10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2024

Few areas in North America support such dense concentrations of waterfowl; more than half the mallards in the Pacific Flyway overwinter at some time in this portion of the Columbia River Basin. As the image shows, it is an island of protected habitat in a sea of urban sprawl and agriculture. My eBird checklists are here and here.)

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Washington Oregon Wildlife United States 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2013

Twenty two species are distributed among six genera, depending on what happens to be extinct, and for the most part one grebe is like another. This makes Grebes vulnerable to climate change and the predation of invasive species. It is easy to see how Minks set lose in a welcoming habitat could eat an entire species.

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2010 South America 2011 Argentina 255

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2013

Bluebird Man is about Alfred Larson, but you can be one of the film’s heroes by contributing to its production… There is something special about bluebirds, and it isn’t just because the world’s three species are only found in North America. There is something more. Bluebird nest box near Prairie, Idaho.

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Idaho North America America Science 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

Birds included common species such as Black Drongos , Jungle Babblers and a Hoopoe. During the Pleistocene, Dholes were found across the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe and North America, sharing their space with sabre-toothed cats. These days, the species shares habitats with Tigers, Snow Leopard, Bears, etc.

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Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 252

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

Thanks to fortunate foresight, a lot of land was set aside in Costa Rica as national parks and protected areas (and some of these are easily accessed) but the best forest still happens to be at the terminus of the road and en route, you will be treated to species deficit birding in plenty of pastures. A pair of Shining Honeycreepers.

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Costa Rica San Jose Sharks Monkeys 257

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2021

Birds are arriving in North America, flying from places far to the south. Many come from Central America, a good number fly much further. Based on population estimates and migration routes, yes, millions, and for some species, many millions! Cliff Swallow , one of many million that migrated through Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica Nicaragua Ohio Honduras 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2021

Of the 6 species of quetzal, the one that lives in the cloud forests of Central America usually gets the “most spectacular” badge. And yes, this species lives in Quetzal Valley, a place that actually does exist! In the birding realm, any quetzal is a little piece of heaven. That is one seriously crazy looking bird!

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Costa Rica Birds Eagles America 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

In the midst of an intensifying battle between protecting public lands and advancing private interests, I want to share a moment of avian celebration at Yellowstone National Park. There are 258 species documented; half of which nest in the park. To protect our wild spaces and all the flora and fauna (including humans), add your voice!

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Canada 2018 Blackbirds Protection 200

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2023

Yet, I was not aware of any of Arjan’s big year updates in English, so I had no clue where he was or how many species he managed to see. After 3 months of South and Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Australia, Arjan’s count stood at 2,060 species. And I wanted to learn about his travels in detail.

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Papua New Guinea Guinea Suriname Brazil 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2019

Our big month of bird movements in Costa Rica, the 10th month of the year, is when most of the swallows, Scarlet Tanagers , thrushes, and other species on the South American express push through. How do they compete with resident species? In October, it’s what’s happening in Costa Rica. What do they eat?

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Costa Rica Nicaragua Panama North America 266

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2021

I birded savannas of Southern Africa, I birded India and Central America, and I always missed having a local mammal guide with me. No, Madagascar is the most famous for an endemic group of mammals: lemurs, sifakas, indri, aye-aye – in total, 112 endemic species and subspecies of lemurs alone! Yet, those bird guides are hefty.

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Madagascar Mammals Lemurs Seychelles 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Assuming you have a passing interest in wildlife, or at the least you know someone that does, and chances are in the last week or so you’ve become aware that some lady from America shot a lion. This Lion should not be shot, as it is a protected reserve that forbids shooting. Qualifying statements to follow).

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Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 233

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2012

They migrate through Central America and winter in South America, apparently almost entirely east of the Andes. BirdLife International lists them as a Species of Least Concern because of their enormous range and population of approximately 13,000,000 individuals, though the population does seem to be decreasing slightly.

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Kittens Hunting South America United States 247

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Lovely Cotinga is the flagship species at Pico Bonito, where it is perhaps easier to see than anywhere else within its range. More than 400 species have been recorded at the lodge to date. Central American Pygmy-Owl is another key species at the lodge. However, for me, there were birds to be seen. Photo by James Adams.

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Honduras Monkeys America Birds 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2017

This time the tome that three lucky readers will receive is Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America by Pete Dunne. The first and easiest way to win a copy of Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America is to subscribe to the 10,000 Birds email mailing list. How do you win one?

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North America Falcons Eagles Birds 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2017

The latest from his pen is Birds of Prey , a hybrid between an identification guide and an essay collection, a book of lore that provides a comprehensive overview of the raptors of North America. Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America by Pete Dunne with Kevin T. Karlson, $26.00, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

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North America Falcons America Eagles 122

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2019

One of the fastest growing cities in America, Austin is the capital of Texas and home of the University of Texas. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared the Golden-cheeked Warbler “ endangered ” under the Endangered Species Act. Future acquisitions will likely increase the amount of protected acreage. 1:17-cv-00538-SS (W.D.

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Austin Texas Endangered Species United States 214

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2020

But this man turned out to have worked with the government habitat protection agency, which is why he stopped when he saw me birding. I think I do a pretty good imitation of several other species, but, unlike the Trogons, they never seem to think the same.). He is also and Evangelical Christian, as I am. (I

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Mexico South America United States Mammals 241

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

The money is intended to create and protect national parks, areas around rivers and lakes, national forests, and national wildlife refuges from development, and to provide matching grants for state and local parks and recreation projects.

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Legislation Montana Wyoming Idaho 193

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2014

I didn’t know what species of woodpecker it was, but I knew it was just in the clearing on the other side of the road. Black-backed Woodpeckers are non-migratory, although there have been documented intermittent irruptions of the species outside their normal range. Click on photos for full sized images. Siegel and, D.

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Woodpeckers California South Dakota Chad 211

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2019

From the Amazon basin through the towering Andes to the endemic-rich Choco, it is possible to observe 600 species in two weeks and even 800 in three weeks – they could all find themselves on your life list. Robin Restall is an acclaimed bird artist, whose works include the Helm’s Birds of Northern South America (2006).

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Ecuador South America 2006 Venezuela 200

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2022

Shorebirds have left their northern tundra pools and boreal fens, August is when they pass through much of North America. Even so, we do have some sandpipers and plovers around; there have been recent reports of Surfbirds and various other wading species. Go birding in Costa Rica in August and you will find shorebirds.

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Costa Rica Eagles West Virginia Albatross 259

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

Every person has a responsibility to be part of the solution by doing something to protect and encourage the re-establishment of biodiversity. Insects and a host of other invertebrate life have evolved with these plant species, and thus depend on them. Locally native plants are the base part of the local ecology.

North America 264

North America Wildlife Mammals Breeding 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Private property holders with prairie/agricultural land can potentially make a big difference in maintaining and recovering populations of many of these charismatic species. If birders are willing to spend so much money in the pursuit of birds, it seems some would be willing to spend some on protecting them as well…right?

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United States Endangered Species North America Protection 195

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2012

The Maroon-tailed Parakeet lives in northern South America. The Sumaco National Park was recognized as a Biosphere by Unesco to protect some two million acres of sub-tropical forest that has amazing biodiversity. Here is my contribution to Bird Love Week from the tropics.

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Ecuador South America Parrots America 188

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Manky Muscovy Ducks Manky Muscovy Ducks By Mike • March 2, 2011 • 6 comments Tweet Share The Muscovy Duck ( Cairina moschata ) attracts more attention than most ducks, at least in North America.

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Ducks 2011 Deer Costa Rica 235

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2011

The conservation need is urgent: great attention has rightly been paid to Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest but not enough resources have gone to the Pantanal and the Cerrado, of which only 4% and 5%, respectively, are protected. Talk about a win-win!

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Brazil Wildlife 2011 Deer 252

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2015

Florida is one of America’s great avian hot spots, renowned for its impressive bird diversity. The official Florida checklist counts over 500 species, and thus Florida citizens had a wealth of State Bird candidates to choose from when they named the Florida state bird in 1927. The brilliantly blue and endemic Florida Scrub Jay?

Florida 190

Florida Arkansas Legislature Mississippi 190

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Primarily, Lapwings are an Old World family with over 20 species including Australasia’s Masked Lapwing , Asia’s Yellow-wattled Lapwing and the Red-wattled Lapwing of the Middle East. Masked Lapwing Africa is the spiritual home of the Vanellus family, boasting as many as 14 species including the abundant Crowned Lapwing.

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Brazil Protection Family Africa 165

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2015

In most countries, long, sweaty, expedition birding is required to see the only curassow species in Middle America. That changes in Costa Rica, where the vulnerable Great Curassow is easily seen at several protected sites. In Costa Rica, it’s pretty common and easy to see in and near just about any protected forest.

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Costa Rica Turkey Ecuador Hunting 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2022

I may be in tropical Central America, but at 2100 m / 7000 ft a.s.l. Serge is a professor of ecotourism at University of Costa Rica, CEO and founder of Costa Rica Birding Hotspots Route, CEO and founder of Birdwatching Central America, and the former manager of the famous Selva Verde Rainforest Lodge. It is 6.40 ft) above ground.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Panama Squirrels Nicaragua 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2018

The Miami-Dade County Commission approved development of ‘the largest shopping mall in North America’ with a vote of 9-1 last week. This fragile ecosystem is home to 344 feathered species, 300 fish species (salt- and freshwater), 50 species of reptiles, 40 mammal species, and 36 listed species (threatened and/or protected).

Miami 188

Miami Las Vegas Alligators Minnesota 188

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2012

One reason it is so widely disliked is its ubiquity, another is the fact that it is an introduced species. It is accused of driving native species out and it has the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act withheld from it. The species I refer to is, of course, the House Sparrow Passer domesticus.

Sparrows 192

Sparrows 2010 Campaign America 192

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2014

Our own avian migration cannot compete with that of Northern America, but we can take comfort in the fact that we have Bluebells. The English Channel acted as a barrier to prevent other flowers from recovering their former footholds, so our wildflower species count is low, but the blooms are magnificently profuse.

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Laws Europe America Protection 198

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2021

Geographic patterns of species richness for birds (1,558 species) in East Africa at 0.25° resolution (blue indicates low species richness, while brown indicates high species richness). At the time of writing, Uganda has 16 hotspots with 400+ so far eBirded species, of which one has almost 600 species.

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Africa Kenya Uganda Tanzania 262

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2016

Carara National Park isn’t just any old protected area. It’s one of the top birding hotspots in Costa Rica and Central America. That’s alright because given the wealth of bird species all over, you can begin with the binos wherever you want and always see a lot. So, what can you see? What should you look for?

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Costa Rica Malaysia Birds Protection 173

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

The Andean Flamingo ( Phoenicopterus andinus ) is one of the three flamingos occurring in the high Andes of South America. The Andean Flamingo is now protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. They produce an annual newsletter to tell readers the current status of several species.

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Chile Endangered Species Eggs Argentina 160