10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

I have been lucky enough to get close views of two massive Old World Vulture species, the Eurasian Griffon and the Egyptian Vulture. Here in Mexico, I can almost always count on Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures to pad each outing’s list by two species. Black Vultures are a bit smaller than all these other species.

California Condor 195

California Condor Turkey Mexico Meat 195

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2012

Choosing among the hawks, eagles, and owls at the raptor residence (alas no rehab for these irreparably injured birds of prey) and the active late winter species in the park seemed impossible, until an impressive Pileated Woodpecker put on a powerful display of excavatory activity. Woodpeckers FTW!

ALA 164

ALA 2012 Woodpeckers Eagles 164

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2021

Endless notifications about 3% of intact forest remaining here, another species falling into the endangered species category – it all can get overwhelming sometimes. Bananaquits and Golden-headed Manakins twittered and whirred constantly but any visual confirmation was only achieved with the former species.

Litter 264

Litter ALA Endangered Species Elephants 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2024

I saw 32 species here in my first 24 hours, some of them exciting ones. My second lifer this trip was a migratory Yellow-throated Warbler , a species I could not hope to see my previous trip, which had occurred in early summer. Fortunately, those grounds are large, beautifully maintained, and full of all kinds of habitat perks.

Barn Owls 205

Barn Owls Mexico Parrots ALA 205

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2024

White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) Notwithstanding the fact that nearly all of the endemics and other native species are extinct the islands of St Helena and Ascension remain very popular for birdwatchers and especially photographers because they are both major breeding sites for seabirds. BirdLife international has designated St.

Madagascar 205

Madagascar ALA 2000 Birds 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2022

Alas – thick clouds in the rainforest only mean one thing: rain. I’m sure in many of my accounts on this blog this species appears in the early paragraphs. All the while it moved a grand total of three times – vastly differing from all my prior experiences with this species! White-necked Thrush.

Trinidad 229

Trinidad ALA Woodpeckers Experience 229

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2011

But what is really remarkable about hummingbirds is the way that each particular species has filled its own niche in the constant battle for nectar. If you want to see a dazzling variety of hummingbird species in a short amount of time, then this is the lodge for you. But alas for Aderman no such need exists today.

Ecuador 239

Ecuador Giraffes ALA Species 239

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

Alas, the only thing either of us found worth making a call about was the white cowbird, which I refound in one of the huge flocks of cowbirds and starlings that have been roaming around Fort Tilden. The best bird I could find was a common – and oft-hated – species with weird plumage. white Brown-headed Cowbird .

ALA 175

ALA Birds Species 175

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2013

But alas, my comedic skills are subpar. The bird in question, a Kestrel (its species wasn’t named), drew the attention of folks in Altinayva, Turkey because of the metal band upon its leg. In truly absurd, I am not making this up news, villagers in Turkey recently accused a bird of being an Israeli spy.

Israel 175

Israel Turkey Austin Stray 175

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2021

and 180 bird species ( Ferruginous Duck , Black Woodpecker ; Icterine , Eastern Olivaceous and Barred Warblers ) recorded so far. I made this tour myself several days ago (late July), and will report mostly on the species I actually found, as well as some mammals. It is a spacious floodplain between the River Danube and the levee, 2.1

Farming 264

Farming Fish Birds Boars 264

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. Retreating hastily, I reverted to my clumsy ways and flushed the heron.

Livestock 210

Livestock ALA Ducks illegal 210

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Alas, the winds blew nothing exceptional my way. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was any of the four Cave Swallows he saw in Queens, part of an amazing invasion of the northeast by this species after sustained southwest winds for nearly a week. If so, we’d love to hear what you found there.

ALA 145

ALA 2015 Birds Experience 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2024

Visiting Guyana brought with it the unavoidable expectation of seeing some mind boggling species – some endangered, some emblematic, others downright bizarre. Before we boarded the flight to Guyana we already knew that probabilities of seeing one of the target species was slashed to near zero. After all, there were already rocks.

Guyana 206

Guyana Brazil ALA Eagles 206

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2013

Alas, Atlanta couldn’t seal the deal in the second half, but Baltimore bullied their way to the Big Game. Since there are only nine species of Raven in the world, Corey and I are going to host a quickie for the coolest corvids of all this week. I need your ravens by 6pm EST on Wednesday, January 23.

Falcons 150

Falcons Atlanta Baltimore ALA 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Four moments (and species) stand out in my own personal birding renaissance: I put an improvised birdbath in my yard to see if I can get the House Sparrows to stop munching on my lettuce plants, and a stunning Black-vented Oriole arrives to bathe. I start visiting a nearby canyon to see what other species might be around.

Kansas 191

Kansas Wounded ALA Squirrels 191

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2024

There haven’t been any reports of Turtle Doves locally this year, which isn’t really surprising as this species has declined by a staggering 97% in the last 20 years, and it’s eventual loss as a breeding species in the UK is a distinct possibility. Alas, they were too distant to photograph. All very confusing.

Greece 213

Greece Turtles Breeding Europe 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. Last but not least, there were three species of shrikes, Red-backed , Lesser Grey and at least 2 Masked Shrikes , possibly 2 more, an entire family (not all were showing so well).

Greece 227

Greece Pelicans Stray Dog Tortoises 227

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2022

My first experiments involved rooting cuttings of several of Michoacán’s dozens of Salvia species. But starting a mini-forest around the edges of our church’s one-acre lot would require more than cuttings, and local reforestation nurseries only offer a few conifer species. Yellow-winged Cacique. A male Indigo Bunting.

Mexico 225

Mexico ALA Collecting Sparrows 225

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2024

The first Monday out after the festival, I took six people to Las Mesas, because it is almost within the city of Morelia, but offers a wide collection of habitats and species. We saw 72 species, although in winter we could have found 30 more. Alas, these highly unpredictable birds seem to have moved on.

Turkey 190

Turkey ALA Mexico Collecting 190

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2021

Alas, our trip to the sea was not to be! On our way over, we had one Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel and at least one Black Storm-Petrel along with Black Terns and a few other tern species. The evening before our trip, we received word of high winds and rough waters; seas much too rough for a boat. White-cheeked Pintail !

Costa Rica 200

Costa Rica ALA Peru Texas 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

a British expat birder who was living in Belgrade, for a suggestion: “The top species is undoubtedly White-tailed Eagle. commented further: “With a little work some species can be seen quite easily such as the divers, scaup, scoter, Goosander , Garganey and Long-eared Owl. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 249

Serbia Woodpeckers Albania Eagles 249

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Even the Latin species name soror (“sister”) indicates the similarity to another pitta species (blue-naped). The eBird description of the Small Niltava starts with the surprisingly dull statement that “size distinguishes this species from other niltavas” Who would have thought.

China 224

China Birds Pythons Eagles 224

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2014

The Veliko Ratno Island birdlist is about 170 species long, of which more than 90 were observed from the Dorcol Promenade. Highlight species: Ferruginous Duck , Goosander , Red-breasted Merganser , Red-crested Pochard , Greater Scaup , Velvet Scoter , Black-throated Diver. If that is the case, why come here at all?

Serbia 231

Serbia Ducks Birds Eagles 231

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many Nearctic species and families reach their southern terminus in the Northern Central American Highlands, such as Common Raven , Red Crossbill , Steller’s Jay , and even Brown Creeper. Alex also masterfully worked another tricky species into view for us during that first afternoon, Ruddy Crake (a close relative of the Black Rail ).

Honduras 212

Honduras El Salvador Costa Rica Arizona 212

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2022

This arae is prime Lesser Roadrunner territory — in fact, of my eleven sightings of the species, ten have been there. Alas, we did not hear our Roadrunners vocalize, although I have heard sing on one other visit to La Escalera. A single Lesser Roadrunner , however, did not turn up. Number 4 proves my point.

Coyotes 193

Coyotes Mexico ALA Abandoning 193

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2015

This is my first visit to this area, known as the Madz Brod, where two new breeding species for the country were discovered a decade ago. Alas, I am not among them. En route we pass a White Stork’s nest with a chick on the electricity pylon, plus Bullfinch and Northern Wheatears at the roadside.

Europe 247

Europe Serbia Russia ALA 247

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2017

I am a birder and I can claim that out of Serbia’s total of 350+ bird species, highly urbanised inner city areas of Belgrade hold almost 100 birds, while the outskirts have more than 200 species. eBird says that, at the time of writing (April 2017), there are some ten hotspots that have crossed the 100 bird species mark.

Birds 204

Birds Eagles 2017 Otters 204

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Alas, my miserable history with the mythical creature continues. In addition to a species of bird I really wanted to see but didn’t, there is also a beer garden at one of the Schlachtensee, perfect for refreshments as we made our way around the lake, a five-kilometer walk.

Woodpeckers 160

Woodpeckers ALA Slaughtered Slaughter 160

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2022

Alas, our Western Gull was nowhere to be found! Not that it one could expect to see one in Costa Rica but could the species be annual? 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.

Costa Rica 241

Costa Rica Fish Nicaragua Belize 241

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

They’re not, alas particularly impressive. My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. My 100th species was a Spoonbill. It’s a total I’ve never approached since, which might explain why in recent years I stopped counting.

Estonia 223

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 223

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2021

Alas, the flowering plants had almost all dried up, and hummingbirds were few. Since I had seen neither species on my January visit to Lake Cuitzeo, these were year-birds. Surprisingly, both were FOY (first-of-year) species. Check in next week to see which species these were!

Woodpeckers 187

Woodpeckers Nashville ALA Mexico 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2021

We share seven resident species with different parts of the United States: the Rock , Canyon , Cactus , (Brown-throated) House , Marsh , Sedge , and Bewick’s Wren can all be seen within a half hour of Morelia. (I When it comes to wrens, central Mexico has it pretty good. In other words, it is a bird photographer’s nightmare.

ALA 166

ALA United States Mexico Family 166

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2011

Alas, the Swan Lady died and though her husband vows to continue, who will take up the torch of a ton of corn a day when he dies? Do neighbors refer to you as bird species + Lady or Guy? Trumpeter Swans teach the migratory route to their young. So the feeding continue. The city of Monticello? Your tax dollars? Grackle Guy?

Bald Eagle 242

Bald Eagle Deer Minnesota 2000 242

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). I told Ricardo we might see 50 species or more in one day, which would apparently be extraordinary in his native land. Of our 54 species seen, 51 were lifers for Ricardo. I was born in 1958.)

ALA 185

ALA Louisiana Adoptable Mexico 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2012

I, alas, did not have time to make the full journey on foot, so I cheesed out and caught a bus. According to some legends, the path was first trodden by pagan seekers following a route indicated by the sun and the Milky Way to the westernmost edge* of the continent — in their view, the end of the world, Finis Terra.

Portugal 164

Portugal ALA 2007 Sparrows 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2022

Not bad given that the 5 families in the inner circle of the laughingthrush family have a combined number of about 68 species. The Hainan version is sometimes considered a separate species, in which case it is classified as Near Threatened. 36, if my counting is right and there has been no very recent split or lump.

San Diego 204

San Diego Malaysia China Zoos 204

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Are you the sort of birder who takes comfort in the thought that you might find new species within driving distance of your home? Or are you the kind of completist who is driven to distraction by the knowledge of unseen species in your general vicinity? Alas, this bird doesn’t like rain! Don’t you love that feeling?

2019 113

2019 ALA Woodpeckers Birds 113