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 258

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Niger 258

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. 174 American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. 175 Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. 434 House Sparrow – Passer domesticus.

Woodpeckers 252

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds Ducks 252

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 257

Sparrows Woodpeckers Ducks Blackbirds 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2015

For those who don’t know, Christmas Bird Count compilation dinners usually involve the compiler for the count, in this case me, going through each species on the checklist. Each group yells out the number of each species seen. The Lark Sparrow was found by our sweeper team of Cesar Castillo, Carrie Laben, and David Ringer.

Bald Eagle 104

Bald Eagle Birds Sparrows Pelicans 104

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 224

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Costa Rica 224

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2020

I am also very susceptible to that once-a-year thrill of a House Sparrow or a Eurasian Collared Dove actually meaning something. So on January 1st, or as close to it as I can get, I always head a half hour north to the one site of mine that offers more species than any other: Lago de Cuitzeo (Cuitzeo Lake). The view at sunrise.

Mexico 148

Mexico South America Ducks Groups 148

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 219

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds California 219

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

This shaggy, slaty, storklike creature possesses a proboscis preposterous enough to put it in league with pelicans, toucans, and curlews. That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Having finally seen this iconic species, I can assure you that the experience wildly exceeds expectations.

Uganda 281

Uganda Africa Birds Penguins 281

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2017

In early August this year, I saw 77 species here (69 on the lake, plus 8 more in the surrounding areas) but barely more than a thousand individuals. Several Glossy Ibises , two dozen Gull-billed Terns and Collared Pratincoles , a few Dalmatian Pelicans , Black Terns , Dunlins …. This year, we had about 65 dead pelicans.

Greece 201

Greece Killing Pelicans Eagles 201

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

11 beats have been out this month and have submitted 136 checklists from 7 countries ticking 634 species. 15 Stripe-headed Sparrow – Peucaea ruficauda. 16 Olive Sparrow – Arremonops rufivirgatus. 33 Brewer’s Sparrow – Spizella breweri. 65 Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow – Melozone kieneri.

Woodpeckers 224

Woodpeckers Sparrows Parrots Blackbirds 224

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

I love sparrows, so seeing a feather-worn Vesper Sparrow this past July filled my heart with joy. We saw sparrows–a total of 14 species–and we saw many other great prairie birds, and we often saw them perched on posts. Baird’s Sparrow was one of those elusive creatures.

North Dakota 151

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 151

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2019

I like seeing as many species as possible on my life list, year list, state list, patch list, any kind of list. But even in summer I can usually count on 60+ non-endemic species per visit, and in winter, a decent effort can usually result in 80 or more species. I confess: I am a lister.

Ducks 117

Ducks Blackbirds United States Pelicans 117

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2020

Brown Pelican – This is a bird that will just take some luck while I am staring at the ocean. Either way, the odds of actually getting a Brown Pelican in Queens are pretty low. Sedge Wren – There are records of this species in Queens, generally along the coast in fall. Below are my predictions exactly as I made them.

2018 166

2018 2015 Birds 2019 166

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2015

The count totaled 119 species, which is historically a very good number. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

Bald Eagle 102

Bald Eagle 2015 Nashville Pelicans 102

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2014

Defining Belgrade bird specialties is the hard part – there is no defined criterion, beside attractiveness which often comes from how uncommon some species is. E.g., a few weeks ago I guided a British couple around Belgrade, visited about four major sites and found more than 60 species. Penduline Tit – spring/summer and mild winters.

Serbia 189

Serbia Eagles Birds Sparrows 189

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 162

Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds Ducks 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

In addition to the hundred or so species of birds I regularly find here, there are Desert Foxes, Bobcats, Mountain Lions, Desert Bighorn Sheep and Mule Deer. Black-throated Sparrows. Brown Pelicans. Here are a few of the birds we spotted last weekend. Of course, our Northern Mockingbirds are one of the ever present desert finds.

Mountain Lions 100

Mountain Lions Mules Sheep Lions 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2017

For the time being, my birding is limited to the species that I can see on my walk thru the marina, to my office. The majority of the species are based on a water related existence, like herons, egrets, and sandpipers. The finches and sparrows number in the hundreds and don’t seem to care where they nest.

Birds 100

Birds Sparrows Pelicans Rights 100

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. 191 Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis.

Woodpeckers 198

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Parrots 198

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

The prospect of identifying a certain number of species in a given amount of time pushes us to pay more attention to birds no matter what the circumstances (although I suggest keeping the exclamations about species identifications to yourself during such solemn situations as funerals, graduations, and watching episodes of The Sopranos).

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

By the time we left, I had recorded one new Lifer, 12 New Year Birds, and a total of 76 species. This group of American White Pelicans were good enough to stop right where I wanted them to, to get this shot. In the same shallow water as the pelicans, there were several hundred American Avocets. US species – 175.

Blackbirds 125

Blackbirds Mules Beavers Wildlife 125

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2020

The 83 checklists submitted during July contained 459 species. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. House Sparrow – Passer domesticus. Eurasian Tree Sparrow – Passer montanus. Stripe-headed Sparrow – Peucaea ruficauda. Black-chested Sparrow – Peucaea humeralis.

2020 158

2020 Sparrows Blackbirds Woodpeckers 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

March 31, 2015 – I get word from a friend that a non-birder has reported a large white pelican at a lake not more than 5 minutes from my door. Lo and behold, there’s the Mute Swan, with an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN swimming along beside it. 10 minutes later I was on a Lincoln’s Sparrow. I get the word out.

2016 142

2016 North Carolina 2015 Raleigh 142

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

White-crowned Sparrow. The road was lined with scrub and short trees, and I spotted not one but two new sparrow species. White-crowned Sparrows are possible winter sightings where I live in North Carolina, but not at all common, while Savannah Sparrows has been one of my nemesis birds for quite some time.

Seals 198

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 198

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

My Dark-eyed Juncos are trilling in preparation to retreat to quieter breeding grounds, the Black-Capped Chickadees sing their two notes, and the Song Sparrows absolutely will not shut up. Snow Geese overgrazing their breeding grounds, displacing other Arctic-breeding species and setting themselves up for a fall. The result?

Geese 186

Geese Montana Breeding Pelicans 186

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2018

Here we will actually stop for a full day, as there is a 10,000 acre wetland refuge, which should hold several species of gulls, White-fronted Geese and Black Brant, just to name a few. As far as my year’s list, this last weekend netted me 6 more species, putting me at 127 species.

Ducks 117

Ducks Blackbirds Sparrows California 117

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2017

In the 45 minutes we were on the property, we identified 19 species, two of which are endemics, and located my first ever nesting pair of Phainopeplas right there on the property. Black-throated Sparrow. Brown Pelicans. The photo at the top of the story will be the new view as soon as we get moved. Xanthus’s Hummingbird.

California 100

California Pelicans Turkey Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

I had just a split-second glimpse of this species – my only second ever – yet immediately knew what is it, but I was driving through a snowbound countryside and had another car behind me, therefore I stopped a good 50 metres later to eBird it. Dalmatian Pelican – Pelecanus crispus. House Sparrow – Passer domesticus.

Owls 108

Owls Greece Serbia Woodpeckers 108

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

The book is divided into three parts: “Introduction,” “Avifaunal Overview,” and “Species Accounts.” Most birders will go straight to the “Species Accounts.” It’s important to note that the 301 species selected for this section are those of historical and current importance to the core study area, the northwest Bronx.

New York City 160

New York City New York Birds Breeding 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Gulls, pelicans, oystercatchers, and a few sparrows. I have over 200 waterfowl that I have recorded those shiny bands on. Then there are those bright colorful bands, most of which have all been in the last ten years or so. I would guess that at least half of all Trumpeter Swans I have seen have had neck collars.

Bolivia 100

Bolivia Ecuador Peru Washington 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. Ringer Anhingas and darters , cormorants and shags , frigatebirds , gannets and boobies , pelicans , and the tropicbirds all share a characteristic found in no other living bird: Their feet are totipalmate.

2011 157

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2015

The van was parked at the Eastern Dyke of the lake and we were scanning the mud flats and numerous Pygmy Cormorants , Dalmatian and Great White Pelicans with a few Greater Flamingos and Eurasian Spoonbills here and there, as well as one or two Purple and Black-crowned Night-Herons. Picture 10: Rock Sparrow – Petronia petronia.

Greece 254

Greece Woodpeckers Eagles Birds 254

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

The Little Big Year numbers up to this point are as follows: Little Big Year species – 908. US species – 243. This nice little group of shorebirds, including a Killdeer, three Long-billed Dowitchers and a Spotted Sandpipers all got together for a photo. Did I mention that they were a couple of hundred yards out there?

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Tucson Costa Rica 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2013

She has lived in Maine, California, France, New York, and currently makes her home in Virginia Beach Always bringing her camera along, Erika is building her life-list by trying to check off at least one new species each week in her field guide. What fascinated me, however, was another species I had never seen before, the Least Tern.

Florida 173

Florida DC Washington Birds 173

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

They belong to the same species like those found back in Europe, Sus scrofa – which inhabits a belt stretching from northern Africa and Europe all the way to Indonesia, but a different subspecies, S.s. The next two species are the Southern Grey Shrike and the Tawny Pipit , also characteristic for this habitat type. ceylonensis.

India 239

India Birds Eagles Boars 239

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

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 172

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 172