10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2016

If you aren’t the one driving it’s worth keeping an eye out for Southern Right Whales wintering in the bay (the road is rather to twisty to be looking if you’re driving). But my target was, and I managed to find, a handful of Bank Cormorants, the only local species that had eluded me till that point. A sensible sign.

South Africa 124

South Africa Penguins Africa Whales 124

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

People ascribe near mythic status to the members of the family Delphinidae (and other related families). Leaving from the harbour on boats were tours to swim with one of New Zealand’s most endangered mammal species, the Hector’s Dolphin. Which has always mystified me slightly. South Banks Peninsula.

Dolphins 155

Dolphins Sharks New Zealand Albatross 155

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

So much so that the two species are placed within their own family, Chaetopidae. The species is insectivorous and nests amongst the scree and boulders on the steep mountain slopes. Chaetops frenatus, the Cape variety, is endemic to the mountain fynbos vegetation of the extreme southern Cape and therefore has a small range.

South Africa 243

South Africa Penguins Birds Africa 243

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate. A Grateful Whale.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. You may not get the species counts that the race delivers, but you’ll have memories burned into your skull. Ugandan Mangabeys were part of my family once. In Belize I cruised above reefs few people had ever seen.

Uganda 161

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 161

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Artists rendition of Inkayacu paracasensis There are 17 living species of penguins, which make up their own Linnean family (Spheniscidae), which is the only family in the order Sphenisciformes. Penguins are flightless, but some species locomote over long distances on antarctic ice to travel between breeding grounds and the sea.

Penguins 192

Penguins Seals Peru Science 192

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2012

In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen over 20 new species. Birds arrive, and immediately start the business of breeding, so they can raise a family and be gone before winter arrives. Birds like American Coots and Long-eared Owls in Arviat, to Bald Eagles in Whale Cove. Poor shot I know, but it is a rare bird for here.

Bald Eagle 171

Bald Eagle Breeding Raised Whales 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Despite depicting 540 species/56 families, it is a lightweight book of 173 pages, easy to pack and carry. Mammals of South Asia follows the latest taxonomy, describes all the species recorded within the region and provides a range map for each species. Larger species, that is, excluding dolphins and whales.

Asia 176

Asia Mammals Sri Lanka Bhutan 176

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. Rather, cladistics is a way of looking at the process of evolution of species.

Monkeys 137

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 137

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

It is acceptable to point out other sea creatures–dolphins or whales or dragonflies–but the main goal is the observation and identification of the birds. The King Eider photograph, which is the “marquee” photo for that species account, is by Hugh Harrop). It is a challenging activity. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 233

Ducks Groups Species North America 233

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

Nice. ((** all names have been changed to protect identities and have been substituted with (almost) randomly chosen substitutes suitable for a family of Alpine Accentors.)) Dale studied scarlet macaws, and worked in their conservation, for three years in southern Costa Rica, followed by a year in the Caribbean working on Whale Sharks.

2011 211

2011 Breeders Breeding Deer 211

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2011

Before my trip to Washington the only species of puffin I had ever seen in the wild was the puffin of the Atlantic Ocean, the appropriately named Atlantic Puffin. The first obstacle was getting to the general range of the species, which is the west coast from northern California to Alaska and across to Russia.* I love puffins.

Washington 170

Washington Protection Puffins Rhinoceros 170

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. I tested the waters before my California pelagic, with a brief Atlantic Ocean voyage, a whale watching trip from Montauk, N.Y.

2016 110

2016 India Ducks Birds 110

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2013

Now my Queens list stands at a whopping 302, which means I have actually added thirteen species since my last predictions. We had a family picnic at Fort Tilden less than two weeks after my last set of predictions and a single Purple Martin was flying low over the fields with Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows. Number 300 in Queens!

2012 158

2012 2013 New York City Jamaica 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

Large areas of the islands are taken over as the breeding grounds of the Western Gull , a large bird that is without question the most ornery member of the family I have ever encountered. A great place to watch whales and pelagic seabirds. And it isn’t just on the ground or an occasional accidental hazard. Note about images.

Breeding 181

Breeding Stray Seals Whales 181

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Chacachacare was also the site of a US Army base, a leper colony, and before that, a whaling station. Walking along the beach and drifting sporadically into the dry forest, the first birds we heard were White-fringed Antwrens and Black-faced Grassquits – both are species not found on Trinidad but relatively common on Tobago.

Trinidad 176

Trinidad Netherlands Columbus Whales 176

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2011

It didn’t take long to be set right though, as I managed to get my first native species, the Polynesian Starling , while drinking a Coke on the waterfront of Nuku’alofa, the small town on Tongatapu which is Tonga’s capital. Tonga is famous for its whales, and there are opportunities to swim with them in the northern islands.

Tonga 162

Tonga Fiji New Zealand Parrots 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

Eighteen-hour trips are the rule and only about four or five hours are spent in the prime area to see the species most birders are hoping to see. I’ve been on a whale-watching trip in Orange County , twice gone out to Santa Cruz Island , and even visited Protection Island off the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

Whales 110

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 110