10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2024

True, most of our migrant breeding birds start to return in April, but in May even the late arrivals – Turtle Doves, Swifts, Spotted Flycatchers and Nightjars – finally appear. Perhaps most spectacular of all were two fine Grey Plovers in full breeding finery, living up to their American name of Black-bellied Plover.

Greece 227

Greece Turtles Breeding Europe 227

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. It keeps a monthly record of sightings, so I can tell you that it was in February that I recorded my highest monthly species total (106), while my lowest total was in August (39).

Estonia 235

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2019

Common Nightingales were singing, a squadron of Dalmatian Pelicans was in the air and everything was exactly where it should be, including myself. At mid-day, we took a boat tour of the heronries and the pelican islands with Nikos. Dalmatian Pelican © Dusanka Stokovic-Simic. Belles, rising steeply two kilometres (1.2

Greece 199

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Fish 199

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2023

While the P-a-P Wildfowl Trust’s main thrust is the breeding and release of five duck species, the habitat encourages a number of native wetland birds to inhabit and proliferate the area. Due to the plethora of bird species around, invariably we were to experience something breathtaking.

Trinidad 263

Trinidad Birds Ducks Fish 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2024

Take a quick look at the breeding distribution of European birds and you will see that there are a surprising number of species that are restricted to the Balkans. It is these Balkan specials that are the target species… Source

Herzegovina 214

Herzegovina Albania Bosnia Macedonia 214

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

With more than 312 so far recorded bird species, Lake Kerkini National Park offers great birding year-round. In spring, a huge heronry of 10 species (including Spoonbill , Glossy Ibis , Squacco , Purple , and Night Heron , Pygmy Cormorant , etc.) and up to 9000 pairs forms in the north of the lake.

Greece 264

Greece Wildlife Boars Otters 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

The area is one of the most important in Greece for birds, comprising more than 270 species. Finally, of the at least 20 species of mammals present here, the otter, the jackal, and the wildcat certainly deserve a mention. And we were here in the very last days of June, just after that “to a lesser extent” good season.

Greece 196

Greece Pelicans Otters Birds 196

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2015

Brown Pelicans are quite popular in Louisiana. One of the state’s nicknames is “The Pelican State,” the bird is on the state’s flag, the state seal, the state painting (yes, apparently states have official paintings), as well as on one of Louisiana’s bicentennial coins.

Louisiana 160

Louisiana Pelicans Legislature Seals 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

We felt in high spirits after a gorgeous afternoon in the grassland, tallying up over 20 species of birds, including three lifers for me. However, there was no mistaking them: we had happened across a large flock of American White Pelicans ! Add another species to the daily list! Ring-billed Gulls in the fading evening light.

Kansas 115

Kansas Pelicans ALA Cows 115

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2021

Geographic patterns of species richness for birds (1,558 species) in East Africa at 0.25° resolution (blue indicates low species richness, while brown indicates high species richness). At the time of writing, Uganda has 16 hotspots with 400+ so far eBirded species, of which one has almost 600 species.

Africa 211

Africa Kenya Uganda Tanzania 211

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2013

Of course Africa could not to be left out of the pink weekend so I have researched all African species whose official or alternative names include the word “pink”. Pink-backed Pelican. Its a pelican that is restricted to freshwaters whereas Great White also enjoys the marine zones. There are certainly some stunners involved.

Africa 219

Africa Somalia Mozambique Pelicans 219

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2017

In early August this year, I saw 77 species here (69 on the lake, plus 8 more in the surrounding areas) but barely more than a thousand individuals. In my homeland, some 800 km / 500 mi further north, these ducks are common on migration but very rare in the breeding season and I realized that these are my first young birds – ever.

Greece 196

Greece Killing Pelicans Eagles 196

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

For mankind to snatch away a species’ very existence is wrong on so many levels that I can’t begin to explain them. However, despite our best efforts to wipe them off the face of the earth, some of the more vulnerable species have managed to hang on. this species breeds. this species breeds.

Albatross 214

Albatross Endangered Species Bald Eagle Alaska 214

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Other species of interest include the southernmost breeding population of Greylag Goose in Europe, Goosander (at bigger and deeper Megali Prespa), Hazel Grouse (at Mt. The local bird list is impressive at 273 species and my September daily averages were around 50 bird species.

Greece 178

Greece Albania Macedonia Europe 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

I chalked up 132 species in a pretty relaxed eight days, during which birds shared the agenda with culture. With 154 eBirded species almost single-handedly spotted by the UK expat Geoff Laight, the Paljuvi is the latest addition to the top-5 list. With 154 eBirded species, the Beljarica shares the 4th place on the list.

Serbia 167

Serbia Bulgaria Farming Turtles 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

During the winter migratory season, I can always count on seeing at least 70 species of birds. Last week’s visit, on November 4th, resulted in 76 species, with a very conservative estimate of over 2,000 individuals. Hundreds of White Pelicans and Long-billed Dowitchers proved the winter season has arrived. All Wigeons.

Ducks 135

Ducks 2018 Pelicans Europe 135

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2022

It is not particularly big but has a reported 430 bird species including migrants, though during my short stay it seems I missed most of the key attractions among them. Great White Pelican is not just the name of a non-existent glam-rock band but also of a bird species. Pel’s Fishing Owl, where were you?

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds Fish 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

My Dark-eyed Juncos are trilling in preparation to retreat to quieter breeding grounds, the Black-Capped Chickadees sing their two notes, and the Song Sparrows absolutely will not shut up. Snow Geese overgrazing their breeding grounds, displacing other Arctic-breeding species and setting themselves up for a fall.

Geese 183

Geese Montana Pelicans Breeding 183

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

The book is divided into three parts: “Introduction,” “Avifaunal Overview,” and “Species Accounts.” The authors’ detailed delineation of problems with the accuracy of NYC breeding bird surveys or with the limits of historical writings may test a reader’s patience. Most birders will go straight to the “Species Accounts.”

New York City 156

New York City New York Birds Breeding 156

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2014

Defining Belgrade bird specialties is the hard part – there is no defined criterion, beside attractiveness which often comes from how uncommon some species is. E.g., a few weeks ago I guided a British couple around Belgrade, visited about four major sites and found more than 60 species. Black Stork – spring/summer.

Serbia 183

Serbia Eagles Sparrows Falcons 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2016

The exposed mudflat provided ample foraging opportunities for birds, and Brown Pelicans , Willets , and White Ibises dotted the shallow edges, keeping a safe distance from the teenagers. Rookery Bay, FL. As we watched, a slightly different silhouette soared in from the blue sky above, landing gracefully near a Red Mangrove tree.

Florida 145

Florida Mexico Protection Pelicans 145

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. Ringer Anhingas and darters , cormorants and shags , frigatebirds , gannets and boobies , pelicans , and the tropicbirds all share a characteristic found in no other living bird: Their feet are totipalmate.

2011 155

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea California 155

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2013

It was made a National Park in the 1980s and is a major breeding and nesting area for over 30,000 seabirds. The frigates are by far the most numerous and evident of the island’s nesting species. A male Magnificent Frigatebird in full breeding regalia. A Brown Booby, one of three booby species to be found on the island.

Whales 265

Whales Whaling Sharks Marine Life 265

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Spoonbills and ibises are stocky, colorful wading birds with distinctive bills: downcurved and pointed in the case of ibises, flat and paddle shaped in the spoonbills (above is my shot of Roseate Spoonbills ( Platalea ajaja ) near a breeding colony in Louisiana). A cryptic species? Interestingly, Ramirez et al.

Louisiana 204

Louisiana Mississippi America Pelicans 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

I’m talking, of course, about “my” flock of American White Pelicans. American White Pelicans spend their winter months along the Gulf states, California, parts of Arizona, and Mexico down into Central America. They migrate north through the Western United States, breeding in pockets all the way up through Canada.

Pelicans 241

Pelicans United States Arizona Canada 241

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Then a little later there was a spot of bother with DDT, but we pulled out of that one ok, with a toolbox that would surely stand us in good stead if we only had the will to use it – legislation and literature, captive breeding programs, nest platforms. And we did , for the Peregrine Falcon and Osprey , the Brown Pelican and Bald Eagle.

California Condor 204

California Condor Guam Whales Whaling 204

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2017

Taking my usual route along Okaloosa Island’s Beasley Park, I noted Laughing Gulls , Brown Pelicans , a Snowy Plover or two, and the usual packs of Sanderlings. In Florida, the Least Tern is a state-designated threatened species; the interior populations are federally endangered. For me, that moment came last week.

South America 103

South America United States Protection Pelicans 103

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. Storks are typically viewed as wetland species and whilst some storks are restricted to aquatic habitats, others are not. This is another wetland species that nests in sometimes huge colonies atop trees bordering rivers and lakes.

Africa 245

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2012

Matheson Hammock County Park is a special place to many who grew up in the Miami area, filled with the nostalgia of taking one’s first swim in the ocean, seeing their first Brown Pelicans , or dip netting through the seagrass beds to find Pygmy Seahorses (the most coveted and prized catch).

Miami 162

Miami Florida Pelicans Birds 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

Part of its attraction lies in it being a monotypic bird in the family Hypocoliidae – there are no other bird species in its genus and family. The other part of its attractiveness may be coming from the fact that it breeds in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan – countries seldom visited by foreign birders. Castor oil plant.

Iran 229

Iran India Pakistan Afghanistan 229

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

We saw sparrows–a total of 14 species–and we saw many other great prairie birds, and we often saw them perched on posts. I don’t know much about prairies, but I have discovered that there is more to them than just grass, and that they are home to hundreds of butterfly and bee species and thousands of moth species.

North Dakota 146

North Dakota Sparrows Birds Blackbirds 146

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

The warm, sunny climate beckons a wide variety of passerines, raptors, and shorebirds to spend the winter, inflating the species diversity to the extent that Miami-Dade can go toe-to-toe with counties in Texas and Arizona during this season. Can we hit 200 ABA-countable species in four days next year?

Miami 168

Miami 2015 United States Florida 168

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

But, I did take many photos, and used the book, in spurts during the trip and more closely afterward, to identify three seabird species, two expected (Sooty and Black-vented Shearwaters) and one a surprise. It does not include near-shore, coastal species, like Brown Pelican, Elegant Tern, and Harbor Seal.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Porpoises Whales Whaling 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2013

The ride from Prisoner’s Harbor, where we had spent our day, to Scorpion Anchorage, was uneventful, though Desi did fall asleep and I did enjoy pretty good views of breeding-plumaged Pigeon Guillemots. This picture actually has three species of shearwater in it - Pink-footed , Sooty , and Black-vented.

Whales 151

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 151

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

Nick finds a bird-shaped protrusion at the top of the rock – Black-eared Wheatear , not exactly a species I expect to observe from a boat deck. This shearwater is a Mediterranean endemic, breeding from Sardinia and Corsica to the Adriatic and the Aegean. The Sun already sets and I haven’t seen a new species in a while.

Greece 242

Greece Malta Croatia Italy 242

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

I didn’t really have time to stop, but as I was passing by, I saw hundreds of American White Pelicans fly up and thought I’d better take a drive through and see what else was there. I spotted a Eurasian Wigeon amongst the American Wigeon right out of the gate, but that wasn’t the best sighting of the day. Get yours today!

Wildlife 155

Wildlife Sacramento Jordan 2011 155

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

Of course, reading field guides breeds jealousy. It’s easy for West Coast birders to covet the variety of wood-warblers back east, while eastern birders may lament the dearth of hummingbird species on their side of the continent. Pelican Brewing Company: Hazy Rock India Pale Ale. The envy goes both ways. Cheers again, Jason!

Pelicans 113

Pelicans India Vermont San Diego 113