10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2022

Back in Trinidad, both Spectacled Thrush and Cocoa Thrush would nest in our backyard. I had never seen other young thrushes before that last walk I just mentioned as the other species tend to breed in more remote environments far away from concentrated human settlement. Wise creatures.

Trinidad 147

Trinidad Emotional Breeding Cats 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

Many of these species are declining in number, having to share their limited geographical range with an expanding human population without a doubt impedes their ability to proliferate as needed. Some islands host one or two species, others more than twenty.

Grenada 130

Grenada Parrots Trinidad 2010 130

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

I say unceremoniously – but I am using the human metric by which we decide what makes noise and what doesn’t. This is not an attempt to anthropomorphize, as that would indicate that humans are the only creatures capable of possessing certain characteristics. Without so much as a splash, it slipped into the water.

Elephants 264

Elephants Ducks Humane Family 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2023

These small crocodilians pose no threat to humans, but I had never before seen one in these ponds. As I was pondering this, making the calculations of caiman jaw size versus grebe roundness – the bird suddenly panicked, as humans do when they bump into something unfamiliar in the dark.

Ducks 147

Ducks Fish Humane Species 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

How can something so miniscule bust out of an opaque egg and immediately commence the preparation for a thousand-mile journey – that is often made without any adult accompaniment – is completely beyond this human’s understanding.

Fish 230

Fish Family Eggs Humane 230

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

There is something about a mature rainforest, for example, that cannot be replicated by any human. Humans have altered their habitat for hundreds of years, creating various new habitats that some aspects of nature have come to colonize. When out birding, I prefer completely wild habitat. Yellow-breasted Flycatcher.

Trinidad 204

Trinidad Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 204

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2024

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. Familiar, but beautiful regardless: Blue-headed Parrot Another small parrot species landed on a tree in the distance.

Guyana 199

Guyana Parrots Trinidad Woodpeckers 199

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2020

Not being a fan of human structures in my images, I’ve never done much bird photography at home. The Carib Grackles that have recently moved in dominate proceedings and harass the thrushes and tanagers. Ruddy Ground Doves huddle together, consistently making new Ruddy Ground Doves.

Birds 213

Birds Raised Owls Humane 213

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. Birders who are lucky enough to live near Trinidad’s west coast have been reporting up to two hundred American Flamingos from various locations along the coastline. Variegated Flycatcher.

Trinidad 218

Trinidad Pelicans Humane Fish 218

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2022

A member of the “trilling” (and thrilling) subspecies group of the Long-billed Gnatwren is present throughout Trinidad, and is yet another headache-inducing species. Even human-discarded foodstuff has been utilized by these resourceful birds! A Striated Heron flew across the pond to try its luck from another bank.

Trinidad 229

Trinidad Squirrels Birds Groups 229

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Having been marooned on Trinidad for the last two years, my body was aching for a change. 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.

Trinidad 191

Trinidad Woodpeckers Species Humane 191

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2023

For starters, they don’t fly away from the moment they’re noticed by a human observer and more importantly, they sit very still for pictures. Lesser Antillean Swift Throughout my birding journey in Trinidad and Tobago I have been eyeing the illustration of Streaked Saltator in the field guide.

Puerto Rico 166

Puerto Rico Grenada Barbados Trinidad 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

A birder as well as a scientific illustrator specializing in birds, Dyer is a field associate at the American Museum of Natural History and has contributed paintings and drawings to a number of field guides, including books on Puerto Rico, the West Indies, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, North America, and New York State.

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 203

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2023

Whether on Trinidad or Tobago, there are few places one can visit where the presence of the sea isn’t felt. I found it interesting how the birds favoured a certain location in what we humans may term “featureless”, clearly feeling some measure of safety there.

Trinidad 147

Trinidad Pelicans Groups Birds 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2020

This pervasive pandemic we’re currently experiencing has squashed everyone’s travel plans – humans that is. Migration (in particular bird migration) is well underway, however. And when I say bird migration I’m referring to a specific group of birds – shorebirds.

Trinidad 173

Trinidad South America Blackbirds Industry 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

Life here is experiencing a boon in the face of encroaching human activity, at least in my immediate vicinity. It is my hope that they all can continue to benefit from this rewilding project; I shall gladly handle the complaints from human quarters. I do miss going out – but I’m not sure how much!

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Hunting Reptiles 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2016

Others, by their own admission, are Luddites and believe that the pinnacle of human technological achievement was reached on the day that man first bound a notebook in moleskin. Trinidad Head. Still, the list will be as complete as we can keep it and will be updated on the first Saturday of every month. Bund Baretha Wildlife Sanctuary.

2016 154

2016 Sanctuary Australia Ghana 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

Others, by their own admission, are Luddites and believe that the pinnacle of human technological achievement was reached on the day that man first bound a notebook in moleskin. Trinidad Head. Still, the list will be as complete as we can keep it and will be updated on the first Saturday of every month. Bund Baretha Wildlife Sanctuary.

2016 101

2016 Sanctuary Australia Ghana 101