10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2020

Admiring Nature in her wildest grace, These northern scenes with weary feet I trace; O’er many a winding dale and painful steep, Th’ abodes of covey’d grouse and timid sheep…. Sheep may timidly graze but these Black Grouse are another matter altogether.

Sheep 211

Sheep Branding Ireland Fowl 211

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and they are located in every state as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. But when taken as a whole, the impact of the Refuge System is truly profound, supporting population-level numbers of numerous bird species. The System also helps implement the Endangered Species Act and other federal conservation laws.

Wildlife 189

Wildlife Grizzly Bear Puerto Rico United States 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There are the endemics, which are odd in their own way, and then there introduced species, which are so varied in their type and origin that you get the feeling you’ve arrived at the aftermath of a small zoo that escaped. What is surprising is quite how many species did end up here, and how economically unimportant they were.

New Zealand 162

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2015

But, passing numerous Red-backed Shrikes , Western Yellow Wagtails and a herd of sheep among tussocks of long grasses, I remember those egrets. This species is still uncommon in the Balkans and despite the recent spread, Kalamas is the most reliable site for it in Greece (and this made my only second ever observation of them in Europe).

Greece 237

Greece Dogs Pelicans Fish 237

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2011

Besides the American bison that the refuge was founded to protect, there are pronghorns, elk, bighorn sheep, mule and white-tailed deer, and black bears. To my disappointment the biggest and most visible species I saw was the introduced Common (Ring-necked) Pheasant , and my first lifer was the equally introduced Gray Partridge.

Rattlesnake 164

Rattlesnake Bald Eagle Mules Mammals 164

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

My best bird of the year is based on the sighting rather than the species. Obviously my best bird of the year is going to come during this trip, what with several species of endemic pitta and broadbill possible, not to mention 8 species of hornbill and numerous babblers, storks, kingfishers, trogons and even the endemic Bornean Bristlehead.

2013 168

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 168