10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2021

In late June, I flew into O’Hare and drove north to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. On eBird, Horicon NWR has nearly 300 species observed, more than 18,000 checklists, and 13 hotspots. It is a popular eBird hotspot with nearly 13,000 checklists and 260 recorded species. There is an auto tour route with several trails along the route.

Wisconsin 263

Wisconsin LACS Milwaukee Portland 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

I pointed at the bird shown below but he insisted it could not be that species – no long tail … For people of a certain age, gender and background, at some point The Smiths were the most important band in the world. Other species, such as this juvenile Light-vented Bulbul , seem to have more ambiguous feelings about molting.

LACS 225

LACS Birds France Japan 225

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

ALWAYS assume there is some other bird species in there that you have not found yet. Here is a flock of endangered species. Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota. Some birds breed in flocks, at least in part to avoid predation. Could a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper be mixed in with that flock of Pectorals ?

North Dakota 161

North Dakota LACS Oakland Iceland 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2012

Most of them are essentially telling you what species they are when they talk, so just focusing on appearance may make the identification process more complicated than it has to be. Photographed at Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, ND. Their bills are obviously different lengths and shapes…they must be different species, right?

LACS 185

LACS Alaska Connecticut Wildlife 185

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

And, the whole question of subspecies, which in the Northeast tends to focus on the Cackling Goose, but which I’m sure is a topic of fascination with other waterfowl species in all other parts of the world. The publicity material says 84 species, but I counted and recounted, and I only see 83.

North America 147

North America Asia Europe America 147