10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2012

Screened by a stand of large eucalyptus trees, I was at last able to concentrate on my quarry and complete my mission to bring you the Senegal Thick-knee (How many have you seen so far?). Birds Senegal Thick-knee thick-kneesCongratulations and Ululations With an Egyptian wedding at the hotel coinciding with the Eurovision Song contest, I couldn’t resist the sub-title. Apologies to anyone outside Greater Europe, to whom this indulgence probably means nothing at all.

Senegal 59

Senegal 2012 Egypt Africa 59

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2021

In his Preface, McMullan warns the reader that the book is not written in chronological order and he’s not kidding: the narrative goes from Thailand to Seattle, from Senegal to the Everglades, without segue or even much of a breath.

Kuwait 59

Kuwait Bosnia Afghanistan Fox 59

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2019

An expanse of habitat as vast as Murchison Falls NP in Uganda, as excessively generous in beauty and biodiversity, permits endless ways to experience both its birds and animals.

2019 57

2019 Senegal Angola Giraffes 57

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2015

In the meantime, in order to rectify this I present some images of the Village Weaver, a widespread African species that ranges from Senegal to Ethiopia and down to South Africa. In many ways the weaver family is for Africa are similar beasts to the pseudowarblers of North America (sometimes called wood-warblers). There are a lot of them, they are generally attractive, and prone to being yellow.

2015 54

2015 Ethiopia Senegal Albatross 54

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Out into the Atlantic Ocean, 400 miles from the coast of Senegal, lies an archipelago of islands known as Cape Verde. On the most popular tourist island of Sal, I was lucky to encounter the Hoopoe Lark , a bird of desert and dune. The Hoopoe Lark has only just recently been found to be breeding on the island of Sal, but just on the outskirts of the southernmost town of Santa Maria, it has found the perfect environment in the Dunas de Santa Maria.

Cape Verde 55

Cape Verde 2012 Pakistan Afghanistan 55

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2015

Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis – University of Ghana, Botanic Gardens – Jan 1st. Senegal Parrot Poicepalus senegalus – University of Ghana, Botanic Gardens – Jan 1st. Senegal Thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis – University of Ghana, Botanic Gardens – Jan 1st.

2015 55

2015 Ghana Sanctuary Senegal 55

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2011

Thou born to match the gale, (thou art all wings,) To cope with heaven and earth and sea and hurricane, Thou ship of air that never furl’st thy sails, Days, even weeks untired and onward, through spaces, realms gyrating, At dusk that lookist on Senegal, at morn America, That sport’st amid the lightning-flash and thunder-cloud, In them, in thy experiences, had’st thou my soul, What joys!

2011 56

2011 Senegal Philadelphia Experience 56

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

We’ve shared plenty of pictorals of adult thick-knees, also known as stone-curlews or Dikkops, from Senegal Thick-knee ( here ) to Beach Stone-curlew ( here ) to Bush Thick-knee ( here and here ). Any worthwhile discussion of baby birds will wisely lean heavily towards young shorebirds, which are surely among the most adorable of all immature avifauna. And despite our evident New World bias here at 10,000 Birds, we have a fondness for Old World shorebirds like thick-knees.

2012 63

2012 Senegal Cats South Africa 63

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

Usually preferring arid zones, they occur across a large swathe of Subsaharan Africa, from western South Africa across to East Africa and westwards along the Sahel zone (the dry woodlands south of the Sahara) to Senegal. Little Green Bee-eater Little Green Bee-eater by Adam Riley This is one of the world’s most widespread bee-eaters, occurring from Senegal in the west to Vietnam in the east, but with its range restricted to a fairly narrow latitudinal belt across Africa and Asia.

Africa 77

Africa 2012 Uganda Gabon 77

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2012

We had not seen any yet this year and inspired by the post on the Senegal Thick-knee we realised there was an opportunity to add one more bird to my year list ! Broome’s famous Cable Beach, named after the telegraph undersea cable that was laid in 1889 to enable communication with England via Singapore, stretches about 23 kilometres-14 miles. The first creek to the north is Willie Creek and we often visit it on the south side when we monitor the breeding pairs of Pied Oystercatchers.

2012 55

2012 Senegal Singapore Litter 55

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2013

It has a wide range across a zone known as the Sahel, an arid zone woodland and savanna region immediately below the Sahara desert stretching from Senegal to Somalia. Of course Africa could not to be left out of the pink weekend so I have researched all African species whose official or alternative names include the word “pink”. There are certainly some stunners involved. Pink-throated Twinspot. Definitely my personal favorite of Africa’s pink birds is the delicate Pink-throated Twinspot.

Africa 61

Africa 2013 Somalia Mozambique 61

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

We had decided to leave predawn to avoid the intense midday heat and this wise choice provided us with excellent nocturnal sightings, including Three-banded Courser, Black-faced and Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar, Senegal Galago (diminutive nocturnal primates), a family of Bat-eared Foxes , Black-backed Jackal, Common Genet and several other small mammalian fauna.

2015 68

2015 Sudan Eritrea Leopards 68

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2015

Senegal Lapwing ( Vanellus lugubris ); Mkuze GR, South Africa, 30 January. Senegal Cuckoo ( Centropus senegalensis ); Chobe NP, Botswana, 1 January. Struthionidae (Ostriches). Ostritch ( Struthio camelus ); Wakkerstroom, South Africa, 22 February. ANATIDAE (DUCKS). White-faced Whistling Duck ( Dendrocygna viduata ); Kasane, Botswana, 1 January. Lesser Whistling Duck ( Dendrocygna javanica ); Singapore Botanical Gardens, Singapore, 25 February.

2015 57

2015 Botswana South Africa Singapore 57

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

Senegal Coucal – Centropus senegalensis. Senegal Thick-knee – Burhinus senegalensis. Senegal Parrot – Poicephalus senegalus. eBird have applied their new taxonomy as of July/August 2019. What a boon for listers. Desk-top birders have been anxiously awaiting the new catalogue, hoping for splits to boost numbers rather than lumps to reduce them.

2019 43

2019 Ghana Arizona Tucson 43

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

Senegal Coucal – Centropus senegalensis. They came home exhausted.

2019 55

2019 2020 Chile Uganda 55

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2019

Senegal Thick-knee – Burhinus senegalensis. Senegal Coucal – Centropus senegalensis. Despite last month being a record month by every measure we could think of, the cumulative total for the year had barely scraped past 2,400.

2019 52

2019 Charlotte Farming Panama 52

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2019

Senegal Coucal – Centropus senegalensis. Senegal Thick-knee – Burhinus senegalensis. The life list has received a huge boost this month and has risen 43 points to 3616. Thunder will be stolen if I reveal how this was done, but another country has been added to our territory list and a new splash of colour to the profile page. All will be revealed in good time.

2019 43

2019 Ghana Australia Sacramento 43

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2019

So that was May. Despite looking way older than his years, we cannot attribute Regannet’s haggard appearance to hard birding, scoring only 19 during eBird’s Big Day was not the greatest effort expended on May 4th. In fairness, he had to celebrate Star Wars Day with his teenage son as this is their only means of effective conversation. 3 guesses as to where the award for biggest day and best follow-up post goes ?

2019 43

2019 Ghana Australia Barbados 43

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2019

It’s official. It’s spring. By all measures, meteorological, astronomical and anatomical, spring is sprung. The meteorological date is from March 1st, the Vernal Equinox was passed on March 20th which accounts for the astronomical marker when the sun crosses the equator on its northwards ramble. April is now behind us and Old Tom’s arthritis is clearing up nicely, thank you very much for asking. The migrants are coming (Hurray!). Some are already here, or passing through.

2019 43

2019 Ghana Australia Barbados 43

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2019

Senegal Coucal – Centropus senegalensis. Senegal Thick-knee – Burhinus senegalensis. Are we all getting excited yet? March is done. The equinox has passed. There can be no denying that spring is coming and with it, the summer visitors and passage migrants. Oh, joy! 9 countries were visited during March by your tireless beats ( 11 of them); India, UK, USA, Serbia, Costa Rica, Japan, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

2019 43

2019 Ghana Australia Sacramento 43

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2017

Senegal Coucal – Centropus senegalensis. 9 beats, birded 9 countries this month; Belize , Guatamala , Costa Rica, UK, Iran, USA, Greece, Australia and Mexico. They submitted 144 checklists, noting 628 species adding 72 to the year’s running total bringing it to 1890. The western hemisphere’s pasting last year has been reversed as it currently out-scores the eastern hemisphere by 1210 to 746.

2017 40

2017 Australia Sanctuary Malaysia 40

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2016

Duncan has been in Africa, sweeping all before him like a brush fire. Through Botswana during the first week of September, then into Ethiopia with a late flourish, he has carried the list to 2191 as at September 30t h. Redgannet missed an opportunity to contribute when he was completely washed out at Lekki Conservation Centre in Nigeria. Electric storms closed the new walkway there and he amassed a total list of just 3 birds!

2016 54

2016 Ghana Sanctuary Australia 54

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2016

April was a good month for the list with a couple of our big–hitters weighing in to boost the numbers and The Management engaged in a beat recruitment drive in a cynical attempt to swell the catalogue. During last month, beat lists have been shared from Mexico, Australia, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Russia, UK, Canada and USA. As at May 7th, the total stands at 1661 with the main thrust of the migration still to come.

2016 40

2016 Ghana Sanctuary Australia 40

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

Big up for Corey. Our very own “Mr July” piled on the pelagics during August. In so doing, he has helped to push us through the 1900 milestone. But our pin-up for August and worthy of a double-page-spread, is Duncan who is currently sharing from South Africa. Duncan has contributed to break through the unspoken target of 2000 birds for 10,000 Birds and on to a running total of 2011 as at August 31st.

2016 40

2016 Ghana Sanctuary Australia 40

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2016

The list was in danger of diminishing during July as an input error threatened to cut the Beats’ hard-won sightings. Luckily, Redgannet managed to redeem himself with a well-placed trip to Brazil in time to see the Olympic torch stumble through Ubatuba. The glowing red hotspot of Sitio Folha Seca and especially Jonas d’Abronzo’s house, brought a swarm of hummingbirds and tanagers, including Redgannet’s special target, Festive Cocquette.

2016 40

2016 Ghana Sanctuary Australia 40

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2016

Senegal Coucal – Centropus senegalensis. The law of diminishing returns brings the inevitability of repeat sightings and has checked the momentum of the combined beats’ list for June. Despite recording 370 species during the month, the list total has advanced by just 45. As at June 30 th , it stands at 1796. Just to confuse things a little, only 14 new species were recorded since June 1 st.

2016 40

2016 Ghana Sanctuary Australia 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2016

This is an update for the combined yearlist compiled by the beat writers at 10,000Birds. The list is becoming big and cumbersome and difficult to fit onto one page. So this month, we have just noted the new sightings while we find a way to update the original without blacking out a city block. Sightings through May 31 st bring the total for the beats’ combined list to 1744.

2016 40

2016 Ghana Sanctuary Australia 40