10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2020

Alas, the pickings were slim apart from one freezing raptor counter. Sometimes the little things really do mean the most. Ivy and I braved what I hope is the last bout of winter cold in these parts to see what was happening at the Braddock Bay Hawk Watch platfrom.

2020 173

2020 ALA Birds Family 173

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2020

Alas, I didn’t locate any but found enjoyment in a prolonged standoff between mobbing Red-eyed Vireos and a Blue Jay who refused to take the hint. How am I supposed to enjoy a pre-summer weekend dressed in all these layers? Despite my disdain for this unseasonable chill, I chased a variety of Rochester rarities this weekend.

2020 166

2020 ALA Jamaica New York 166

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2024

Alas, these highly unpredictable birds seem to have moved on. We saw 72 species, although in winter we could have found 30 more. This Monday we went to the path to Triquillo, to check out a burnt-out forest that might offer the Aztec Thrushes my biologist friends lust after.

Turkey 190

Turkey ALA Mexico Collecting 190

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2020

Alas, these gentle rains may not always speed spring migrants on their way to breeding grounds far from the equator. April showers most assuredly bring May flowers in the more temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere. Any luck this weekend? The ridiculous cold afflicting the northeastern U.S.

2020 163

2020 ALA Blackbirds Birds 163

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Alas, our rainy season seems to be slowing down — although I heard a rumble of thunder as I wrote the sentence — fingers crossed! That is not due to a lack of birding; I am still going out every Monday. But very rainy weather during August made it harder to see exciting birds, and often resulted in poor photos of those I did see.

Colombia 219

Colombia ALA Canada Mexico 219

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2024

I didn’t think I’d dip on a resident, sedentary, and supposedly unmissable bird – but alas, such is the beautiful unpredictability of nature. Nevertheless, it was still a magical experience sitting in the jungle. The post Dipping in Guyana first appeared on 10,000 Birds.

Guyana 205

Guyana Brazil ALA Eagles 205

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2024

Alas, they were too distant to photograph. Though I see these birds often in the winter, their plumage is as grey as their name suggests. But when they acquire their breeding plumage they are, like so many waders, birds transformed, with the black belly contrasting with the silver-spangled back.

Greece 212

Greece Turtles Breeding Europe 212

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2022

Alas – thick clouds in the rainforest only mean one thing: rain. My fortunes began to swing with the passage of time, as I guess all good pendulums tend to do. That White-necked Thrush I patiently waited on earlier showed up again, this time sitting in plain view. White-necked Thrush. The encroaching darkness.

Trinidad 228

Trinidad ALA Woodpeckers Experience 228

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2022

Alas, we did not hear our Roadrunners vocalize, although I have heard sing on one other visit to La Escalera. They seem to derive their common name more from the habits of their better-known relative, than from their own habits. Number 4 proves my point. Lesser Roadrunners also do not know when to stop with the eyeliner.

Coyotes 193

Coyotes Mexico ALA Abandon 193

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2024

Alas, East Anglia, where I live, isn’t an area renowned for its sea cliffs, so to visit a major seabird colony I have to drive either west (the coast of West Wales has some superb colonies) or north. These birds are all cliff nesters.

Puffins 180

Puffins Eggs Fish Culling 180

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Alas, there wasn’t this year, but this wasn’t due to a sudden collapse in bird numbers, but the weather. On the day of my counts the temperature was an exceptional 17degC – the average February daytime temperature in this part of the country is 8degC.

Ireland 215

Ireland Turtles Geese Farming 215

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2019

Alas, I won’t be anywhere near penguins this weekend, so I’ll have to make do with whatever uncommon shorebirds trickle through Lake Ontario. Entering is easy, but you should get to it quickly, as the promotion ends when August does. At the very least, thinking about penguins might keep you cool while summer still sizzles!

2019 125

2019 Penguins ALA Birds 125

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to learn how to draw, but alas I never made it past the stickman. More precisely I wanted to learn how to draw wildlife. I guess it’s a gift you either have or you don’t.

Woodpeckers 212

Woodpeckers Birds Canada ALA 212

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2024

Helena Hoopoe (Upupa antaios) , also known as the giant hoopoe for it was 10-20% larger than its African ancestors, but alas that will never happen. How I wish I could be in the presence of the probably flightless St. The other two appendices cover accidental visitors and failed introductions (of which there are plenty).

Madagascar 205

Madagascar ALA 2000 Birds 205

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2021

Alas, our trip to the sea was not to be! The trip began with plans made by world birder Pirjo Lakso to see if we could do a repeat of the fantastic pelagic trip we did in April, earlier this year. The evening before our trip, we received word of high winds and rough waters; seas much too rough for a boat.

Costa Rica 199

Costa Rica ALA Peru Texas 199

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

The Ala Shan Redstart (which I will not call Przevalski’s Redstart, see my juvenile rants about the evil Mr Przevalski in earlier editions of this blog) is a very attractive bird and – as many attractive birds – listed as Near Threatened. “ Not the bird’s fault, I guess.

China 245

China Austria Birds ALA 245

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Alas, the team named for a bird fell short of the crown in Super Bowl XLIX. While many human beings felt anguish and rage at the loss, most avifauna appeared unperturbed. The non-Seahawk birds that caught my eye this weekend were Northern Cardinals , which always look their best burning crimson against a blanket of white snow.

ALA 177

ALA 2015 Birds Humane 177

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Alas, this bird doesn’t like rain! I definitely fall into the former category, willing to cache new birds away like an Acorn Woodpecker stores oak nuts. This week, my travels took me within the orbit of a very special bird that’s been on my rainy day list. Don’t you love that feeling?

2019 113

2019 ALA Woodpeckers Birds 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Alas, as the decade progressed, I also saw the site degenerate. First, fences started to appear. Sections were logged, to be replaced with avocado groves, or, even worse, the biological desert of unvaried pasture.

Kansas 190

Kansas Wounded ALA Squirrels 190

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Alas, I wasn’t able to spend sufficient time watching them to see if they had any success with the assembled Blackgrouse hens. The Racklehahn is a well-known hybrid between a male Blackgrouse and female Capercaillie. These two Racklehahns were quite different.

Geese 184

Geese Falcons Latvia Ducks 184

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Alas, the long slog to spring will take many, many more frigid, blustery weeks. Keep your eyes to the skies for freaky hybrids ! If you live on my side of the globe–north/south axis, of course–you may be as sick as I am of winter weather.

ALA 163

ALA 2015 Hunting Birds 163

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

But, alas, the Novel Coronavirus did not respect my plans. And while it was to be a work (ministry) trip, I had still managed to schedule it right during the migratory peak along these two major corridors. I was soooo excited about getting to know the Middle East, as well as some of its exotic species.

Species 158

Species Mexico Jordan Turkey 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Alas, the winds blew nothing exceptional my way. Every week, the winds carry the unexpected hither and yon. Were you hither? Were you yon? If so, we’d love to hear what you found there. In fact, my weekend avifauna was so prosaic that a lone House Finch stood out as the most interesting sighting.

ALA 145

ALA 2015 Birds Experience 145

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2018

Alas, we’re still mired in shorebird season, so I’l sally forth once more this weekend in search of the Red Knots and Ruddy Turnstones passing through the Great Lakes.

ALA 100

ALA United States 2018 New York 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2021

And when you do get it to come within sight (alas, with playback, always), it can be as bold as any other member of this cocky family. In other words, it is a bird photographer’s nightmare. But there is no missing its beautiful song wringing through a canyon.

ALA 166

ALA United States Mexico Family 166

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2022

Alas, our Western Gull was nowhere to be found! When not loafing by the fish shops, the gull sometimes takes sun on a nearby roof, even perching on the roof of the ferry that crosses the Gulf of Nicoya. With this birding knowledge in mind, we made a few passes by the shops, checked as many boats as we could and scanned rooftops.

Costa Rica 240

Costa Rica Fish Belize Nicaragua 240

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

Alas, mine were sub-standard. A Mangrove Cuckoo gave us unexpectedly decent views, with the added perk that Paso Ancho is far inland from where this beautiful bird can supposedly be seen. This photo is Nacho’s. A group of five spectacular White-throated Magpie-Jays made a raucous appearance.

Bats 130

Bats Mexico ALA 2019 130

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

The cows and their entourage of Cattle Egrets sloshed through the pastures, each time they moved we lurched forward hoping to see a disturbed Grey-breasted Crake hop into view – but alas, no such luck even though we were hearing the little skulkers consistently.

Livestock 209

Livestock ALA Ducks illegal 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2022

Alas, I have found no viable acorns anywhere this past year — just as I am figuring out how to get oak seedlings to survive. They look promising: You may note that I have no oak seedlings this year. But of the native trees I would like to grow, the Jamaican Nettletree (Trema micrantha) surpasses all the rest.

Mexico 224

Mexico ALA Collecting Sparrows 224

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2022

I happen to have visited that country twice (both for ministerial purposes and, alas, before I started my second birding period). There is a country in the Americas which is quite close to my country of birth, but which came into conflict with the USA shortly after said birth. (I I was born in 1958.) This two-country conflict has yet to end.

ALA 185

ALA Louisiana Adoptable Mexico 185

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

Alas, those sightings will be for another time as the weather had thrown a spanner in the works: half a meter of snow had closed off our intended destination. What is 100% true is the flight number I took into Denver: 420. In the spirit of Denver 420 we were so mellow and chill that we cried but a single tear.

Denver 163

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 163

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

Alas for the naming of birds that it took place before anyone had the foresight to recognize that the Sharp-shinned Hawk should be called the Mini-Cooper.

ALA 100

ALA Woodpeckers Ducks Family 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2013

Alas, I had no time outdoors this weekend, which leaves House Sparrows sheltering a giant wreath as my Best Bird of the Weekend. Winter may not technically begin for another couple of weeks, but frigid temperatures and wicked snow are assailing various parts of North America.

ALA 160

ALA United States 2013 North America 160

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2020

Alas, I am not among them. At the Uvac Dam (cover photo), a large group of conference participants was leaving the shuttle bus as I stopped the car… While I carefully reversed through the scattered bunch, a lucky few saw the main prize landing at the hilltop vulture restaurant: the huge Cinereous Vulture (or Eurasian Black Vulture)!

Serbia 317

Serbia Sanctuary Bosnia Birds 317

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2021

Alas, nothing showed until there was a brief break in the shower and a Golden-crowned Warbler materialized in the leaf litter just in front of me. My wife retired to catch up on some lost sleep in the car as the rain swelled. Belligerent as always I stayed out, binoculars in the branches, hoping for something – anything really.

Litter 264

Litter ALA Endangered Species Elephants 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2013

Alas, they both kept their heads down until long after we’d left. My ill-advised twitch was a run for the Long Island Ruffs recently spotted on the south shore. Corey and I staked out the location early in the morning and logged a lot of time waiting for either of them to show. This is why I hate twitching!

Oakland 188

Oakland 2013 ALA Raised 188

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2016

Alas, now that the Arizona Cardinals have fallen to the Carolina Panthers, we face the prospect of a Super Bowl without bird-themed football teams. So, do you prefer rambunctious horses or big cats better?

ALA 101

ALA Arizona 2016 Horses 101