10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2013

The group has a worldwide distribution; 28 species living and two additional extinct. Both extinct species were island-dwelling and flightless, suggesting a propensity of the group to disperse over long distances , a characteristic that any birder in late summer is familiar with. Scarlet Ibis , photo by Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela.

North America 209

North America Charlotte Birds Miami 209

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 179

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2016

Swallow-tailed Kite is an enigmatic species in North Carolina. They are rather common in the lower coastal plain, but stake out colonies in the older neighborhoods of larger cities like Charlotte and Greensboro. They don’t need a lot in the way of habitat.

North Carolina 101

North Carolina Mississippi Charlotte 2016 101

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

If this was America, we might not be concerned because starlings are an invasive species, at least in North America. But in Iraq, and more exactly, Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan, they are supposed to be there (and are regularly hunted and eaten) and the fighting is not supposed to be there. BBC has the story as a video.

Science 151

Science Iraq Oregon Charlotte 151

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2024

When not climbing, he collected species, and thus a number of birds are named after him. While the Bornean Forktail looks quite similar to the White-crowned Forktail, it apparently is a separate species, making it another Borneo endemic. Of course, only chemists have a rough idea what that might mean. Leave the bad jokes to me, please.

Indonesia 222

Indonesia Birds Charlotte Breeding 222

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2013

This scraggly collection of islands and deep long bays forms the tip of South Island closest to to North Island, but till this point my only experience of the area had been the long passage down Queen Charlotte Sound to reach the ferry terminal of Picton. Lochmara Bay with Queen Charlotte Sound in the background.

New Zealand 164

New Zealand Charlotte Penguins Hunting 164