10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

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. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2012 241

2012 Eggs Hunting Woodpeckers 241

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Though I traveled to NYC this weekend, Ivy and I nailed down our best bird before I left; a Short-eared Owl has been hunting at a local park not 10 minutes from our house, which makes for the easiest owl sighting we’ve snagged in a long time! What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2020 232

2020 United States Jamaica Owls 232

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

These reports (called “ Banking on Nature “) are relevant to birders because they are among the few comprehensive analyses that relate to the economic impact of birders on national wildlife refuges, which are among the more popular birding locations. A number of these NWRs appear on my list of the Top 25 NWRs for Birding.).

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Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 279

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

What do you think makes for a good bird hide? I have asked myself that same question many times over the last six months, until last week, when I was involved in an opening ceremony of five new bird hides at the Palic Lake, by the town of Subotica in the very north of Serbia, along the border with Hungary (all photos are from that area).

Serbia 268

Serbia Spain Birds Hungary 268

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2013

In fact, we lead the world in these ubiquitous red birds, a fact that undoubtedly chafes terrorists and freedom haters everywhere. My best bird this weekend was hardly rare, but spotting a Great Blue Heron in a suburban yard far from water definitely caught my attention. That’s his third new bird in Queens in less than a month!

St. Louis 224

St. Louis 2013 United States Arizona 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2013

The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act , which went into effect seventy-nine years ago on July 1, 1934, authorized the annual issuance of what is popularly known as the Duck Stamp. In 1976, Congress changed the official name to the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp , presumably to broaden its appeal to non-hunters.

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Ducks Wildlife Hunters Hunting 262

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

If you ever wonder why so many American birders leaven their love of nature with a little self-loathing, look no further than the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation , which the U.S. Bird watchers definitely pay, even if our economic contributions are patently ignored. billion to almost $4.1

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Hunters 2006 Ducks Wildlife 262

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2015

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his first Gull-billed Tern of the year at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. They are a graceful tern and Corey appreciated watching it hunt, feed, and fly over the marshes. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2015 Jamaica Hunting Birds 203

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.

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Florida South America United States North America 255

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

I have put this post off for a couple of months now because I wanted to avoid dealing with the huge pile of American Bittern images I had after my experience at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival back in January. 10,000 Birds is a Scrub Jay-level sponsor of the 15th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival. ……… a.

Wildlife 242

Wildlife Hunting Fish Experience 242

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It took me a while to wrap my mind around the concept of Birds and People , Mark Cocker and David Tipling’s book that, in 592 pages, explores the intersection of just that—birds and us. Nor have I overlooked “sightings” of birds in movies mouthing other birds’ calls. I’m not sure why.

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Egypt Birds Albania Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2012

The family Picathartidae consists of two very unusual birds; White-necked or Yellow-headed Picathartes , endemic to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa; and Gray-necked or Red-headed , restricted to Lower Guinea forests of Central Africa. White-necked or Yellow-headed Picathartes, Bonkro, Ghana.

Sierra Leone 274

Sierra Leone Ghana Equatorial Guinea Cameroon 274

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2019

Imagine that… a successful snipe hunt. But on Friday evening he and Daisy visited Irvine Regional Park at dusk and were rewarded with Lesser Nighthawks , a lifer and an awesome Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2019 184

2019 New York California Hunting 184

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Sadly, the HBW states that the species is “almost extinct in some areas in China owing to hunting and trapping for the cagebird trade and taxidermy” The Maroon Oriole looks much more interesting, though my photos do not really do it full justice. ” Contribution to the vibrant bird community. A bad one, admittedly.

Nepal 237

Nepal Birds Owls Nigeria 237

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

That will be the opening day of the 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. Who knows what great birds 2015 will bring? Like this past January, I will be leading field trips and spending the rest of my time birding. So, basically, I’ll be birding all the time.

2015 256

2015 Wildlife Florida Honduras 256

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2014

and provides diverse nature experiences for visitors from around the world. Fishing accounted for 21 percent and hunting 7 percent. Congress appropriates these monies primarily with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF). It preserves habitat, protects wildlife.

Ducks 263

Ducks Wildlife Hunting Hunters 263

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

“In 80 birding tours to more than 100 countries, that was definitely the best day of birding I have ever had in my life!’ What a way to sum up what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest birding sites and certainly my favorite in southern Africa. However, the great birding experience that is Sani starts lower down.

Lesotho 225

Lesotho Rats Africa Woodpeckers 225

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2014

even before I took binoculars, I was always chasing, hmm… impressionable experiences. Can birding possibly compare? I haven’t put myself in life threatening situations while birding (unless you count paddling with crocodiles ?). More of a hunt? Birding Europe Serbia wetlands' Museums – majority of them?

Serbia 260

Serbia Farming India Europe 260

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2013

What’s not to like about big, bright red, big-beaked, birds? Hunting of Scarlet Ibis for their feathers as well as drainage of portions of the swamp for rice harvesting was, at one time, putting what is now a major tourist destination in jeopardy. If you visit Trinidad and Tobago you must visit Caroni Swamp.

Trinidad 247

Trinidad Spain Cooking Hunting 247

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

I am still tired from the long drive, but it was great to play with the very best toys for birders, to be able to share experiences and to ask the factory staff all sorts of silly questions. At the end of the workshop we all went birding, to further test the glasses of our choice. impressive for Central Europe.

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Austria Factory Asia Battery 299

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2015

I came late to bird feeding, and when I was finally able to put out a “thistle” sock and a seed feeder (or two or six), I was amazed by the learning curve. There is a long list of articles and books on how to feed birds in your yard. Feeding Wild Birds in America: Culture, Commerce & Conservation by Paul J. And conservation.

America 250

America Squirrels Industry Birds 250

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

You may have read my recent piece on Birding the Okavango Delta in Botswana here on 10,000 Birds. If you have never thought of India as a birding destination, I’d urge you to give it a good look. Babita Tours has many years of experience organizing tailor-made wildlife tours for private groups in this wonderful country.

India 260

India Wildlife Tigers Rhinoceros 260

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

His second book on migration is a tale of many birds and many research studies all connected by the theme of migration and by his thoughtful narrative voice. His second book on migration is a tale of many birds and many research studies all connected by the theme of migration and by his thoughtful narrative voice.

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Cyprus Slaughtered Slaughter Research 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

Birding’s Holy Grails. One of the most highly desirable birds in the world, the Pel’s Fishing Owl is a true phantom. The bird eluded me for nearly 20 years until I stumbled across one at Phinda Private Game Reserve , where I worked in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Typically these birds hunt at night and are very shy.

Fish 262

Fish Owls Botswana Barn Owls 262

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

Yet, one other hunting attempt in the same area I do remember. My notes of that paddle include some other mouth-watering birds too, such as three Velvet Scoters and two Red-throated Divers.). The next memorable hunt came from winter 2006/07. Among the birds in the shallows, there was one strange sight. And, now, at eBird.

Serbia 259

Serbia 2004 Eagles Chickens 259

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2015

I was there for awhile on Friday afternoon and, as usual, enjoyed my time there, mostly because of a single amazingly cooperative Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that was so intent on hunting fiddler crabs that it essentially ignored both me and my digiscoping rig, at times only five meters from where the bird foraged.

New York City 255

New York City New York Hunting Sparrows 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2024

After a well-deserved rest following a very profitable morning’s birding in the nearby Moco-moco village , we took the short walk from our lodge down to the dock. The second bird followed suit, physics itself noisily straining to keep the bird airborne as it wheeled overhead.

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Guyana Otters Trinidad Bats 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2012

There is a certain amount of communication among different people at which time data is exchanged, but far far less than most armchair Hunting and Gathering experts (like, most archaeologists) would ever guess. Knowledge is more likely to be shared via shared experience than the exchange of data, though both happen.

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Compassion Research Cooking Transported 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2013

Great Gray Owl , Northern Hawk Owl , Snowy Owl – this trinity captures the imagination of most birders with their imposing presence, unique adaptations, and beauty as among the most desired species of bird to see in the world. Within minutes, I spotted a crisp, cold white bird flying right in front of the car.

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Minnesota Owls Bald Eagle Hoarding 229

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2012

My experience of Common Nighthawks had previously been at dusk as they begin hunting for the night. The primaries of a Common Nighthawk project slightly beyond the end of the tail when the bird is at rest, but we took the whiteness of the belly and lack of contrasting pale tertials as better indicators in the circumstances.

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Miami Florida Hunting Breeding 220

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2022

Some of my earliest bird-related memories (what other memories even exist?) Today, Barn Owls can be found across both islands, hunting open fields at twilight or comfortably resting in abandoned relics of the sugar cane industry. Visitors to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary can often see a pair roosting together in the mangrove.

Trinidad 279

Trinidad Owls Barn Owls Abandonment 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Originally a hunting term, the Big Five were the most dangerous and prized targets of the great white hunters on safari. As visitors’ and the public’s interests expanded from the Big Five, and an appreciation for lesser mammals, birds and smaller wildlife has became more widespread, the term Little Five was coined.

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Buffalo Rhinoceros Leopards Elephants 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

And, sure enough, as the sun set birds came over in ones and twos and fours and fives, adding to what was already a pretty darn big flock of birds spread out on the West Pond. Mostly the ducks were Red-breasted Merganser and Greater Scaup , the two most prevalent species on the pond, but there were a few other birds mixed in as well.

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Ducks 2011 Jamaica Deer 227

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Cuban Trogon, the national bird who wears the colors of the Cuban flag! There is an island of fascinating birds out there, and I want to see them all. ” birding destination.* The full name of this unique volume is Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Guide Including West Indian Endemics Living in Cuba.

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Cuba Birds 2000 United States 244

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

“Target birds” The term can foster excitement but is easily contentious. Aren’t all birds worth watching? There’s nothing wrong with appreciating and watching every bird but there’s also nothing wrong about going to great efforts to see lifers only found in dreams. Fiery-throated Hummingbird.

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Costa Rica Panama Birds Nicaragua 203

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

Memorable encounters with Mammals: Part I Most birdwatchers enjoy seeing mammals, but the trouble with mammals is that they tend to be much more challenging to see than birds. I remember the guide on my first Kenyan birding safari remarking that “birding groups always see far more mammals than those who come just to see animals.

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Fur Otters Bulgaria Estonia 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Just under a fortnight ago, I saw a report on the local bird alert of a sighting of a group of approximately 20 Nacunda Nighthawks at a wetland not more than 20 minutes from where I live. Especially as we were at the time about to experience a rapidly advancing tropical storm. Such is birding, such is life.

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Livestock ALA Ducks illegal 264