10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2014

Erin Smithies-Baker wrote, “I once had someone call and say they were bringing me a baby hawk … or maybe an owl… no wait, a heron … I couldn’t wait to see what the heck this baby hawkowlheron was. I had a cockatoo, a vulture, a Snowy Owl , and various hawks that all turned out to be pigeons,” wrote Joanne Cina-Dreeben.

Wildlife 258

Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Falcons Pit Bulls 258

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2019

We encountered several bird species there including a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and a nesting Red-breasted Parakeet. We were very lucky to find the Sunda Scops Owl on our last visit the day we left Singapore. It is the smallest owl that we have ever seen and it is tiny, especially when you compare it to the Powerful Owl in Australia.

Singapore 116

Singapore Otters Owls Zebras 116

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2015

I had racked up only twenty-odd species, all of which I’d have to be blindfolded to not see if I spent a year in New York City. I was not tremendously optimistic as I returned to Forest Park for a second shot at the Northern Saw-whet Owl that our beloved host Corey had tipped me off to back at the beginning of January.

New York City 159

New York City Squirrels New York Owls 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

We did get introduced to Geiner Huertas Reyes, who took us for a walk along part of the river and into a public park, where we put together a nice list of 61 species. Another species in the long name category, would be this Common Chlorospingus. This Squirrel Cuckoo, gave me my favorite photo of the trip so far.

Costa Rica 116

Costa Rica Tigers San Jose Woodpeckers 116

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

Many are familiar with dissecting owl pellets, but several birds will caste a pellet including hawks, eagles, gulls, herons and heck, I once witnessed a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher hack up a small one. Above is a pellet from one of a pair of Great Horned Owls that nested a few blocks from my apartment.

Bats 227

Bats Dissection Owls Minnesota 227

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Bufflehead ( Bucephala albeola ) Female at Cavity Entrance photos by Larry Jordan “Some 85 species of North American birds excavate nesting holes, use cavities resulting from decay (natural cavities), or use holes created by other species in dead or deteriorating trees.

North America 238

North America America Barn Owls Falcons 238

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2022

8 of them sent 153 lists, noting 645 species of bird across 7 countries (Mexico, UK, USA, Serbia, Australia, Costa Rica, Colombia). It has not resulted in extraordinary numbers of sightings personally, but the beats have been busy on their respective patches and have sent me their lists to collate. The year list finishes at 1628.

Sparrows 256

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Owls 256

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

My birding list for November totals 15 species. Thank goodness that the rest of the beats have been busily birding,that’s what they like to do… 9 of them submitted 114 checklists via eBird and amassed 525 species from 7 (China, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, UK, Serbia and USA) countries during November.

Sparrows 234

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Costa Rica 234

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2013

Later on — after seven years at most, in the case of the Black-backed Woodpecker — these first responders are gone and the holes in the snags serve as nesting cavities for martens, and squirrels and Mountain Bluebirds and Flammulated Owls.

Endangered Species 164

Endangered Species South Dakota Woodpeckers Sheep 164

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2016

This area, with its year round water supply, supports a huge amount of life, with coyotes, fox, bobcat and many different rodents, like this Mexican Ground Squirrel. The is no refridgeration, so if you do visit, be sure too include a cooler with ice. Anytime you are living around a desert area, reptiles are going to be around.

Coyotes 133

Coyotes Rodents Reptiles Fox 133

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries. Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries. Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries.

Sparrows 261

Sparrows Woodpeckers Ducks Blackbirds 261

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2021

9 beats submitted 140 checklists from 7 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, Serbia, Australia, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago) during October to account for 585 species. 1539 is the year list total so far and the life list has reached 4081 as Northern Pygmy Owl , Emperor Goose and Lined Seedeater swelled its numbers.

Woodpeckers 258

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds Ducks 258

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

You typically do not find a bird this naked or featherless outside of the nest unless there has been a storm or the nest has been attacked by predator like a raccoon, chipmunk, squirrel or corvids. The adults of most species will still care for the chicks no matter how much you touch them. Owls are a little different.

Birds 266

Birds Fox Raised Ducks 266

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2020

The 83 checklists submitted during July contained 459 species. Squirrel Cuckoo – Piaya cayana. Barn Owl – Tyto alba. Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl – Glaucidium brasilianum. Little Owl – Athene noctua. Tawny Owl – Strix aluco.

2020 161

2020 Sparrows Blackbirds Woodpeckers 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2020

149 checklists were submitted, accounting for 465 species. Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana). Barn Owl (Tyto alba). Eurasian Scops-Owl (Otus scops). Tropical Screech-Owl (Megascops choliba). Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). Little Owl (Athene noctua). White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica).

2020 157

2020 Sparrows Niger Woodpeckers 157

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 270

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2021

9 beats from 8 countries (Australia, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico), shared 138 checklists for 703 species. The year list to date is 1015 species and 7 have been added to the life list ( 4059 ) from Costa Rica, China and Trinidad and Tobago. 83 Squirrel Cuckoo – Piaya cayana.

Woodpeckers 207

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Parrots 207

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2021

The year list ends on a provisional 1803 species from 1608 checklists submitted by 12 beats from 16 countries. Most species-prolific was Patrick in Costa Rica, followed by Paul from Mexico. December’s beats found 609 birds after submitting 116 checklists from 8 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Serbia and Australia).

2020 251

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots 251

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2021

Between them, they found 389 species in 5 countries. Insects were held back by weird spring weather, but now the warmth returns and the birds are feasting on the late stirring bugs. June saw 8 beats get their birding boots on and share 90 checklists for your pleasure.

Woodpeckers 262

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Niger 262

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. At last we plunged into the woods, hoping for Great Horned Owls.

Wildlife 177

Wildlife Montana Geese Bald Eagle 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

11 beats have been out this month and have submitted 136 checklists from 7 countries ticking 634 species. 7 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl – Glaucidium brasilianum. 92 Crested Owl – Lophostrix cristata. 111 Mottled Owl – Ciccaba virgata. 271 Spectacled Owl – Pulsatrix perspicillata.

Woodpeckers 234

Woodpeckers Sparrows Parrots Blackbirds 234

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2014

Sometimes in a forest you’d be forgiven for thinking there was nothing but birds, monkeys and squirrels (and mosquitos, obviously), and then at night you start seeing civets, wallabies, and tarantulas. We found some more sleeping birds, lots of frogs, and a Lesser Mousedeer – a new species for me! So many insects.

Badgers 154

Badgers Wildlife Reptiles Monkeys 154

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2016

Coming from Niagara Falls, New York, it also means freezing, bitter cold, watching for imaginary Polar Bears while pretending to walk through an Arctic landscape, and looking for owls. This Long-eared Owl from Golden Hill was a bonus. So was this Snowy Owl. Snowy Owl- Bubo scanidacus; Niagara county, 2-Jan.

Costa Rica 102

Costa Rica 2016 San Antonio Sparrows 102

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

They birded 7 countries during August and recorded 542 species. The year list remains sluggish at 1489 , but the life list received a boost from the eBird taxonomy reshuffle and now includes 4076 species. Stay vigilant and safe. 10 of the beats have submitted 124 checklists which are collated below for your perusal.

Woodpeckers 230

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds California 230

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2011

The thought of an Oriole foraging in bare winter branches is as foreign as a Petrel on a pool and yet, there it was in my yard picking through an abandoned squirrel’s nest for what appeared to be spiders. A trip to the coastal plain may net you up to seven species of warblers, from the omnipresent Yellow-rumps to Chats and Cape Mays.

North Carolina 140

North Carolina 2011 St. Louis Baltimore 140

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2019

To surpass a challenging number of species, the planning, the conniving for major birding should have begun back in the past, in 2018. Every day counts and to seriously maximize the species total, a birder needs to maximize time in the field at the most productive places during the most productive times and then some.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica 2019 Parrots Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2021

Our brave beats have been putting themselves at risk for your vicarious listing pleasure and 10 of them submitted 151 checklists for 692 species, 2 of which made it onto the life list. Please be careful, Corvid is still out there. Marsh Grassbird and Rufous-faced Warbler come to you all the way from China and bring the life list to 4061.

Sparrows 166

Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds Ducks 166

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2018

The pressure is on if you can only get certain species during the first month of the year but if you just want to add any old birds to the year list, everything is fresh! Since I’m in no big hurry to reach any number of species in 2018, my year birding is going to be a fresh one hopefully touched with a good dose of Zen.

Costa Rica 178

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

With that logic those trees, if left to grow, should produce something of use to at least one or two species of birds. It’s been some years since I’ve seen any Short-tailed Hawks as the entire valley is now overrun with concrete – but I’m trying my best to create some sort of oasis for any species.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Hunting Reptiles 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

I was high and happy, not from “420” drugs but from the altitude and the anticipation of seeing woodpeckers and owls I had never seen before. My hosts could confidently tick off the species on their life list. We got at least three sub-species but the highlight was a Wilson’s Snipe we flushed.

Denver 184

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 184

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2017

Nevertheless, I still have over 232 species including the latest addition- a Striped Owl heard from my bedroom window as it called into a moonlit night. With luck, this bird list will also see species from other countries, I hope “wherever else” ends up referring to Colombia and Brazil!

Costa Rica 107

Costa Rica 2017 Woodpeckers Parrots 107

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2023

This area offers Mexico’s greatest concentration of endemics, as well as very few species an American birder might have already seen up north. But I knew that quite a few charismatic species had failed to turn up. I hoped for a more complete survey of the site’s species. And partly because I want to see it.

Mexico 164

Mexico Oregon Squirrels Science 164

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

172 lists were shared and 1004 species were seen, both records for October, so well done beats! Barn Owl – Tyto alba. Japanese Scops-Owl – Otus semitorques. Tropical Screech-Owl – Megascops choliba. African Scops-Owl – Otus senegalensis. Pacific Screech-Owl – Megascops cooperi.

2019 128

2019 China Battery Jamaica 128

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

They accounted for 562 species at this sluggish time of year. Squirrel Cuckoo – Piaya cayana. Barn Owl – Tyto alba. Flammulated Owl – Psiloscops flammeolus. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl – Glaucidium brasilianum. Little Owl – Athene noctua. Burrowing Owl – Athene cunicularia.

2019 124

2019 Sparrows Woodpeckers Idaho 124

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

beats have still managed to share 82 checklists and accounted for 737 species. Squirrel Cuckoo – Piaya cayana. Barn Owl – Tyto alba. Middle American Screech-Owl – Megascops guatemalae. Mottled Owl – Ciccaba virgata. Central American Pygmy-Owl – Glaucidium griseiceps.

2019 126

2019 Jamaica Eggs Woodpeckers 126

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Thus 100 species were missed by the time he woke up and noticed that eBird had reset the counters at midnight(do you guys have nothing better to do?). Squirrel Cuckoo – Piaya cayana. Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus.

2019 194

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2020

They noted 719 species between them. 61 Squirrel Cuckoo – Piaya cayana. 251 Oriental Scops-Owl – Otus sunia. 252 Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus. 253 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl – Glaucidium brasilianum. 254 Tawny Owl – Strix aluco. 255 Barred Owl – Strix varia.

2020 298

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds 298