10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2012

But Gotham’s many parks have some very suitable habitat for birds from the family Picidae and a birder in any borough of New York will generally find at least a couple of species during an average morning’s birding. Disbelief probably seems like the proper response to the idea that there are woodpeckers in New York City.

New York City 244

New York City New York Woodpeckers New Jersey 244

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. That larger clade is in turn sister to a clade containing the four remaining totipalmate bird families, which do still seem to be related, and which needed a new order name once pelicans were removed.

2011 152

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea California 152

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

May – Migration’s Peak and Breeding Begins. We had a wonderful family vacation in Germany and the Czech Republic during which I managed to do a bit of birding. I also spent a bunch of time on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and, as usual, managed to see some birds on workdays. Pied-billed Grebe.

2012 143

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 143

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

They breed across Canada and Alaska’s boreal forest near ponds and lakes, using nest holes made by woodpeckers, almost exclusively flickers. All of the shots in this post were taken on 1 March 2011 at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s West Pond as the sun was going down. Duck Migration Mar 14th, 2011 at 12:01 pm [.]

2011 150

2011 Ducks Deer Portland 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

Corey encountered a bunch of winners, but 24 Common Redpolls at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, in almost the exact same spot he saw them a couple of years ago, feeding on birch inflorescence by the East Pond, were easily his best birds of the weekend. However, I’ll bestow that honor upon my first local Common Grackles of spring.

2011 154

2011 New York Deer Philadelphia 154

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

On Saturday I met up with Seth and we headed out to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where we nearly froze to death and I refused to wear gloves because it is April and gloves aren’t necessary. I moped all the way to Coney Island where I drove with my family on an outing to the New York Aquarium. What a horrific result!

New York City 163

New York City New York Walruses Sparrows 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2017

The dog days of July, when birders desperately seek out south-bound shorebirds, odd breeding records, or anything else to keep themselves from losing their minds in a lousy birding time in the northeastern United States, is not my favorite time of year to bird.

Jamaica 101

Jamaica Wildlife Breeders United States 101

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2021

The mosquitoes and other biting insects often make natural areas almost unbearable, the heat keeps many breeding songbirds from singing much, and migration doesn’t happen much at all except for southbound shorebirds. After the beach I decided to go back to the East Pond of Jamaica Bay again but to try to walk in from the north end.

Jamaica 264

Jamaica Birds New York City Ducks 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

I started out my birding life sitting on Benches 2 and 7 at the Jamaica Bay NWR West Pond, my Peterson’s in my lap, studying Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, and the occasional Pintail. But, as with many avian families, the more you look, the more complicated it gets. So much simpler than pinning down those warblers!

North America 147

North America Asia Europe America 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

Outside of the tropics, nesting would usually take place in the spring (in the southern hemisphere, spring and the height of the breeding season occurs before Christmas); these pictures were taken in March as the weather in Cape Town is beginning to cool.

2011 163

2011 Deer Africa Peru 163