10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

It would be uber cool to lay eyes on a rare lifer, on species that only seem to live on the pages of a field guide but isn’t that somewhat discriminatory? And why spend time only looking for one or two species when those hours could be used to put binos focused on a few dozen? Aren’t all birds worth watching?

Costa Rica 201

Costa Rica Panama Birds Eagles 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2019

Escaped partridges, quail, and pheasants are never as abundant or harmful as the much-maligned big three invasives – Rock Pigeons , European Starlings , and House Sparrows. Audubon knew the Northern Bobwhite as the “Virginia Partridge” The species has undergone a notable decline in recent decades. What’s in a name?

North America 113

North America Vermont America Farming 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

Dirt hawking is a form of falconry that involves hunting rabbits and other small game with Harris Hawks (other hawk species also qualify). One of the primary reasons that these hawks make such excellent falconry birds is because they are one of only two raptor species (the other is the Galapagos Hawk ) that hunt cooperatively.

League Against Cruel Sports 269

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 269

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2015

Each sketch profiles a species notable for its behavior, physical adaptations, and/or the scientific questions it poses – although occasionally Couzens departs a bit from this formula to use the bird as a lens to focus on habitat, as in the sobering discussion of extinction in the Hawaiian Islands.

Birds 183

Birds Morals Hunting Sparrows 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2018

I submitted five checklists from four different locations yielding 44 species. Of course, Lema Ranch is one of the locations of my bluebird trails, so I found several Western Bluebirds , including this female intensely hunting ground dwelling insects. All in all, I tallied 44 species. Fun birding!

2018 100

2018 Bald Eagle Woodpeckers Turkey 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2012

Birders in Northern California have been treated to rare sightings of several species, sending avid twitchers from all over the west in our direction. I was able to find the Common Redpoll among the flock of Lesser Goldfinches and Savannah Sparrows. They also can be easily attracted to nest boxes (plans available here ).

Owls 176

Owls California Jordan Sparrows 176

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 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

My Dark-eyed Juncos are trilling in preparation to retreat to quieter breeding grounds, the Black-Capped Chickadees sing their two notes, and the Song Sparrows absolutely will not shut up. Snow Geese overgrazing their breeding grounds, displacing other Arctic-breeding species and setting themselves up for a fall. The result?

Geese 176

Geese Montana Breeding Pelicans 176

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

My second twitch, during the winter of 2011, was also in the area of McArthur where an American Tree Sparrow ( Spizella arborea ) was spotted during a Christmas Bird Count. I make this statement with this addendum; I would not post the location of a species that could be targeted during hunting season.

California 100

California North America Wildlife Campaign 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Walking along a dirt track next to a prairie, my friend and I were on the look-out for different sparrow species when a large bird suddenly darted into the clearing. Their impressive speed is used for hunting, and roadrunners will eat almost anything that moves. Not so much, as the above photo demonstrates.

New Mexico 101

New Mexico Mexico Coyotes Rattlesnake 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

Florida is a great place to bird in January because in addition to the year-round species there are a host of birds that winter in the relatively balmy climate that Florida has in winter. That means grassy fields are loaded with sparrows, hummocks are filled with wood-warblers, and wetlands teem with waterfowl.

2015 193

2015 Wildlife Florida Birds 193

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2012

The current header image of my own blog is another Barn Owl, this one a ringed individual I found daylight hunting, and unconcerned by the presence of my car as it hunted from posts presumably feeding young in early summer last year. Above our fireplace is a large painting of a Barn Owl.

Barn Owls 177

Barn Owls Finland Owls Portugal 177

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

There’s something very matter-of-fact about seeking out non-native target species. There’s very little thrill of the hunt, very little excitement. If we have to endure yet another invasion from some or another Old World species, at least this one is pleasant to look at. It feels almost cheap.

San Diego 174

San Diego California Unwanted Texas 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

The book is divided into three parts: “Introduction,” “Avifaunal Overview,” and “Species Accounts.” Most birders will go straight to the “Species Accounts.” It’s important to note that the 301 species selected for this section are those of historical and current importance to the core study area, the northwest Bronx.

New York City 146

New York City New York Birds Breeding 146

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

The old runway in particular is excellent shorebird habitat, and the open wet woodlands growing up from, for lack of a better word, fields, elsewhere on the property shelter nesting Warbling Vireos , Orchard and Baltimore Orioles , Yellow Warblers , Common Yellowthroats , Tree Swallows , Song Sparrows , and other species.

New York City 152

New York City New York Birds Homelessness 152

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2011

Way back on the first day of March, Doug, who is a good birder and a decent guy despite his Brooklyn roots, and I were exploring Plum Beach, a location you will recall from the absurdly cooperative Clapper Rails and Nelson’s Sparrows that I digiscoped last year.

Owls 145

Owls New York City New York Rodents 145

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2019

In birding, perhaps only the proverbial wild goose chase and snipe hunt rank below owling in terms of expected success. In the dead of winter, the woods before daybreak can be dark, cold, and unnervingly quiet place, and with the warming comforts of the compilation dinner many, many hours away, it’s not a place for the faint of heart. .

2017 136

2017 Owls Game California 136

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2016

Late April / early May is the best birding season in the south of Europe and wherever you go, you will have 50% to 100% more species than in any other season. Recently, I did a bit of embankment birding, nailing 65 species (several of them firsts for the season, European Bee-eaters among them – always exciting).

Birds 109

Birds India Africa Serbia 109

10,000 Birds

MAY 29, 2012

Wild birds other than the usual sparrows, starlings, and pigeons find better places to be far from the tourist traps of this well-traveled city. BIRDING SEA WORLD One would expect a marine-themed attraction to deliver some sweet bird species. In this, I was absolutely wrong. Orlando, Florida is an ecological blight. Not Sea World.

Florida 170

Florida Birds Alligators Turtles 170

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2012

Like several of my favorite NWRs, this one was established as a haven for migratory birds, most notably waterfowl, during the bad old days when uncontrolled hunting and habitat loss had put the future of even species we now think of as common in doubt. As a result, early migration season is an excellent time to visit.

Wildlife 165

Wildlife Montana Geese Bald Eagle 165

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2013

The Eastern guide covers 545 species and the Western guide covers 636 species. Each species is depicted in as many or as few photographs as is necessary for identification. I think the quotes do give an idea of the high degree of detail incorporated into each species description.

Birds 152

Birds North America Groups Falcons 152

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

One thing you must do is hire a local guide, as while you can hunt for yourself you’ll see a hell of a lot more with one. I did see a Greater-striped Swallow and a host of Capes – a Cape Sparrow , Cape Canary and best of all a Cape Longclaw. It was also weirdly good for quail, of sorts.

South Africa 145

South Africa Africa Falcons Family 145

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

The combination of over hunting, and the native animals susceptibility to diseases carried by domestic livestock that were allowed to graze there, completely eliminated these Bighorns by 1915. Home to over 200 species, this amazing area is quite susceptible to the amount of rainfall each year.

Sheep 111

Sheep Oregon Mules Livestock 111

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2011

Gareth Hazell Mar 4th, 2011 at 5:11 pm I’ll be on the hunt for Melodius Larks in the neighborhood and going to the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens for another look at the Grey Wagtail!! We, along the coast in Los Angeles County, have a FY Harris’s Sparrow here now for about a week. Really nice! Rick: Thanks! Peggy: Agreed.

2011 145

2011 Los Angeles Deer Birds 145

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

Mostly the ducks were Red-breasted Merganser and Greater Scaup , the two most prevalent species on the pond, but there were a few other birds mixed in as well. Duck MigrationSandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?!Avian Share Your Thoughts « Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! Mar 17th, 2011 at 2:18 pm [.] Thanks for visiting!

Ducks 168

Ducks 2011 Jamaica New York 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

… Matthew Anderson [of Audubon] said proponents of colonies are putting the interests of one invasive species — cats — over the hundreds of other native ones that are their prey. And she has a North American bird book that has so far taught her how to recognize a sparrow. She said she has a cat that stays indoors — unwillingly.

Feral Cats 202

Feral Cats Feral Cats Minneapolis 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2011

I got out of the car, climbed a small hill where the shooting benches were and realized I was looking at a fabulous patch of habitat for a great gray owl to hunt. The day shift, hunting the meadow. I mumble the species’ name over and over something like this: that’s a *&$#^ Great Gray Owl! My God what a creature!

Connecticut 169

Connecticut North Dakota Ohio Owls 169

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Now, there are a few obvious uses of bird names that I really needn’t cover, like our ambivalence towards the house sparrow. Its nickname “Spatz” is one of our most common terms of endearment, yet “Dreckspatz” translates to dirt sparrow and describes a person with questionable body hygiene.

Germany 172

Germany Birds Hunters Owls 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! Tomorrow, MARCH 15, 2011, is the deadline for public comment on a proposal to hunt sandhill cranes in Kentucky. Kentucky Dept.

2011 239

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 239

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2017

Like many “wildlife areas” it is open to waterfowl hunting during the season. In total we counted seventeen species at the rest stop! We stopped at the entrance to the wildlife area (see the sign above) where there is a small kiosk with bird lists and hunting regulations as well as maps of the facility.

Wildlife 100

Wildlife Chipmunks Sparrows Blackbirds 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

The emphasis is on everyday birds seen in North America, though some of the more exotic and local species are thrown in for the color and romance of it all–Atlantic Puffin, Roseate Spoonbill, the poor extinct Heath Hen. 167, Meadowlark line of sight–not p.67). copyright @2020 by David A llen Sibley.

2020 262

2020 Birds Groups North America 262

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

Lesser Goldfinches, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Vesper Sparrows, Lincoln Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrows , and lots and lots of Mourning Doves have taken up residence in what used to be open water. American Kestrels, Cooper Hawks , and Northern Harriers also found the hunting here to their liking.

Albuquerque 120

Albuquerque New Mexico Mexico Sparrows 120

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

It may be as sick as deliberately targeting an endangered species for death. With the proposed hunting seasons on sandhill cranes being discussed in Tennessee, Kentucky and Wisconsin, we must not forget the whooping crane, which travels and winters in the big sandhill crane flocks. Speculation is useless in acts of vandalism.

2011 239

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 239

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2018

Once we were checked in, we headed straight out to begin our hunt. Our first three days were spent bouncing around from area to area, looking to find the species on my wish list. With the addition of these new species, the Little Big Year numbers look like this: Little Big Year species – 1267. Olive Sparrow.

Texas 127

Texas Tucson San Antonio Owls 127

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2012

Not how many bird species , but how many bird individuals. The Wagbachniederung is reknown for its waterfowl, shorebirds, and good breeding populations of several species that are very localized in Germany. I want to know – just roughly – how many birds I have seen in my life.

Germany 176

Germany Birds Ducks Woodpeckers 176

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2014

Sure, there is unlimited potential and every single species can once again be counted, but, nonetheless, birders often put forth the energy to get that list built up again, to erase that zero, and to hopefully put three (or even four) digits in its place before the end of the year. Amazingly, it worked! Click to embiggen.).

2014 155

2014 Fox Birds Owls 155

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Another example of its staggering wealth is the fact that the 22,000 hectare Table Mountain National Park situated within the city of Cape Town has more plant species than the whole of the British Isles or New Zealand! Image by Adam Riley A handsome male Cape Sparrow poses in West Coast National Park.

South Africa 224

South Africa Africa New Zealand Asia 224