10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many Nearctic species and families reach their southern terminus in the Northern Central American Highlands, such as Common Raven , Red Crossbill , Steller’s Jay , and even Brown Creeper. Alex also masterfully worked another tricky species into view for us during that first afternoon, Ruddy Crake (a close relative of the Black Rail ).

Honduras 214

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 214

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2012

The first sighting was of an individual seen and photographed right off the pier at Boynton Inlet on December 9, 2012. Many state listers immediately chased it even though the bird was very mobile and did not offer good looks for most who tried. Trey Mitchell’s beautiful shot of a Razorbill bobbing about in nearly tropical waters.

Florida 217

Florida Cuba 2012 Bahamas 217

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2020

If conditions are right, the Palm Beach Agricultural Area can be teaming with various shorebird species such as Spotted, Solitary, Upland, Buff-breasted, Least, Semipalmated, Western, and Pectoral Sandpiper, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Black-necked Stilt. They especially like live oaks.

Florida 254

Florida Miami Birds Falcons 254

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 181

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

Carlos Sanchez is an excellent birder, a Miami resident, and a polyglot. That’s right. Over twenty species of wood-warbler may be recorded in a single winter in Miami-Dade County, with several more species recorded regularly in Monroe and Broward.

Florida 158

Florida Miami Cuba Bahamas 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2012

Autumn migration gets off to an inauspicious start in Miami-Dade with the appearance of a small selection of passerines at local migrant traps at mid-July. August continues the theme of low diversity and numbers, with only a smattering of new species in addition to those mentioned above such as Yellow-throated Vireo and Worm-eating Warbler.

Miami 188

Miami Florida 2012 2011 188

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2016

On my recent short family vacation to Miami, I was granted a single day to get out and really bird like a madman. The reason the location is remaining undisclosed is that reliable Mangrove Cuckoos are difficult to find in the American Birding Association area and are a very sought after species. We needed countable species!

Florida 118

Florida Miami Birds Owls 118

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2013

It is one of three species of ani ( Groove-billed and Greater Anis are the other two) and together form a unique branch in the cuckoo family. According to the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas, the first confirmed breeding record was in Miami in July of 1938. Petersburg area and Cape Canaveral.

Florida 191

Florida Virgin Islands Miami Breeders 191

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2018

We did however gain an extra night, at our expense in Miami, Florida, all of which was in the dark, so I could not even run out and put a couple of birds on a Florida State List. By the time we had ended our visit on the island, I had racked up a total of 58 birds species, with 27 of them new birds on the Little Big Year list.

Bahamas 126

Bahamas Costa Rica Abandon Abandoning 126

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Seeing as birds are extremely adaptable creatures as a whole, I have always found it interesting to see which bird species manage to make a living or even thrive among all the concrete, cars, and noise. In fact, several species in Miami-Dade are found exclusively in such habitats.

Miami 124

Miami Fast Food Florida Birds 124

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

from University of Miami in 1966 and has written over 75 scientific and popular papers and books, including Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide. Although designed as a field guide, it is a hefty book, 376 pages long, covering 336 species. Many species are dimorphic, with females looking different from males.

United States 232

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 232

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

Like when Cleveland local Lebron James showed up in Miami and started playing basketball for the Heat. One such controversial bird is the Veraguan Mango , a small hummingbird species that was, until very recently, believed to be a Panamanian endemic. The same can be said of endemic basketball players and their patriotic fans.

Panama 206

Panama Costa Rica 2011 Cleveland 206

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2011

No need to page through dozens of plates of similar looking species anymore. It takes only a single raindrop at the right place to render an electronic device completely useless. Wicked, right? Off to the Amazon? Download the relevant images and info into a location specific guide. On a day trip to Oregon for business?

Burkina Faso 156

Burkina Faso 2011 Birds Deer 156

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

Red-necked Grebe by Carlos Sanchez My Best Bird of the Year was a Red-necked Grebe discovered in an urban pond in Tallahassee which lingered long enough for me to go and see it — a full 17 hour round trip drive from Miami. This bird represented only the second documented record of this species in Florida.

2012 148

2012 Birds Guatemala Florida 148