10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2014

There is a fantastic paper just out in Science : “Sustained miniaturization and anatomoical innovation in the dinosaurian anceestors of birds” by Michael Lee, Andrea Cau, Darren Naishe and Gareth Dyke. Whales are cows. The point is, of course, that whales are not cows. You should have said whales. But birds are dinosaurs.

Camels 193

Camels Whales Whaling Apes 193

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

All of these titles deal with birding in specific North American geographic areas: The Atlantic coast, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The photos show the forms of the bird seen on the east coast and are annotated with notes on plumage and other distinguishing field marks. It’s time for some short book reviews. Well, short for me.

Pennsylvania 149

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 149

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

And besides, it’s nice to see something that isn’t the same 12 (now 13) species of seabird (plus Molly Meep Meep, a Black Brant ) There may not be as many as in October, but they are there, and they can be cool. And there aren’t just cool birds rocking up, migratory bats do too. A Humpback Whale. A Hoary Bat.

Whales 157

Whales Whaling Sharks Bats 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2019

Presuming that you want to bird Costa Rica, you would book a southbound flight (from N. Reachable by direct flights from Portugal, the island country of Sao Tome and Principe lying in the Gulf of Guinea, in the armpit of Africa, has about 140 bird species and 28 endemics – more endemics per square mile than anywhere else on Earth.

Costa Rica 178

Costa Rica Sri Lanka Rwanda Papua New Guinea 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Birds of California , the new volume in the ABA series, arrived the day I returned. Every bird book seems to be about the west coast this month!) Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is designed to be a quick, handy resource for use on whale watching and one-day pelagic trips. That’s 22 Marine Mammal species and 43 Seabirds.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Porpoises Whales Whaling 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

Additionally, there are still a few regularly-occurring Pacific pelagic species that I have never seen. The boat is called the Legacy and it is an 80 foot whale watching vessel that generally seats 115, but takes about 70 for birding trips. If I saw that bird, I did not appreciate it, so it is not on my list.

San Diego 147

San Diego Los Angeles Cooking North Carolina 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2013

The boat-trip over to the island is far from uneventful and the pelagic birding is very rewarding. Northern Humpback Whales visit the waters surrounding Isla Isabel every year to mate and its not unusual to see dozens of these cetaceans breaching and whacking their tales on the ocean surface. If you like boobies (no giggles please!),

Whales 251

Whales Whaling Sharks Marine Life 251

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2013

Our time on the island was spent looking at birds, exploring, picnicking, throwing rocks in the water, and admiring a very cooperative Santa Cruz Island Fox. Then the birds showed. Sooty Shearwaters and a Western Gull fly back the aftermath of a Humpback Whale breaching. Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae.

Whales 150

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 150

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

– Birds are indeed dinosaurs, yet, are indubitably not. Knowledge is knowing that a bird is a dinosaur. For example, “the Ungulata include hooved animals with multi-chambered stomachs, except the whales.”. The second feature, which emerged from the first, is that no three (or more) organisms can share an ancestral node.

Monkeys 128

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 128

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it. Who can resist penguins and whales?

Georgia 172

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whales 172

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2017

North America is aflame with eclipse fever right now, which provides yet another opportunity to wonder what life would be like if the average citizen felt a fraction as much passion for birding as is devoted to countless sports, media, celebrities, fashion, or even the rare astronomical phenomenon. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2017 100

2017 Whales Whaling North America 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

The Ross Sea is the most productive stretch of water in the Southern Ocean, teeming with large predatory fish, whales, seals, penguins and other animals that form the last intact marine ecosystem on Earth. There are 11 species of birds that breed in the Ross Sea region. Enough History – Back to the Future. And the Mammals.

Russia 156

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 156

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2014

As New Zealand’s beat writer I think I’ve done an okay job of discussing the birding of an entirely different island for most of the year, so it’s only fair that I keep that winning streak going by talking about my target for the trip. It’s a species that has bedeviled and bewitched me over the years.

Sharks 167

Sharks Leopards Snow Leopard Whales 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

Usually, it’s “Bird eating fish” but here we have a case of a “Bird-eating fish.” It has also found its way to Japan where it is considered to be an invasive species. So, the modal catfish is a fish that hunts from below, can take large prey, and occasionally eats a bird.

Fish 195

Fish Whales Whaling France 195

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2016

The other day, Redgannet, when sharing the 10,000 Birds combined bird list for 2016 , mentioned that I had made some sort of notable contribution by submitting 25 checklists in one day. The reasons for this protocol are as unique as this unique type of birding. That sounds exciting, like there’s some sort of story there.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling North Carolina Mammals 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2011

The risk of bird or turtle nests being crushed by vehicles above the high tide mark is a possibility, but of course it is hard to police these rules. These birds are often seen fishing along the shores, but do attack shorebirds and they are very wary of them. I quickly took a couple of photos and retreated.

Whales 247

Whales Whaling Turtles Birds 247

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2021

The reader gets to know that Moore loves the song of the Meadowlark, and the sight of whales, and other natural things and beings and sounds and emanations. The post “Earth’s Wild Music”: a book review appeared first on 10,000 Birds. In general she has, as she says, a “deep love for the world’s music.”.

Cleveland 240

Cleveland Whales Whaling Alaska 240

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Because, let’s face it, when you get off that plane and look at those severe volcanic landscapes and then find yourself face to face with one of the islands’ four mockingbird species, you’re not going to think, “Oh, look, lava and a mockingbird.” There are changes in where to find the birds.

2006 227

2006 Tortoises Sea Lions Porpoises 227

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I am shocked to be writing this post already, and doubly shocked that I’ve seen six new species for Queens since I guessed what my next five Queens birds would be just eight months ago, back in March. It’s been a good year for birding in Queens! Fortunately, there are birds to help. I’ll make it three!

New York City 150

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 150

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2019

I was poking around my eBird checklists recently and came across one from one of my more intriguing days birding. Like many birders, I’ve had “patches” where I routinely go birding. Patch birding is rewarding because the birds become familiar, as do the changes across the seasons. There is satisfaction in the everyday.

San Francisco 123

San Francisco Portland Whaling Whales 123

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

She contributes regularly to Ontario Nature , reviews books for Birding, and also blogs about her misadventures in bird identification while offering trenchant analysis of avian coiffures on her own blog Birds and Words. This is Julia’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Happy puffins. Murres and Kittiwakes.

Puffins 178

Puffins Whaling Whales Bald Eagle 178

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2013

Some of those mysterious creatures were birds. The most obvious place that cryptozoology and ornithology overlap is in the area of Lazarus taxa and would-be Lazarus taxa — the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Eskimo Curlew, Pink-headed Duck , and the like — birds that no one doubts existed once, whether or not they exist today.

Apes 159

Apes Primates Woodpeckers Whales 159

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2013

Today we take a brief reprieve from birder commentary to talk actual birds, specifically those of Santa Cruz Island, where my lowly-esteemed colleague Seagull Steve is currently doing field work on some of the nearshore seabirds there. The fundamental question is, where is it? is concerned.

California 157

California Sea Lions Whales Whaling 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2011

Most of the time when we think of birds, we think of the things that make them birds, and not the things that make them dinosaurs. You’ll hear people tell you that birds are dinosaurs, and that is supposed to blow you away and make you go all gaga about birds and evolution. are convenient secondary uses.

Birds 263

Birds Marsupials Primates Whales 263

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2012

As pigeons go it is very large, measuring up to 50 cm, and it is one of two species of pigeon endemic to New Zealand. Unlike the rare Parea the Kereru is a relatively common species as does particularly well around Wellington, where they are often seen flying round in search of fruit and leaves.

New Zealand 172

New Zealand Whales Whaling Collecting 172

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

A lot of folks, including this very blog, are using this as an occasion to memorialize not just the Passenger Pigeon but the extinct birds of the Holocene as a group. A species, wiped off the earth, never to exist again. Good, I say. This got me wondering, what was the centennial of the last Great Auk like? Then the 80s happened.

California Condor 189

California Condor Guam Whales Whaling 189

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

I like pelagic birding. Being on a boat surrounded by the endless blue of the ocean is a wonderful experience, especially when the waves aren’t too high, the sun isn’t too bright, and the birds are showing. The other pelagic bird that we saw in numbers on the chum slick we created was Wilson’s Storm-Petrel.

Whales 172

Whales Whaling Dolphins New York 172

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

You should know by now that there are a good number of birds that spend an appreciable amount of time underwater. And then there are the crazy-awesome Dippers and one should not forget the great diving birds like Gannets and Albatrosses. See, with a little bit of imagination, even a scuba diver can find birds all over the place.

Sharks 179

Sharks Thailand Dolphins Whaling 179

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

I bring this up not to boast (well, not much) but because I think that this approach to wildlife travel is somewhat neglected in birding circles. Read most accounts of how birders see birds outside their patch and one way or another, they’re tourists. Nothing forms bonds like rolling around in bird…uh… waste.

Uganda 159

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

This place is such an epic birding location that one cannot possibly do the city and its surrounds justice in one post. These birds, and their closely-related counterparts, the Drakensberg Rockjumper, constantly find themselves on the most-wanted list of pretty much every visiting birder. And rightly so. But by George is it worth it!

South Africa 227

South Africa Penguins Africa Birds 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family.

Africa 225

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 225

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2016

So, last time I promised to write about some of the other birding spots around Cape Town in South Africa. If you aren’t the one driving it’s worth keeping an eye out for Southern Right Whales wintering in the bay (the road is rather to twisty to be looking if you’re driving). Then a rockjumper! Can you see it?

South Africa 124

South Africa Penguins Africa Whales 124

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2013

I will never tire of banging Kaikoura’s drum as the best place in the world to see albatrosses, and since albatrosses are the among the best birds in the world it amazes me that none of you have made it out here yet (actually, some of you have, per some of the comments, but Corey hasn’t). As you can see the birds are really close!

Albatross 164

Albatross New Zealand Fur Seals 164

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Whereas much pelagic birding involves arduous trips out to continental shelves with nothing but gulls on the way, you pretty much start hitting albatrosses a few minutes out of the little harbour and they keep coming for the duration of the trip. This lovely bird is Westland Petrel. The secret to Kaikoura’s bounty is twofold.

Albatross 165

Albatross New Zealand Dolphins Whales 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2013

The birdlife in the Cape is nothing short of spectacular, with a healthy dose of charismatic endemic species. Over 40 species of South African endemics can be found in the Cape – Cape Sugarbirds, Cape Rockjumpers, Orange-breasted Sunbirds to name but a few. A pair of birds nested at Boulders Beach for the first time.

Penguins 198

Penguins South Africa Sharks Leopards 198

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2013

Joseph Chiera is a Masters student in Animal Behavior and Conservation at Hunter College in NYC and a “somewhat newbie” to birding. After taking an ornithology course last year, he was hooked and spends most of his free time birding or reading birding blogs. Of course, birding was on the itinerary!

Iceland 177

Iceland Puffins Europe Birds 177

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate. A Grateful Whale. Empathy Among Elephants.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100