10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2013

Southern California is loaded with parrots. Many escapes and introductions have taken place over the years and some species have found the warm, dry climate to their liking. Quite a few species are well-established and breeding from San Diego to Los Angeles and beyond. Skylarks in Brooklyn , anyone?

Parrots 229

Parrots California Los Angeles San Diego 229

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

In February of 2013, I wrote a piece outlining my thoughts on which exotic bird species should be added to the American Bird Association (ABA) checklist. In 2014, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) voted to add this species to the Florida state list. The ABA Checklist Committee quickly followed suit.

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco Florida 154

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2018

My first thought was somebody’s parrot had escaped. There is a small resident population established directly north of us, in the San Diego county area, as well as in and around the Tijuana, Mexico area. This amazing spectacle of color came from just above my head, and I truly had no idea what it was.

San Diego 100

San Diego Mexico Parrots Pets 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Pin-tailed Whydah at Sutro Heights Park, San Francisco, CA. Superficially similar to Fork-tailed Flycatcher, especially if you don’t know that this species exists! So unprepared were local birders for Pin-tailed Whydah, some of them openly questioned the species’ very existence on the local listserv.

San Francisco 173

San Francisco San Diego Connecticut South America 173

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2013

For example, take the Mississippi Kite (above), photographed at the Dairy Mart Ponds in Tijuana River Valley, between San Diego and the Mexican border. Falcons are now known to be related to parrots; vultures to be cousins of storks. Let’s get to it then. 1) Rare bird reporting has come a long way. 9) Birdfinding.

San Diego 174

San Diego California Condor California Bald Eagle 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2018

They found 673 species and advanced the yearly total to 1019. San Diego Creek Trail–south of Hwy 405. San Diego Creek Trail–south of Hwy 405. Red-winged Parrot – Aprosmictus erythropterus. Brown-hooded Parrot – Pyrilia haematotis. Blue-headed Parrot – Pionus menstruus.

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

In reverse order, the medals were awarded for “most species seen in a country”, to Australia with 420, USA got the silver, scoring 556 while the runaway winner was Costa Rica with 646 species. San Diego Creek Trail–south of Hwy 405. San Diego Creek Trail–south of Hwy 405. 24 May 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113