10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Fortunately, nature assures that, as one suite of birds leaves, another takes its place. Corey enjoyed some good birding on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. But his Best Bird of the Weekend was one he saw with his family on a visit to Jamaica Bay on Saturday evening. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2020 Rabbits Jamaica Pelicans 279

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2021

The onset of summer birding doldrums in the temperate range of the Northern Hemisphere generally means highly restricted avian diversity… except in those places where it does not. Basically, summer birding resembles that of other seasons, just hotter and slower! What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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New York Virginia Birds Family 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2011

My 8-year old daughter got interested in birds from a VERY early stage. By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. So I guess for some people birding skills come naturally but, for others, birding skills need to be learnt. And perhaps 20 others by sight.

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Birds Game South Africa Wildlife 279

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.

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2012 Eggs Hunting Woodpeckers 241

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.

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Honduras El Salvador Costa Rica Arizona 254

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2021

As grumpy as these daily 30-degree temperature swings are making me, you have to wonder how the birds are reacting. My family’s walk through Rochester’s historic Mt. Corey had a pretty amazing weekend, birding-wise, with a host of highlights including Sora , Hudsonian Godwit , Wilson’s Storm-Petrel , and more.

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United States Turtles 2010 Birds 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

Namibia is politically stable and a safe country to visit offering spectacular scenery, untouched wildernesses, vast game reserves, superb wildlife and fascinating cultural experiences. Over 700 bird species occur in Namibia, many of them range-restricted and highly desirable southern arid zone species.

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Namibia Angola Lovebirds South Africa 272

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

Birds are still, as ever, on the move according to their own rhythms, but the next few months should bring some familiar friends to you, wherever you are. I finally had a chance to visit my brother and his family in their beautiful new home in Westchester. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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Birds Family Experiments Experience 259

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. Mercedes Rivadeneira has been in the birding tourism and nature conservation business for over 30 years!

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Ecuador Birds 2019 Cattle 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Actually, many birds started their seasonal peregrination weeks ago and may have many more weeks ahead until they’ve reached their destinations. Migration is meaningful to those of us who appreciate when non-local birds invade our local airspace, so make the most of this one. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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Breeders Owls Birds Family 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2020

That summer generally signals a decline in local avian diversity probably hasn’t sunken in yet, but rest assured the birds you saw this weekend may grow tiresome in another month. Corey enjoyed camping with family and friends for the long weekend after getting tested for COVID and coming up negative. How about you?

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2020 Owls Birds Family 255

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

We’re a little slow to discuss this weekend’s birding because many of us in the U.S. But if you’re eager to share the spoils of your recent avian adventures, let the bird bragging commence! What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend' How about you?

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2014 Birds Family Experiments 249

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2023

Perhaps a little more shock-inducing and paradoxical than concepts of birding at sewage ponds or graveyards, an oil refinery seems to be the antithesis of a desirable place for a birder. From Yellow-hooded Blackbirds to Purple and Common Gallinules , there are almost too many birds to focus on!

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Trinidad Birds Ducks Fish 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2020

At least I didn’t have to travel far for great birds; my whole family thrilled to the sight of an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk chowing down on an unspecified rodent in our yard. Corey enjoyed his weekend at his parents’ house in the Hudson Valley though he didn’t see too many birds. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2020 New York City Rodents New York 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

I know that families in the United States are already fretting/anticipating September’s arrival. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a Least Tern that flew over his apartment, only the second he ever saw from the comfort of his balcony. My best birds were Eastern Kingbirds , which usually catch my attention in summer.

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2013 United States Birds Family 232

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2014

I ask because, despite my deep affection for warmth, indoor plumbing, and uninterrupted Internet access, I found myself and my family enjoying an overnight out of doors. Camping and birding both fall under the category of “nature” activities, yet the two seem only tangentially related. Birding best bird weekend'

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Philadelphia 2014 Birds Family 250

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2020

I need more birds!! As usual, I restricted my birding activity this weekend to local trails. However, my best birds showed up much closer to home in the form of a chattering House Wren family which apparently displaced my usual Carolina Wren. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2020 Birds Family Experiments 248

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2014

April bears the most fruit for my family tree, including my own bad apple birthday this week. Does your family celebrate a lot of April birthdays? What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. Birding best bird weekend'

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New Jersey 2014 Louisiana Bears 233

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Adam Riley, owner and managing director of Rockjumper Birding Tours , is a world birder if ever there was one, but has a special place in his heart for his home continent. Adam will be leading 10,000 Birds readers on an amazing odyssey into Africa starting… now! And Africa is the ONLY continent without an extinct bird to boot!

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Papua New Guinea Equatorial Guinea Madagascar Tanzania 255

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.

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Sierra Leone Ghana Equatorial Guinea Cameroon 274

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2011

For these stunning birds are not easily found outside of the Guianas which includes Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana. On a trip to Suriname to find and film some of these spectacular species I was blown away by the birding. But if you really want to get into serious birding in Suriname, a trip to Brownsberg is a must.

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Suriname Guyana Birds South America 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2021

We’re still far from peak passerine passage, but getting closer every day… I had to move my bird feeder from its perfect position this weekend, because of–of course–squirrels. Corey enjoyed getting out on birding outings both mornings of the weekend, and was out in nature with his family both afternoons.

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Squirrels Louisiana Birds Family 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2015

I hit Lake Ontario for winter birds this weekend and walked away with a trio of Red-throated Loons. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was an adorable Northern Saw-whet Owl at an undisclosed location in Queens. No, he just brought his family to the area he knew one was hiding and waited for Daisy to make the discovery.

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2015 Owls Birds Family 236

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2020

You may have experienced one of the weirdest weekends of your life, what with all bars and restaurants closed and people maintaining a healthy distance from even close friends and family. Then again, you may have passed Saturday and Sunday in quite the same way you spend all your weekends: looking at birds and communing with nature.

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2020 ALA Birds Family 253

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2020

The checklist for a basic birding outing has become more complex during the COVID-19 crisis. Your choice for birding spot depends equally on the abundance of birds and scarcity of birders. Yes, birding may not be as carefree as usual, but the freedom, fun, and fascination the act elicits matters more now than ever.

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2020 Owls Birds Family 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?”

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Compassion Birds Eagles Science 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2020

However, my whole family did take time to appreciate the understated beauty of Mourning Doves. Over the two days he saw a bunch of nice birds but the Best Bird of the Weekend was a singing Common Yellowthroat on Friday morning, either an early arrival or a bird that survived the winter undetected. How about you?

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2020 Birds Family Experiments 243

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

Nearly everywhere in the world, birds are on the wing, not just traveling to and from their daily haunts but returning to their ancestral circuit. Instead of enjoying early migrants, I can appreciate the spring songs of my local winter birds. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

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2015 Birds Woodpeckers Family 247

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2015

Also lots of birthdays in my family, which is cool. And also birds, also cool! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his first Black-and-White Warbler of the year, carefully searching every crevice in the bark of a large oak tree in Forest Park. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

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2015 Birds Family Experiments 235

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2021

I knocked down several first birds of spring this weekend (not literally) but will always give Best Bird honors to a Saw-whet Owl , especially one showing as well as the one Ivy and I located at Owl Woods on Easter. Corey was extremely pleased to finally get out and about birding again after his family all caught COVID and recovered.

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Texas New York Owls Birds 248

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2014

At least the birds seem to appreciate the clement weather! Corey greatly enjoyed his weekend in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with family and friends. In addition to the camping and camaraderie he took some time to catch up to the local breeding birds of which there were quite a few. How about you?

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Colombia 2014 New York Birds 223

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

Actually, signs that winter won’t release its icy grip so readily are also apparent… my traditional Easter family hike was canceled on account of snow. Corey had quite a few species to choose from this weekend but decided that his Best Bird of the Weekend was the simple Tree Swallow. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2015 Jamaica New York Birds 242

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. That’s what makes us such good company: No birds to be seen at the moment?

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New Jersey Guatemala France Birds 246

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

Whether your weekend is still rolling or you are already preparing for the next one, you probably saw some excellent birds during the first weekend of September. His wonderful family agreed to drive straight there before going home and Corey got a new Queens bird! Now that’s a Best Bird of the Weekend!

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2020 Jamaica Birds Family 222

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

Perhaps the weekend’s pleasure proceeded from the arrival of birds not seen here for months. The Best Bird of my weekend was a real find. This species is quite rare during migration in my area and this bird was, in one sense, way too early but, for my purposes, right on time. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2014 247

2014 Birds Family Rights 247

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2011

As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil giveaway we asked readers of 10,000 Birds to name the bird in Brazil that they would like to see more than any other species. It is a really neat bird that I have not seen before. It would mean that I was birding in a really cool place! Come quickly!”

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Brazil 2011 Birds Penguins 247

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