10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2015

Like my two previous visits I spent one day that I didn’t have to lead any field trips doing a run through central Florida looking for some of the specialty species of the region. On my previous trips I was successful on each and every species except for the crane. The first farm on the left, where all the cattle are?

Cattle 241

Cattle Bald Eagle Florida Endangered Species 241

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2017

None of these birds are rarities, and would never be considered a species to get all twitter-pated about. The real shock came, when at the last minute, I realized that they were not Greater Egrets , nor the smaller Snowy Egrets , but Cattle Egrets – Bubulcus ibis. I mean not like Corey’s Jabiru , for gosh sakes!

Cattle 100

Cattle Mexico Cows Game 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2022

Whenever we make a trip to Derby we pull over seven kilometres before we get to town at Myalls Bore and the 120 metre long cattle trough. We have seen the cattle trough enough times to know there is not a lot of bird-life using it, because it is easier for the birds to use the water that overflows from the bore to make a wetland.

Cattle 259

Cattle Species Rights Birds 259

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

The official definition of CR status says the species could be gone within ten years, or could lose 80 per cent of its population within three generations – whichever comes first. That can be traced back in time to 1875, when Alfred Brehm wrote that he had found Sociable Lapwings only alongside the domestic cattle.

Sudan 252

Sudan India Ukraine Camels 252

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Still, the outing did not produce any new species for the year, or enough good photos for a post here. Instead, I have chosen to write about an idea I’ve had percolating for a while: to tell you what the most common species are down here. Cattle Egrets are very common outside of the most urbanized areas.

Woodpeckers 363

Woodpeckers Mexico Cattle Turkey 363

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2024

The Amur Paradise Flycatcher is another species breeding in Shanghai. Some herons: a beautiful adult Black-crowned Night Heron … … and a rather less attractive kindergarten of the same species. A Chinese Pond Heron … … and the same species pretending to be a giraffe.

Giraffes 241

Giraffes Rabbits Birds Breeding 241

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

This species loves to sing while high up in pine trees. There was the Botteri’s Sparrow giving a larger Canyon Towhee a piece of its mind, on my way into town: The reservoir itself was underwhelming, only offering me a collection of white Egrets (Cattle, Snowy and Great) and a single Great Blue Heron. Brown-backed Solitaire.

2020 324

2020 Reptiles South America Birds 324

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

Ecuador is one of the world’s leading destinations for birdwatchers, and no wonder: with more then 1,600 bird species found throughout the small country, Ecuador has the world’s highest density of bird species found per acre. In fact, 1,600 different bird species accounts for almost 20% of the species known to exist in the world.

Ecuador 264

Ecuador Birds 2019 Cattle 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

This natural space of almost a thousand acres – once a deforested area for extensive cattle ranching – has been restored for four decades, considering every detail in the aesthetics and functionality of the landscape, seeking the regeneration of bird and wildlife populations that inhabit the ecosystem.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Sanctuary Bats Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 14, 2013

It has no avian endemic species (only one subspecies), and its most spectacular birds like Venezuelan Troupial and Fiery-Topaz Hummingbird can be found in greater numbers across a narrow strait in mainland South America, where you can pick up an additional 400-500 species besides. But they prefer to hang tight in the islands.

Cattle 169

Cattle South America Florida Colorado 169

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2012

Have you ever enjoyed one of those brilliant birding expeditions, the outing where every target species takes its cue with machine precision? The lush pastures of the Aripo Livestock Station sustained herds of happy Buffalypso , a special breed of T&T beef cattle named for their Water Buffalo heritage and Calypso-happy country.

Trinidad 212

Trinidad Cattle Fast Food Blackbirds 212

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

The often overlooked Cattle Egret has legs that turn bright pink during this brief courtship period. Even species that do not undergo visible changes (to us, at least) begin to behave differently. Its normally straw-coloured bill flushes a gradient that ranges from yellow through pink into purple. Even its eyes change colour!

Cattle 240

Cattle Bears Breeding Animal 240

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2021

One bird species that we occasionally observe around Broome is the Yellow-billed Spoonbill, but we had not seen one for a few years until recently. We soon observed several bird species and then a Yellow-billed Spoonbill flew overhead. Not only is it a bird species we rarely encounter, but we had never found a breeding colony before.

Breeding 246

Breeding Australia Cattle Family 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2020

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.

Greece 290

Greece Bulgaria Serbia 2000 290

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

By Martin Garwood Martin has been interested in birds from an early age and has traveled extensively in pursuit of different species. He recently set up a charity, High Weald Swifts, to promote conservation in the UK of this now “red-listed” species. He has a particular passion for Swifts.

Shelters 246

Shelters Cattle Wildlife Hunting 246

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2014

The species that calls western Montana home is the black cottonwood, while plains and narrowleaf cottonwood call the rest of the state home. Near the river it’s a blizzard, complete with drifts on the sides of the path and white flotillas on the water.

Montana 201

Montana Cattle Deer Shelters 201

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2015

Other species I can recognize are colloquially called crocodile bark tree, due to the bark pattern, and paper bark. For you and me, there are about 200 bird species, but for proper tourists, there seem to be only five species in the reserve: Bengal Tiger , Leopard , Sloth Bear , Indian Wild Dog (Dhole) and the Gaur.

Tigers 255

Tigers Boars India Chickens 255

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Our satisfied group then moved on the other treasures to be found at Mabamba, a slew of kingfishers, waders, raptors, and assorted songbirds that quickly grew to a list of over 70 species in just a few blissful hours.

Uganda 298

Uganda Africa Penguins 2019 298

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2013

federal level, and a Species of Special Concern in California. (For The combined efforts of conservationists and sustainability-minded farmers, however, are helping to save the species. For more about Tricolored Blackbirds and the threats they face, check out the comprehensive Tricolored Blackbird Portal.).

Blackbirds 220

Blackbirds California Cattle Eggs 220

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2013

This park protects the largest remaining tract of dry deciduous forest in the west of India, offering visitors 37 species of reptiles, 38 species of mammals and, not to be forgotten – almost 300 bird species. A low branch is decorated by a Green Bee-eater (above) and a tree top above it holds several Cattle Egrets.

Lions 250

Lions India Mammals Boars 250

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

Cattle Egret … though some of them seem to want to hide (which is really difficult for a white bird). Webster`s Dictionary defines Cuculophotobia as “The fear of bird photographers to post cuckoo photos online due to the high likeliness of getting the species assignment wrong.” Some cuckoo species.

Tigers 236

Tigers Cattle Breeding Bears 236

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

One species I can always count on at Colusa NWR is the Black-crowned Night-Heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ), which boasts a large resident population. There had to be at least 100 or more, and when I got closer, I was excited to find several Cattle Egrets ( Bubulcus ibis ), a species of which a decent photograph had always eluded me.

Wildlife 163

Wildlife San Francisco Sacramento North Dakota 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

The cows and their entourage of Cattle Egrets sloshed through the pastures, each time they moved we lurched forward hoping to see a disturbed Grey-breasted Crake hop into view – but alas, no such luck even though we were hearing the little skulkers consistently. Farmers keep their livestock in this wetland also. Great Blue Heron.

Livestock 262

Livestock ALA Ducks illegal 262

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2019

Today`s species are just the first 10 by alphabetical order. The Cattle Egret (or Eastern Cattle Egret , to be exact, but that would mess with my alphabetic order) can be seen in farmland around Shanghai. Instead of cattle, it nowadays often follows tractors ploughing the fields and thus stirring up small animals.

Germany 160

Germany Cattle Blackbirds Birds 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

There are always stray cattle to watch out for, but we prefer to minimize the risk of hitting animals by leaving on road trips until a couple of hours after sunrise. Cockatoo Creek had stopped flowing many months ago, but the water that remained was a good water source for the cattle in the area and also the birdlife.

Cattle 203

Cattle Stray Australia Animal 203

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2013

Hybrids between separate species are rare. But they do spark an interesting and somewhat controversial debate that inevitably leads back to the same old question of what constitutes a species. Suspected hybrids between heron species, whilst extremely rare, have been documented for some time.

Arizona 204

Arizona Florida Cattle California 204

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2011

Hyacinth Macaw © Roger Leguen / WWF-Canon Hyacinth Macaws feed mainly on the kernels of the fruits of two species of palm tree: the Acuri or Urucuri Palm ( Attalea phalerata ) and the Bocaiuva or Macaw Palm ( Acrocomia aculeata ). Such cavities are hard to find and are sometimes disputed by more than one species.

Protection 225

Protection Brazil Parrots Paraguay 225

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2020

It is interesting to see the different evolutionary strategies of closely related bird species – the various snow-white egrets with their “I don`t give a damn who can see me” attitude contrasting with the ridiculously well-camouflaged yellow bitterns. If you see 50 cattle egrets following a plough on a rice paddy, less so.

Singapore 220

Singapore Fish Cattle Breeding 220

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. Cattle Egrets have perfected that smudgy look. She got excited: “Birds with sunglasses!”

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LACS Birds France Japan 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2013

It is one of three species of ani ( Groove-billed and Greater Anis are the other two) and together form a unique branch in the cuckoo family. From the 1940s to the 1970s, the species rapidly spread from the southern tip of the peninsula to areas north of Lake Okeechobee including the Tampa-St. Petersburg area and Cape Canaveral.

Florida 231

Florida Virgin Islands Miami Breeders 231

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2015

If you thought that migrant traps and spring in south Texas were birdalicious (and they can indeeed be spectacular), how does an ecosystem with 400 and even 500 plus species tickle your birding fancy? This brings us to the first obvious upside of rainforest birding in Costa Rica; a chance at a lot more species than other habitats.

Costa Rica 206

Costa Rica Texas Cattle Birds 206

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

This lake, with a surface area of up to 150 square miles in good years, is my go-to site for dozens of waterfowl and shorebird species, so I take its health personally. It is also a vital wintering and migratory site for most of these species, so I imagine they take its health very personally, as well.

San Francisco 264

San Francisco 2018 Mexico Ducks 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2024

The island’s largest salt lake, Akrotiri, is not a great draw for waders, but the range of large, shallow saline pools on its east side, along Lady’s Mile, were in perfect condition to attract a wide variety of species. Additional species seen included a pair of Whimbrels which didn’t linger, Little Ringed Plovers and Greenshanks.

Cyprus 246

Cyprus Tethering Breeding Cattle 246

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2020

I am only responding to my subjective impression of a single species’ appearance here; specifically, that of the Bronzed Cowbird. Instead, they lay their eggs in other species’ nests, and let those nest-making birds (often significantly smaller than the cowbirds) raise their young. Native versus invasive species?

Blackbirds 175

Blackbirds Mexico Birds Cattle 175

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2020

Cattle Egret. Cuckoo species (common?): Little Grebe: With 4 chicks waiting for the fish, maybe better to eat it yourself … Some birds seem to prefer crustaceans. Black-capped Kingfisher. Little Egret: There is a shrimp farm by the seaside. Very easy work. Similar to the Chinese, birds do not seem to mind eating frogs and toads.

Fish 240

Fish Rodents China Vegetarian 240

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2011

This year’s total of waterbirds species nesting on the islands wetlands was 18 with one species of grebe, four species of herons, one ibis, five species of ducks, two species of gallinules, five species of waders and one species of Tern. The wading species also had a successful year.

Cyprus 191

Cyprus Ducks Cattle Breeding 191

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. In the headlights circle in front of us, an Indian Nightjar takes flight, our first bird of the day and species 137 of this trip. Or because it is endangered – it isn’t.

Iran 251

Iran India Pakistan Afghanistan 251