10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Go to Hispaniola and a birder has the pleasure of admiring two species of tody for the price of one, checking out the odd, mono familiar Palmchat , and listening to the parrotish calls of the White-necked Crow. Watch the streams for fish, we saw a few, unidentified yet cool looking tropical species! Want to see a roosting potoo?

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Puerto Rico Birds Owls 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2017

On our first full day in Puerto Rico (Sunday, 15 January), Mike and I decided to start in the east of the island and work our way west. I was convinced that we would get a Puerto Rican Tody as our first endemic species while Mike was sure it would be a Puerto Rican Woodpecker.

Puerto Rico 106

Puerto Rico Birds Woodpeckers 2017 106

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2017

All of 2016 only netted me one new species for Queens, a Greater White-fronted Goose. I will see at least 500 species for the year. So having reached 500 or more species in six of the last ten years makes me confident I can do it again. That really sucks. Over the last ten years my year list totals have varied quite a bit.

2017 103

2017 Puerto Rico 2016 Austria 103

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2017

He is particularly interested in the intersection of law and birding (especially the Endangered Species Act), other bird-related federal litigation, and the impact of federal public lands. He has also written about birding in Puerto Rico, which he believes is criminally underappreciated as a destination for birders.

Puerto Rico 100

Puerto Rico San Francisco Portland Laws 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2017

Obviously, I’ll savor a millisecond of satisfaction at my first dirt-common Canada Goose or Ring-billed Gull of the year, but once that moment passes, I’m back to scanning their respective flocks for newer, rarer, more exciting species. Tell me… am I a bad birder?

Puerto Rico 101

Puerto Rico 2017 Canada Birds 101

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. After an initial period when all species are new, the lifers begin to follow a pattern. Thus, I can pinpoint my first pelagic trip, as it added 13 new species. and Canada. Naturally, a walk through one’s life lists triggers memories.

Puerto Rico 147

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2016

It was introduced to Puerto Rico and other island nations, and now flourishes. In addition to striking feather patterns, the troupial is set apart from other oriole species in a variety of ways. The males are especially loud in the early morning, and unlike other oriole species, sing using “ long, loud, repetitive notes.

Venezuela 101

Venezuela Puerto Rico Colombia Trinidad 101

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Gray Kingbird perched on a Gumbo Limbo Tree, another typical West Indian species native to South Florida. Although a reasonably common species in southern Florida, Gray Kingbird is especially abundant in the West Indies where even islanders not interested in birds are very familiar with this species.

Dominican Republic 212

Dominican Republic Miami Puerto Rico Florida 212

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Culebra is the lesser known of the two major islands that lie off the eastern edge of Puerto Rico. But the small island of Culebra, seventeen miles from Puerto Rico proper, is more than adequate for a relaxing beach vacation and it can easily keep a birder busy for several days as well. This made me very happy.

Puerto Rico 108

Puerto Rico Birds Sea Turtles Chickens 108

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

Many of the Caribbean islands (except Cuba and Hispaniola) make for ideal, quick birding trips where one can see all the endemics and Caribbean specialties at a leisurely pace — usually, with extra spare time to explore historic cities such as old San Juan in Puerto Rico or lounge on beautiful beaches such as Frenchman’s Cove in Jamaica.

Jamaica 179

Jamaica Puerto Rico 2013 Birds 179

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Though we could breath a sigh of relief outside the famous “cone of uncertainty,” it has been heartbreaking to watch the devastation wrought in South Florida, the flooding up and down the eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast, and now Maria’s wrath in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Puerto Rico 102

Puerto Rico Bald Eagle Birds Florida 102

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 213

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 213

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2018

Two years ago it was Culebra, Puerto Rico. A nice walk on the Boardwalk Trail and the Pine Grove Trail didn’t net us a ton of birds (twenty-five species in forty-five minutes) but we all appreciated being out and about in the great outdoors. Last year it was New Providence in the Bahamas.

North Carolina 100

North Carolina New York Delaware Puerto Rico 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and they are located in every state as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. But when taken as a whole, the impact of the Refuge System is truly profound, supporting population-level numbers of numerous bird species. The reason is twofold, size and mission. The combination is potent.

Wildlife 189

Wildlife Grizzly Bear Puerto Rico United States 189

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

I recently asked whether Puerto Rico should be part of the American Birding Association’s ABA Area. I will suggest an answer to the question: this post makes the argument that both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Now that Hawaii is in the ABA Area , the next additions should be Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Puerto Rico 153

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 153

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul: The Burrowing Owl is the only North American owl species where the male is larger than the female, albeit, only slightly larger. The 39 owls include five endemic Caribbean species.

North America 222

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 222

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

There is another area of the Queens County CBC where a team will also likely see Monk Parakeets , Myipsitta monachus , but I am seriously determined to count that bird for my area, Coastal Flushing, a section of northeast Queens, New York, that includes Whitestone, home of one of the loudest invasive bird species in the U.S. And cell towers.

Chicago 200

Chicago New York City New York Illinois 200

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2016

I went off to Puerto Rico on Sunday night and had a blast and didn’t really give finding the Greater White-fronted Goose in Queens another thought. What a marvelous sight my seventh goose (and 313th species) for Queens was! But a quick scan with my binoculars proved that the stop at the unassuming spot was well worth it.

Puerto Rico 121

Puerto Rico Geese Canada Porpoises 121

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2019

In September of 2017, Puerto Rico was hit by two powerful hurricanes: it was grazed by Irma and then clobbered by Maria, a Category 4 storm that cut a devastating swath across the island. Species with small ranges ( e.g. , single island endemics) or tiny populations ( e.g. , endangered species) are especially vulnerable.

Puerto Rico 254

Puerto Rico 2017 2018 Virgin Islands 254

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2017

And, honestly, I feel a little guilty saying that traveling to Puerto Rico, Austria, and the Bahamas so far in 2017 is what has kept me from seeing not only a Great Gray Owl but New York’s first Clark’s Grebe and the young Ross’s Gull that was visiting Tupper Lake. Then, shortly after six, the cry went up.

New York 101

New York Owls Beavers Puerto Rico 101

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Richard Fried spent 2011 doing a New York State Big Year and managed to top the record of 350 species which was only set in 2008 by Scott Whittle. Richard totaled 352 species, an impressive number, by seeing almost all of the regularly occurring New York birds and the vast majority of the rarities that showed up in 2011.

New York 174

New York Puerto Rico 2011 Japan 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Originally, I was going to highlight one of the species endemic to the islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean; but once I typed in “Lesser Antillean”, six species popped up. Interestingly, this species has been split into two distinct subspecies, one for each of the islands on which it is found.

Puerto Rico 174

Puerto Rico Grenada Barbados Trinidad 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Back in 2009, Tai Haku sent us a fascinating post exploring a question that ecologists worldwide grapple with: can the translocation of rare species into niches left empty by extinction be successful or justified? We’re pleased to republish this post for Extinction Week. It is extinct. So wither the Guam Rail now?

Puerto Rico 186

Puerto Rico Guam Virgin Islands Feral 186

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2011

But, as with so many other species, these birds have been left to do their own whistle blowing. West Indian Whistling Ducks are the largest of the eight different whistling duck species. They are found in the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos, Antigua, Barbuda and Jamaica.

Antigua and Barbuda 222

Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico Dominican Republic Jamaica 222

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2016

I opened the year in California and even though I flew out in the evening on New Year’s Day I did see some species out there that I would otherwise not have seen for the year. Winter birding around New York City was just so-so but I did add one species to my Queens list. Black-billed Magpie , 31 July, Golden, Colorado.

2016 130

2016 Puerto Rico New York City New York 130

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

As of mid-October 2018, the Collaborative had submitted more than 1,700 checklists and observed 618 species in the United States. The heat map is revealing: Unsurprisingly for a site founded and run by two New Yorkers (one of whom literally wrote the book on birding New York), the Empire State boasts the highest number of species (316).

Rhode Island 114

Rhode Island United States West Virginia Puerto Rico 114

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2018

For example, the Profile Page (mine is below) displayed state-level checklist information as a map with darker shades indicating more species observed and lighter shades indicating fewer. On eBird, the District of Columbia is part of the United States but Puerto Rico is not. Those differences matter.

District of Columbia 124

District of Columbia Puerto Rico Michigan Colorado 124

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2022

I also tried to explain the significance of federal administrative rulemaking, including as to the Federal Duck Stamp and the listing of endangered species such as the Black-capped Vireo and Hawaiian Goose. The devastating hurricanes in 2017 led me to write a post about the post-hurricane recovery of birds in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico 171

Puerto Rico California Condor Virgin Islands Laws 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2022

I also tried to explain the significance of federal administrative rulemaking, including as to the Federal Duck Stamp and the listing of endangered species such as the Black-capped Vireo and Hawaiian Goose. The devastating hurricanes in 2017 led me to write a post about the post-hurricane recovery of birds in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico 130

Puerto Rico California Condor Virgin Islands Laws 130

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2019

Within its 400 pages, the Birds of the West Indies covers 712 species, 550 of them regularly occurring and 190 of those endemic to the region, many of them to single islands. An active birdwatcher, he has found more than 50 species new to Guadeloupe, the Lesser Antilles and, in some cases, the Caribbean as a whole.

Saint Kitts and Nevis 158

Saint Kitts and Nevis Antigua and Barbuda Dominican Republic Cuba 158

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2017

During our time at the Comfort Suites I made the one-block walk to the ponds seven times, four in the morning and three in the evening, and totaled forty-three species on those visits. No other vireos were around to confuse me though other species are possible, from White-eyed to Black-whiskered. Thick-billed Vireos are aptly named.

Bahamas 102

Bahamas Puerto Rico Birds Louisiana 102

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2016

I’m back in the United States now, but the best bird of my weekend was a Sand Partridge in Ein Gedi by the Dead Sea; not only does this bird symbolize the unearthly desert from which it hails, but this species represents my 1500th lifer! took the prize.

Puerto Rico 102

Puerto Rico 2016 United States New York 102

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2017

Last year beats were being spotted way beyond their usual habitat with checklists shared from India, Puerto Rico and Israel. 146 shared checklists (an increase on last year’s 97, well done chaps) noted 664 species (ooooh, down on 826 from last February) and brought the yearly total to 1063 (1303 at this time in 2016, ouch!).

2017 100

2017 Australia Sanctuary Woodpeckers 100