10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

Ron Pittaway has published his winter finch forecast for the winter of 2014-2015. Though Ron is based in Ontario his reports are eagerly anticipated by birders across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada because it takes into account a vast array of data to figure out which irruptive species might show up where.

2014 234

2014 2015 Alaska New Hampshire 234

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

And I remember what I told him, based on many recent field guide trends: Coming from them, it will be a good book, but it will be nowhere near the user-friendliness of “Birds of Costa Rica” by Garrigues and Dean from 2014. Now I can hear you screaming: but there are over 900 species!

Costa Rica 242

Costa Rica El Salvador Belize Nicaragua 242

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2021

My first visit there, in June of 2014, was short and apparently just good enough to make me want to go back again, with a mere 12 species seen. My visit the next month produced 20 species; but many of them were great ones! That highest spot is in the middle of Mexico’s Cerro de Garnica National Park.

California 186

California 2014 Mexico Rights 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2014

I visited Hong Kong from February 20-27, 2014. Mai Po Nature Reserve : world famous locale for shorebirds, waterfowl, waders, and wetland birds; wintering grounds for certain endangered species. The combination of these scheduled and informal birding efforts culminated in an amazing 135 species seen, many of which were lifers for me!

2014 211

2014 Eagles Asia China 211

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 210

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 210

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2022

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes – Coracina novaehollandiae are a common bird species around our home in Broome, Western Australia. The only other similar species is the White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike , but it is a much smaller species and the call is quite different.

Australia 222

Australia Zebras 2014 2012 222

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

Ron Pittaway has published his winter finch forecast for the winter of 2013-2014. Though Ron is based in Ontario his reports are eagerly anticipated by birders across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada because it takes into account a vast array of data to figure out which irruptive species might show up where.

2013 161

2013 2014 Alaska Canada 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2021

This species is easier to find in Derby than Broome and the Derby wharf is a good place to go and observe them. The Kimberley Flycatcher had previously been a sub-species of the Lemon-bellied Flycatcher , but is now a species in its own right as of August 2019. The photo below I took in 2014 at Marlow Lagoon.

Australia 169

Australia 2019 2014 Species 169

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2024

Photo courtesy Stewart Finlayson The latest Spanish breeding bird atlas (2014-18) compares the results with the previous atlas (1998-2002) and shows that Egyptian Vultures continued to breed in 60% of squares examined. Is the loss of populations and species of birds the price to be paid for a miniscule reduction in the carbon footprint?

2004 225

2004 Spain Italy Agenda 225

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

sq mi of the Danube Backwaters in 2014. Then I spent years explaining to the wider public why that wetland is important to us all (protection from floods, cleaner water, oxygen production, CO2 sink, biodiversity, e.g. 180 species of birds/150 of them strictly protected, etc.), sq km / 7.2 sq mi of the proposed reserve was announced.

Protection 263

Protection Serbia Protesters Protesting 263

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2024

Taking inspiration from Matthiessen’s 1967 book (long out of print), which combined his natural history essays with species accounts by Ralph S. Species Profile, Black-necked Stilt, p. 57; © 2024 by Pete Dunne and Kevin T.

North America 259

North America America 2006 Delaware 259

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2014

Though he saw more than twenty species of wood-warbler this weekend the Hooded Warbler was his Best Bird of the Weekend both because of the effort he put into finding it, the serendipitous nature of the encounter, and the fact that a whole bunch of other birders got to see the bird.

2014 223

2014 Birds Experience Experiments 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

A brief personal digression: I moved back into the house I grew up in back in 2014, my parents vacated at the end of 2016. With that logic those trees, if left to grow, should produce something of use to at least one or two species of birds. Of course, various species of bats as well. A Yellow-crowned Parrot digs in.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Reptiles Hunting 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was one of the many species of wood-warblers he saw this weekend, which was amazing for neotropical migration in New York City.

New York City 189

New York City Kentucky 2014 New York 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was the third-from-last species to be added to his Big Sit total on Sunday afternoon, an amazingly cooperative Philadelphia Vireo that spent over an hour foraging around the Fort Tilden hawkwatch platform. What I got were a few unexpected Pied-billed Grebes.

Philadelphia 194

Philadelphia 2014 Birds Family 194

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

While I saw some pretty special species this weekend, the most special was the Gray Catbird because my sweet 7-year niece totally got into finding one; I think I’ve found the next generation birder in the family! We’re a little slow to discuss this weekend’s birding because many of us in the U.S.

2014 201

2014 Birds Family Experience 201

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

We saw a lot of great birds but only one truly rare one, a species that everyone on that trip will long remember. Unfortunately for me, that special species spotted in the bay separating Hong Kong from China was Red-breasted Merganser. I met the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society in the Nam Chung area for their weekly outing.

2014 184

2014 Feral Asia China 184

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2014

Though Corey managed to see or hear 135 species this weekend including such good birds as Yellow-bellied Flycatcher , Piping Plover , Yellow-billed Cuckoo , Kentucky Warbler , Bay-breasted Warbler , and a host of others, his Best Bird of the Weekend was a commonly seen bird, albeit a very cooperative one.

2014 199

2014 Kentucky Canada Birds 199

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2014

While I didn’t notice any Neotropical migrants this weekend, I was pleased to spot a Tufted Titmouse , a species I tend to miss during winter.

New Jersey 174

New Jersey 2014 Louisiana Bears 174

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a relatively common species though it was uncommonly cooperative. With this weekend consumed by Halloween excitement, bats were more easily encountered than birds. How did you fare?

2014 168

2014 Bats New York Sparrows 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2014

Corey had quite a few species from which to choose for his Best Bird of the Weekend but he couldn’t resist deciding on the Snowy Owl he watched and digiscoped at Tiana Beach in Suffolk County on Saturday. He wanted to tell me all about it, which earns the robin Best Bird of the Weekend honors.

2014 195

2014 Lions Owls Birds 195

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. This species has also eliminated the need for childcare – the chicks emerge from this pile on their own and never even get to see their parents. Similarly, the Grey Shrikethrush is neither a shrike nor a thrush.

Australia 184

Australia Koalas Parrots Birds 184

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2014

Though Corey had a heck of a weekend for birds, especially on Saturday, there was one species that stood out, both because of its inherent awesomeness and because it was color-banded. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2014 156

2014 Birds Experience Experiments 156

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2014

The Results of the 2014 Tricolored Blackbird Statewide Survey confirm that this species is in rapid decline. ” Blackbirds, among other species, are also killed every year for consuming sunflower seeds mostly in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Click on photos for full sized images. References: 1 Birds of North America Online.

Blackbirds 186

Blackbirds California 2014 Sacramento 186

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The recently released 2014 State of the Birds Report lists the Bank Swallow as one of the common birds in steep decline. The report identifies 33 species that do not meet the Watch List criteria but are declining rapidly in many areas. The main reason for this rapid decline, as in the case of most species, is loss of habitat.

North America 187

North America 2014 California America 187

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

This species is quite rare during migration in my area and this bird was, in one sense, way too early but, for my purposes, right on time. Who else is feeling good today? The Best Bird of my weekend was a real find. While I was on a call with Corey, what should fly into the tree right outside my window but a Yellow-throated Warbler ?

2014 186

2014 Birds Family Rights 186

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2014

Any time you see young of an endangered species it has to be considered your Best Bird of the Weekend. I enjoyed all manner of early summer entertainment and look to the Barn Swallow s that bombed us as we picked strawberries and soared daringly along the lakeshore as my Best Birds of the Weekend.

2014 174

2014 Endangered Species Birds Experience 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2014

Sure, there is unlimited potential and every single species can once again be counted, but, nonetheless, birders often put forth the energy to get that list built up again, to erase that zero, and to hopefully put three (or even four) digits in its place before the end of the year. May 2014 bring you many birds and few rubber bands!

2014 156

2014 Fox Birds Owls 156

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2014

This species, which has been on the decline in local Christmas Bird Counts, is always a pleasure to see, and Corey was especially pleased to watch and digiscope them at relatively close range with the light behind him.

2014 161

2014 Sparrows Birds Experience 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was one of three great goose species he saw on Saturday during a day-long expedition in eastern Long Island. The Dark-eyed Juncos around here are getting pretty feisty, which I will take as a very, very, very early sign of spring; hard to get to excited with all this snow still on the ground.

2014 176

2014 Geese Birds Experience 176

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 278

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend, on the other hand, was one of the many species of shorebird he during a weekend full of birding opportunities what with his whole family being in California. Based on my tale of woe, consider me lucky to have walked away with a couple of ratty Common Yellowthroats this weekend.

2014 167

2014 New York California Birds 167

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. Thamnophilus sp. They were too childish, right?

Colombia 276

Colombia Fish Birds Venezuela 276

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2014

It is the first record of this invasive species for New York City and it served as a nice contrast to the hordes of pigeons in the neighborhood. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was one found several weeks ago by 10,000 Birds beat writer David Ringer, the Eurasian Collared-Dove on Manhattan’s west side. How about you?

New York City 163

New York City 2014 Breeders Virginia 163

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2023

Way back in 2014, when I saw my first Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo near the little town of Pino Real, and shared the sighting on a birders’ chat group, it took just over a month for the first biologist/ornithologist to visit me. It seems he had looked long and wide for this species. Any day in Paso Ancho is a great birding day.

Mexico 205

Mexico Cuba Species Turkey 205

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2021

mi2 of the Danube Backwaters in 2014 (cover photo). It is a spacious floodplain between the River Danube and the levee, 2.1 mi at its widest point and some 9 km2 / 3.5 In the summer of 2015, that proposal was scheduled for voting in the City Assembly, but was withdrawn before the vote took place. mi2 of the proposed reserve was announced.

Serbia 274

Serbia Boars Deer Otters 274

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2014

But on the topic of snow, Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was the first Snowy Egret of the year in New York State, one he found at Baisley Pond Park in Queens, a rather unusual location for the species to begin with, much less at the very beginning of spring. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2014 163

2014 United States New York Birds 163