10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2023

Even better, just a few meters away from the food vendors, it is not too crowded, and the palm trees attract a number of birds, including two species of parrots. That is mainly the Philippines, as indicated by the species name lucionensis (Luzon is the Philippines’ biggest island). The first one is the Blue-naped Parrot.

Malaysia 254

Malaysia Philippines Parrots Birds 254

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2018

And hey, speaking of empire – is there any more beautiful clap-back to European colonization than the fact that various species of psittacine, exploited and stolen and in so many cases extirpated by eager collectors, have now become noisily acclimatized free-flying life forms in the parks of Brooklyn and San Francisco and especially London?

Species 102

Species San Francisco Rats Zebras 102

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2024

The proximity to the Myanmar border is reflected in the presence of Burmese Shrikes here – on the wrong side of the border, but it is well known that this species has never been particularly good at geography. This photo explains the scientific species name haemacephalus (bloodheaded).

Myanmar 190

Myanmar Sri Lanka Nepal Birds 190

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2022

For once, eBird gives a good description of the Asian Glossy Starling, calling it a “Fierce-looking, large songbird” As are humans, this species is fairly urbanized – it “sometimes enters urban areas to roost, e.g. in Singapore” (HBW). “Odd, me?” But the joke simply does not work then).

Singapore 235

Singapore Birds Zebras Feral 235

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2023

As a bird mainly feeding on seeds, it is regarded as a threat to crops (in fact, the Latin species name of oryzivora combines the words for rice, “oryza”, and eating, “vorus”). Another study provides some hope to human males who think of themselves as good karaoke singers.

Zebras 214

Zebras Thailand Philippines Birds 214

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2024

Familiar, but beautiful regardless: Blue-headed Parrot Another small parrot species landed on a tree in the distance. It was a Black-headed Parrot , a species that I had meagrely attempted to see in Trinidad once without success. A couple bends along the trail and it seemed as if we were out of human contact by a thousand miles.

Guyana 223

Guyana Parrots Trinidad Woodpeckers 223

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2021

Anyway, so I started checking my bird photo collection for photos of species starting with an A (after all, this is a bird photo blog, though I sometimes tend to forget this). Maybe there was a time in the history of ornithology when some bird named Ashy was very popular, resulting in more species named in the same way.

South Africa 334

South Africa China Nevada Africa 334

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

As usual, birds seem to like these off-the-way places best – eBird lists 337 species based on a little more than just 100 checklists. One very annoying aspect of the HBW is that in their search box, they seem to require you to put in exactly the one species name they think is the only acceptable one.

Birds 173

Birds Woodpeckers Kangaroos Madagascar 173

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

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. The Blue Whistling Thrush is presumably named for its loud human-like whistling, and possibly for being blue.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2022

But there was one more thing I evaluated, the human infrastructure, the potential guides among the national park employees. Other species include Grey Wagtail and Marsh Tit. Easy species here are Corn Bunting , Hawfinch , Spotted Flycatcher , Red-backed Shrike , Woodlark , Eurasian Golden Oriole , European Turtle Dove.

Serbia 254

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Romania 254

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2023

This is how it looks like: Or at sunset: A species I did not come for from Shanghai is the Black-crowned Night Heron. Not sure why they spend time in Shanghai in winter when they could come here though, but then again, I usually do not understand most of the behavior of humans either. Yes, we have them in Shanghai as well.

Birds 229

Birds Eagles Elephants Rhinoceros 229

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

I visited Tengchong in late 2020 and wrote about it – but I also went there earlier, in 2017, and this post shows some photos I took during that trip, along with the usual comments that seem to be much more about ridiculing my fellow humans (especially ornithologists and the like) than providing useful information on birds.

China 193

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 193

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2023

It would be difficult to identify by its Latin species name only though – albogularis means white-throated, which does not really strike me as this species’ main characteristic. The Speckled Piculet is a budget version of a woodpecker, measuring only about 9 to 10.5 cm and weighing only about 9 –13.2

Birds 147

Birds Asia Battery Woodpeckers 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2023

I also only managed to see rather common bird species at Shennongjia, a nature reserve in Hubei province, China. In the past, Great Spotted Woodpeckers mostly lived off renting out their old apartments to other species. Fortunately for the Great Spotted Woodpecke r living in Shennongjia, this has not happened here yet.

China 181

China Birds Eggs Woodpeckers 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2021

That’s because this fascinating part-Caribbean, part-south American country holds well over 800 species of avifauna making it without doubt one of my top three countries in all of the continent to visit. Ok, maybe not the vampire bat…but some of the more “cuddly” species are actually quite easy to see.

Guyana 279

Guyana Otters South America Colombia 279

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

There are trails I’ve been taking, the comfort of being able to walk for a few miles through forest without seeing a single other human being is something I never thought I’d appreciate this much. Many birds love the flowers, such as this Red-crowned Woodpecker. Along the trails there are many species that accompany the walker.

Trinidad 214

Trinidad Woodpeckers Species Humane 214

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

OCTOBER 17, 2022

A study has shown that they make false alarm calls when seeing other species such as meerkats with attractive food. The Golden-tailed Woodpecker shares something with the German flag – it is called golden-tailed even though to me the color of its tail is yellow, not golden. No doubt the woodpecker has similar considerations.

South Africa 197

South Africa Africa Birds Cape Verde 197

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2020

Fortunately, I live in Trinidad and Tobago – a twin-island nation that boasts the second highest density of bird species in the world. With 489 species recorded (including rarities and vagrants) across a land area that totals less than 2,000 square miles, T&T facilitates quick and easy changes of scenery. White Hawk.

Trinidad 242

Trinidad Pelicans Humane Fish 242

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2022

And learn that the Latin species name concinnus is more interesting than the English one – it means “elegant, neat, pleasing” (according to the HBW). These photos were taken in early March – the species looks more attractive in its summer breeding plumage. If this is what you want to read, go there. 0 out of 3.

Birds 147

Birds Humane Family Germany 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2023

Shockingly, the Ashy-throated Parrotbill apparently is a species heavily hunted for bird fighting in Guizhou Province, China ( source ). If being hunted by evil humans was not enough, Ashy-throated Parrotbills are also hosts of the parasitic Common Cuckoo. Unfortunately, some other species do not seem to listen to the wren much.

Eggs 174

Eggs China Birds Mammals 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2022

Bird names say much about human perception, they can also give us insight into the people who invented names for official bird descriptions. Some names are clearly descriptive and thus make one feel good about saying them; woodpecker and grosbeak come to mind. In Costa Rica, we have our pewees, 6 species of them. Rail-Heron?

Costa Rica 272

Costa Rica Pennsylvania South America Panama 272

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

The tipping point was the morning of February 10th, when I saw 20 species during two hours simply by looking out my back window as I had breakfast and read the news online. (My It included a question about how many species one has seen in one’s yard, total, with the options being 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, or 20+.

Nashville 256

Nashville Sparrows Sweden Mexico 256

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Human access is very limited to the lake, with very few hiking trails around the lake, mostly to the south area, which provides good viewing points to much of the lake. Certainly what I would consider to be an under birded area, eBird.com lists 232 species on 397 total check lists. Here is one of our local Ladder-backed Woodpeckers.

Mexico 135

Mexico Tucson Arizona Ducks 135

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2021

In the final bits and pieces of green space that dot a typical human dominated landscape? Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals , Downy Woodpeckers. Brown Jays also flutter by and those are just a few of the species that still occur. That makes sense. I mean, who comes to Costa Rica to bird on city streets? In remnant riparian zones?

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Falcons Farming Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Three Chestnut Bulbuls seem to winter on Tianmashan this year – somewhat surprising given that the HBW calls the species a year-round resident in an area at least several hundred kilometers south of Shanghai. The Rufous-tailed Robin seen at Tianmashan is another species that one would not necessarily expect here in January.

Birds 147

Birds China Killing Reptiles 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2015

I look at the photo, and am enraged by how cruel and callous human beings can be. I look at these birds, and am enraged by how cruel and callous human beings can be. Can your hearts be so species-specific? Cats are domestic animals highly susceptible to a host of diseases, many transmittable to humans. It’s natural.”).

Feral Cats 255

Feral Cats Feral Cats Rescue 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2015

This bat is rare and range-restricted in South Florida, which are some of the reasons it was recently listed as an endangered under the Endangered Species Act. floridanus constitutes a separate species ( Eumops floridanus); a bat with one of the most restricted ranges. ounces, a body length of 6.5 inches, and a wingspan of 21 inches.

Bats 167

Bats Florida Endangered Species Cuba 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Then of course, we have amazing birds such as Wallcreeper , Hoopoe , and Black Woodpecker. For sure we have great birds like Great Crested Grebe , Great Bustard , and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Greater Rheas, a species the Germans call Nandu, are very popular in Germany and frequently kept in zoos as well as private enclosures.

Germany 254

Germany Birds 2000 South America 254

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

Humans have always classified organisms in a variety of ways, depending on need. 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.

Monkeys 144

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 144

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2022

While it is laudable to point out the plight of homeless woodpeckers, this is hardly the right subject for an upbeat bird photo contest. That is an easy trick – capture a bird in a seemingly human pose, just to attract sympathy for the bird. Notes on bird species and locations shown: Amur Paradise Flycatcher (Nanhui, China).

China 230

China India South Africa Homelessness 230

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2016

Out of just under 200 bird species I observed this year in SE Europe, there are 6 threatened species. point to just one problem source, one over-abundant and highly invasive species – Homo sapiens. point to just one problem source, one over-abundant and highly invasive species – Homo sapiens.

Serbia 203

Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria 203

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

As humans we place exceptional value in the beauty of an individual’s eyes. Eye color is even more varied in birds than it is in humans. In fact, many birds exhibit more pigment coloration in their eyes than humans (for the scientifically-minded these pigments are called pteridines, purines and carotenoids).

Birds 265

Birds Humane Breeding Pelicans 265

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2020

I had never birded this way before, and can confirm that what I had heard is true: Birds are much more tolerant of human presence when those humans are on a boat! And the birds along the walk to the estuary weren’t bad, either: Looks like nesting time has arrived for this Golden-cheeked Woodpecker.

Birds 166

Birds 2006 Mexico Morocco 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

However, this is a watershed moment for this species of bird in the US. The human world is on the move to where the money is. Cut down the virgin forest and lose the Orangutans or Spotted Owls or Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. This species is in trouble. This moment is about beginning to see in a new way.

Chickens 216

Chickens Illinois Campaign Nebraska 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2020

Starlings, they’ll dutifully explain, are ruthless invasives that have been responsible for the serious declines of several beloved native species, like the Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ) and the Eastern Bluebird ( Sialia sialis ). Good birding and happy drinking! Five out of five stars (Outstanding).

Farming 197

Farming New York Breeding Unwanted 197

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2012

He allegedly proposed to introduce every species of bird mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare to the United States. Starlings are a super competitive cavity nesting bird that aggressively evicts other species from nesting cavities. This is one of the reasons why so many bird lovers dislike the European Starling.

North America 199

North America United States New York City New York 199