10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

Or would be, had I encountered more of them – so far, I have seen only a very small share of the approximately 233 woodpecker species, and got decent photos of an even smaller number – not much more than 10% of all of them. So, writing a post about them is easy.

Woodpeckers 238

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 238

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

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

This lucky youngster from Massachusetts has almost 300 ticks, but just added his favorite— a Great Gray Owl his supportive family drove hundreds of miles to glimpse. Project FeederWatch data prove that woodpeckers are at the top of the backyard bird feeder pecking order.

Massachusetts 100

Massachusetts Eggs Falcons Rights 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

campus gardens – the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre, located 3 km east of the town of Turrialba. There was a Gartered Trogon right above me, and one cooperative Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth on a cecropia tree, raising its head to smile at us. Next goal: 1100 species, to cover about 10% of the total.

Costa Rica 241

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 241

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2022

36, if my counting is right and there has been no very recent split or lump. Not bad given that the 5 families in the inner circle of the laughingthrush family have a combined number of about 68 species. The Hainan version is sometimes considered a separate species, in which case it is classified as Near Threatened.

San Diego 212

San Diego Malaysia China Zoos 212

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The National Audubon Society Birds of North America covers all species seen in mainland United States, Canada and Baja California. The press material says it covers over 800 species, so you know I had to do a count.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. The guide covers 1,433 species, the number of birds documented at the end of 2014, the cutoff point for the book.

Bolivia 176

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 176

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2021

Just last year, 5 new bird species and 5 new subspecies were discovered in a few short weeks of fieldwork on the islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka. In recent years Indonesia has been competing with the Andes as the region giving rise to the biggest number of undescribed bird species (naturally, all of them endemics).

Indonesia 264

Indonesia Timor Brunei Guinea 264

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. Common Guillemot research at Skomer Island, Wales.

Dissection 226

Dissection Birds Research Europe 226

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2019

It is always hot in Kununurra and you can easily observe many of the bird species around town from your air-conditioned vehicle. We then go along Research Station Road, Stock Route Road and complete the circuit back into town along Weaber Plains Road. On our recent trip to Kununurra we travelled our usual route around the township.

Cattle 105

Cattle Research Family Rights 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2021

The guide has been expertly, even lovingly revised, expanded and updated (as the authors’ names indicate, this is largely a family affair). This second edition covers 685 species found in the continental U.S. and Canada, including some species as far north as Alaska, an increase over the 500 species covered in the first edition.

North America 263

North America America Species 2018 263

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.”. Like he does, say, for the Canyon wren. He had long wondered, Kroodsma says, how many songs, exactly, the Canyon wren has in his repertoire.

Virginia 248

Virginia Boston North America 2020 248

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

Hongbenghe is a very small village in Yunnan, right next to the border with Myanmar. I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. I have written about the hornbills of this area before.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2022

So armed with some knowledge from the “ Access Considerations for Birding Locations ” page on the Birdability website and some research, I twice visited the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge near Portland, Oregon with accessibility in mind. That’s the hashed-out area to the right of the top space in the photo below.)

Portland 197

Portland Oregon Laws Experience 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2017

Way back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. Taxonomy is constantly changing and so does the order of species in field guides. Order of bird families, non-songbirds. I see a problem.

Brunei 159

Brunei 2009 2016 2014 159

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

If I was an ornithologist aiming for a grant, I would now definitely highlight the need for more research on this topic. The Grey-Streaked Flycatcher looks only marginally more interesting, and while the Latin species name griseisticta sounds vaguely mysterious, it only means grey-spotted.

Singapore 147

Singapore Mountain Goats Birds Giraffes 147

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

MAY 10, 2015

To us on the traditional side of the Atlantic, they’ll always belong to the family Iznogoudae , the birds who want to become warblers instead of the warblers. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas. And do they ever try so hard.

Sparrows 221

Sparrows Italy Asia Austria 221

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

The guide presents 69 species and 1 subspecies, from “NEW WORLD VULTURES: Cathartiformes” to “OSPREY: Pandioninae” to “FAMILY: Accipitridae” (Kites, Hawks, Eagles, Hawk-Eagles), to “FALONIDS: Falconidae” (Falcons, Forest-Falcons, Caracaras, Kestrels, Merlin). That’s a lot of visual information!

Mexico 168

Mexico America North America Falcons 168

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2018

Moth plates from Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America (left plate) and Southeastern North America (two right plates). There are over 11,000 species of moths in North America. I have a hard enough time with the 1,103 bird species on the ABA Checklist. Let that sink in.

North America 100

North America America Oklahoma Missouri 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Nearly 70 species of parrots have been recorded flying free at some stage or another in Miami, including Hyacinth Macaws. Dozens of other introduced bird species, largely escapees from pet owners, now call Miami home. But I couldn’t help but get more excited about the countable species as opposed to the uncountable ones.

Miami 137

Miami Parrots Research Birds 137

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

A little bit of research when I got home unraveled the ways of publishers here and in Great Britain. First published in 1973 in association with the Asa Wright Center, the book focuses on species descriptions, with illustrations grouped together in plates positioned in the center of the book. The AOU has not accepted that split.

Trinidad 199

Trinidad Birds South America Research 199

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2014

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. A little research revealed that these are old names of birds that have been split into different species.

2006 201

2006 2014 Connecticut North America 201

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

I have 10,000 Birds contributor Adam Riley to thank for telling me I had to add it to my list, and a quick bit of research showed that he was right on. Longclaws are African members of the pipit and wagtail family, and unlike the rest of the family they have gorgeously-coloured throats.

South Africa 145

South Africa Africa Falcons Family 145

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Navarro’s exceptional drawings illustrate the species accounts. Forty-eight species. Compare, for example, the species account illustration of the Cuban Trogon with the photo that opens up the introductory chapter. The luxury of space means that each species can be shown from various angles and in distinctive poses.

Cuba 234

Cuba Birds United States 2000 234

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2013

Of course Africa could not to be left out of the pink weekend so I have researched all African species whose official or alternative names include the word “pink”. Its mostly found on the ground in thickets or the edges of dense vegetation and usually in small family parties. There are certainly some stunners involved.

Africa 214

Africa Somalia Pelicans Mozambique 214

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species. It is not a handbook, though it approaches species from a collective viewpoint. So say Kevin T.

Birds 171

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Getting intimate with a species over the course of the breeding cycle is one of the more rewarding aspects of birding, and field research too. The eyes are still not developed enough to open, and the feet are just strong enough to help right a toppled chick. At this point the chicks are mostly digestive tract.

Eggs 269

Eggs Venezuela Porcupines 2008 269

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 240

United States 2011 Guatemala North America 240

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2013

states and thirty-seven counties, and added a whopping ninety-two species to my life list. I didn’t travel much this year, with a June family trip to California and Nevada and a four-day trip in July to Trinidad and Tobago being my only opportunities to get birds not in the northeastern United States. My life Gyrfalcon.

2013 176

2013 New York City New York Trinidad 176

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2013

The International Birding Rally Challenge is spearheaded by Inka Terra Association, a Peruvian non-government organization dedicated to research, conservation and community-based ecotourism, Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, and Peru’s Commission for Exports and Promotion of Peru. Photo: Dubi Shapiro. Photo: Dubi Shapiro.

Peru 181

Peru 2013 Louisiana Birds 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2011

Checking for moult limits on a female Band-tailed Manakin to determine her age Imagine learn or improving your mist-netting, bird banding, handling, aging, and Neotropical bird ID skills in one of the most exuberantly natural surroundings ( 599 bird species recorded at Explorer’s Inn and Sachavacayoc Centre!) Wicked, right?

Peru 200

Peru 2011 Deer Birds 200

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 142

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 142

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In a time of little published information about the rainforests of Central and South America aside from scientific journal articles and the works of 19th-century naturalists, the “little green book,” as it was called, became a must-read amongst nature-oriented travelers and researchers.

South America 156

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 156

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

UNLESS that is you get yourself down to the internationally-renowned Tambopata Research Centre in southern Peru where literally hundreds of macaws (and other parrots) congregate around a 50 meter high clay bank. That’s right – birds eating clay. Chestnut-fronted Macaws Ara severa.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 Research Center 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2019

Their populations, plus those of other species that ‘wore’ the coveted long, colorful feathers used for women’s fashionable hats, were being dangerously depleted by hunters intent on feeding the millinery industry. As a librarian and women’s studies scholar, I greatly appreciate the research. This is where Boase excels.

Industry 120

Industry Virginia Portland Campaign 120

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

The bird was a little harder to find than I expected; I needed to triangulate the sounds of the call and finally, after standing and looking and walking around the tree where the bird had to be calling from, I took a deep breath, looked again, and there it was right in front of me, actually at eye level. At least for birders.

Arizona 103

Arizona Lovebirds Phoenix New Jersey 103