10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2022

As with any patch, wildlife refuge or other birding locale, that birding gold can also be minted in the form of a rare and unexpected vagrant. Alas, our Western Gull was nowhere to be found! Focus on birds in the southern Pacific region and treasure might be a Turquoise Cotinga.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Fish Belize Nicaragua 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2011

I was lucky enough to catch this photo of an adult in flight at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge back in February showing the horn and their distinctive black and white plumage. They are already nesting. I did see several American White Pelicans though, including this immature bird (click on photos for full sized images).

Pelicans 165

Pelicans Fish California Condor North America 165

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 238

Puffins Eggs Fish Culling 238

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? Such a rare bird is always a good sighting! How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

ALA 105

ALA 2016 Arizona Horses 105

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2014

Among birders, wildlife photographers, and nature enthusiasts, it is renowned for its incredible concentrations of birds at the end of the dry season. Alas, it was over too soon. The Pantanal is a vast, seasonally flooded wetland — the largest in the world — in the southwest corner of the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil.

Brazil 165

Brazil Paraguay Blackbirds Birds 165

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. After a pleasant morning with ducks, crisp snow and sunshine, we followed the wildlife trail on our way out. What is 100% true is the flight number I took into Denver: 420.

Denver 189

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

They’re not, alas particularly impressive. It’s a total I’ve never approached since, which might explain why in recent years I stopped counting. However, 12 months ago I decided to do a 2023 year list, so now, with 2024 just hours away, I can reveal the results. My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good.

Estonia 246

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

My fiance and I drove nearly two hours to the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in rural Indiana to watch them come in for the evening. Alas, the bird had flown. Alas, this year was the first since Mike started birding that he didn’t see a single lifer. What’s a birder to do? Tragic, right?

2013 169

2013 Costa Rica Birds India 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2012

Around thirty miles from Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley lies the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. Fish and Wildlife Service a. At last we plunged into the woods, hoping for Great Horned Owls. Terry McEneaney did a spectactular job as guide, and meeting the local Audubon Society crew for the first time was a lot of fun.

Wildlife 191

Wildlife Montana Bald Eagle Geese 191

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

One count I undertake every year is the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Big Farmland Bird Count. Alas, there wasn’t this year, but this wasn’t due to a sudden collapse in bird numbers, but the weather. As dusk began to fall, just a single Herring Gull remained.

Ireland 246

Ireland Turtles Geese Farming 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

The Lodge at Pico Bonito is an inviting, idyllic place for relaxation as well as for enjoying wildlife. Cuery y Salado Preserve protects a coastal mangrove system full of wildlife from monkeys to trogons. We first visited Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge. In case you are wondering, Cristalino Lodge was his other top choice.

Honduras 171

Honduras Monkeys America Birds 171

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. A self-taught Canadian wildlife artist, he has been fascinated by birds from childhood – their physical charm, their voices, their intriguing habits.

Woodpeckers 246

Woodpeckers Birds Canada ALA 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2011

Alas, my hoped-for Tundra Swan did not materialize despite the proximity of Swan River National Wildlife Refuge. Migrants, alas, were not yet much in evidence aside from the Canada Geese (mild climate my foot.) We also spotted Raven , Bald Eagle , Black-billed Magpie , and the inevitable Canada Goose.

Mules 168

Mules Bald Eagle ALA Turkey 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Alas, this wasn’t to be our time for that rarity, but the trail certainly delivered honeyeaters. I talked to an American visitor from Hawaii who had brought his wildlife-mad son along. First off was a typical honeyeater for the park, an Eastern Spinebill.

Owls 209

Owls Birds Hawaii Neglecting 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2011

I was living in the hope that Richard Crossley would set it right with his brilliant new book, but alas even he decided to not shake the boat or upset the powers that be. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region cc on flickr Constructive ideas on naming norms and standards would be much appreciated. This is not a Wood Warbler.

Hamburgers 261

Hamburgers ALA Fish Wildlife 261

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

Trinidad Lake SP–Watchable Wildlife Trail. Ra’s al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary–Flamingo Hide. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2018

Ra’s al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary–Flamingo Hide. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. Malheur NWR–Headquarters.

2018 113

2018 Australia Los Angeles Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2018

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. Battle Creek Wildlife Area. Veliko blato lake NR / Mika Alas fish farm–IBA Uš?e Veliko blato lake NR / Mika Alas fish farm–IBA Uš?e Veliko blato lake NR / Mika Alas fish farm–IBA Uš?e Kruger NP Central Park. 03 Jun 2018. 03 Jun 2018.

2018 105

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2018

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Veliko blato lake NR / Mika Alas fish farm–IBA Uš?e Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Adayaru Estuary. 10 Mar 2018. Least Sandpiper – Calidris minutilla. El Centenario Tidal Flats.

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. 07 May 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2018

Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. 07 May 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2018

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Veliko blato lake NR / Mika Alas fish farm–IBA Uš?e Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Veliko blato lake NR / Mika Alas fish farm–IBA Uš?e Veliko blato lake NR / Mika Alas fish farm–IBA Uš?e

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area. Battle Creek Wildlife Area. Gray-fronted Honeyeater – Ptilotula plumula. 25 Aug 2018.

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Woodpeckers 100