10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2012

Do you think that any event in our lifetimes will ever focus so much positive attention and excitement on nature or birding? Not likely, right? Believe it or not, this icy tableau includes a Purple Sandpiper What was your best bird of the weekend? Still, we each know what we like and focus our faculties accordingly.

Polar Bears 167

Polar Bears 2012 New York Geese 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2012

Nature lovers who love to travel know that few experiences are more enjoyable than preparation for a big trip. The mundane details that actually allow a trip to happen are tedious, but researching all those potential birds… huge fun! Because I’ll be birding Japan this weekend en route to Singapore!

New Zealand 132

New Zealand 2012 Singapore Japan 132

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

I’m feeling pretty good about 2012 so far. Not only am I suffused with the pleasant warmth that comes with watching one’s favorite sports team clinch the playoffs, but I also managed to shake off a scant night’s sleep to chase some birds this morning. Ugh, right? Happy New Year! How about you?

2011 168

2011 2012 New York Birds 168

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

But in 2020 I personally saw thousands of Waxwings in a dozen or so sites, and every one of my birder friends across the country had a similar experience. Certain kinds of birds, such as finches and Snowy Owls , may go for years without travelling outside of their normal ranges. The Hook-billed Kite is a wonderful bird.

Mexico 147

Mexico 2020 2012 Parrots 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2013

Chasing the mystery elaenia which showed up in Chicago in 2012—where my girls at? Among the possible reasons cited for the dearth of women at the top are challenges in finding good mentors, a tendency to avoid being assertive, safety concerns, getting into birding later in life than their male counterparts, and differences in approach (e.g.,

Chicago 159

Chicago Birds 2012 Experience 159

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2012

My experience would have it that the pre-Christmas period is filled with an urgency to try get everything done at work that desperately needs to be taken care of, attend a million Christmas get-togethers, and racing about through crowded shopping districts. The Racket-tailed Treepie was not the rarest bird I saw in 2011.

2011 176

2011 Mongoose Thailand Birds 176

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

2011 is about to become 2012 and birders the world over are taking a look at their year lists and reminiscing about the awesome sightings and devastating dips that they have experienced. Not only did we not expect to see this seabird this far inland, it was a life bird for me! We would like you to join in!

2011 177

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2019

We see a closer shot of the river itself, hawks flying across the span, and then we see that brown line again, close up, a wall of brown panels filling the right side of the screen, continuing into the distance, no end in sight, while a white pick-up truck drives parallel to it at the far left of the screen.

Advocacy 266

Advocacy Mexico United States Sanctuary 266

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

Will it come back in 2012? And, as a bonus question, from what blog post on 10,000 Birds is the picture taken? Good luck and may you see a flock of wood-warblers today! ———————————————————————————————————————————————— This week, 8 May – 14 May 2011, is Wood-Warbler Week on 10,000 Birds! Below is the logo.

United States 155

United States South America 2011 2012 155

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2013

The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act , which went into effect seventy-nine years ago on July 1, 1934, authorized the annual issuance of what is popularly known as the Duck Stamp. In 1976, Congress changed the official name to the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp , presumably to broaden its appeal to non-hunters.

Ducks 237

Ducks Wildlife Hunters Hunting 237

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

There were three profound questions my birding group discussed while we birded Trinidad and Tobago, back in December 2012: (1) How many Bananaquits could fit on a banana? (2) 3) What was the best guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago? The bird guide question was a conundrum.

Trinidad 190

Trinidad Birds South America Research 190

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa).

Ethiopia 236

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 236

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2012

Birding the Dry Tortugas in late April has always been high on my bucket-list of the best birding experiences in North America. Now before any of you think that I must be really old or dying to have a bucket-list I must assure you that before April 9th 2012 I was still in my thirties. That means I used to be very young.

Florida 241

Florida Kentucky France North America 241

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2012

How to Be a Better Birder is a very different kind of birding book, and, once you think about it, the perfect book to be written at this particular moment in the birding universe. But, think about it: how much has been written about the process of birding, the skills required to find birds and to learn about birds in the field?

New Jersey 228

New Jersey Science United States Birds 228

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Yes, the warbler formerly known as Dendroica kirtlandii , now Setophaga kirtlandii , is one of those birds that make birders’ hearts pulse quicker and their legs churn faster. Look what happened when the bird made the first of three appearances at the Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh!

Michigan 222

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 222

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2013

And, you know what that means, time to talk seriously about field guides for birds, a topic guaranteed to get the members of our tribe articulating opinions with great gusto and certainty. Here are the ground rules for this review: This is not a contest about which is the best bird field guide. Now, on to the books.

Birds 153

Birds North America Groups Falcons 153

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Some time after the Spanish encounter with the Turkey, birds were brought back to Europe where they were raised and became an important source of food and fancy feathers. The one case that could have been an actual Turkey was a bird spotted in Honduras, where they may or may not have been, by our friend Christopher Columbus.

Turkey 198

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 198

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

Somewhere below that mysterious eagle, at the far shore of the lake, lies one Bengal Tiger … and further to the right – two more! She has grown up in the reserve and has no experience of the environment of which tourists would not be a permanent, however boring part of. He has earned his tip. Telia, copyright © Nitin Bhardwaj.

Tigers 239

Tigers India Killing 2012 239

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Capuchin monkeys, macaques, Cotton Top Tamarins, Chimpanzees, and many other animals, including various birds, have been investigated and found to be unable to make inferences about HCAs. Taylor, Alex, Miller, Rachael, & Gray, Russell (2012). You have probably heard about the famous New Caledonian Crows ( Corvus moneduloides ).

Abandonment 222

Abandonment Abandon Abandoning Research 222

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2016

From our experience the greatest risk is when the shorebirds take off in a panic flight and clip each other’s wings and several fall into the sea. Red Knot stand out and even a Silver Gull head on the right! We wish them all a safe journey and hope to see them return alongside juvenile birds later in the year.

Taiwan 100

Taiwan Breeding Japan 2017 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It actually makes a lot of sense, the geographic features of the isthmus between North America (including Mexico, because Mexico is part of North America) and South America cut across political lines, as do birds. It is the first bird field guide to every country of Central America (plus the islands governed by those countries).

America 212

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 212

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2020

Over a decade ago I stumbled upon the first edition of the field guide to the birds of T&T and marveled at the astounding diversity within its pages. I had already been birding for some time, but my photography was poor and my identification skills were abysmal. Many of them were outrageously plumaged. I carefully noted this.

2012 184

2012 Bears Experience Experiments 184

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

If you had your choice of one bird family to pursue, to seek out and observe and photograph and kvell over, which one would you choose? A passion for one bird family is also very useful. It provides goals and a definite direction for your birding travels and thoughts; sometimes it even becomes the basis of a book!

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

As 2013 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds!

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

I’ve never been to the Indonesian Archipelago, but I really like the birds there. Lynx Edicions, the ornithological (and now mammal) publisher that gave us the Handbook of the Birds of the World , has now published Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea , by James A. So, this is no ordinary bird guide.

Indonesia 122

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 122

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 10, 2012

In June 2012, I had the great fortune to visit Trinidad and Tobago in a group that included birder and artist Matthew Dodder. Matthew began birding (and drawing birds) as a boy in Boston, during the Great Blizzard of 1977. Above: Spread from “Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide”: Yellow birds.

Laws 206

Laws Birds California Nevada 206

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2012

Sitta canadensis isn’t just irrupting out of its far northern home but exploding southward, with reports in every southern state except for Florida, including birds on the outer banks of North Carolina, on Grand Isle, Louisiana, in a suburb of Atlanta, and on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Bird bloggers from Wisconsin to Massachusetts.

United States 262

United States Owls Atlanta New York 262

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2023

My book of choice for this time of year is Jerry Liguori’s Hawks At A Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors, a brilliant tutorial on how to recognize raptors by shape and flight style, distilling years of experience and expertise into 216 pages. This was remedied in 2012, when I reviewed the second edition.

2011 100

2011 North America 2005 Eagles 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2013

JOHOR, MALAYSIA, DECEMBER 2012 – If you’re traveling to Singapore for birding, you might want to think outside the box or, in this case, the island. Some of the best birding in the area is just 90 minutes or so north in peninsular Malaysia, home of the infamous Panti Forest. Wanna try to ID this bird?

Malaysia 171

Malaysia Singapore Monkeys Birds 171

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2011

On this final day of 2011 it is time, just like it was on the final day of 2010 , to share your Best Birds of the Year. Well, actually, your Best Bird of the Year will only be shared here if you took the time to respond to the post in which we here at 10,000 Birds shared our Best Birds of the Year.

2011 161

2011 Birds Ohio North Dakota 161

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

Are there birders out there who do not dream of birding Australia? Possibly birders who have already birded Australia (but, wouldn’t you want to go back?) or birders who live there (but, how can you bird it all?). So, I welcomed the opportunity to review The Australian Bird Guide.

Australia 105

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 105

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2018

What do you do when you are a bird guide in a Central American country incredibly rich in birds and other natural resources but which has no birding field guide? selling original art plates, and sponsorships and donations from birding and conservation companies and agencies from the U.S., You write your own. Gallardo did.

Honduras 103

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 103

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, experts have determined that the current rate of bird extinction is somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times the background rate. Globally, 1,313 bird species of a total of count of 10,064 are threatened, a frightening 13% of the total.

Endangered Species 184

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 184

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2013

But no, Jim’s eyes only light up when I talk about the Red-tailed Hawk that observes feeder birds from the top of the pine tree behind our building, or the Northern Harriers that in fall kettle over that grasslands preserve. Sometimes, I’ll reply with a story about the sparrows found in a local grasslands preserve.

North America 205

North America Bald Eagle Falcons Owls 205

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2012

Fortunately, Alan Tilmouth, a beat writer with pelagic experience, expressed an interest in the book as well. So, you will be reading two reviews of this book in 10,000 Birds. To be fair, Howell has also written about hummingbirds and finding birds in Mexico, which to my mind are a little easier to comprehend.

North America 158

North America Albatross America Species 158

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

As 2012 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 and 2011 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds! Sound good?

2012 144

2012 Birds Guatemala Florida 144

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2014

Any doubt I had about the need for a book about rare birds in the United States And Canada were wiped out on a Sunday evening in early February with two birding friends. My friends had many more years of birding on me and had many stories to tell. I kept wishing I had Rare Birds of North America , by Steve N.

North America 248

North America America Birds United States 248