10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Most of the birds I spotted this weekend are the same species I’ll be hanging out with all winter. Corey spent the last weekend before his son started school camping with family and friends in the western Catskill Mountains. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

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Breeders Owls Birds Family 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

While I saw some pretty special species this weekend, the most special was the Gray Catbird because my sweet 7-year niece totally got into finding one; I think I’ve found the next generation birder in the family! If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

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2014 Birds Family Experience 245

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2013

Maybe the name of this blog should be 10,015 birds. That would reflect the number of new species discovered in the Amazon rainforest over the past five years or so, according to scientists. The 15th is grouped in the Bucconidae family and appears similar to a Striolated Puffbird. Birding Birds News Amazon birds new species'

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Bolivia Brazil Peru Bears 219

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. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Why is camping so interesting? How about you? Birding best bird weekend'

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Philadelphia 2014 Birds Family 240

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad.

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Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 264

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? While I didn’t notice any Neotropical migrants this weekend, I was pleased to spot a Tufted Titmouse , a species I tend to miss during winter. The wood-warblers are back!

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New Jersey 2014 Louisiana Bears 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2014

Proving that cruelty knows no bounds, some (language unsuitable for a family blog) in Virginia Beach is shooting blow darts at birds. Meanwhile, an Oregon farmer caught a beating from a neighbor irritated by his loud “bird cannons.” (Who Who knew there was such a thing?).

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Israel Science Hawaii South America 235

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Species formerly referred to as P. One recent study found that this species was sister to P. perdix , and also that race przewalskii (sometimes subsumed within suschkini , but generally paler) was basal to other taxa included within the present species. barbata , but present name has priority. So, I later looked this up.

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China Austria Birds ALA 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

I know that families in the United States are already fretting/anticipating September’s arrival. What elevated the kings of kings above other species this time around was their gregarious behavior. Now that we’re later in the season, they are grouping either in family clusters or anticipation of migration.

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2013 United States Birds Family 209

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America was published in 1934 by Houghton Mifflin (note–Peterson was 26 years old), after being rejected by four publishers. Adding the 76 new species in the Hawaii section, this makes coverage of approximately 884 species.

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North America America Hawaii Birds 260

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

I was looking for a title for this third part of a blog post on the birds of Baihualing, and thought that the made-up term “Trequel” would sound fitting. Somewhat confusingly, its Latin species name is boulboul – a word that stands for nightingale but of course is also the name of a large bird family, the bulbuls.

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Horses Family Blackbirds Species 249

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. How about you?

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2015 Jamaica New York Birds 224

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2014

After scrolling through piles of furious emails regarding a recent blog about Rip Van Winkle’s Crow Killing Contest , it seemed to me that all of us needed Dr. Phil. You can see the comments from both sides by scrolling down after the blog’s conclusion. A late-posted blog comment was both revealing and chilling.

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Killing Hunting Possums Hunters 260

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2022

As this African Green Pigeon shows, the color should offer good camouflage for species living on trees. In case you do not know that brimstone is sulfur, the Brimstone Canary brings the point home by having the Latin species name sulphurata. Different bird families, I know. Lucia for the birds. Celebration everywhere.

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South Africa Africa Saint Lucia Camels 255

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

Many species build nests of sticks or mud or spit on human-made structures , or in houses we’ve constructed specifically for their use. Taxonomically, swallows are one of the few families of birds that has seen little change in its ranks. The family is global in its distribution, with 83 species of around 19 genera.

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Jordan Iowa Birds Connecticut 226

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

Shorebirds – or “shorbs” for the cuteness factor (as if that needed any enhancement) – remain one of the most fascinating families of birds for me. Obliging species like Grey-headed Kingfisher , Long-crested Eagle , and even a pair of Greater Blue-eared Starlings ensured we didn’t get anywhere quickly.

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Buffalo Kenya Trinidad 2019 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2020

Ivy and I couldn’t shake an owl out of Owl Woods but we walked away with all kinds of FOY species such as the unexpected Yellow-bellied Sapsucker calling high in a tree. But it was during an outing to Rockaway Beach with his family on Sunday afternoon that he saw his Best Bird of the Weekend, his first Piping Plover of the year.

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2020 Owls Birds Family 229

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2015

At the request of blog management, I’m embarking on a series of posts on the names of birds. Since we’ve covered some generalities already, once a month I’ll be exploring how a species, genus, or family of birds got its name, and how those names fit in with our larger understanding of, and relationship with, birds.

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Falcons Eagles Meat Geese 260

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2011

On a recent family trip to Jones Beach, on New York’s Long Island, I had the opportunity to observe a small flock of gulls bathing, resting, and preening in some shallow brackish water that had collected behind the beach. I need to go find some sparrows or some other species that are really easy to deal with… a.

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New York Collecting Sparrows Family 217

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2021

Corey was extremely pleased to finally get out and about birding again after his family all caught COVID and recovered. Whatever species it turns out to be it is Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

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Texas New York Owls Birds 216

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2022

If you wonder how such a self-referential and obscure joke survived the editing process for this blog post, the explanation is simple: There is no editing process). Anyway, it seems to work reasonably well for the two species I saw here. Apparently, the complete lack of any field marks is a clear indicator that it must be this species.

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Birds 2017 Fish Breeding 260

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

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. Corey enjoyed his Easter weekend upstate with his family, though he did sneak out in the early mornings to look for birds. Now that’s a Best Bird of the Weekend worth watching! How about you?

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2014 Birds Family Rights 219

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2022

This is how blog posts would ideally start. Instead, they usually just describe species seen at a specific location, with the vague notion that these descriptions might be interesting to other birders. It looks quite distinct compared to some of the other recently discovered species. “Mother died today.

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China Vietnam Asia Birds 259

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

The message she relayed made me blurt out a string of words that cannot be repeated on this blog – let’s just say that my priorities immediately shifted. Typical of the species. Both species seemed content to observe each other though. I was washing the dishes at the time, so my wife took the call.

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Trinidad Birds Squirrels 2012 257

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2024

The proximity to the Myanmar border is reflected in the presence of Burmese Shrikes here – on the wrong side of the border, but it is well known that this species has never been particularly good at geography. This photo explains the scientific species name haemacephalus (bloodheaded).

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Myanmar Sri Lanka Nepal Niger 234

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. millions years ago.

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California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Because when we look at the birds that make up the family Sulidae – not just the tropical boobies, but their burly temperate-zone cousins the gannets as well – we see a pretty incredible group of birds. Bird of the Month: Blue-footed Booby – Jan Axel, Jan Axel’s Birding Blog. Northern Gannet , Morus bassanus.

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Birds Buffalo Pelicans 2012 240

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2017

Way back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. Taxonomy is constantly changing and so does the order of species in field guides. Order of bird families, non-songbirds.

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Brunei 2009 2014 2016 199

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2024

I felt sorry for an American family that couldn’t understand anything said in our church services, so I started interpreting for them. The first Monday out after the festival, I took six people to Las Mesas, because it is almost within the city of Morelia, but offers a wide collection of habitats and species. So that happened.

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Turkey ALA Mexico Collecting 243

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

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Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 246

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

It is one of several species in the Mallard -complex of ducks, along with American Black Duck , Mexican Duck , and quite a few others. Now, what I found interesting is the idea that at least some of the birds in this blog post likely have at least some Mallard genes in them. I hope you liked this blog post of questionable quality.

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Ducks Illinois Florida Mississippi 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Some other members of the shrike family were a bit less testosterone-driven at Nanhui – like this Bull-headed Shrike … … this rather attractive-looking Tiger Shrike … … or one of the many Brown Shrikes passing through Nanhui on migration. Then, I was not sure whether this was the right thing to do.

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LACS Birds France Japan 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

Insects and a host of other invertebrate life have evolved with these plant species, and thus depend on them. A White-browed Scrubwren ; one of the insectivorous passserines in my yard that will benefit from more native plant species. Locally native plants are the base part of the local ecology. The sad part of the story? POST SCRIPT.

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North America Wildlife Mammals Breeding 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2021

Good news for those frightened by the title of my last blog post – we are now back in the safe and boring world of highly descriptive headers. It helps that there is a little bird hide almost on top of the hill, guarded by a Chinese lady and attracting a substantial number of species of birds and birders. You are welcome.

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China Birds Zebras Germany 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

What species is shown? And, as a bonus question, from what blog post on 10,000 Birds is the picture taken? We are devoting a whole week to wood-warblers but are only just barely scratching the surface of possible topics involving this amazing family of birds. Below is the logo. Leave your best guess in the comments.

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United States South America 2011 2012 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2014

En route they will be “birding in nearly every country in mainland North and South America,” and, as they say on their excellent blog , “Our journey is about collecting valuable data on bird species, their status and distribution, current conservation issues, and more along the way. Bicolored Antbird.

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San Diego South America Costa Rica America 228

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Of course, it is hard to justify such an obsession in a blog post ostensibly all about birds. I stopped at the Red Crossbill , realizing that the species indeed “occupies an immense range, including North America, Eurasia, and northern Africa” (HBW) – including Baxi forest, China. Progress of sorts, I guess.

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China Birds Nevada North America 264