10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2012

The bird was immediately apparent to be as such largely because a similar bird has been visiting a feeder, and well-photographed, in Henderson County in western North Carolina for the last three winters. And once you feel comfortable tackling winter sparrow intergrades, well, then I can introduce you to the really weird stuff.

New Jersey 254

New Jersey North Carolina Sparrows Connecticut 254

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2015

The Gulf Stream lies between 20-40 miles off the North Carolina coast, and to the unpracticed eye it looks scarcely different that the expanse of blue water it courses through. These three aspects combine to produce one of the most productive spots in the North Atlantic, a place where birds and fish and marine mammals congregate.

North Carolina 204

North Carolina Mammals Breeding Fish 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2012

Over-wintering hummingbirds have been a staple of birding in the southeast United States for the last 30 years or so, and in my state of North Carolina, it seems that a dozen or so are reported over the course of nearly every winter. At first glance, the idea of hummingbirds in the winter seems to be an odd one.

North Carolina 181

North Carolina United States North America 2011 181

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2012

Sitta canadensis isn’t just irrupting out of its far northern home but exploding southward, with reports in every southern state except for Florida, including birds on the outer banks of North Carolina, on Grand Isle, Louisiana, in a suburb of Atlanta, and on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Bird bloggers from Wisconsin to Massachusetts.

United States 275

United States Owls Atlanta North Carolina 275

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

a miniature version of that well-established national citizen science project the Breeding Bird Survey. Now that the data is being entered into eBird regularly even this extremely local look at breeding birds will have some value beyond sitting in a folder on a professor’s desktop. Hardwood forest, some openings. I mean, really.

North Carolina 167

North Carolina Transported Morals Science 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

Here in North Carolina, I’ve managed to avoid seeing the dreaded Juncos for the last few days, though their presence has been noted on the local listserv. We get to see a lot of them around here, and familiarity breeds, not contempt certainly, but perhaps apathy. You’re done.

North America 240

North America North Carolina South America Tennessee 240

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2014

Every spring, billions of migratory songbirds in Europe fly north to their breeding grounds. And third, related to next week’s post, there is an interesting project being started in North Carolina in which little monitoring devices are being attached to cats to see what they do when running around wild.

Los Angeles 194

Los Angeles Bats Feral Cats New York City 194

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

Small numbers of migrant wood-warblers were around, with Magnolia Warbler , Wilson’s Warbler , and Ovenbird being the highlights, though perhaps Ovenbird breeds there. Blue Grosbeaks were common and clearly on breeding territory. There are few birds as stylish as a Green Heron. I wish we got more of them in New York.

Delaware 213

Delaware New York North Carolina Birds 213

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2014

One of the two sub-species of Red Knot occurring in North America, the Rufa subspecies breeds in the Canadian Artic Region and migrates along the east or Atlantic coast of the United States. The other sub-species, Calidris canutus roselaari , migrates along the Pacific Coast and breeds in Alaska and the Wrangel Island in Russia.

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species Protection Delaware Species 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

There were ten students in total that had signed up for the spring break “Seabirds” course in Dry Tortugas National Park, and after long drives down from North Carolina we had all made it right on time. No, that was not a typo, the Sooty Terns fly non-stop for an average of five years before they return to the Dry Tortugas to breed.

Florida 221

Florida Birds Groups Breeding 221

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2023

The Kirtland’s Warbler is an endangered bird species that breeds primarily in the jack pine forests of northern Michigan. Specifically, the warbler’s primary breeding range is concentrated in a few counties in the northern Lower Peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

United States 162

United States Michigan Texas Virginia 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2011

The vast majority of Baltimore Orioles that breed in North America return to the tropics between Mexico and northern South America for the cold half of the year. He grew up in the midwest but currently makes his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife and 1 year old son, who is not yet aware that he is a birder too.

North Carolina 140

North Carolina 2011 St. Louis Baltimore 140

4 The Love Of Animals

AUGUST 21, 2012

It honors dogs of all breeds — from working dogs to family pets — and encourage pet owners to do something special for their dog. All dogs – whether Best Friends clients or not – are invited to stop by any of our 42 locations on Saturday between 9 a.m. for a free ice cream.”.

Dogs 100

Dogs Oklahoma Maryland North Carolina 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

What I didn’t know was how this relationship actually works: the mechanics of Red Knot migration, the reduced digestive systems necessary for their long flighta, the need to fatten up quickly so they can fly to the Arctic and breed, how they compete with other shorebirds and gulls and, it turns out, humans, for horseshoe crab eggs.

Delaware 212

Delaware New Jersey Eggs Research 212

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2012

There was a pair that were believed to be breeding and the following year successful breeding was confirmed, the first record of the species breeding in New York State. Now if we could only get some breeding Scissor-tailed Kites … The images in this post were either digiscoped or shot with my fancy new Canon lens.

Mississippi 209

Mississippi New York North Carolina New Jersey 209

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2012

One of the more exciting birds this summer in this little corner of North Carolina is undoubtedly the King Rail s that have been regularly reported in a still-water back-arm of Jordan Lake in Chatham County, just south of where I live. For me, King Rail resides in life bird limbo.

North Carolina 197

North Carolina Jordan Broker Woodpeckers 197