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Disbelief probably seems like the proper response to the idea that there are woodpeckers in New York City. After all, woodpeckers peck on trees, not skyscrapers. But even birders might be surprised to learn that eight species of woodpecker have graced New York City’s five boroughs with their presence!
Why would I call these beautiful woodpeckers the “clowns of the avian world?” ” Besides the facial features of the Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus ) appearing somewhat clown-like, they are a joy to watch and some of their antics are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. www.youtube.com/watch?
Short answer: The woodpecker is most likely not crazy and noshing on the house is not what the woodpecker has in mind. Woodpeckers could be pecking on homes for a variety of reasons, all of which can drive a non birder a bit batty. So, why do woodpeckers peck on human made structures?
A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For the nature lovers and birders who participate in breeding bird surveys, the atlas represents hours, often hundreds of hours, of volunteer time spent within a community of citizen scientists doing what they love, observing birds. So, what exactly does a breeding bird atlas contain?
Like any birder visiting a new place, I had a target species list I was hoping to seek out during the one day I had available between business commitments. The climatic changes set in motion by the Industrial Revolution are now proceeding at a pace far greater than many species and ecosystems can adapt to naturally.
The adventure of the second European Breeding Bird Atlas, or EBBA2, was the topic of one of my first posts here at 10,000 Birds: In a warm Catalonian March, Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets. Original artwork illustrates all species with a full account. The consequences were amusing.
Woodpeckers and finches The top of the city would be the highest peak of the Avala Mountain Reserve (511 m / 1700 ft above sea level), with the Memorial to the Unknown Hero and overgrown with firs and pines. In Belgrade, Serbia, winter months offer surprisingly good birding possibilities. Photo Snezana Panjkovic.
Above them, on limestone cliffs, Alpine Swift and Crag Martin breed. Old beech forests are inhabited by Grey-headed Woodpecker , Eurasian Green Woodpecker , Black Woodpecker , White-backed Woodpecker (rare), Stock Dove (uncommon), Collared Flycatcher , Red-breasted Flycatcher (rare), Marsh Tit and Coal Tit.
She enjoys seeing all species of birds, but her favorites are hummingbirds. A Palm Warbler , in breeding plumage, hopped onto the end of our table. The usual, friendly types are chickadees, nuthatches, and some woodpeckers. A female Pileated Woodpecker We saw a few more birds along the boardwalk.
Then sometimes when you see these birds actively regaining their energy and getting ready for defending territories and breeding, they give the impression that their migration had just been a short jog around the block rather than a marathon across desert, mountains, and oceans.
a British expat birder who was living in Belgrade, for a suggestion: “The top species is undoubtedly White-tailed Eagle. commented further: “With a little work some species can be seen quite easily such as the divers, scaup, scoter, Goosander , Garganey and Long-eared Owl. Black Storks migrate along and breed in the Danube flood zone.
Originally considered monotypic, two species are now recognized. Drakensberg (or Orange-breasted) Rockjumper is a Drakensberg Mountain species whose range is shared with the tiny landlocked kingdom of Lesotho. Males of this species are more brightly colored in their non-breeding winter plumage. the Rockjumpers.
The males can compete with Painted Buntings for their neon colors, and the females, like those of that related species, have their own subtle beauty. (It’s It is always a species they have dreamed of seeing for years.). And breeding season allows me to notice certain details that I might miss during the rest of the year.
There was one odd reprint in 2018, when the Subalpine Warbler was split into the Eastern and Western species, but the changes in the guide weren’t sufficient to call it a 3rd edition, so it remained the updated reprint of the 2nd edition. Another difference, an odd one, some woodpeckers gained weight, could it be a time to consider a diet?
North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate. In the summer, they are the highest altitude breeding songbird in North America. So let’s look at this sampler, shall we? So let’s look at this sampler, shall we? South Texas Birding & Nature.
In Costa Rica, June is breeding bird count season. As one might expect with a breeding bird count, it also gives me an idea of which birds are where, and whether or not other species are still around (side benefits for guiding on that same route as well as future Big Days). Finch a la yellow thighs.
In pastures of the hot lowlands, they tend to be lines of stunted Gumbo-Limbo trees or some other heavily pruned species. In addition to those birds and the Squirrel Cuckoo pictured above, the following are some of the more common hedgerow species of Costa Rica. Hoffmann’s Woodpecker. Yellow-bellied Elaenia.
So much so that the two species are placed within their own family, Chaetopidae. The species is insectivorous and nests amongst the scree and boulders on the steep mountain slopes. Breeding groups typically occupy territories of around 8 hectares and consist of a breeding pair and one or two helpers.
For once, eBird gives a good description of the Asian Glossy Starling, calling it a “Fierce-looking, large songbird” As are humans, this species is fairly urbanized – it “sometimes enters urban areas to roost, e.g. in Singapore” (HBW). “Odd, me?” But the joke simply does not work then).
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.
Over the next few days, the Alpine Accentors ( Prunella collaris ) will arrive on their high-Alpine breeding grounds – it is time to start singing, despite that the treeless Alpine landscape is still under metres of snow. all Alpine Accetor photos digiscoped (c) Dale Forbes. all Alpine Accetor photos digiscoped (c) Dale Forbes.
When to go: breeding and migration seasons (April to June and late August to mid-September). eBird list of the recorded species. It was gazetted as a nature reserve in 1977. To be continued. The post Finding birds in Deliblato Sands, part 1/3: the largest sand dune system of Europe appeared first on 10,000 Birds.
These arid hills, cloaked in a mosaic of deciduous scrub and desert vegetation, form a northern outpost for several Neotropical species while also harboring several key endemics and southwestern Nearctic species. This poorly documented swallow is a breeding endemic to these high mountains. Photo by Andrew Spencer.
It was an undeniably dank morning at the top of this island watershed, and even though we were able to discern some other species like Rufous-tailed Jacamar and the endemic Trinidad Motmot , activity was a bit slow. We were hoping for some of the more secretive species, however. From hidden perches, Blue-backed Manakins vocalized.
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. Or the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. We could do it! Then the 80s happened.
When to visit: best during winter and migration season, but also breeding season. eBird list of the recorded species. When to visit: best in breeding and migration seasons (April to June and late August-September). eBird list of the recorded species. The turn-off is about 1 km / 0.6 Dupljaja area. Vracev Gaj area.
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 and Syrian Woodpeckers – year round.
It was also great to finally travel overseas again, meet a lot of people I did not know (and some I did), to be in a new country… and not just the new country, but its best birding area, where almost all local hotspots are yellow (150+ species) and several are ochre (200+ sp.), impressive for Central Europe.
Jacob suggested the Wagbachniederung, a well-known wetland that is particularly popular amongst photographers for being one of the few locations in Germany where Purple Herons breed. We still focused on the birds of course and saw quite a good number of species, although few were unexpected.
Serbia has 317 eBirded species so far, or 89% of the 356 in the national checklist. The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. Spring migration March to April , 270 eBirded species.
The Veliko Ratno Island birdlist is about 170 species long, of which more than 90 were observed from the Dorcol Promenade. Highlight species: Ferruginous Duck , Goosander , Red-breasted Merganser , Red-crested Pochard , Greater Scaup , Velvet Scoter , Black-throated Diver. In March and November, Common Cranes are a possibility.
But your reason to check the canyon is a White-throated Dipper that breeds there and with some luck, you may even encounter a Rock Bunting. Other species include Grey Wagtail and Marsh Tit. Easy species here are Corn Bunting , Hawfinch , Spotted Flycatcher , Red-backed Shrike , Woodlark , Eurasian Golden Oriole , European Turtle Dove.
Last year, in November, I notched up a dozen species of butterflies, an impressive total anywhere in Europe so late in the year. A feature of the autumn is the abundance of Great White Egrets – up to 200 on the lake – but as far as I know they have yet to breed here. Despite appearances, they are remarkably docile.
Some names are clearly descriptive and thus make one feel good about saying them; woodpecker and grosbeak come to mind. In Costa Rica, we have our pewees, 6 species of them. They won’t build a nest or look for a mate but other than that, their behavior in Costa Rica is pretty similar to that of their breeding grounds.
First, 800 km of driving from Belgrade through Bulgaria to very NE corner of Greece and the Dadia Forest National Park with its 36 species of diurnal raptors, out of Europe’s 38. From there to the nearby Evros River Delta, at the very border with Turkey, with more easterly species such as the Spur-winged Plover.
Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. However, during a storm the chains that kept it anchored broke off and the raft is now stranded on the shore, accessible to stray dogs and not used for breeding. The lake lies at a mere 35 m / 115 ft a.s.l.
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
Not how many bird species , but how many bird individuals. The Wagbachniederung is reknown for its waterfowl, shorebirds, and good breeding populations of several species that are very localized in Germany. I want to know – just roughly – how many birds I have seen in my life.
Being a westerner — raised in California, and now living in western Mexico — I was perhaps most excited about the migratory birds that breed in eastern North America. This was only my fourth encounter with the species (all on the east side). Although, truth be told, this species does seem to be a rarity in Tabasco.)
Lewis’s Woodpecker, flycatcher or woodpecker? Dominated by pine forest, these parks and trails are home to western specialties like Steller’s Jay , M ountain Chickadee , Pygmy Nuthatch , and Violet-green Swallow along with more widespread species such as American Crow and White-breasted Nuthatch.
A bulge in a tree fork behind, likely a broken branch… no, it’s a Black Woodpecker. This is an uncommon species here – only about a dozen birds overwinter in the country annually. published in the US as “Birds of Europe”), shows only a male in breeding plumage. A Green Sandpiper calls, then flies close to where I am standing.
When choosing the top birding area of Serbia for a weekend visit, head for lowlands, Deliblato Sands and Labudovo Okno complex with 250 bird species. If you have 5-7 days, combine these two zones, adding wetlands around the village of Baranda (220 species). Serbia – the big picture. Birding overview. Top-5 hotspots.
One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. The invasive species are few, but, unfortunately, very numerous. But there is a final group of species here, about which I have not written very much.
They are feathered jewels with extraordinary breeding dances almost unrivalled in the bird world. There are, however, two species that are more accesible than the rest of the family. It was one of these species, the Victoria’s Riflebird , that I was lucky enough to see this year in the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns.
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