10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. It keeps a monthly record of sightings, so I can tell you that it was in February that I recorded my highest monthly species total (106), while my lowest total was in August (39).

Estonia 233

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 233

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

Dirt hawking is a form of falconry that involves hunting rabbits and other small game with Harris Hawks (other hawk species also qualify). One of the primary reasons that these hawks make such excellent falconry birds is because they are one of only two raptor species (the other is the Galapagos Hawk ) that hunt cooperatively.

League Against Cruel Sports 270

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

These large parrots are popular in the pet trade, and that’s a likely source of the population of this species on Trinidad. As I neared the shore, I spooked a hunting Striated Heron who in turn spooked a Neotropic Cormorant hunting the shallow water. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Peregrine Falcon. Striated Heron.

Trinidad 213

Trinidad Birds Parrots Falcons 213

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

212) who trap, follow, and analyze the migration paths of Snowy Owls, a project founded in 2013, the magic year of the Snowy Owl irruption. Author Scott Weidensaul and a Snow Owl. Many of these stories will be known to avid readers of environmental news items and social media.

Cyprus 257

Cyprus Slaughter Slaughtered Research 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2018

Once we were checked in, we headed straight out to begin our hunt. Our first three days were spent bouncing around from area to area, looking to find the species on my wish list. That lovely little owl represented bird number 34 for the run thru Texas! Here that Eastern Screech Owl. United States species – 350.

Texas 133

Texas Tucson San Antonio Owls 133

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2014

Sure, there is unlimited potential and every single species can once again be counted, but, nonetheless, birders often put forth the energy to get that list built up again, to erase that zero, and to hopefully put three (or even four) digits in its place before the end of the year. Short-eared Owl is a great way to start off a birding year!

2014 160

2014 Fox Birds Owls 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

Many are familiar with dissecting owl pellets, but several birds will caste a pellet including hawks, eagles, gulls, herons and heck, I once witnessed a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher hack up a small one. Above is a pellet from one of a pair of Great Horned Owls that nested a few blocks from my apartment.

Bats 211

Bats Dissection Owls Minnesota 211

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Larry starts us off right with an owl that makes birders drool: I was able to see and photograph many great birds in 2014 but my Best Bird of the Year would have to be the Great Gray Owl , the largest Strix in North America. Larry’s BBOTY – Great Gray Owl. What was yours? I also blogged about that dreamy day.

2014 194

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

This morning, they have seen some 10,000 Broad-winged Hawks , mixed up with two dozen Swainson’s Hawks , several Mississippi Kites and one or two King Vultures , Swallow-tailed and Double-toothed Kites , Merlins and Peregrine Falcons. But why would someone look for that, an easy and common one among the 920+ bird species of Costa Rica?

Costa Rica 145

Costa Rica Reptiles Farming Mississippi 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

Unlike other bird races where participants keep tight-lipped about bird species as mundane as a House Sparrow , this event gives a prize to the team that helps the most. But isn’t all of that data sharing counterproductive for a bird race where the team with the most species wins? This is a Masked Shrike.

Costa Rica 179

Costa Rica Eagles Birds 179

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2012

Like several of my favorite NWRs, this one was established as a haven for migratory birds, most notably waterfowl, during the bad old days when uncontrolled hunting and habitat loss had put the future of even species we now think of as common in doubt. At last we plunged into the woods, hoping for Great Horned Owls.

Wildlife 170

Wildlife Montana Geese Bald Eagle 170

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

Here, thousands of Amur Falcons hunt for insects during the southern summer, Wattled Cranes and Denham’s Bustards may be seen, impressive Long-tailed Widowbirds display over the grasslands and the waterbodies are a haven to many hundreds of waterbirds, including Maccoa and White-backed Ducks. Image by Adam Riley. Image by Adam Riley.

Lesotho 175

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

My best bird of the year is based on the sighting rather than the species. Obviously my best bird of the year is going to come during this trip, what with several species of endemic pitta and broadbill possible, not to mention 8 species of hornbill and numerous babblers, storks, kingfishers, trogons and even the endemic Bornean Bristlehead.

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

The essays are arranged in almost AOS taxonomic order, with changes made to lessen confusion for new birders–falcons are grouped with hawks, all water birds come before land birds, etc. His field guides are known for images that simultaneously portray notable field marks and also the ‘personality’ of a bird species.

2020 264

2020 Birds Groups North America 264