eastern North America with expectation and excitement. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 224

Ducks Groups Species North America 224

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

I started the year in Florida, traveled to India with the ABA in February, combined family and birding in an August trip to California, and in-between saw very good birds in New York and New Jersey. There is no experience comparable to birding a dump, and, I have to say, I have never experienced a dump like this one.

2016 107

2016 India Ducks Birds 107