10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2020

During cold winters, the hunters retreated to the south, intent on quail and other game species. Red-headed Woodpeckers chattered to each other as they flew from tree to tree, and I marveled at just how many I spotted. Setting off across a wide field, I made a slow circle around a glass-calm pond. The mansion itself was magnificent.

Georgia 265

Georgia Mules Birds Connecticut 265

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2021

In 2021, the American Ornithological Society announced that it has now classified the Bahama Nuthatch as a distinct species, Sitta insularis. He gave one to his home institution, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and the other to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. There’s just one problem.

Bahamas 344

Bahamas Philadelphia 2004 United States 344

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2020

Corey enjoyed a foul-weather seawatch on Saturday morning and birded a couple of locations Sunday morning before leading a walk for New York City Audubon in Forest Park. There’s something about the simple black, red, and white coloration of the species that makes it stand out as Best Bird of the Weekend.

2020 175

2020 New York City New York Birds 175

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2020

Growing up in western New York, February was one of the more tedious of winter months. It’s also the high season for birding and with good reason; there are hundreds of birds waiting to be seen, some of them migrants from the north but the majority resident tropical species that are easy on the eyes. Red-headed Barbet.

Costa Rica 254

Costa Rica Birds Panama Woodpeckers 254

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2019

We’re still driving towards the depths of winter here in New York, but I just noticed that our days are getting longer. Frigid temps and icy conditions couldn’t keep me from chasing down at least one of the Red-Headed Woodpeckers hanging around Durand Eastman Park.

2019 113

2019 New York City New York Birds 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

In the late nineteenth century, Eugene Schieffelin, a wealthy New York drug manufacturer, resolved to introduce to North America every species of bird mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. Our native bluebirds, woodpeckers, owls, and flycatchers have paid the price of bardophilia ever since.

New York City 206

New York City New York North America Species 206

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2012

Disbelief probably seems like the proper response to the idea that there are woodpeckers in New York City. After all, woodpeckers peck on trees, not skyscrapers. But even birders might be surprised to learn that eight species of woodpecker have graced New York City’s five boroughs with their presence!

New York City 257

New York City New York Woodpeckers New Jersey 257

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

This was where I set up my bird feeders, just one at first, then expanding as everyone expressed delight in seeing the Carolina Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Downy Woodpeckers. I picked up a Downy Woodpecker, an every-day visitor. I was shocked when I found the first body, a female Towhee. The window silhouettes were gone.

New York City 263

New York City Birds Illinois Science 263

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2012

The American Acclimatization Society was a group founded in New York City in 1871 dedicated to introducing European flora and fauna into North America for “both economic and cultural reasons. 1 ” By 1877 New York pharmacist Eugene Schieffelin, an avid admirer of Shakespeare, was the society’s driving force.

North America 204

North America United States New York City New York 204

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2018

In between arctic blasts, I got up to the lake at Hamlin Beach State Park, where I found a very confused and noisy Red-Headed Woodpecker. He didn’t find anything particularly spectacular but he did see quite a few species. Well, maybe I was confused at the appearance of this unexpected bird, but it was definitely noisy.

New York City 100

New York City 2018 New York Birds 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2015

I enjoyed some late autumn hiking, but saw nothing out of the ordinary; among the common birds in my area, the Pileated Woodpecker always stands out as something special. Still though, a kittiwake from land in New York State is always welcome! How about you?

2015 100

2015 New York Birds Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2016

I noticed plenty of species I hadn’t seen all winter, but was most surprised by an energetic Northern Mockingbird. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was either of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that he saw at the Ramshorn Livingston Sanctuary in Catskill, New York, while he was on a walk with his family.

2016 100

2016 Sanctuary New York Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2019

As always, I was the first to the platform and in the light northwest wind and under a full moon I sipped my coffee and willed birds to make some noise so I could start checking off species. Eventually, an Eastern Towhee che-winked and I had my first species for the day. The moon was impressive as it sank down to the horizon.

Pelicans 141

Pelicans New York Whales Whaling 141

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

Now that I live in New York City I rarely manage to make it that far north and when I do it tends to be winter, which is kind of odd. Montreal, while far to the north of New York City, is in Canada, which is certainly not the Adirondacks. After all, it was only a couple of hours north of my house. Wait, what?

New York City 164

New York City New York Canada Woodpeckers 164

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2012

And, as usual, I saw lots of birds in the northeastern United States, especially in my home state of New York. Finishing a year with 372 species is nothing to sneeze at and the fact that I added twenty-five birds to my ABA list was nice. A Pileated Woodpecker in Long Island’s Nassau County on the last day of the year.

2011 176

2011 Puffins United States New York 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

I had heard of Roger Tory Peterson, but I didn’t know that he was a New York birder, born in upstate Jamestown in 1908, nor that he had birded the Bronx when he was a young man, a member of NYC Linnaean Society and the fabled Bronx Bird Club. Extinct birds, such as Ivory-billed Woodpecker, are included.

North America 231

North America America Hawaii Birds 231

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Then I almost ran into a man peeing in a bush, and I knew I was really back in New York. At least judging by how excited the ratty red-brown new crop of Northern Cardinals made me as they kept crossing my path. My last species in the park was Wood Duck , which we have in Montana too but which is always fun to see.

Montana 169

Montana New York City New York Nashville 169

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2012

There are two species in the Old World woodpecker genus that sounds like birds that birders would never be able to see. Neither even makes their own nesting cavities; they use the abandoned holes of other woodpeckers. They are literal jinx birds in that their genus name is “ Jynx.”

Hungary 177

Hungary Asia Woodpeckers Africa 177

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

we learn) that are home to coveted boreal species, breeding wood-warblers, and two species of Grouse. There are 461 species on the Maine checklist. This field guide covers 265 species, the ones most likely to be seen–residential and migratory, almost all nesting birds, many wintering birds.

Los Angeles 218

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 218

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2012

My weekend was devoted to a seemingly endless celebration of my son’s 8th birthday, which meant that my best bird was bound to be a backyard species. Watching a pristine Hairy Woodpecker working away at the tender core confirmed my decision.

2012 179

2012 Jamaica New York Birds 179

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2012

Corey, on the other hand, had an absurdly good weekend of birding, adding six birds to his year list, accidentally breaking 300 species in New York State this year, adding a new bird to his New York State life list, and seeing Pine Grosbeaks in three different counties. His Best Bird of the Weekend?

2012 118

2012 New York Malaysia Singapore 118

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2014

You can easily scroll through the 940 species of bird included, which covers the United States (including Hawaii) and Canada. When looking at the “plate” for a species and you can toggle between “field marks on” and “field marks off.” Many species are shown in a variety of plumages and positions.

New York 182

New York Battery Hawaii United States 182

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

It’s among a handful of species — American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee , the unholy trinity of House Sparrow – Rock Pigeon – European Starling , a few others — that have been everywhere I’ve ever lived. We never would have gotten all those extra species of Red Crossbill that way.

Connecticut 189

Connecticut Baltimore North America New York City 189

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The new series was masterminded by Chanticleer founder Paul Steiner, who was lauded on his death 19 years later for his “brilliant idea of creating bird guides with photographs” and organizing them visually.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

New York City apartments don’t allow feeders to be hung from fire escapes (though I know certain birders that skirt that rule), and it wasn’t until I had already been birding for four-and-a-half years that I obtained a small yard in central New Jersey in which I could place a feeder or two or three. I came late to bird feeding.

Birds 185

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 185

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2018

For example, you will find no one arguing for outdoor cats, drunk driving on a twitch, or rooting for the New York Mets. We are more refined, merely enjoying invasive species, thinking extinct birds are gone and you should get over it, and that those who like to watch gulls probably have a screw or two loose.

Bald Eagle 106

Bald Eagle Battery Monkeys Hunters 106

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. I want to reach 500 birds in the ABA, get my Queens list to 295, see a total of at least 500 species, and get my World Life List to 1,100. But how did I see so many species this year?

2012 146

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 146

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2016

On New Year’s Day 2016, our last day in California before heading back to New York, I was pleased for the chance to get out for a few hours in the morning to jump start the year list. San Joaquin was the perfect choice!

Sanctuary 102

Sanctuary Wildlife California Ducks 102

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

My personal preference is the block prints, which perfectly capture the spirits of western woodpeckers, jays, and even a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but there is a Canada Jay watercolor at the end that would look very nice in my living room. The index lists bird species by whole name, which is less than satisfactory. Western Scrub-Jay (pp.

Birds 165

Birds Eggs Laws Woodpeckers 165

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

So, the 49 subject species include birds with interesting family behaviors that we might not see every day (Cedar Waxwing, Great Blue Heron, Peregrine Falcon), migrant songbirds (Tree and Barn Swallows, House Wren), and common, everyday birds (Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, and, yes, Rock Pigeon). Egg biology, from Part I.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2017

In upstate New York, sparrows, doves, woodpeckers, and cardinals fall into this category and are probably why we see more of those backyard birds (and their semi-psychedelic stylized versions) on Christmas cards, napkins, and other random types of stationary. How this species is often seen inside the forest.

Costa Rica 117

Costa Rica Dominican Republic Kansas Guinea 117

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

Many species build nests of sticks or mud or spit on human-made structures , or in houses we’ve constructed specifically for their use. The family is global in its distribution, with 83 species of around 19 genera. How to Find Cave Swallows in New York State – Corey Finger, 10,000 Birds.

Jordan 197

Jordan Iowa Birds Africa 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

Corey did just this in this 2011 posting about Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus in New York State. The core of the book are the Species Accounts, 190 accounts by 52 authors, some names that readers will easily recognize, others birders and ornithologists well-known in Pennsylvania. Pileated Woodpecker, for example.

Pennsylvania 245

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 245

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2018

My teammate Tom and I have managed to surpass the contest’s namesake goal of 100 species in a day on each of these runs, and we even had the highest species count last year with 124 birds found in Albany County, New York – though that’s still a few short of the 128 Corey counted way back in 2008. There’s always one.

Connecticut 100

Connecticut Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

When a species as prolific as the passenger pigeon once was ultimately expires, and promptly so on March 24, 1900, I’m apt to consider the rare but exceptional future sighting as a possibility, simply because I like to believe birds, or other creatures for that matter, don’t necessarily die within our specific time frames.

Pennsylvania 210

Pennsylvania Indiana California Condor 2013 210

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

Are you going to help “raise public awareness about the decline of the house sparrow and throw light on the problems faced by the species&# or are you in the camp that hates the lowly House Sparrow ? Cats Are Still Public Enemy Number One, For Birds The New York Times and Tweety have it absolutely correct. Get yours today!

Sparrows 217

Sparrows 2011 Deer New York 217

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

However, the species sometimes referred to as the Barbary Duck appears very much out of place just about everywhere else. Part 1 Freeport Pelagic Trip: 9/16/07 Nashville in New York Collared! Cats Are Still Public Enemy Number One, For Birds The New York Times and Tweety have it absolutely correct. Wicked, right?

Ducks 229

Ducks 2011 Deer New York 229