10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Our elevation (1080 to 1150 feet) places us in what is called seasonal rainforest, but we are contiguous to the higher elevation Children’s Eternal Rainforest and connected reserves, comprising almost 250,000 acres of protected habitat from our farm to the top of the cloud forest.

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Costa Rica San Jose Liberia Farming 203

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

Now we were in Finca Tres Equis, a family cocoa farm (if I understood well, it translates as Triple X Farm) and a private reserve of over 300 hectares, of which more than 70 percent is a forest, representing part of a Jaguar corridor. It was a sigh of relief when I discovered that my species #1000 became a Short-tailed Hawk.

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Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 237

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

The prospect of identifying a certain number of species in a given amount of time pushes us to pay more attention to birds no matter what the circumstances (although I suggest keeping the exclamations about species identifications to yourself during such solemn situations as funerals, graduations, and watching episodes of The Sopranos).

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Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 261

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2021

I’ve continued my inconsistent effort to pick off the species I need for my Monroe County list. eBird) had it that the best place to find Clay-colored Sparrow is a particular conifer plantation on a particular farm road in the rural western portion of the county. In that sense, June is no different than any other month, right?

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Sparrows Birds Farming Experience 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2022

On some coffee farms, hedgerows can be wonderfully developed tangles of native trees, vines, and introduced plants. In pastures of the hot lowlands, they tend to be lines of stunted Gumbo-Limbo trees or some other heavily pruned species. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and other hummingbird species. Hoffmann’s Woodpecker.

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Costa Rica Birds Sparrows Woodpeckers 262

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

When you see a photo of a Snowcap, it’s easy to see why this species is a perennial top target for birding trips to Costa Rica. However, as with so many other bird species that must be seen to confirm their improbable existence, the Snowcap can be elusive. I’m sure several other species also occur.

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Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2021

Since a day that blends high quality coffee and high quality tropical birding understandably ups my quality of life, I always enjoy a visit to “Mi Cafecito “ Mi Cafecito (my little coffee) is a small Costa Rican coffee farm situated in the foothill zone rainforests on Route 126.

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Costa Rica Birds Farming Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2022

Listed as Near Threatened, this charismatic species has a tiny distribution restricted to central Costa Rica, especially in the Central Valley. It doesn’t require forest but the coffee farms and scrubby green space it does need are under constant pressure of being destroyed and replaced with urban housing.

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Costa Rica Sparrows Raised Birds 239

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2024

There’s also a much greater variety of species of deer living here now than than there were four or five hundred years ago, for along with our native Roe and Red Deer we also have large populations of Fallow, Sika, Reeves’s Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer. Reeves’s Muntjac , a highly successful invasive species in the UK.

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Fur Deer Boars Estonia 209

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2021

It was an unexpected bird tour, without too much planning and aimed at a few target species, of which we saw most, but the main one eluded us… Early morning, leaving the last houses behind… and a Little Owl awaits us on a traffic sign. Also along the Tamis River, our next hotspot was a fish farm in the Sakule Village. who dipped it).

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Serbia Birds Romania Eagles 240

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2023

As mentioned in my previous post , we were hosted for an afternoon session at Jonathan ‘s farm. Coming off a high from our morning boat ride, excitement was high as we pulled into the farm compound. On the slow crawl into the farm, the first sighting was a small group of Green Ibis – a new species for me.

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Farming Guyana Birds South America 221

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

Today the reserve contains mature forests, secondary forests, rivers, lagoons, small waterfalls, agroforestry productive areas, and functional gardens; which are the habitat of more than 350 species of birds.

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Costa Rica Sanctuary Bats Woodpeckers 242

Critter News

JANUARY 26, 2010

Please note that the illegal bile farm was Taiwanese-owned. I can't read such stuff without being sickened by my species. It's great that they were saved, but t hey arrived at the rescue center in wretched condition. Moon bears are rare, which makes this all the sadder. Again, the China connection. Thank Animals Asia for the rescue.

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Bears Rescue Farming Vietnam 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2021

Surrounded by farm land but with a reasonable well vegetated creek running through, the town looked pretty limited in terms of birding potential. I was asked by a new birder about the site’s potential and I remarked we should expect between 40 to 50 species for our circa two kilometre stroll. I was wrong. A male Figbird upon his nest.

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Koalas Birds Zoos Hunters 226

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2012

“We had got used to noting a loss of a few per cent in numbers of various species over one or two years. Numbers of linnets, turtle doves and lapwings have crashed as a result… …These losses were described as shocking by the scheme’s chairman, Richard Gregory.

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Farming Turtles Suffering Europe 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2022

The stars of the bird world take many forms and fame is often related to location but some species, some cool groups of birds are accorded priority no matter when or where they are seen. The Olive-crowned Yellowthroat is one of Costa Rica’s resident wood-warbler species. 13 Warbler Stars from the North.

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Costa Rica Nashville Tennessee Turtles 278

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Since most of the rain happened the evening of the 8th and the following morning, many sites had good weather on the morning of October Global Big Day and because of that, local birders still managed to identify well over 700 species in Costa Rica (!). and ended later that eveing with a final total of 154 species.

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Costa Rica San Jose Falcons Owls 269

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2022

If I lived in another hemisphere, I might be talking about the Common Redstart or other chat species with a flash of red in the tail. In Costa Rica, we have a couple resident redstart species (that actually show white in the tail) but I can see them on any visit to montane habitats. It’s also used by migrant species.

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Costa Rica North America New York Farming 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Some call them trash, tours might not visit, but they can host more than the expected and common species. Some such vegetated spots can also attract oddball birds, species that wander to find a home in urban circumstances. Three species of seedeaters sing from the tall grass, one of them being the Yellow-bellied Seedeater.

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Costa Rica Sparrows Birds Rodents 255

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

Passing through the high oak dominated rainforests of Quetzal National Park, this road can also turn up Unspotted Saw-whet Owls and other species of the night but is much more birdy during the day. The owner is part of a program associated with Tami Lodge , whereby guests visit the farm to see the sacred bird of the Mayans.

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Costa Rica Birds Farming Litter 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2020

With 18 species of native Psittacids to choose from, birding in Costa Rica is always a thrill, especially for someone who grew up in parrotless Niagara Falls, New York! At least one of these species has adapted to nesting on buildings and a few others can nest in large parks. The other regular parrot around here is this species.

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Parrots Costa Rica San Jose Endangered Species 270

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 12, 2022

White-tailed Kite in action- a classic airport species in Costa Rica. Turf farms in wooded regions are wide open oases for grasspipers and other species adapted to natural lawns. These are the three main species that urge us to scan a grassy field with puddles in September and October. Odd habitats attract odd birds.

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2019

Back in the old place, there were more birds in the nearby coffee farm but it wasn’t easy to bird because I couldn’t see it from my door and there were stray dogs. They shared the bushes with three of Costa Rica’s common flycatcher species, each nearly as vocal as the blackbirds. Right at home. Social Flycatcher.

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Costa Rica Barn Owls Stray Dog Blackbirds 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2020

In our neck of the woods, marking Common Pauraque as the first species of the day, attempting to identify shorebirds in the dark of the night (not easy.), No matter where you live, city or farm, birds will be on the move and some will be calling just before dawn. and listening for owls just before dawn. Catch the dawn chorus.

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Costa Rica Barn Owls Farming Owls 205

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2022

It consists of a small reserve with a well maintained in site trail (over 195 species recorded, many endemic and rare birds accessible), cozy lodging and a dining room. All ingredients are fresh, obtained a day earlier from various farms in the neighbourhood.

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Costa Rica Panama Squirrels Nicaragua 228

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

Birders know that the pairing of farms and birds represents more than mere bucolic romance – it’s a match borne out of a real avian dependence on these man-made landscapes. And of course, there are Cattle Egrets ( Bubulcus ibis ) and several species of cowbirds that rarely stray too far from livestock.

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Vermont Belgium Farming Europe 119

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2023

The Lezírias de Vila Franca de Xira (often and erroneously named Ponta de Erva after the most southerly tip) are an extensively farmed area in the north of the estuary. The Skylarks and Northern Wheatears in the barren fields attract all four European species of harrier (but no Montagu’s for Christmas, sorry).

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Portugal Geese Suffering Farming 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2021

Fortunately, China itself has a large number of bird species and habitats. According to a Wikipedia entry, China has 1413 bird species – though strangely, another list found online, purportedly based on Birdlife International, claims only 1288 species. Like the Collared Finchbill, they seem to like living near farms.

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China Pandas Birds Zoos 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

In common with so many other volcanoes, Poas also houses farms, people, and forests full of birds. At least most of the resident species can still be seen right along the road, you just have to keep an eye out for cyclists and vehicles on their way up and down the volcano. Poas Volcano isn’t just a mountain built with magma.

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Costa Rica Birds Cows Hunters 260

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2020

Local guide and birder David Mora Vargas has been spending much of his time at his family’s farm in the Sarapiqui lowlands. With around 400 species recorded for the area, yeah, it’s where we might all like to quarantine for a bit! A Fantastic Day of 200 Plus Species. Fiery-billed Aracari. Trip to Cocos Island.

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Costa Rica Birds Thailand Family 215

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2019

As with any home inhabited by birders, we have kept track of all species heard or seen, night and day. It’s an urban area but lucky for us, a nearby stream and a small farm on the other side of the street inject it with more life. Over the past six months, we have had some expected species and others less so.

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Costa Rica Barn Owls Birds Parrots 159

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2020

It’s all good, as of April 6, my yard list has more than 60 species and will certainly grow in the coming days. More likely are a suite of sparkling hummingbirds, the eye-catching Flame-colored Tanager , acrobatic Red-faced Spinetails , and various other species. Barred Antshrike. Flame-colored Tanager. The Caribbean Lowlands.

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Costa Rica Birds Mississippi Woodpeckers 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2020

Yes, it’s the same species that so many North American birders have looked for around the San Pedro River (myself included) and like those Arizona birds, our urban Gray Hawks likewise use riparian zones. In Costa Rica, the urban raptor can take more than one form but usually, the local avian top predator is a Gray Hawk.

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Costa Rica Mice Arizona Squirrels 296

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2021

On the other hand, in April, some other species start breeding here in Shanghai. A few kilometers inland from the coast, a sod farm reliably attracts Little Curlew … … And Oriental Pratincole with its lovely lipstick-like red gape, see my usual rubythroat remark further down in this post. Maybe the birds know something.

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Birds Farming Alaska Breeding 178

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

This incredibly widespread species ranges around the Northern Hemisphere (and much of the Southern as well), and is found in locations as disparate as the Arctic tundra, Hawaii, Cuba, and the Galapagos – as well as many places in between.

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Owls New York New York City Cuba 210

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2020

Little Curlews are passing through Shanghai for a short time, taking the local sod farm as a surrogate for tundra. A cuckoo species with a sense of honor, being a non-parasitic cuckoo. Much less so – a juvenile Long-tailed Shrike trying to convince a parent that it is starving. Of course, being mean, I only show you one of them.

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Birds Tigers Farming Eggs 164

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

Along that stretch, we enjoyed Fork-tailed Flycatchers and other species in the open fields and marshes including Harriss’s Hawk , the local Nicaraguan Seed-Finch , and, best of all, a pair of normally sneaky and secretive Yellow-breasted Crakes walking in the open through a grassy marsh! They weren’t joking.

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Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 122