10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2022

The stars of the bird world take many forms and fame is often related to location but some species, some cool groups of birds are accorded priority no matter when or where they are seen. The Olive-crowned Yellowthroat is one of Costa Rica’s resident wood-warbler species. Yes, you read that right. Violet Sabrewing.

Costa Rica 282

Costa Rica Nashville Tennessee Turtles 282

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2022

Many years have passed by now and I have visited the Forgotten Road 2 to 3 times in most years, enough to find most of the birds Bratislav mentioned, but a few of the mostly nocturnal, such as an Ural Owl or a Corncrake (I always visited in the morning). Other species include Grey Wagtail and Marsh Tit. Somrda Peak (810 m a.s.l.)

Serbia 250

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Romania 250

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Most days, that seemingly random place is right at home. Some call them trash, tours might not visit, but they can host more than the expected and common species. Some such vegetated spots can also attract oddball birds, species that wander to find a home in urban circumstances. This image is from a different site.

Costa Rica 258

Costa Rica Sparrows Birds Rodents 258

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Could scientists use weather radar data to track the spread of avian influenza, and thereby help poultry growers protect their flocks? This lucky youngster from Massachusetts has almost 300 ticks, but just added his favorite— a Great Gray Owl his supportive family drove hundreds of miles to glimpse.

Massachusetts 100

Massachusetts Eggs Falcons Rights 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

If a list also shows the status for each species, birders on their way to Costa Rica would realize that they shouldn’t really expect vireos with white eyes nor blue heads (but would hopefully know that they should very much report those species on eBird so local birders can chase them!). Screech-Owls! Juvenile Gray Hawk.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Birds Owls South America 202

Critter News

MARCH 28, 2010

I like this opinion piece from the Christian Science Monitor which calls for an "Endangered Species Hour." It's in response to the pathetic CITES conference which basically screwed marine animal protection. Commerce vs. conservation is often at the center of environmental battles, whether they involve global warming or the spotted owl.

Endangered Species 100

Endangered Species Science Species Japan 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2021

A Little Owl blocked the road and asked for our Covid health certificates. Similarly, the Alpine Leaf Warbler is one of the more attractive species in an otherwise almost indistinguishable family of identical leaf warblers. (“But the difference in wing bars, Kai!”). Probably something about the wing bars, right?

Birds 246

Birds North Korea China Woodpeckers 246

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

The first stop of the morning: young White–tailed Eagle , right next to the road and several dozen Rooks around. I observed this species in the Little Rann of Kutch in India and since then, have been burning with desire to see them back home. Long-eared Owls are irresistibly cute. They are now moving from one tree to another.

Serbia 243

Serbia Owls Rodents Eagles 243

10,000 Birds

MAY 29, 2019

It was impossible to show you all my favorite Tierra Caliente species in one post, so I only shared those that are mostly seen in the drier area a couple of miles south of the town and river. However, some of Paso Ancho’s most beautiful species are to be seen right along that river. Then it got an upgrade.

Squirrels 113

Squirrels Birds Mexico 2013 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

In the morning, still sleepy, we enter the jungle, where a sounder of Indian Boars (a long-maned subspecies Sus scrofa cristatus ) is watching us, standing among the first trees, right next to the road. Birds included common species such as Black Drongos , Jungle Babblers and a Hoopoe. One White-eyed Buzzard has turned its back to us.

Tigers 243

Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2017

It’s not that they don’t like them, it’s just that most are fairly common and tend to grab the spotlight when you still need to focus on much rarer, less colorful species. Not so for the Yellow-eared because that fancy one is one of the rarer species. Spectacled Owl triangle.

Costa Rica 152

Costa Rica Birds Owls Tennessee 152

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2013

I wondered, last August, how animals endure it — the tiny ever-pumping lungs of hummingbirds, the lungs of bighorn sheep shouldering their way up mountains, they must get filled with smoke too, right? They receive no protection, and are often destroyed by salvage logging as quickly as possible.

Endangered Species 161

Endangered Species South Dakota Woodpeckers Sheep 161

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Larry starts us off right with an owl that makes birders drool: I was able to see and photograph many great birds in 2014 but my Best Bird of the Year would have to be the Great Gray Owl , the largest Strix in North America. Larry’s BBOTY – Great Gray Owl. Below are our Best Birds of the Year. What was yours?

2014 193

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 193

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2016

Rehabbers are very responsive, although constantly living under the gun makes us sometimes vent about species that aren’t necessarily the ones in question. Three: Why would anyone , no matter what their species, want to become tangled in human hair? So right from the beginning, none of this makes any sense. Feel free to vent!”.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 182

Wildlife Rehabilitation Porcupines Raccoons Birds 182

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2016

Costa Rica is situated right between two oceans. The pair of seas are close enough for the occasional adventurous frigatebird to just soar way up and right over to the other salty basin. To the north of this mountainous isthmus, we have the Atlantic. In the other direction, the Pacific.

Costa Rica 165

Costa Rica San Jose Panama Birds 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2013

This park protects the largest remaining tract of dry deciduous forest in the west of India, offering visitors 37 species of reptiles, 38 species of mammals and, not to be forgotten – almost 300 bird species. It belongs to the same species as those in Europe, but a smaller subspecies ( Sus scrofa davidi ).

Lions 232

Lions India Mammals Boars 232

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

Thanks to fortunate foresight, a lot of land was set aside in Costa Rica as national parks and protected areas (and some of these are easily accessed) but the best forest still happens to be at the terminus of the road and en route, you will be treated to species deficit birding in plenty of pastures.

Costa Rica 249

Costa Rica San Jose Sharks Monkeys 249

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2015

In Costa Rica, since winter doesn’t exist, June is kind of like every other month except that it rains more and the little summer of San Juan is right around the corner. For a more intimate stay in birdier surroundings, try Zamora Estates ; a hotel/vineyard that protects some of the last remaining wetlands in the Central Valley.

Costa Rica 162

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Owls 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

Even among the protected areas of Serbia, the Iron Gates National Park (in Serbian: Djerdap) stands out as better preserved. Keep in mind that the special nature reserves (dark green on the park map) enjoy the highest level of protection and are off limits to visitors (possible only with research permits issued by the park authorities).

Serbia 193

Serbia Turtles Birds Eagles 193

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2018

While there were way less Puffins than any of the other species, they are still so much fun to see. The boat Captain got us right in close. Red Kites were considerted a Threatened Species starting in the early ‘80s, and a nation wide program was started to re-introduce them around the UK. The show stopper was his Eagle-owl.

Puffins 100

Puffins Wildlife Reserve 2003 Farming 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Lovely Cotinga is the flagship species at Pico Bonito, where it is perhaps easier to see than anywhere else within its range. More than 400 species have been recorded at the lodge to date. Central American Pygmy-Owl is another key species at the lodge. However, for me, there were birds to be seen. Photo by James Adams.

Honduras 163

Honduras Monkeys Birds America 163

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

This wonderful piece of birding real estate can be found 8 miles east of Olympia, and an hour’s drive south of Seattle Washington, right along the I-5 corridor. Established in 1974 to protect the delta, which is formed where the fresh water of the Nisqually River meets to nutrient rich, tidal salt water of the Puget Sound.

Wildlife 106

Wildlife Seattle Bald Eagle Geese 106

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2017

It was already dark in mid-October when we arrived to the Costa Rican birding mecca of Rancho Naturalista to have dinner on the veranda but then were interrupted with a call: There’s a Mottled Owl at the other side! You can imagine the rest: everyone jumped from the table to look for the owl. Acorn Woodpeckers by Niklas Aronsson.

Costa Rica 165

Costa Rica Woodpeckers Farming Owls 165

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

I spotted a Eurasian Wigeon amongst the American Wigeon right out of the gate, but that wasn’t the best sighting of the day. Forgotten Owls When Is A Tanager A Spindalis? His recent focus is on bringing the Western Burrowing Owl back to life in California where he also monitors several bluebird trails. Beautiful bird.

Wildlife 155

Wildlife 2011 Sacramento Jordan 155

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2011

The conservation need is urgent: great attention has rightly been paid to Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest but not enough resources have gone to the Pantanal and the Cerrado, of which only 4% and 5%, respectively, are protected. Talk about a win-win!

Brazil 207

Brazil Wildlife 2011 Birds 207

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. The guide covers 1,433 species, the number of birds documented at the end of 2014, the cutoff point for the book.

Bolivia 178

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2011

Costa Rica enjoys an international reputation as an iconic birding location, bursting with epic Neotropical species and breathtaking natural attractions. Zamora Estate protects acres of unspoiled habitat within one of the fastest growing sections of San Jose, a holding that has sustained four generations of the Zamora family.

Costa Rica 172

Costa Rica San Jose Sanctuary Protection 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

In particular the South Island destination of Kaikoura is world-renowned for the flocks of albatrosses and giant petrels floating right off the pelagic boat, and the ease of the trip makes it a must-visit for any visiting birder. The final large petrel species is another gadfly petrel, albeit a much larger one than the Cook’s Petrel.

New Zealand 175

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 175

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

Betty’s Bay was also a great place to see all of South Africa’s cormorant species, including the endangered Bank Cormorant. We observed far fewer Lesser Flamingos, a near-threatened species. It was the first of six bustard species I would see over the course of both trips. And then there were the Flamingos.

South Africa 254

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 254

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

Fortunately, there are some people working to protect the Scarlet Macaws of Honduras. Though Scarlet Macaws are threatened in Honduras there is hope that they will get protection and recover at least some of their numbers and former range. Wicked, right? RECENT POSTS More Habitat for Snowy Plover? The proposal from U.S.

Honduras 153

Honduras 2011 Deer Birds 153

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2011

That is why it is such amazingly awesome news that the British Birdwatching Fair raised £242,000 to help conserve a species that could become the first recorded bird extinction in mainland Africa. Wicked, right? Here’s hoping the Liben Lark defies the odds and long graces the grassy plains of Ethiopia! The proposal from U.S.

Ethiopia 145

Ethiopia 2011 Deer New York 145

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2011

Checking for moult limits on a female Band-tailed Manakin to determine her age Imagine learn or improving your mist-netting, bird banding, handling, aging, and Neotropical bird ID skills in one of the most exuberantly natural surroundings ( 599 bird species recorded at Explorer’s Inn and Sachavacayoc Centre!) The proposal from U.S.

Peru 201

Peru 2011 Deer Birds 201

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2013

Calilegua is the only national park in the province of Jujuy that protects 76,000 ha of Yungas forest providing a bird sanctuary for many endemic species that live in this special forest. A woodcreeper jumped right in front of us only 100 ft into the trail. Plush-crested Jay. Black-capped Antwren Female. Blue-crowned Togon.

Woodpeckers 169

Woodpeckers Birds Parrots Argentina 169

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

Which is not to say that it doesn’t contain striking images of birds parenting the most adorable songbirds, owls, and heron nestlings imaginable. Some chapters focus on one species (Yellow Warbler), some on several related species (Chickadees and Nuthatches). Oops, the curmudgeon in me slipped.) And of birds courting and mating.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2017

Some of you have been counting on federal funding or habitat protection that now looks shaky; some of you have mates who never made it back from migration; some of you just can’t catch enough fish. Grandmas and little kids, bored office workers, students and teachers – when things go right your audience is huge and passionate.

Bald Eagle 100

Bald Eagle Belize Iowa Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2013

It was declared a National Park (Monumento Natural) in 1981 to protect the nesting of up to 25,000 flamingos and many other water-foul and birds that depend on this fragile ecosystem, the Puna. Soon we came to a four way split and took the right turn which continued toward the lake, the left turns seem to go off to the western mountains.

Argentina 154

Argentina Rights Owls Abandon 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

On the contrary, if you are a traveling birder, you might just find your next birding destination right here on 10,000 Birds. PIP is situated right on a beautiful lake -- the place to be when its hot! This is worthwhile to pick up some rocky terrain species and the scenery is stunning. Wicked, right?

Portugal 176

Portugal 2011 Deer Birds 176