10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2015

There are few places in the United States where simply driving around can leave you with a list of 30+ species, many of them large and spectacular. There are a few places where that is especially obvious, and one of those is the town of Cape Coral, just north of Naples along the Gulf of Mexico.

Owls 249

Owls Tenant Florida United States 249

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

One of my favorite bird species living by my house is the Juniper Titmouse. Although the Juniper Titmouse is not officially a threatened species, its numbers have been declining due to loss of habitat. But a Bewick’s Wren did build a nest, which it promptly abandoned before laying any eggs. Others had more luck.

2017 202

2017 New Mexico Groups Abandon 202

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2020

When you are an American expatriate who lives, and birds, in Mexico, it is a topsy-turvy world. Just as your conationals up north are rejoicing over the return of hundreds of migratory species, you sadly say goodbye to the same. Fortunately, my own garden is currently being visited by a nice collection of resident species.

Nashville 182

Nashville Louisiana ALA Breeders 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2013

The United States built Fort Jefferson on Garden Key between 1846 to 1875 to protect its interests in the Gulf of Mexico, but was later abandoned without ever being fully completed. A first impression of Garden Key on the approach to the tiny isle. So where are you birding this spring break? I can’t wait to go back.

United States 213

United States Sea Turtles Baltimore Turtles 213

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2021

Since it was the first link in this chain, Pino Real was where I met many of Michoacán’s flagship species. As I look back at my eBird species list, it is astonishing how many of my lifers were first seen there. To my shock, I had a wonderful outing, with 63 species seen in six hours. That chain continues to this day.

2013 216

2013 Abandoning Abandonment Abandon 216

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2021

January is the month where I allow myself to go only to my very best sites, and rejoice in even the most commonplace species. I correctly suspected that Lake Cuitzeo would be too dry this year to give me its usual 75+ species in the deep of winter. (It But Las Mesas did indeed come through, with 79 species.

2020 264

2020 Ducks Birds Abandoning 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2020

It’s the only one in all of Mexico. This was always a process of solitary exploration; only later did other birders ask me to take them to see the unusual species I had found. Found all sorts of wonderful species. Wander into a bit of abandoned second-growth forest. The nearest Audubon Club chapter?

Birds 182

Birds Abandoning Abandonment Abandon 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2016

Rehabbers are very responsive, although constantly living under the gun makes us sometimes vent about species that aren’t necessarily the ones in question. Three: Why would anyone , no matter what their species, want to become tangled in human hair? I asked a group of wildlife rehabilitators: “What are some of the Worst Bird Myths?

Wildlife Rehabilitation 189

Wildlife Rehabilitation Porcupines Raccoons Ethiopia 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

In 2012, I reviewed The Jewel Hunter , an absorbing narrative in which author Chris Goodie travelled throughout Asia, Africa, and Australasia to observe and photograph every Pitta species in the world. Hummingbird species, on the other hand, number in the hundreds. Jonas D’Abronzo.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Bolivia Ecuador 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

After our brief trip thru the great state of Texas, we were headed back into New Mexico, a state I was quite excited to explore. I have been all around the western states, here and there, but never spent any time in New Mexico. This did open up the area to a few new species, like this Wilson’s Warbler.

Albuquerque 160

Albuquerque New Mexico Mexico Sparrows 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2011

The vast majority of Baltimore Orioles that breed in North America return to the tropics between Mexico and northern South America for the cold half of the year. A trip to the coastal plain may net you up to seven species of warblers, from the omnipresent Yellow-rumps to Chats and Cape Mays. But how does the apply to Orioles?

North Carolina 140

North Carolina 2011 St. Louis Baltimore 140

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

Whoever is in charge of names in the area had abandoned an unwise relationship with compound names ((meaning Redwinged Starlings were Red-winged Starlings again) and seemed to have shifted the names of lots of species around in the hopes of aligning them with the IOC (goodbye louries). There had also been a number of splits.

Africa 171

Africa South Africa Zimbabwe Penguins 171

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2014

I’m going to start with a specific example: species accounts for Common Tern and Arctic Tern. How have these species accounts changed from The Sibley Guide to Birds , published in 2000 (heretofore called Sibley One) to The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition , published in March 2014 (and heretofore called Sibley Two).

North America 259

North America Birds Alaska America 259