10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Birds of Belize by Steve N. Howell and Dale Dyer and Birds of Costa Rica by Dale Dyer and Steve N. Dale Dyer put in years working on his paintings for Birds of Central America , both in the field and in the museum. Howell utilizes the IOC World Bird List (v.11.2, Why are these issues? © 2023 by Steve N.

Costa Rica 213

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 213

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

This bird may be “common”, but it is also stunning. The Kingfisher’s irridescent blue back was a wonder to see as it flew to this perch, but my camera didn’t focus on the fast-flying bird. The Lesser Kestrel was another bird I may have seen before, but without proof.

Spain 178

Spain Mexico Europe North America 178

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

The adult males sport that look; a bird created with crayons and an imaginative mind. The female isn’t quite so unreal but is still a cool little bird in her own right. She also makes a mark with her small size, one of the smallest birds in Costa Rica. A Garden Planted for Birds.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

In 2007 I was working in a university building that was just begging for bird feeders. This was where I set up my bird feeders, just one at first, then expanding as everyone expressed delight in seeing the Carolina Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Downy Woodpeckers. There were no dead birds for weeks. I hoped it was an anomaly.

New York City 254

New York City Birds Illinois Science 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2022

Thank you, goddess of birding luck and text group people).* My inner self felt stuck in an area between disbelief and total joy and the voices near me were echoing this state of mind: “Oh My God,” “I never thought I would see this bird,” “Look at that bill!” “How did that bird get here?”

Birds 259

Birds Compassion Eagles Science 259

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2017

Seriously, cardinals are both gorgeous and interesting , but their familiarity across most of North America breeds indifference if not contempt. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was an easy one to choose. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

New York City 134

New York City 2017 North America New York 134

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2021

Louisiana is a magical place to bird. At the same time I was ogling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Upland Sandpipers, Marybeth Lima was also birding Louisiana. Chapter Two is a potpourri of stories about nemesis birds, birding by ear, birding for science, under the rubric of birding ‘for the love of it.’

Louisiana 264

Louisiana Species Mississippi Alabama 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

My one sighting of the little-known Sinaloa Martin outside of summer had occurred on a 29th of February, and I hoped to repeat that experience. Three years of my experience shows that they most certainly do. (On The post Consolation species appeared first on 10,000 Birds. All in all, it was a very satisfying day.

Species 159

Species Mexico Jordan Turkey 159

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2013

Winter may not technically begin for another couple of weeks, but frigid temperatures and wicked snow are assailing various parts of North America. The weather outside is frightful, but winter birds are so delightful… guess that’s as good a reason as any to brave the cold. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2013 161

2013 United States ALA North America 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2013

Many of us are still enjoying the final weekend of May, so let’s cut to the chase and talk about our best birds. My best bird this weekend was an Eastern Wood-Pewee calling from a bare branch. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend' How about you?

2013 176

2013 North America Birds Eggs 176

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2014

The end of July is when shorebird migration truly picks up, at least in eastern North America. If we could only find good ways to get beach-goers interested in birds instead of irritated by them. Of those shorebirds my Best Bird of the Weekend was a hulking Long-billed Dowitcher that towered over its Short-billed brethren.

2014 165

2014 North America Jamaica Birds 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

But, sometimes an appreciation of birds and birding requires more than a reference book with images of birds and facts about their identifying field marks. There are large avian handbooks and small ‘how-to bird’ guides, and quite a few excellent books of both types have been published.

Birds 115

Birds North America Breeding America 115

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2021

The survey was commissioned by National Flyway Council (NFC), which implements the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), which, in turn, aims to maintain abundant waterfowl populations in North America. The vast majority watched birds at home (99%), fed birds at home (90%), and watched birds away from home (98%).

Minnesota 264

Minnesota Research Pennsylvania Ohio 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In September, I had the fantastic opportunity to travel to an increasingly popular destination for birding: Honduras. Chris Lotz, the owner of the international bird tour company Birding Ecotours , invited me to join him on a familiarization trip that included several highland sites as well as Pico Bonito Lodge.

Honduras 214

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 214

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2011

Something has always puzzled me in my years working in the bird feeding industry: why don’t we offer more fresh fruit to birds in our yards? Heck you can even find mixes with heavy fruit flavoring…but why don’t we offer fresh fruit scraps to birds on tray feeders instead? Is it a convenience issue?

Nigeria 247

Nigeria Birds Belize South America 247

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

If you like birds on posts, if seeing “little brown jobs” posing nicely in the distance as you drive or walk along a dirt road only to have it fly away as you approach makes you deliriously happy, then North Dakota is the place for you. I wanted to see prairie birds and I wanted to experience a new state.

North Dakota 138

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 138

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

I’ve been learning to band birds at the South Florida Bird Observatory. But hands-on bird experience has been a major gap in my knowledge to date and I’m astounded at how much more I’m discovering about birds. For example, last Sunday we found an unusually large bird in one of the nets.

Florida 238

Florida South America United States North America 238

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2021

“That bird! That bird, chase it! Shearwaters scattered at our approach and the wind howled in our ears but it couldn’t dampen Wilfredo’s focus, nor his vocal insistence to “follow those birds”! As the prop motor revved and ocean spray flew by, I wondered, “Which birds”?

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Dolphins Sea Turtles Turtles 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

The Durango Highway is arguably one of North America’s great birding roads due to the great variety of habitats, the spectacular mountain scenery of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the numerous Mexican endemics one can target. There are many dusty side roads in this area, many of which offer productive birding.

Mexico 191

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 191

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2018

Angela Minor has lived, traveled, and birded from the southern U.S. As a freelance travel writer, she authors the state park birding series at Bird Watcher’s Digest, writes for several travel publications including Blue Ridge Country, Smoky Mountain Living, World of Cruising, and serves as a field editor for Birds & Blooms.

Texas 175

Texas North America Alaska America 175

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2019

Perhaps just once in a decade, the UK experiences an invasion of Painted Ladies , Vanessa ( Cynthia) cardui. Anyone in North America might know them as Cosmopolitan Butterfly. The post Painted Ladies appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Painted Ladies are part of the Aristocrat group of butterflies. Take that Monarchs!

Ireland 121

Ireland South America North America Groups 121

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

They also remind me why I love birding in Michoacán. I would love to know how the order spread across these regions, since that spread must have involved either crossing oceans or the frigid regions that these birds avoid. Both are large, stocky birds, with a large head and long, squared-off tail. Those are good numbers.

Mexico 182

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

The Biggest Week in American Birding – on the shores of lake Erie, Ohio – is going really nicely. Sure, this is my first trip to North America, but still, who could find fault with 20+ wood warblers in a day? What a cool bird! Unsatisfying. I am not saying it was easy, but possible.

Ohio 183

Ohio North America Birds Owls 183

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

New Year’s resolutions from birding friends are starting to trickle in as I write this review. It is the last day of 2015, time to select the bird of the year past and set goals for the bright open future, when everything is new again. The process is called “Wide-angle birding: Be the bird, see the bird.”.

Birds 190

Birds Groups 2015 North America 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2015

So what does climate change mean for birds? Though all birds will be somehow impacted by climate change, I think it is important to note that not all will suffer. As deserts expand, birds suited to arid climates may be just fine. Whats in it for birds? Well…it means everything.

North America 215

North America Birds Suffering California 215

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

But even more bitter is a birder’s envy… Jealousy makes up so much of the birding experience that I imagine the green-eyed monster derives its color from parrot plumage. But the envy that gnaws at me right now stems not from the thought of the 9,000+ birds that I haven’t yet seen that others have.

Emotional 160

Emotional 2011 Ohio ALA 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Birding for the Curious: The Easiest Way for Anyone to Explore the Incredible World of Birds by Nate Swick brings birding back to its roots—a simple, joyous way to enjoy nature using our eyes, ears, hands (for sketching), and brain. There are now no excuses except a lack of curiosity. And, nobody wants to admit that.

Birds 263

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Newly surrounded by wildlife, he found his love of birds reignited. A professional hawkwatcher for many seasons, his passion and knowledge saw him invited to join the board of the Hawk Migration Association of North America in 2013. This is Luke’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Great birds. Sociability.

Bald Eagle 238

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 238

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2020

How long does the bird stay aloft, and how many dives does he do? Other “ Explores” are directed at the soft, amorphous practice-singing of young, first-year songbirds ( Explore 24, in Chapter 4, “How a Bird Gets Its Song”) and the specific differences between warbler dawn and day songs ( Explore 52, in Chapter 7, “When to Sing, and How”).

Virginia 242

Virginia Boston North America 2020 242

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2012

There are probably more identification guides about raptors than there are for any other bird group. But, before Jerry Liguori’s wonderful photographic guides of Hawks at a Distance (2011) and Hawks from Every Angle (2005) and before Clark and Wheeler’s classic Field Guide to Hawks of North America (2nd ed.,

North America 222

North America Bald Eagle Birds Eagles 222

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2015

I started birding in what must have been 1978. Each new bird has been and still is a major personal achievement, another goal made, and always cause for unquestionable personal celebration. That’s how important the lifer experience is and I suspect most other birders who started out young feel the same.

Costa Rica 150

Costa Rica Birds Pennsylvania North America 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

2014 has been a good year for us at 10,000 Birds. We’ve traveled to lots of places, seen lots of great birds, and met lots of great birders. So, as we’ve done for the last several years we thought we would share our Best Birds of the Year with you. Below are our Best Birds of the Year. What was yours?

2014 188

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 188

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Podilymbus podiceps is most certainly common in my experience, able to be seen consistently across varied habitats throughout nearly all of North America and much of South America. Take a new look at your most common birds. However, this gorgeous little grebe can hardly be considered mundane.

Texas 190

Texas South America 2011 North America 190

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2012

After all, North America has no native hedgehogs and seeing something so outside of our normal experience was pretty exciting, even if the little guy quickly headed for cover and refused to show itself for Clay Taylor, who came upon the scene a minute too late. Fine, my best bird was a White-backed Woodpecker , alright? …

Hedgehogs 169

Hedgehogs Hungary Opossums North America 169

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

North America is in the prime of raptor migration season, with millions of hawks, accipters, and buteos flying south for the winter. It features spots, associated with Audubon centers or contributed by individual birders, which may afford views of thousands of birds a day. Calling all hawkeyes! Enter the Audubon Society.

Illinois 188

Illinois Pennsylvania United States North America 188

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2020

Every year along the Atlantic Coast of North America, from June to November, experienced birders anticipate the exciting possibility of finding rare, tempest-tossed seabirds blown in from the tropics far north of their usual range. So, while I missed out on any Isaias rarities, this week’s featured beer offers some consolation.

India 167

India Squirrels North America America 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Twitching is a British term used to mean “the pursuit of a previously located rare bird.” ” In North America it is more often called chasing, though the British usage is starting to catch on there, especially among younger birders 1. Basically, I never had the time to chase birds. This was a no-brainer.

California 100

California North America Wildlife Campaign 100