10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2016

Every time I travel into a new area, I try to do my due diligence and have a pretty good idea of what bird species I might expect to find. A few weeks ago, when we traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico, I researched the many different species, especially the hummingbirds. Their food consists of insects, small reptiles, and fruit.

Mexico 115

Mexico Reptiles Research Dogs 115

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2015

The feature distinguishes birds from other species; All birds have them, no other species do. Beaks vary across different kinds of birds, and this great diversity in beaks is part of the great diversity of the 10,000+ species of birds that exist today; Beaks thus facilitated the diversification of birds. Here’s the thing.

Alligators 248

Alligators Chickens Research Birds 248

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2017

1,712 species, 12% of which are endemics. News flash–I just received the trip report from Carlos, and the tally is 419 species recorded, of which 16 were heard only; plus Ian and I saw an additional species before the tour started, courtesy of Paulo Boute. Oh my gosh! I shouldn’t have been surprised. Any suggestions?

Brazil 183

Brazil Birds Los Angeles Tigers 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2012

The fourteen identification chapters cover: geology and constellations; habitats; wildflowers; trees; shrubs, vines, and ground cover (grasses, sedges, rushes); primitive plants, lichens, and fungi; mammals; birds; reptiles and amphibians; fishes; butterflies and moths; other insects; other invertebrates (spiders, leeches); beach and tidepool life.

Massachusetts 214

Massachusetts North America Rhode Island Ohio 214

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Turtles are the reptile everybody loves. At the very least appreciated for their hard-shell adaptation, the way they quietly survive in ponds, rivers, oceans, islands, forests, even, for a few species, deserts, and, if you are of a certain age, their cultural depiction as ninja warriors. Lovich and Whit Gibbons.

Turtles 244

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 244

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

” Kricher delineates the many types of bird families and species you are likely to encounter in the Neotropics, emphasizing habitat and behavior (especially feeding behavior, and particularly fruit eaters; fruit is an important element when it comes to tropical ecology). This is where fruit comes into play. Oilbirds eat fruit.

South America 183

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 183

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2012

On the first day, before the sun was even properly up, I already had one of my target species under my belt: the storied and spectacular White Stork. But I saw some really cool things, and now I am going to tell you all about them! My journey started off in the city of Leon. My life White Stork.

Spain 194

Spain Europe Industry Rodents 194

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

But I do have rules about whether I can have said to have visited a country, ie does the country “count” which I have inherited from my family, particularly my Dad. But you haven’t come here to read my writing about mammals or reptiles, so, yeah, there are also lots of birds. Red Lechwe.

Botswana 162

Botswana Birds Lesotho Elephants 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2014

It brings mammals, and frogs in profusion, and reptiles, and insects. We toured the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre after dark, and we did it by foot in a group that was just my family and a guide. We found some more sleeping birds, lots of frogs, and a Lesser Mousedeer – a new species for me! Or nothing big at least.

Badgers 154

Badgers Wildlife Reptiles Monkeys 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

Even in the tropics there are few birds that excel some of our own in elegance and beauty of plumage and we have an unusually large number of species considering the smallness of the area they inhabit. ” (Woodward brothers, “Natal Birds”, 1899) The mighty Drakensberg Mountains run along the western boundary of KwaZulu-Natal province.

Mozambique 219

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 219

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 refuge offers opportunities for hiking and biking trails, canoeing and kayaking on Swan Lake, bank fishing, and family friendly programs and events.”

Fish 150

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 150

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

I don’t mind that they share the world with other creatures, and I have even developed an appreciation for mammals, reptiles and amphibians – but only so long as watching them doesn’t collide with my finding birds. species found only around the Mediterranean or in Europe’s Southeast.

Europe 167

Europe Mammals Animal Birds 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

And for those of you who are completely bird-centric, herps has less to do with diseases and more to do with reptiles and amphibians (and in a way, are not all birders technically herpers too?). Either that or having family friends in Germany. So my first, and hopefully not last, entry to this website will be about my last big trip.

Salamander 148

Salamander Germany Birds Blackbirds 148

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

With that logic those trees, if left to grow, should produce something of use to at least one or two species of birds. It’s been some years since I’ve seen any Short-tailed Hawks as the entire valley is now overrun with concrete – but I’m trying my best to create some sort of oasis for any species.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Hunting Reptiles 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

Even better is a guide to mammals and reptiles, because snakes and lizards are pretty much up there with mammals when you’re exploring new territory. Species that belong to the famous “Big Five” get special badges. Believe me, I tried. This means you need to pack a mammal guide in addition to your bird guide.

Rhinos 252

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 252

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2022

There are quite a few raptor species around Skukuza. Most likely, the devil, not god created this species. African Spoonbills seem unfazed by large reptiles. While some bustards are the largest bird species capable of flight, the Black-bellied Bustard is only mid-sized. I guess you just get used to them with time.

Birds 147

Birds Africa Eagles Barn Owls 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2020

Each activity builds on these basics–observation, documentation and action–introducing concepts like migration, nesting, and conservation, and also teaching specific ways bird behavior may be different for different species. It’s an excellent resource for family and child-learning adventures.

Los Angeles 264

Los Angeles 2019 Birds 2014 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

This has happened before, Archaeopteryx and the bird family tree have had an often tenuous relationship. The trait must then be identifiable as to whether or not it exists in a certain species. That’s what Archaeopteryx is. Recently, the news came out that beloved Archaeopteryx is not really a bird ancestor.

Mammals 266

Mammals Europe Groups Family 266

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

Decades later, Richard Pough’s Audubon Bird Guide, Eastern Land Birds (I happily own the 1948 edition) included nest and egg descriptions for each species as well. And photographs of feathers in the species accounts, which surprised me. Text retrieved from the Hathitrust Digital Library. The first is accomplished well.

Eggs 262

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 262

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2017

The 7th edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America covers 1,023 species that reside, migrate, or have been documented as accidentals or exotics in North America. Species Accounts: With 1,023 species, National Geographic 7 continues to cover the most species of any North American field guide.

North America 189

North America America 2017 Birds 189

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2024

Phoebe Snetsinger was an American birder who first passed the 8,000 species mark. Before leaving the safety of the car I heeded the park’s advice and checked for animal tracks belonging to any biting, gnawing, mauling, trampling, stabbing or disembowelling species. She died in a car accident during a birding trip.

Mozambique 245

Mozambique Birds Ghana Namibia 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

I couldn’t wait to give names to all my new species. I tried using the Internet, but found it frustrating for all the usual reasons; websites either didn’t include all species or were difficult to use for identification. Each species account is 2-pages long, one page of text and one page of photographs.

Ireland 203

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 203

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2018

This fragile ecosystem is home to 344 feathered species, 300 fish species (salt- and freshwater), 50 species of reptiles, 40 mammal species, and 36 listed species (threatened and/or protected). Another supporter said the place would let “families…connect with each other as human beings” ( SunSentinel ).

Miami 174

Miami Las Vegas Alligators Minnesota 174

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2012

In the parking area I immediately encountered a pair of Australian Brush-turkeys as well as a new species for me, a Grey-headed Robin. This huge member of the Australian robin family is really tame in this carpark, making it probably the easiest place n the world to see the species (other than the Tableland it is only found in New Guinea).

Kangaroos 172

Kangaroos Guinea Pigs Turkey Guinea 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2011

Orlando is so rich in roadside and overhead birds that I kept a list of species seen from the car which ran to 30+ on the first morning and included a Bald Eagle nonchalantly sitting on a street lamp by a Target store. I had to do all three as we headed to Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

2011 122

2011 Alligators Florida Deer 122