10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

The California Quail ( Callipepla californica ) is the California state bird, inhabiting scrub, broken chaparral and woodland edges primarily in California, Oregon, Washington and Baja California. In California, coveys break up and pairs begin forming in February or March, followed by nest building and egg laying in May or June.

California 211

California Rattlesnake Gophers Eggs 211

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2021

Well, not quite like clockwork, because this year one pair of Pied Oystercatchers on Cable Beach laid their first clutch of eggs a bit earlier than normal. This year the first clutch was laid at the end of May and this is the first time we have had eggs laid in May along Cable Beach since 2000. However, the news was very sad.

Breeding 241

Breeding Feral Cats Eggs Feral 241

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2019

Last week during a camping trip to Kununurra we encountered a Radjah Shelduck family in one of the irrigation channels around town. The Radjah Shelduck family last week were swimming in the irrigation channel right against the road and so we could pull over and admire them. Radjah Shelduck family.

Family 119

Family 2019 Eggs Rights 119

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2011

Besides the avian attributes of flight, feathers and laying eggs, potoos are quite possibly the most unbird-like birds in the world. Sometimes called “Poor-me-ones&# on account of their haunting calls, these bizarre denizens of the night come in 7 different flavors from the family Nyctibiidae within the order Caprimulgiformes.

Costa Rica 231

Costa Rica Jamaica Eggs Cooking 231

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2023

Everyone loves baby birds; 10,000 Birds even had a Baby Bird Week once upon a time! Baby birds are cuteness personified, possibly even more so than other baby animals, including human babies, and pose interesting questions of survival and development. Aren’t they usually in their nest with their parents?”

Wildlife Rehabilitation 245

Wildlife Rehabilitation Family Birds Collecting 245

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2014

I’d seen pictures of them, of course – the stocky, flamboyantly-beaked little seabirds who always seem to be wearing expressions of sympathetic concern – but I’d never seen one “in bird” (the avian equivalent of “in person”). We want all birds to be bursting with health, and we revel in our rare idle moments. There’s one!”.

Puffins 274

Puffins Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle Eggs 274

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2021

We have often suspected that the Sand Goannas would steal eggs as a food source from the Pied Oystercatcher nests if they found them. The two pairs should have been close to hatching their eggs from their first clutch. The pair of Pied Oystercatchers to the north have now laid a second clutch of two more eggs.

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Eggs Feral Cats Feral Fox 252

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

The month and this particular period is all the more auspicious for me and mine, as so many friends and families celebrate spring birthdays. My family took our annual post-Easter Egg hunt hike at Powder Mills Park, where I spied several gorgeous matched pairs of Wood Ducks along with lots of different woodpecker species.

2012 178

2012 Eggs Hunting Woodpeckers 178

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

(This photo is actually of a TK seen a few days later, but it was at our favorite birding gas station pit stop that we also stopped at on our first day. Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences.

Honduras 241

Honduras Birds Costa Rica South Africa 241

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2015

I have been working in the avian world for 25 years, but last summer I was out-birded by a 14-year-old girl. Each year Hog Island offers programs, taught by a stellar staff of naturalists and artists, to groups of all kinds (teenagers, adults, families). Hog Island offers programs for all levels of birders , from beginners to experts.

Puffins 246

Puffins Birds Groups West Virginia 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Lake Kerkini National Park in the north of Greece is the very best birding area in the Balkan Peninsula and definitely among the top ten hotspots of Europe. Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. The lake lies at a mere 35 m / 115 ft a.s.l.

Greece 220

Greece Pelicans Stray Dog Tortoises 220

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2012

Several years ago, I was asked to visit my nephew’s preschool class and talk about birds. Jake lives in southern Florida, so he and his friends had to be interested in learning about these birds, which they saw everyday, right? How old were the baby birds? I chalk it up to the original baby bird book, P.D.

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Birds Switzerland Owls Lions 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2024

This is the home of the Rusty-naped Pitta , admittedly one of the less glamorous of the family, particularly the subspecies found in Yunnan, but still a nice sight and still a pitta. He published a number of books on birds of India and Burma, making me wonder how hard all these overseas civil servants really worked in their day jobs.

Burma 188

Burma India Indonesia Thailand 188

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2020

However, we have learned over the years that until a bird can fly it is not completely safe from predators. On a rising tide the Pied Oystercatcher family soon found a good position to watch and wait until the reef was exposed once again. The fully fledged Pied Oystercatcher chick is the bird on the right.

2020 221

2020 Eggs Family Breeding 221

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2021

One bird species that we occasionally observe around Broome is the Yellow-billed Spoonbill, but we had not seen one for a few years until recently. The river level is low this time of year and the bird-life was very good. We soon observed several bird species and then a Yellow-billed Spoonbill flew overhead.

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Breeding Australia Cattle Family 232

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2023

Considering Broome often experiences cyclones and strong winds it does make sense for the birds to build a more substantial nest to survive the extreme weather. Crested Pigeons only lay two eggs and the nest we observed in our local park successfully hatched out two young.

Breeding 187

Breeding Australia Eggs Family 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Bird Surprises Bird Surprises By Bill • March 8, 2011 • 9 comments Tweet Share Sometimes we watchers see birds do things that surprise us—things birds are not supposed to do.

2011 210

2011 Michigan Birds Ohio 210

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Of course, that means that the birds I saw on September 30 are now somewhere in blogpost limbo, not having appeared in the September post but also not legitimately belonging in the October one. After this longish and completely irrelevant introduction, finally here is a photo of the first bird of September 30th, a Black-winged Cuckoo Shrike.

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Deer China Birds Owls 209

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2020

Our first Pied Oystercatcher eggs for this year’s breeding season were laid early and were due to hatch last weekend. This pair of Pied Oystercatchers never seems to have a problem with incubating their eggs. They take it in turns over the twenty eight days sitting or hovering over the eggs. Pied Oystercatcher and chick.

2020 167

2020 Eggs Feral Cats Feral 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

The first eggs were laid in the first week of July, which is the case each year. The eggs take 28 days to hatch and it is then at least 35 days before the chicks are developed enough to fly and there have been problems with predation as in other years. Pied Oystercatcher sitting on eggs in the nudist area of Cable Beach.

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Breeding Eggs Camels Shelters 158

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

The breeding season started early this year with the first eggs laid at the end of May. This pair of Pied Oystercatchers have incubated two clutches of eggs and had chicks for a few days on both occasions. The eggs hatched out this week and the tides are very big, so there is a huge expanse of sand when the tide goes out.

Eggs 202

Eggs Breeding Australia Family 202

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2012

Most weeks, we tend to focus on the movements and migrations of birds. Will you see birds there? As is my wont, we’ll be celebrating a secular Easter replete with colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, and a fun family hike. Also be sure to come back Monday to share your best bird of the weekend !

2012 157

2012 Albatross New York Eggs 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. This bird is represented in an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph. Can’t say that it is a particularly obvious name from seeing the bird.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Eggs Africa 147

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

When you monitor a species of birds over many years you learn a lot from your observations and you soon become aware of the fact that some birds are just better at parenting than others. There is egg predation, chick loss and sometimes possibly just some “bad parenting”!

Eggs 165

Eggs Raised Breeding Family 165

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Construction is still ongoing at Nanhui, there are constant rumors that key birding sites will be made inaccessible … you have to take every Nanhui visit as it is your last (yes, another clichee). Still, there were a few birds there this September. Still, there were a few birds there this September. A juvenile male.

LACS 217

LACS Birds France Japan 217

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2015

Late March in my home borough of New York City is typically when Eastern Phoebe , Pine Warbler , American Woodcock , Osprey , and other early migrants are back but many of our wintering birds, like Snow Goose and American Tree Sparrow , are still sticking around. There were lots of birds around and my camera was in overdrive!

Bald Eagle 178

Bald Eagle New York City Birds Geese 178

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

Shorebirds – or “shorbs” for the cuteness factor (as if that needed any enhancement) – remain one of the most fascinating families of birds for me. It seems like ages ago and almost a completely foreign concept, but once upon a time we used to travel for birding! There is still so much to learn!

Buffalo 264

Buffalo Kenya Trinidad 2019 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2012

Whilst leading a birding tour to Sri Lanka, I spotted a flash of bright white in a lily-choked wetland near Ambalantota in the south-east of this verdant island. Whilst we are on the subject of jacanas and their mating behavior, it is worth noting that this family of birds (as well as phalaropes and painted-snipes) is polyandrous.

Sri Lanka 182

Sri Lanka Eggs Raised Investigation 182

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

Over Memorial Day weekend (23-25 May) my family and I spent the weekend along the Delaware shore enjoying the beaches, natural areas, and tourist traps that make visiting the shore such a delight. The sunrises alone made getting up, out, and about so early worth it but the birds made it even better. This one will have to suffice.

Delaware 170

Delaware New York North Carolina Birds 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2024

my birding friend asked me in a tone of surprise, shock, and a tiny bit of horror. One of the purposes of this book is to celebrate shorebirds, and the first chapter of Section 1 does just that, describing “the appeal of shorebirds” and how they might just be “the perfect bird.” “You don’t like shorebirds?”

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North America America 2006 Delaware 255

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2020

Following on from the sad loss of our first Pied Oystercatcher chick of 2020 the other eggs are now also hatching. Somehow the twenty eight days passed without the eggs being run over. We moved back and sat on the sand and watched the Pied Oystercatcher family. Pied Oystercatcher family. They are designed for walking!

Eggs 157

Eggs Family 2008 2020 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2012

After 28 days of sharing the duty of sitting on three eggs we finally had the arrival of our first Pied Oystercatcher chicks for 2012 on Friday August 3rd. It is unusual for three eggs to be laid here in Broome and many eggs do not even hatch due to predation each season. I quickly took a photo and returned to the wet sand.

Eggs 176

Eggs Dogs Shelters Family 176

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2011

The first eggs are laid during the first week of July each year and if these eggs fail to hatch or the chicks are lost they will lay further eggs within a few weeks. Sadly a lot of eggs are lost to feral cats and chicks are sometimes taken by birds of prey. Nest site with 3 eggs-one white!

2002 166

2002 Feral Cats Eggs 2007 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

When out birding, I prefer completely wild habitat. I enjoy birding in cocoa estates especially – as they retain some of the highest percentage of native biodiversity (as compared to other altered habitats). Shade-grown crops have myriad advantages, and naturally, we’re here for the birds. Yellow-breasted Flycatcher.

Trinidad 202

Trinidad Abandonment Abandon Abandoning 202

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

There are few bird names that will elicit great big smiles and Penguin is one of them. Other contenders are Kookaburra, Shoebill, and Umbrellabird, but people smile when they hear these names because they know a song or because they can’t believe these are real names of real birds. <pause> Do I have your attention now?

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Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 277

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

One good thing about birding during a pandemic–the forced restrictions on place and time translate into more time to observe what birds do. Bird behavior–endlessly fascinating, but so much still hidden and unknown. Extreme behaviors also push scientists to look at birds in new ways.

Science 211

Science Birds Costa Rica Research 211

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2014

I have followed the breeding activity of the Pied Oystercatchers in Broome along Cable Beach since July 2000 when I found the first nest site and the birds have continued to use the same territories, though there have been some partner changes. A second egg was laid the following day and the two eggs hatched at the end of the month.

2007 167

2007 Eggs 2014 2002 167