10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Yet they also bring up questions, which I’m going to talk about right now before diving into the specifics of the guides themselves. An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed.

Costa Rica 222

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 222

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2022

Towhees are large, ground-hugging sparrows that occur only in North America. Earlier this month, I came across a family of Spotted Towhees (Olive-backed) with a couple of other strange aspects. The first was strange only on a personal level, as I had never before seen a juvenile of the species. Our towhees are weird.

Mexico 216

Mexico North America 2015 Sparrows 216

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

The Trogon family (and order, since the order only includes one family) is quite widespread, being found in all the tropical (and some subtropical) regions of the world. It is also fascinating to see how similar Old World trogons look to their New World relatives, right down to the same flamboyant color patterns.

Mexico 189

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 189

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2021

All sorts of exotic and beautiful species may be seen. This would sound attractive even to me, except for one fact: almost all of those exotic and beautiful species are common down here in central Mexico. Southeastern Arizona is unusual, precisely because its species mix is as much Mexican as it is American.

Arizona 263

Arizona Mexico Los Angeles Dallas 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

I purchased my first Sibley— The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America —in 2003. A guide that feels so right in my hands? And, that falcons are about as far away from hawks as a bird family could get. My Eastern Sibley served me well, replacing the Peterson’s with which I learned my ducks and waders.

North America 167

North America 2003 Birds America 167

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2019

This is the same history of conquest and despoliation which now puts many of these very species in danger of extinction. This longspur,” Driver writes, “is named after a man who fought for years to maintain the right to keep slaves, and also fought against multiple Native tribes.”. McCown is an extraordinary case.

Birds 260

Birds North America Cooking Campaign 260

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

This is the first identification guide that I know of that covers Mexico (technically North America but rarely included in North American raptor guides) and Central America. Like Peterson’s Hawks of North America, 2nd edition (Houghton Mifflin, 2001), which Clark co-authored with Brain K.

Mexico 169

Mexico America North America Falcons 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2020

Kroodsma waited for years for the right opportunity to record its different songs, a “cascade of sweet and liquid notes,” one naturalist said, “like the spray of a waterfall and sunshine.”. Good field guides to bird sounds are certainly available, particularly Nathan Pieplow’s for eastern and western North America.)

Virginia 250

Virginia Boston North America 2020 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2015

I still know my audience - this is primarily a blog read by birders in North America, who see the term “squirrel” as little more than a synonym for house sparrow, starling, pest and cholera. Germany, like most of Europe and very much unlike North America, is home to only one species of squirrel.

Squirrels 162

Squirrels North America Germany Europe 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. millions years ago.

California Condor 186

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 186

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

I’m happy to say that Laura Erickson and Marie Read have written a book, Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds , that is not too cute and that does not anthropomorphize. Some chapters focus on one species (Yellow Warbler), some on several related species (Chickadees and Nuthatches).

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

The Durango Highway is arguably one of North America’s great birding roads due to the great variety of habitats, the spectacular mountain scenery of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the numerous Mexican endemics one can target. The birds we observed were nesting right into the cliff face. Photo by Andrew Spencer.

Mexico 197

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 197

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

Diversity of habitat means, of course, great biodiversity, and the Introduction boasts that Bolivia “is the richest landlocked nation on Earth for bird diversity, the sixth richest overall, and the fifth richest in the Americas” (p. That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! ″ x 9.5″x

Bolivia 178

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 178

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2014

North American Songbirds is clearly oriented towards beginning or backyard birders. It devotes two pages to each bird, a full-page drawing of the bird on the left, a description of the bird, including singing and nesting behavior, on the right. Scientific names don’t reflect the massive changes to species in the warbler family.

2006 202

2006 2014 Connecticut North America 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2014

The Yellow-rumped Warbler ( Setophaga coronata ) complex is one of the most abundant and widespread representatives of the New World warbler family in North America, present in many parts of the United States even through the winter months, when the birds feed on small fruits and other foods, including sap.

United States 241

United States 2011 Guatemala North America 241

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many Neotropical families and genera have some of their northernmost members here, such as the spinetails ( Rufous-breasted Spinetail ), Tangara tanagers ( Azure-rumped Tanager ), and guans ( Horned Guan ). the species suffering most from deforestation). This is a fascinating area of transition. We were off to a great start.

Honduras 221

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 221

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2011

Despite being taken in Europe, this image exemplifies why forest birding in North America might soon be rated NC-17. And you are absolutely spot-on right in having finally worked out what this post will be about (lesson 2) … Treecreeper Identification The Treecreepers are creepy creatures outside North America.

North America 145

North America Europe America Asia 145

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2012

I have been a fan of the Kaufman Guides since I bought the Field Guide to Butterflies of North America , for a birds and butterflies trip to Colorado. Kaufman guides are colorful and well-designed and convenient, just the right size and weight to slip into a backpack or even a pocket.

Massachusetts 210

Massachusetts North America Rhode Island Ohio 210

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America covers 827 species, including resident, migratory, and common vagrant birds. The end result is that the whole “biographic” area (NCA plus southern Mexico and northern Nicaragua) is home to 41 endemic bird species.

El Salvador 234

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 234

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

This is “the deep cradle of Western ornithology: the birthplace of bird study,” he tells us as he writes about gazing at the 8,000-year old depictions of “flamingos, herons, raptors, avocets and many other species” (p. Birkhead knows that these are sensitive topics. Great Flamingo tongues & heads: p.

Dissection 228

Dissection Birds Research Europe 228

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2018

Our bogey or nemesis species, birds that we would opt to see over others. Back in the early days of birding with optics, I wonder if such wanted species would have been birds that were much more common in present times. It’s a reminder of how cool that bird really does look, that species and its red, crested counterpart.

Costa Rica 101

Costa Rica Bald Eagle Eagles Birds 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2014

I’m in Orlando for what is supposed to be a family excursion, but as anyone who considers a pair of binoculars to be an every day accessory, if there are birds to be found I’m going to make an effort to see them. And aside from the birds, there are arguably the most imposing herps in North America, American Alligators.

Florida 168

Florida Alligators Birds United States 168

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

As the story goes, way back in the late 19th Century and organization called the American Acclimitazation Society was working hard to introduce every one of the 600 species of birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays to North America. The AAS released some hundred European Starlings into Central Park in 1890 and 1891.

India 157

India Stray Dog United States Stray 157

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

The second edition of the National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition has one of the longest book names in bird bookdom: National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition: Now Covering More Than 1,000 Species With the Most-Detailed Information Found in a Single Volume.

North America 178

North America America Birds Family 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Horned Larks breed widely over North America, including up here in the High Arctic. For many North American bird enthusiasts, Common Ringed Plover ‘s are a bird they rarely, if ever, get to see. Here they are a common breeding bird, one of our two species that migrate from here to Europe and then south.

Eggs 191

Eggs North America Breeding Europe 191

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Private property holders with prairie/agricultural land can potentially make a big difference in maintaining and recovering populations of many of these charismatic species. If birders are willing to spend so much money in the pursuit of birds, it seems some would be willing to spend some on protecting them as well…right?

United States 159

United States Protection Endangered Species North America 159

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2017

The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America by Nathan Pieplow is innovative, fascinating, and challenging. The guide covers 520 species of birds regularly found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, including, interestingly, a number of exotic species. But, first the basics.

North America 175

North America America Birds New York 175

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

We saw sparrows–a total of 14 species–and we saw many other great prairie birds, and we often saw them perched on posts. I don’t know much about prairies, but I have discovered that there is more to them than just grass, and that they are home to hundreds of butterfly and bee species and thousands of moth species.

North Dakota 143

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 143

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Getting to know the subtleties in differences between closely related species takes years of dedication and practice. Thirdly, many species of shorebirds display such vast differences in their summer and winter plumages that it is always interesting to note how some birds in the same flock are in contrasting stages of plumage.

Florida 196

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 196

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

This is like Sibley calling his bird guide “The Sibley guide to Birds of Massachusetts and North America” The latter sounds silly, right? Those were amongst the most annoying field guides to use on the “continent” as so many potentially confusing species were left out. Next are the tracks of birds.

Europe 165

Europe Mammals Animal Birds 165

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

For starters, Costa’s is a desert species and we were primarily up in the mountains. Joining us for the day was Sheri Williamson, who literally wrote the book on hummingbirds in North America. Things looked right. But then the bird turned, and things didn’t look quite right. The darker purplish gorget.

Arizona 159

Arizona Wounded North America 2012 159

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

But, as with many avian families, the more you look, the more complicated it gets. And, the whole question of subspecies, which in the Northeast tends to focus on the Cackling Goose, but which I’m sure is a topic of fascination with other waterfowl species in all other parts of the world. There are the females, so many so brown.

North America 156

North America Asia Europe America 156

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

In the right season, with a little luck, we often find it, and sometimes it perches high and long enough that we can admire its scimitar of a bill, its stern face pattern, and even the patch of rusty red on the undertail that gives the species its English and its scientific names. Wicked, right? Hat-tip to Stella.

2011 140

2011 Tucson Arizona Deer 140

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Over 3,200 photographs have been used, most showing species in their habitats. There is also text, distribution maps, a dark red bar “warning” about similar looking rare species, and conservation symbols. plus a chapter on “Vagrant landbirds from North America.” The design focuses attention on the photographs.

Ireland 147

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2012

This post is old news to those who pay attention to what I say on Facebook but I am still pleased as punch to point out that I have finally reached the 500-bird milestone in the American Birding Association area (basically North America north of Mexico). How did I finally reach this lofty peak?

San Marino 106

San Marino Los Angeles Birds Laws 106

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

Bufflehead are the smallest of North America’s diving ducks. Because of is huge range and large and growing population it is classified as a Species of Least Concern , great news for those who like to feel the gaze of the Bufflehead upon them. Wicked, right? Duck Migration Mar 14th, 2011 at 12:01 pm [.]

2011 150

2011 Ducks Deer New York 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

Duck Stamp) for wildlife observers (81 votes, 12 comments) Create a photography permit allowing regulated off-trail access to refuges (80 votes, 15 comments) Christmas Bird Count for Kids – A half day free family event with partners @ all USFG visitor centers (46 votes, 5 comments) Establish partnership(s) with national birding conservation orgs.

2011 140

2011 Wildlife Birds Deer 140