10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2023

An impressive combination of research and artwork, combined with a pragmatic organization aimed towards quick identification, and education, Baby Bird Identification extends the frontiers of bird identification guides and is an important contribution to wildlife rehabilitation literature.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 265

Wildlife Rehabilitation Birds Family Collecting 265

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

The official Ontario bird checklist, produced by Ontario Field Ornithologists , June 2022 listed 506 bird species**, putting it in the top tier of U.S. Small Species Accounts: Each species is allotted one page (with certain exceptions) offering basics–bird names and size, one or two photographs, and a one-paragraph description.

North America 220

North America Birds Owls America 220

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

I might have to add the Dallas airport staff to the list of things Buffon was right about. 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. And now I did.

Denver 173

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 173

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

A life bird for me, and another species for my Audubon Florida Birdathon checklist. Birdathons are typically used by state programs and chapters to raise critical funding for conservation and research programs. Joseph Peninsula State Park, I added terns and shorebirds, ending the day with 50 species in total. An Orchard Oriole!

Florida 155

Florida 2020 Mexico Raised 155

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

campus gardens – the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre, located 3 km east of the town of Turrialba. There was a Gartered Trogon right above me, and one cooperative Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth on a cecropia tree, raising its head to smile at us. Next goal: 1100 species, to cover about 10% of the total.

Costa Rica 244

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 244

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2023

This is how it looks like: Or at sunset: A species I did not come for from Shanghai is the Black-crowned Night Heron. Its species name graydoni is in honor of Philip Newenham Graydon (1864-1940), a British planter in Sabah. Why that makes Mr. Graydon worthy of having a bird species named after him is a mystery to me.

Birds 225

Birds Eagles Elephants Rhinoceros 225

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

Hongbenghe is a very small village in Yunnan, right next to the border with Myanmar. I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. I have written about the hornbills of this area before.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Like any birder visiting a new place, I had a target species list I was hoping to seek out during the one day I had available between business commitments. The climatic changes set in motion by the Industrial Revolution are now proceeding at a pace far greater than many species and ecosystems can adapt to naturally. Black Rosy-Finch.

Species 177

Species Science Los Angeles Birds 177

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2021

could be a separate and isolated population of the Chestnut-backed Antshrike (which lives more than a thousand kilometres away on the south bank of the Amazon in Brazil), as was initially thought, could also be a separate subspecies of it, but it is most likely to be a new species. They were too childish, right? Thamnophilus sp.

Colombia 278

Colombia Birds Fish Venezuela 278

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Project FeederWatch data prove that woodpeckers are at the top of the backyard bird feeder pecking order. If you’re a cuckoo or cowbird hoping to pawn off your parenting duties on another species, new brood parasitism research shows you’ll have better luck if the eggs you deposit in their nest are blue-green instead of brown.

Massachusetts 100

Massachusetts Eggs Falcons Rights 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2016

We are at 2000 feet altitude, in dry chaparral, desert scrub, and the feature on this sign was the Acorn Woodpecker. We are so far from any kind of habitat or plant life that would possibly support the Acorn Woodpeckers. Low and behold, the trees are full of Acorn Woodpeckers. As we passed this sign, I had a bit of a good laugh.

Woodpeckers 100

Woodpeckers 2000 Mexico Research 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2022

I guess most scientists would love to see their original research become the basis for a vast field of further studies. A study has shown that they make false alarm calls when seeing other species such as meerkats with attractive food. No doubt the woodpecker has similar considerations. Colonial history reflected in bird names.

South Africa 193

South Africa Africa Birds Cape Verde 193

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2014

Among birds the Egyptian Vulture uses rocks to crack Ostrich eggs, the New Caledonian Crow and Woodpecker Finch (one of several Darwin Finches of the Galapagos Islands), uses sticks to extract grubs from inside a branch. This is similar to the fact that all birds, even first time breeders within a species build identical nests.

Fish 163

Fish Woodpeckers Ostriches Eggs 163

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

a British expat birder who was living in Belgrade, for a suggestion: “The top species is undoubtedly White-tailed Eagle. commented further: “With a little work some species can be seen quite easily such as the divers, scaup, scoter, Goosander , Garganey and Long-eared Owl. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 250

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Breeding 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

I’d love to have known where and when the Great Spotted Woodpecker in my photograph below was ringed, but though the ring is clearly visible, the number stamped on it isn’t. Then it’s a matter of doing a little research on the internet to find who rang the bird you saw, and then emailing the details of your sighting.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Morocco Iceland Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2017

Up to this point, I have been drawn to Bosque De Coloma, mostly due to its location, ease of access, and some very nice diversity of terrain that supports a very large number of bird species. My wife, Jeanne had previously done a bit of research and found another as yet unexplored park, that was just a couple of miles from our hotel.

Woodpeckers 108

Woodpeckers Rights Mexico Research 108

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Little by little, that woodpecker-like voice takes me ever further and yet, I see no bird. It is swimming with its body half-submerged (typical for the species and yet, so strange for songbirds) and often diving. This species is reasonably easy to find if you are in the right kind of habitat – but I am rarely in that type of habitat.

Bats 222

Bats Woodpeckers Squirrels Game 222

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

DECEMBER 12, 2018

We made several stops along the way, hoping our eBird research would give us local hotspots that might turn up a few gems. Our first three days were spent bouncing around from area to area, looking to find the species on my wish list. Another local bird, the Golden-fronted Woodpecker was on my target list. Ross’s Goose.

Texas 133

Texas Tucson San Antonio Owls 133

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

The Red-breasted Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus ruber ) and the Red-naped Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus nuchalis ) were considered different forms of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus varius ) until 1983 when they were split into separate species. The bird shown above arrived at my house at the end of October, a new species for my yard list!

North America 163

North America Alaska Woodpeckers 2010 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

This is a delightful book, large (8-1/2 by 11 inches), filled with Sibley’s distinctive artwork and an organized potpourri of research-based stories about the science behind bird’s lives. Each spread consists of a full-page painting of a bird or group of birds on the left and a combination of text and illustrations on the right.

2020 264

2020 Birds Groups North America 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2016

Yeah, unreliable in terms of which species you might see, but reliable in always giving you a unique, high quality birding experience in a forest jam-packed with life. A boldly-patterned, babbler-like bird species. A few days ago, I was happily surprised to see a pair doing their creeping thing on a tree right at eye level.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Woodpeckers Research Species 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The National Audubon Society Birds of North America covers all species seen in mainland United States, Canada and Baja California. The press material says it covers over 800 species, so you know I had to do a count.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2017

(To be fair, I could and should have also grabbed The Shorebird Guide for the Greenshank and Collin’s Bird Guide, 2nd edition for both birds, but the Nat Geo was right there next to me, where your favorite field guides should be.). Most of the species are described in the Species Accounts, arranged taxonomically into 86 family chapters.

North America 186

North America America 2017 Birds 186

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

The national park ranges some 100 km in length along the right bank of the Danube (the left bank is in Romania), where the river varies in width from 5 km / 3 mi to only 150 m / 500 ft and the mountains rise up to 800 m / 2600 ft a.s.l. The turn off from the main road is east of Dobra.

Serbia 194

Serbia Turtles Birds Eagles 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Fernandina’s Flicker, a tongue-twisting alliterative name for one of the most endangered woodpeckers in the world! Navarro’s exceptional drawings illustrate the species accounts. Forty-eight species. Bee Hummingbird, the smallest hummingbird in the world! Cuban Black Hawk, split in 2007 from Common Black Hawk!

Cuba 236

Cuba Birds United States 2000 236

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

Most of the time, I know enough about an area, or have done some research into what is found there, that I am pleasantly surprised at best. My first ever Gamble’s Quail were feeding right next to the picnic area, and alongside the visitors center building, I spotted a thrasher. Right in our camp, we found Ladder-backed Woodpeckers.

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Tucson Costa Rica 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2017

This morning I drove to the Kapela (“a chapel”) research area of mine, a small geological reserve 15 km / 9 mi upriver from Belgrade, whose management is interested to know whether there is more than just 620,000 years of sediments exposing the ancient glaciations in a high loess bluff. Bank Swallow) holes, among 60+ other bird species.

Serbia 121

Serbia Breeding Woodpeckers Feral 121

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

She does, and her narrative serves as a role model for how to write about birds simply and knowledgeably; informing birds’ family stories with scientific facts and research findings. Some chapters focus on one species (Yellow Warbler), some on several related species (Chickadees and Nuthatches). Egg biology, from Part I.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

The bird was a little harder to find than I expected; I needed to triangulate the sounds of the call and finally, after standing and looking and walking around the tree where the bird had to be calling from, I took a deep breath, looked again, and there it was right in front of me, actually at eye level. At least for birders.

Arizona 103

Arizona Lovebirds Phoenix New Jersey 103

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!) Wicked, right?

Peru 202

Peru 2011 Deer Birds 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In a time of little published information about the rainforests of Central and South America aside from scientific journal articles and the works of 19th-century naturalists, the “little green book,” as it was called, became a must-read amongst nature-oriented travelers and researchers.

South America 158

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2015

A rain-free dawn and morning gives you a chance at hearing a high percentage of forest species when they vocalize (and some of them might call for just a minute or so) that you probably won’t see at other times of the day, and presents the main opportunity for finding a hundred or so other species of birds. “Snowcap!”

Costa Rica 157

Costa Rica Species Owls 2015 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2017

I never researched the resort, imagining that it lacked the amenities my family wanted, but visiting for dinner allowed us to rent its grandeur without forking over the considerable room rates. In fact, we saw two species of monkey, our only sloths, lots of coatis, and my rarest ever mammal sighting—a Jaguarundi —right on site.

Panama 100

Panama 2017 Monkeys Family 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

While studying, he also worked on various conservation/research projects (parrots, wagtails, vultures, and anything else that flew) and ringed thousands of birds. Dawn Fine Mar 15th, 2011 at 3:50 pm NO Comment YourBirdOasis.com Mar 15th, 2011 at 10:07 pm Yeah, polygynandry is really weird…what other species have this breeding system?

2011 217

2011 Breeders Breeding Deer 217

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Europe… with such low herp diversity the locals split any sub-population of a species that occurs on either the Iberian Peninsula or Italy as a new species just to make them feel better out themselves, naturally is the continent that rose to the top of my trip list. Either that or having family friends in Germany.

Salamander 139

Salamander Germany Birds Blackbirds 139

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

UNLESS that is you get yourself down to the internationally-renowned Tambopata Research Centre in southern Peru where literally hundreds of macaws (and other parrots) congregate around a 50 meter high clay bank. That’s right – birds eating clay. Chestnut-fronted Macaws Ara severa.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 South America 255