10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2019

This is the same history of conquest and despoliation which now puts many of these very species in danger of extinction. This longspur,” Driver writes, “is named after a man who fought for years to maintain the right to keep slaves, and also fought against multiple Native tribes.”. McCown is an extraordinary case.

Birds 260

Birds North America Cooking Campaign 260

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

I truly do hope I am not tiring 10,000 Birds’ readers too much with my obsession with Michoacán’s ongoing drought, the disappearance of Lake Cuitzeo (Mexico’s 2nd largest lake, in normal years), and our own micro-endemic Black-polled Yellowthroat. But obsessed I am. Had I thrown a rock, I would undoubtedly have hit one.

Mexico 208

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 208

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2021

Not too many highlights, not too many species … hard to say whether this is just the usual nostalgia for a better but probably nonexistent past or a real phenomenon. The latter is possible, as the undisturbed areas of Nanhui keep shrinking, leaving less and less space for birds. Somehow, for this bird it is ok.

Birds 226

Birds Humane Japan Ducks 226

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Audubon guides to birds have been around since 1946. The first guide bearing the National Audubon Society imprint was Audubon Bird Guide; Eastern Land Birds , written by Richard Hooper Pough, and illustrated by Don Eckelberry. Plate 28 from Audubon Bird Guide, Eastern Land Birds, by Richard H. Knopf, 1994/97.

North America 278

North America America Birds California Condor 278

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2015

I was told when I first started blogging here at 10,000 Birds that I was never to use the short form, “10K.” ” But here I’m using it because someone ELSE used it … the Bird 10K project is an effort to do the whole DNA thing they do on groups of species on the whole mess of 10K (or more) birds.

Birds 223

Birds Groups Research Investigation 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

Not professionally – these people come in SUVs and probably never recapture their gas money from the fish they catch (though come to think of it, neither do I with my bird photos). This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway). One strange thing about Chongming is the inevitable presence of people fishing. End of side note.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Fish 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 211

Dissection Birds Research Europe 211

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2023

Flight Paths is a splendid but risky title for a book about bird migration. It could easily be mistaken for a book about aviation or space navigation or even a flight simulator game if you don’t read the long, adjective-filled subtitle: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration.

Science 182

Science Illinois Investigation Research 182

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

The more data about bird migration we gather from professional and citizen science efforts, the more each one of us can learn about the comings and goings of our favorite species. Another migration tracker that seems to hold great potential for those able to master it is the Find The Data North America Bird Migration page.

North America 166

North America America Science Birds 166

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2015

The previous set up made sure that you discounted 20 years of working in difficult jungle in remote countries to better understand and conserve rare and interesting species, and gets you ready to treat him like the truly arrogant monster he undoubtedly is. You see, the bird was collected for scientific study. Or how gracefully it flew?

Collecting 157

Collecting Papua New Guinea Science Birds 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2023

After Jason recently asked ChatGPT for birding advice, the management consultant in me – constantly thriving for efficiency improvements – immediately thought of the next step. The Seasonal Spectacles: Shanghai’s birding scene comes alive during the spring and autumn migration seasons.

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species China Sanctuary Protection 160

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. Honesty requires that I confess to having seen none of these species. Those are good numbers.

Mexico 178

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 178

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

One of these days, Jeopardy will feature a category called “Field Guides” and the first clue will be: “This landlocked South American country finally got its own bird field guide in 2016, but it wasn’t available in the United State until 2019.” Bolivia doesn’t come up much in discussions of birding travel.

Bolivia 169

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2020

Gaines, notwithstanding that the story (1) takes place in the Uruguay of 1999, with plenty of commentary on the Uruguayan political scene of that time, (2) is narrated by a bird illustrator who identifies the birds he sees only by their common Spanish names, and (3) flashes back to the use of torture by South American juntas in the 1970’s.

Uruguay 152

Uruguay 2001 Bald Eagle Science 152

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Hannah Buschert was first exposed to birds and birding during a required ornithology course at Oregon State University and she quickly caught the birding bug. This is Hannah’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Hannah and Erik ready to see some birds! I love to go on cruises.

South Africa 261

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 261

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

There is GISS and there is Birding by Impression and they are not the same. Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species.

Birds 168

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 168

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. I started eBirding about the same time I started birding, and I made an early executive decision (a very good one) that any pre-eBird observations simply did not count. Birding trips to Florida , New Mexico , and Texas are obvious too.

Puerto Rico 144

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 144

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

There are advantages to being a “Pelican Partner” for International Bird Rescue ! Their release process began with inspecting and banding the birds. Here they are applying the metal leg band… then measuring the bill to discern the gender of the bird (males bills are about 10% longer than females).

Bird Rescue 191

Bird Rescue Pelicans Rescue Birds 191

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2016

I want to alert you to a recent study (from April) that looks at the plight of bird populations under conditions of climate change in Europe and North America. The study looked at common birds, and used data divided by either state (in the US) or country (in Europe). Stephens et al. Stephens, Philip, et al. 352:6281(84-87).

North America 113

North America Europe America United States 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2013

Bird feeding is a major industry. We have citizen science projects like Project Feeder Watch headed by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This past winter was very good for the chance to see boreal owl species in the United States. This past winter was very good for the chance to see boreal owl species in the United States.

Owls 208

Owls Birds United States Tennessee 208

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Hugh Powell is a science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Hugh, who years ago helped me find my first Pauraque in the Rio Grande Valley , visited Peru as part of the 2014 World Birding Rally, where he stopped thinking of himself as an experienced birder. This is his first contribution to 10,000 Birds.

Peru 254

Peru Birds South America Owls 254

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2018

I would wake up in darkness, gather my camera and binoculars and drive to Alabama for a birding tour along a river. There was nothing exciting about my birding as I slowly counted feathered creatures on eBird. In fact, even with the tern and waterfowl species designations I only made it to 11 avian varieties. Driving the boat.

Florida 113

Florida Alabama Kansas Pelicans 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2014

When people are invested in identifiable individual birds, there’s always the chance that nature will do as nature does, and a beloved bird will not survive the perils of migration or will meet with mischance in the winter months. The many eyes on this particular citizen-science prize have also yeilded other results as well.

Eggs 165

Eggs 2011 Science Falcons 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2015

More species of jays can be found here than in any other country on earth. Sixteen resident species to be exact. This species is also called Dickey’s Jay in reference to Donald Dickey who had a life-long fascination with the birds of north-west Mexico. The lodge is perched right at the edge of a stunning cliff-face.

Mexico 161

Mexico Ecuador Peru Science 161

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2011

When climate changes, causing habitats to move, birds can get up and fly away to a new habitat, so really, they’ll be fine. I’ve been working on climate change lately (not causing it, but reading and writing about it) and birds have come up in a few places. Similar things happen to both fish and birds.

Penguins 194

Penguins Birds Cooking Fish 194

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

Erika is a first year graduate student studying Ecosystem Science and Conservation at Duke. In her free time she travels near and far to find birds to continue building her life list, though many of her favorites can still be found right in her own backyard. Dry Tortugas National Park: Bird Banding Sooty Terns.

Birds 174

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2012

Lago de Yojoa, Honduras, February 2009 Let’s say that you are a serious birder on your first trip to the neotropics and are hoping to see as many species as possible. on Apple Snails , for which they have a nicely-hooked, long beak that is just right for digging succulent snails out of the safety of their shells.

Honduras 177

Honduras Birds 2009 North America 177

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2019

It’s a matter of personal preference: neither does every reader like, say, science fiction, or the writing of Henry James, or romance novels. The wealth and depth of information about birds and birding, and the intertwining of birds into each plot, makes them irresistible. There’s no accounting for taste.

Humane 128

Humane 2018 Laws Science 128

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2018

The days for me to add to my Little Big Years species count are getting fewer and fewer, and with it, my budget. Therefore, I am jumping at every opportunity to explore a new area, and subsequent birds that might be there. Right after a couple of quick photos, it was gone, off to more secluded locations.

Oregon 100

Oregon Bald Eagle Owls Groups 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2019

Shorebirds (in Europe: waders) must be an acquired birding taste. No one starts birding dreaming of drab-coloured, unobtrusive and, far on a mud-bar, largely invisible little mud-skippers. Who even spots a Woodsand without deliberately searching for birds? Who even spots a Woodsand without deliberately searching for birds?

Serbia 148

Serbia New Jersey Europe Hunters 148

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2013

Years ago it was pointed out by somebody, probably Tinbergen or Lack or Wynn-Edwards or one of the other great bird-savvy ethologists of the day, that young Pelicans would blackmail their parents by biting their own wings, a very self defeating activity for a bird with a huge and powerful beak.

South Africa 182

South Africa Fowl Africa China 182

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2013

We’re always interested in what he’s up to and pleased that his research and our collective interest in cool birds can come together in such an opportune manner. Would you support research on birds with just a click on Facebook? Basically, we want to learn the molecular mechanics of how birds function and evolve.

Panama 203

Panama Research Investigation Chickens 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2018

A three-day weekend is not nearly long enough to really delve into all of the Yucatan Peninsula’s amazing endemics but I do hope to pick up a few and part of the criteria for the resort we chose had to do with if there was habitat that looked decent for birding. I’m using the relatively new quiz feature on eBird !

Mexico 105

Mexico Belize Honduras Science 105

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

Birds evacuate waste in many ways. Birds will barf them back up out of their mouths. Many are familiar with dissecting owl pellets, but several birds will caste a pellet including hawks, eagles, gulls, herons and heck, I once witnessed a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher hack up a small one. They’ve got it coming and going!

Bats 199

Bats Dissection Owls Minnesota 199

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2014

Developed in the post-frontier era, the NAMWC helped put a stop to wanton wildlife destruction in an era where many species were being hunted and trapped ruthlessly to the brink of extinction. Wilderness Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Air and Water Acts, and similar acts in Canada.

Wildlife 233

Wildlife Hunters Coyotes Wolves 233

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2012

Last week a mystery bird from New Jersey rightly caused a fair bit of confusion among birders of the Garden State and beyond. The bird was a sparrow, that much was clear, but it didn’t seem to fit any of the easily boxes the other North American sparrows can be fairly easily sorted into. New Jersey mystery sparrow.

New Jersey 216

New Jersey North Carolina Sparrows Connecticut 216

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

What if, in turn, the discovery that the species was not truly extinct held the key to saving humanity from another, even more devestating flu outbreak? Well, I love speculative fiction and I love extinct birds and I love extinct birds that turn out not to be extinct the most. Unfortunately, Woodley lost me right away.

Science 159

Science Humane Breeding Rights 159