10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

In 2022, the 10,000 Birds eBird Collaborative submitted 1,837 checklists from 9 countries ( Australia , China , Costa Rica , Mexico , Saint Lucia , Serbia , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and the United States ) and observed 1,273 species. The Collaborative life list increased to 4,140.

Saint Lucia 105

Saint Lucia Costa Rica Trinidad United Kingdom 105

Critter News

JUNE 6, 2012

This article reaffirms my belief that it's more humane to slaughter horses in the US than to ship them for slaughter to Canada or Mexico. I don't like it either way, but one is better than the other for sure.

Horses 113

Horses Mexico New Mexico Slaughter 113

Critter News

FEBRUARY 8, 2012

Mexico often has such an abominable attitude towards animals that it's easy to paint all citizens that way. It happened last Saturday the 4th of February. I'm glad there are exceptions like these protesters.

Protest 124

Protest Protesting Protesters Mexico 124

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2015

Back in early March, Andrew Spencer asked me if I would like to go birding in western Mexico with him and another friend in May. Before I knew it, it was late May, and I was on the road in Colima, Mexico with Andrew Spencer and Nathan Pieplow on a birding adventure! I could not refuse. Time flew by. Photo by Nathan Pieplow.

Birds 93

Birds Mexico Owls Sparrows 93

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2022

Last week, I wrote about my recent trip from my current home of Morelia, Mexico to my childhood home of the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, and how several species can be found in both places, in spite of how far apart they are, and yet look quite different in each place. west coast and in central Mexico.

Mexico 104

Mexico Birds Species California 104

Critter News

AUGUST 19, 2010

Bill Richardson is asking to tour a former medical research lab in southern New Mexico that houses more than 200 chimpanzees. Tags: chimpanzees animal research animal laboratories Texas new mexico. From the AP. Richardson made the comment Tuesday after meeting in Bethesda, Md.

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Primates San Antonio 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

Raptors of Mexico and Central America by William S. This is the first identification guide that I know of that covers Mexico (technically North America but rarely included in North American raptor guides) and Central America. Interestingly, Raptors of Mexico and Central America does not cover vocalization. Clark and N.

Mexico 75

Mexico America Falcons North America 75

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2023

I often write about Lake Cuitzeo, which is near Morelia, and is Mexico’s second-largest lake. Lake Chapala is near Guadalajara, and is Mexico’s largest lake. In this case, that involved taking a short detour to the shore of the state of Jalisco’s Lake Chapala.

Birds 104

Birds Species Geese Mexico 104

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

Mexico is great for those who love biogeography! The landscape and birds along the road continued to change, and I felt like we were traveling through Colorado rather than Mexico at this point — the various tropical species were almost all gone, replaced by Chipping Sparrow , Common Raven , Killdeer , and others.

Birds 98

Birds Mexico Woodpeckers Costa Rica 98

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2016

Despite that, I have it in my head to jot down a few of the interesting things about birding here in La Paz, Mexico. There is little doubt in my mind, that the topic of urban birding has been well covered on this and every other birding site.

Birds 74

Birds Mexico Species Geese 74

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Now that we have returned to our adopted home of La Paz, Mexico, our bones are starting to thaw out from the trip to chilly Seattle. Despite seeing many of our local Bewick’s Wrens in Mexico, this well hidden House Wren is the first tick for the Baja, as well as Mexico.

Mexico 40

Mexico Woodpeckers Sanctuary Species 40

Critter News

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

The long-running dispute between the US and Mexico over Washington’s ‘dolphin safe’ labelling practice for tuna products is likely to see a WTO appeal, after the two parties together asked for an extension of the appeals deadline. From the Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest.

Dolphins 124

Dolphins Mexico Animal Welfare Welfare 124

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2022

After two and a half years of being unable to bird anywhere other than Michoacán, Mexico, I was really looking forward to our current Old World tour. Today, I’ll focus on two bird families that I certainly should have seen first in Mexico. Lots of new sites, in new countries! So many new species!

Birds 110

Birds Turkey Mexico Spain 110

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2020

I have commented before in my posts that most of our Warblers here in central Mexico never actually warble. southwest, but it is a permanent resident in western Mexico and parts of Central America. The adorable Red Warbler lives only in Mexico. Still, there are a few notable exception to this rule, even here in Michoacán.

Mexico 143

Mexico Honduras Breeding Birds 143

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Cedar Waxwings have come back to central Mexico. and Canada, Waxwings are clearly an irruptive species for Mexico. Most years, there are no more than a few dozen reports of this species across the region. This year, the sightings are less, so far. (I I have seen exactly one Waxwing this year.) Still, this is a very clear trend.

Species 59

Species Mexico Birds Parrots 59

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2022

In March 2022, the Collaborative submitted 184 checklists from 4 countries ( Costa Rica , United States , Mexico , and the United Kingdom ) and they included 637 species. Mexico ranks sixth on the Collaborative’s country list with 425 species observed. The 2022 year list stands at 949 and the life list is now at 4,113.

Costa Rica 104

Costa Rica United Kingdom Species Birds 104

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2020

Whether you happen to be more interested in music or birds, you may love “A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean” Since this is a music project rather than an actual guide of bird vocalizations, there won’t be a catalog of antbird trills and toucan yelps.

Costa Rica 111

Costa Rica Birds Mexico Nicaragua 111

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

Not so with our visit to Bosque de Apache NWR in southern New Mexico. The second half of the week was spent near the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The post Little Big Year – Week 36: Southern New Mexico hotspots. The House Finches were having a great time feeding on the Prickly-pear cactus blooms.

New Mexico 45

New Mexico Mexico Costa Rica Birds 45

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2022

Here in central Mexico, the winter season always seems to begin with the arrival of various members of the sandpiper family. In the waning days of July, a birder friend from north-central Mexico sent out the first report of such wading birds arriving in his own wetlands. Let that be a lesson, to me. Definitely an adult.

Birds 102

Birds Breeding Mexico Ducks 102

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2022

In April 2022, the Collaborative submitted 216 checklists from 4 countries ( Costa Rica , United States , Mexico , and the United Kingdom ) and observed 735 species. The 2022 year list stands at 1,023, and the life rises by a single species ( Great Swallow-tailed Swift seen in Mexico) to 4,114.

Costa Rica 105

Costa Rica United Kingdom Species Birds 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2022

239 is only good enough to place me at #280 for the nation of Mexico; even twice that number would not put me in Mexico’s top ten. In other words: It’s good to live in Mexico. 239 is easily enough to keep me at the front of the pack on eBird for Michoacán. But then, there is still not that much competition here.

Species 104

Species Birds Mexico Woodpeckers 104

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. We also have many species that we share with the rest of Mexico, Central America, and/or the southwest of the United States. You have to know where to look for them.

Birds 104

Birds Mexico Species Owls 104

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

Cedar Waxwing: For most birders in Mexico, 2021 will be remembered as the year of the Waxwings. This is the only migratory warbler to live entirely within Mexico, breeding in the northeast and wintering in the southwest. White Ibises belong down on the coast of Mexico, which requires a 4-5 hour drive that I rarely make.

Birds 105

Birds Species Mexico Barn Owls 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2022

It is definitely not a “Road Runner” And it is definitely, certainly, absolutely not a Lesser Roadrunner , the roadrunner of choice for tropical Mexico and northern Central America. I have been lucky enough to see a few Greater Roadrunners in the Sonoran Desert, on both sides of the Mexico/U.S.

Coyotes 105

Coyotes Birds Mexico ALA 105

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2017

Lots of the migrant birds are starting to return to Mexico. Despite the still sweltering heat of the Southern Baja Desert, that beautiful time of year has arrived! Some in great numbers, some, just a single bird or two.

Cattle 40

Cattle Mexico Birds Cows 40

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

The Colima Warbler has a distinction shared with no other species in the world: It is fully migratory, but both its summer reproductive range and its winter range are almost entirely within Mexico. (A and Canada, and winter in Mexico, or breed in Mexico, and winter in Central and South America. So, lucky me!

Birds 90

Birds Mexico Species South America 90

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Now, it is much easier for me to achieve first-time sightings of species in Europe than it is in Mexico, at this point of the game. An Osprey , member of a worldwide species I can also see in Mexico, was also more generous with the photos. Next week, we will be back to Mexico. But this time, I could.

Spain 102

Spain Birds Species Mexico 102

Critter News

SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

ALF activists in Polanco Mexico bombed a Max Mara clothing shop. Max Mara is an Italian fashion house. You can read about them here. According to a communique received by Bite Back , they did this in protest of Max Mara's use of furs. With this sabotage we join the international week against MaxMara.

Mexico 100

Mexico Fur Chinchillas Raccoons 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2021

As I mention each year at this time, the beginning of the birding year, up north, is the end of Mexico’s peak birding season. As I have mentioned in previous posts, this winter’s biggest story was a tremendous abundance of Cedar Waxwings throughout central Mexico. There were about 40 in this group.

Birds 105

Birds Sparrows Mexico Species 105

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2021

After 38 years of life in Mexico, I rarely have the sort of stomach trouble tourists supposedly get here. My first trip into non-touristy Mexico, I was so worried about the Tijuana Two-Step that, let’s just say, I had the opposite problem for a week. It’s always nice when Mexico gets its due.

Birds 105

Birds Mexico Species Groups 105

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2021

Many thrushes live or winter in Mexico, but their taxonomy is mostly quite simple. Eight of our large thrushes (the American Robin , western Mexico’s own Rufous-backed Robin , and eastern Mexico’s ubiquitous Clay-colored Thrush , among others) belong to the genus Turdus. Why are Aztec Thrushes so hard to see?

Birds 105

Birds Mexico Species North America 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2021

The Rusty Sparrow is a bird of Mexico and Central America that looks remarkably like the Rufous-crowned Sparrow , but is considerably larger. Red-tailed Hawks are certainly not specific to Mexico, but I have been following a pair of them for a long time at Los Filtros — one dark morph, and the other light morph.

Birds 105

Birds Sparrows Mexico Species 105

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2015

In fact, they are central to many Mexican and Native American spiritual beliefs, and have been named the state bird of New Mexico. However, in real life Greater Roadrunners are quite different. Officially adopted as the state bird in 1949 , the Greater Roadrunner was once known as the “Chaparral Bird.”

New Mexico 49

New Mexico Birds Mexico Feral Cats 49

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

That could be because Mexico’s lowland Tierra Caliente (Hot Country) has a Very Bad Reputation. State department travel warnings, Mexico as a whole has a bad reputation. I have lived in Mexico for almost 37 years, and in Michoacán for 25 years, and yet I have never witnessed a violent crime. Is it safe to bird in Mexico?

Mexico 94

Mexico Birds Species Colombia 94

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

This bird is only found around three lakes (Lago de Pátzcuaro and Lago de Cuitzeo in the state of Michoacán, and Lago de Yuriria just across the border in Guanajuato state), and in the marshy area southeast of Toluca, the capital of the state of Mexico. The name “Mexico” can refer to the city, a state, or the entire country.

Mexico 94

Mexico Species Birds 94

Critter News

OCTOBER 27, 2008

Every time I go to Bite Back Magazine , I'm struck by how many times ALF activists in Mexico have targeted fast food outlets. I suppose they are easy to get at. Here is just a brief summary: Oct. 24 - They left some sort of awful smelling liquid at a KFC Oct. 21 - Arson at a Burger King Oct. 16 - Fake bomb left at McDonalds Oct.

Fast Food 100

Fast Food Mexico Campaign McDonalds 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2017

The La Paz, Mexico waste treatment plant is actually quite near to town, mostly due to the residential growth creeping closer and closer. Bear in mind, these areas do not smell like a rose garden, especially on a 100 degree Mexican summer day. None the less, this is where I found myself last Sunday, on a lovely 103 degree afternoon.

Ducks 45

Ducks Mexico Birds Livestock 45