10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2016

So here’s some Antipodean Albatrosses! The taxonomy of the bigger albatrosses, known as great albatrosses, is tricky. What were three species, Royal Albatross, Wandering Albatross and Amsterdam Albatross , are now seven. The mighty Antipodean Albatross. This is a true Wandering Albatross.

Albatross 100

Albatross New Zealand Breeding Species 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Kaikoura, in New Zealand’s South Island, is arguably the best place in the world to see albatrosses and petrels. And the endemic Hutton’s Shearwater, which only breeds in Kaikoura, will keep you entertained for those few minutes till the albatrosses hit. More Albatrosses, this time a White-capped Albatross !

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Albatross New Zealand Dolphins Whales 208

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

About half of all breeding Wandering Albatross nest on the Prince Edward Islands. There’s also the Grey-headed Albatross , Sooty Albatross , Blue Petrel , Great-winged Petrel , Black-faced Sheathbill , and so many more that rely on this island. Yellow-nosed Albatross. Wandering Albatross. Mouse-free Marion!

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2011

Although the islands are a cramped home to 18 species of seabird, the dominant and most charismatic of these are the two species of albatross, the Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses. There was one young Black-footed Albatross that was apparently not planning on going quietly into the dark night, however.

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Albatross Hawaii Seals Parrots 197

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

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.” Plantema gives highly detailed information about the weather, terrain, ownership of and access to the islands and coasts where penguins breed.

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Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Kirtland’s Warbler is a classic niche species; they breed in only very specific conditions, which occur in only a very specific area. This male Short-tailed Albatross has fledged 2 chicks from Eastern Island, Midway Atoll, the only place in the U.S. this species breeds.

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Albatross Endangered Species Bald Eagle Alaska 235

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

Anyone that has read my posts before knows I love Kaikoura and the amazing people at Albatross Encounter. This species is best seen at Kaikoura , but they do disperse after the breeding season, so I didn’t see any when I dropped by at Easter. Salvin’s Albatrosses were nice to add to my year list. Not a bad day!

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Albatross New Zealand Fish Breeding 165

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The length of each bird species account varies, depending on whether the bird is native or a “visitor” (the book’s term for migrant) or vagrant, breeding or non breeding. In addition to the photo below, of a Black-browed Albatross and its young, a full-page photo shows adult and juvenile birds in flight.

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Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whales 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

Buller’s Albatross ( Thalassarche bulleri ) and Cape Petrel ( Daption capense ) at Kaikoura. The focus of today is one of the guys above, but since I have already done a story on Buller’s Albatrosses before it is going to be about the other guy. This post is not about albatrosses!

New Zealand 160

New Zealand Albatross South Africa Brazil 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2022

Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata). In Costa Rica, the sole tropical breeding albatross is a rare visitor to pelagic waters of the Pacific. A more surefire way to witness this long-winged bird is by visiting breeding grounds on the Galapago Islands.

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Costa Rica Parrots Albatross Protection 277

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2014

They manage this noise not only through individual effort but their habit of breeding in dense, large colonies. After breeding they can spend months at sea without landing before returning to land. The mammoth like thing behind is an albatross chick. Sooty Tern colonies are busy, noisy, crowded places.

Hawaii 181

Hawaii Albatross Breeding Species 181

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

The species breeds on an extraordinary number of islands, and has a worldwide population of perhaps over five million birds, and this is in spite of declines to due hunting, persecution and introduced species. Another difference is that the Christmas Shearwater is a surface breeder whereas the Wedgie breeds in burrows.

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Albatross Madagascar Breeders Mexico 184

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Here one is close to the scenically impressive Cape of Good Hope National Park as well as the Boulder’s Coastal Park, home to hundreds of breeding African Penguins.

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Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 205

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

A simple, useful world map in outline shows approximate breeding ranges in yellow and wintering ranges in blue, and for some birds, permanent resident ranges in green. Some birds with populations on different breeding grounds move not to the same winter quarter but to far-distant ones – such as the Red-necked Phalarope.

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Alaska Kenya Georgia Russia 246

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Christmas Shearwaters Much less common that their larger relatives, but at the same time their habit of surface breeding means they are always around to find in certain spots. Tristam’s Storm-petrel From a tiny petrel to a fairly hefty storm-petrel, this species has a small breeding presence on Tern Island. These guys get around!

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Albatross Hawaii Japan New Zealand 129

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

These lands support countless birds, either year-round, as migratory stopovers, or as breeding grounds. Many refuges are strategically located along major flyways, allowing ducks and geese to hopscotch their way up the continent to northern breeding grounds and back down again. But what else should birders know?

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Virgin Islands Alaska United States Nevada 249

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

In particular the South Island destination of Kaikoura is world-renowned for the flocks of albatrosses and giant petrels floating right off the pelagic boat, and the ease of the trip makes it a must-visit for any visiting birder. One birder from Australia even got his lifer Red-crowned Parakeet ! I personally had a great if exhausting day.

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New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 179

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2011

I got rather carried away showing all the plumages you can see around a breeding colony, which means I had to split my post on the species into two. They are capable of covering great distances, perhaps like an albatross. Unlike albatrosses, however, frigatebirds are also very manoeuvrable on the wing.

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Albatross Philippines Hawaii Hunting 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2012

The Antipodes, one of New Zealand’s subantarctic island possessions, are home to two endemic parrots, a subspecies of the Subantarctic Snipe, and a whole range of breeding seabirds, including albatrosses and penguins. Spread the word and support the project if you can at Million Dollar Mouse !

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Mice New Zealand Penguins Albatross 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2015

Corey asked that I didn’t post any albatrosses today, which suits me since I didn’t do a pelagic trip and thus didn’t see any. The beach isn’t just a roost, it’s a breeding site. And some jackass sounding calling… Okay, now it’s time to go find some albatross. Boulders Beach.

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Penguins Seychelles Albatross Africa 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

The species is somewhat unusual in that it is one of the few procellariids that still breeds on the mainland of New Zealand. It’s still certainly threatened, but you can still find them in the woodlands, at least during its winter breeding season (another oddity of this species).

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New Zealand Breeders Albatross Mammals 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2014

Birds behaviour Borneo breeding hornbills Singapore' Honestly, it amazes me I have any time to bird at all. So this week, should you stop a mistake, or a minor factual inaccuracy, or even a complete bare-faced lie, well, it isn’t my fault. I saw a pair flying near Chiangi Beach, across from Pulau Ubin and near the famous airport.

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Singapore Uganda Malaysia Seals 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Others, like the petrels and some of the auks, will lay a single egg per breeding attempt. The investment placed in each clutch bur seabirds is so great that only one breeding attempt can be seen to completion each year. For the larger albatrosses and the frigatebirds it is common to take longer and have rest years between attempts.

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Eggs Puffins Breeding Albatross 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

About six-and-a-half years ago I had the privilege of watching a young Waved Albatross on the Galapagos island of Española learning how to fly. It’s not often that we have the opportunity to glimpse the home life of albatrosses, nor of any seabird species. Technology to the rescue!

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Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 115

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2014

That’s why I went for an albatross, because it wasn’t my BBOY, but it would at least tweak Corey. I saw one other species of stork on the river, the Lesser Adjutant , a species that can be seen in Borneo but one people aren’t sure even breeds in Borneo anymore. All you need is a boat, or a scope on a windy day.

2013 192

2013 Rhinoceros Thailand Birds 192

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

The two main chapters cover Marine Mammals (Orca; Whales; Dolphins and Porpoises; Sea Lions, Fur Seals, and Elephant Seal; Rarer Marine Mammals) and Seabirds (Albatrosses, Shearwaters and Fulmar, Strom-Petrels, Phalaropes, Alcids, Red-billed Tropicbird, Brown Booby, South Polar Skua, Jaegers, Gulls and Terns, Rarer Seabirds).

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Dolphins Porpoises Whales Whaling 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2013

The Westland Petrel is a large endemic breeding seabird which has entirely black plumage. Clearly it would be much better to watch these species at Kaikoura, where I watched these guys with Albatross Encounter , close to shore and with the birds close to the boat. It also has pretty much entirely black plumage.

New Zealand 167

New Zealand Albatross Breeding Species 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

At Sea With the Marine Birds of the Raincoast opens with the unexpected appearance of a Laysan Albatross. We are all suckers for an albatross, at least in the United States. The author, conservation biologist Caroline Fox, is observing the albatross’s shadow to the side of the boat. Do I need to say anything more?

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Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2018

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to some of the largest assemblages of breeding seabirds in the United States. These remote islands, some more than 1,000 miles from Honolulu, are home to huge globally-significant colonies of Laysan and Black-footed Albatross, among many others.

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Mice Albatross Honolulu Rats 107

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Some birds breed in flocks, at least in part to avoid predation. This is my flock of Laysan Albatross , on Midway Atoll. You may be happy to have a flock of chickadees visit your backyard, but it is difficult to ignore hundreds of American White Pelicans streaming by. Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota.

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North Dakota LACS Oakland Iceland 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

Three of the main candidates are Waved Albatross, Peruvian Booby, and Inca Tern. The tendency for migrants to be rarities doesn’t exclude birds that breed in the country, Harpy and Crested Eagles perching at the top of the rare resident target list.

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Costa Rica Panama Eagles Sparrows 163

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

(Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike) Dunedin You don’t have to go very far to see spectacular seabirds in this southern city, the adjoining Otago Peninsula is home to the only mainland colony of albatrosses in the world. Image by Dunedin NZ, Creative Commons.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Fur 157

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

but I really feel I should nominate an albatross, if only because I love taunting Corey about them. I’ll go for the Black-browed Albatross , in celebration of the fact that conservation efforts have resulted in this species being downgraded from endangered to near threatened this year. He wrote about it in more detail here.

2013 168

2013 Costa Rica Birds India 168

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2011

The clifftop habitats along rocky shores of the North Atlantic (on both sides of the pond) abound in bird biomass during breeding bouts, for instance. When Albatross alight in temporal alignment anything else is swamped out. There are probably other major trends that depend, for example, on latitude and timing.

Mammals 190

Mammals Rodents Reptiles Birds 190

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

to the ongoing conservation of breeding Lesser Flamingos at Kimberley’s Kamfers Dam to the Albatross Task Force, which works with fishermen to find solutions to seabird bycatch (birds caught in fishermen’s nets). They range from the successful eradication of feral cats from Marion Island (hear that, Corey?)

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South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 255

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

The maps, which are positioned to the left of the text, are small and indicate primary seasonal status–whether and where the bird is a resident breeding species, seasonal breeding migrant, seasonal nonbreeding migrant, or transient migrant. I love the writing here.

Costa Rica 242

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 242

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

Greater Adjutants are huge birds that were once widespread across much of Southeast Asia; today there are two small breeding populations in India and Cambodia. Finally, deciding that a duck that required 250 acres of land to breed probably did not welcome intruders, we tiptoed out of the swamp. 3) Greater Adjutant. 6) Garganey.

2016 123

2016 India Ducks Costa Rica 123