10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

The story of the White-winged Guan , in some ways resembles the re-discovery of some species thought to be extinct. The decades of storage in a museum came after it was regarded as an extinct species. There were reasons to think that the White-winged Guan had been extirpated by over-hunting. Most species go extinct.

Collecting 270

Collecting Peru Neglecting Ecuador 270

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Originally a hunting term, the Big Five were the most dangerous and prized targets of the great white hunters on safari. Elephant The big – two species of elephant are now recognized as occuring in Africa, the smaller and more secretive Forest Elephant and the larger, more familiar African or Bush Elephant.

Buffalo 243

Buffalo Rhinoceros Leopards Elephants 243

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2020

One of the many things I did not know about Delhi is that it is the capital city with the second-largest number of bird species (after Nairobi). House-hunting, apparently. This species constantly looks like it is very concerned about something, though I have no clue what that is. Black Kite. Black-necked Stork. Crested Lark.

Cattle 257

Cattle India Sanctuary Birds 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2024

The refuge has more than 10,000 eBird checklists and 286 species have been observed by approximately 1,100 eBirders. The most popular of the ten eBird hotspots is McNary NWR–Headquarters/Quail Trail , which does indeed feature California Quail , as well as Yellow-Headed Blackbirds and numerous other species.

Washington 246

Washington Oregon Wildlife United States 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

With that logic those trees, if left to grow, should produce something of use to at least one or two species of birds. It’s been some years since I’ve seen any Short-tailed Hawks as the entire valley is now overrun with concrete – but I’m trying my best to create some sort of oasis for any species.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Reptiles Hunting 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

Activities such as hunting, fishing, and trapping are categorized as “consumptive” uses. In contrast, consumptive uses were minor: fishing accounted for 10 percent and hunting was just 4 percent. Of course, the study does not purport to rank refuges based on visitation-based economic output, as that is just one metric.

Wildlife 279

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 279

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2015

We call it a “mouse gradation year” I was not able to find a catchy English term for “gradation year” – it’s what happens when a certain species showing population cycles reaches a peak year. Then of course, there are the predators. Gotta be mouse gradation.

Fox 168

Fox Rodents Gophers Germany 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

Of course, in real life this cannot be so simple as good news. Snow Geese overgrazing their breeding grounds, displacing other Arctic-breeding species and setting themselves up for a fall. At the same time, philosophically, only a handful of ecologists would throw up their hands and say we must let nature take its course here.

Geese 208

Geese Montana Breeding Pelicans 208

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Of course, we did, soaking in that slate blue beauty long enough to observe a successful hunt and more of its rangy, awkward flight. Having finally seen this iconic species, I can assure you that the experience wildly exceeds expectations.

Uganda 298

Uganda Africa Penguins 2019 298

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 248

North America Charlotte Birds Miami 248

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2015

The Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside is one of the premiere places in New York to get great looks at a variety of saltmarsh species without having to slog through a saltmarsh.

New York City 248

New York City New York Hunting Sparrows 248

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2021

For example, hunting is not permitted in most NPS wilderness areas, but it is often allowed in wilderness areas managed by the other agencies. Of course, as places that are largely “untrammeled by man,” wilderness areas also have birds ( 591 species according to one study ) for birders willing to leave roads and infrastructure behind.

Puerto Rico 297

Puerto Rico Alaska Protection Montana 297

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2022

Of course, it should include an offer to join the ABA, perhaps at a discounted rate. Of course, anything that resonates with more birders is good, as the ABA needs additional members to address its financial problems. Such articles are fine, of course, but not at the expense of all content for beginning and intermediate birders.

Advocacy 261

Advocacy Portland Wildlife Science 261

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2013

There are some seven birds among the 100 most endangered species on the planet on the list of fauna and flora listed as the rarest by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Zoological Society of London – and this morning, I am after one of those! Well, busy observing the Great Indian Bustard, of course.

India 252

India Gazelles Pakistan Endangered Species 252

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2015

Because of its distance to the mainland, Hawaii is home to over 60 species of endemic birds. Over time, the webbing in its toes has decreased, and its longer lakes and shorter wings also make walking easier for this species. Ah Hawaii, land of beautiful beaches, surfing, warm weather, and unique birds.

Hawaii 174

Hawaii Feral Cats Mongoose Geese 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Of course this is nonsense, and they are clearly close to swifts, but with a hind toe that lets them perch like a swallow, they sit outside the family as well, in their own, rarely thought about, family. There are four species in the family, ranging from India to the Solomon Islands. Whiskered Treeswift. Canopy walkways rock!

Solomon Islands 171

Solomon Islands Singapore India Family 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2024

There are bird species with the power of personality and feathered friends with super migratory prowess. I live in Costa Rica, a place that makes up for the lack of cardinals with trogons, motmots, and like 900 other bird species. It’s hard not to look at the Golden-hooded Tanager. However, visiting birders like them even more.

Costa Rica 246

Costa Rica Birds New York Parrots 246

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

On my 21-day Kenyan safaris we reckoned to find around 600 species of birds and around 60 mammals, both impressive totals. In 2023 I attempted to keep a year list of mammal encounters: the list barely exceeded 20 species, while it became complicated by seeing bats and voles that I was unable to name specifically.

Fur 240

Fur Otters Bulgaria Estonia 240

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2022

While preparing an article this week for a local newspaper on the nighttime denizens of Tobago, it crossed my mind that I never considered owls as a group, far less target species for any particular outing (except for a select few, upon which I shall expound here). This resulted in my only photograph of this species to date.

Trinidad 279

Trinidad Owls Barn Owls Abandoning 279

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. Here are some U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Albatross 248

Albatross Endangered Species Bald Eagle Alaska 248

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

There’s something very matter-of-fact about seeking out non-native target species. There’s very little thrill of the hunt, very little excitement. If we have to endure yet another invasion from some or another Old World species, at least this one is pleasant to look at. It feels almost cheap. So why not count them?

San Diego 217

San Diego Unwanted California Texas 217

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

A quite uncommon bird – there are only about 6000 pairs on the planet and this is one of only a handful of my observations of this species. Of course you do! In the approaching sunset, a male Common Kestrel is hunting… possibly some of the Common Quail whose “wet-my-lips” I can hear from the grass.

Falcons 217

Falcons Greece Madagascar Game 217

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2022

Here in Shanghai, December is the month that a birder’s addiction cannot be satisfied by the increasingly meager assortment of species at Nanhui – we have to go to other places as well. This includes the Common Pochard , a species classified as Vulnerable despite a relatively large population that is, however, declining rapidly.

Birds 262

Birds Chickens Mammals Japan 262

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2024

Given that according to the HBW, the species prefers dense primary and secondary montane forests, the note that the bird also forages among kitchen waste (in the same HBW entry) seems somewhat incongruous. Fish & Wildlife Service has a web page for this species – but it contains absolutely no information.

Burma 245

Burma India Indonesia Thailand 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

It would be uber cool to lay eyes on a rare lifer, on species that only seem to live on the pages of a field guide but isn’t that somewhat discriminatory? And why spend time only looking for one or two species when those hours could be used to put binos focused on a few dozen? Aren’t all birds worth watching?

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Panama Birds Nicaragua 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2016

It’s natural to encounter resistance which, of course, we have. We also knew at the start that a significant percentage of our effort would be devoted to simply convincing people that a new funding tool is not just an imperative, but also something that would have the support of thousands and millions of non-hunting Refuge visitors.

Wildlife 189

Wildlife San Francisco Legislation Ducks 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul: The Burrowing Owl is the only North American owl species where the male is larger than the female, albeit, only slightly larger. The 39 owls include five endemic Caribbean species.

North America 254

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 254

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. We have both resident and migratory species, and this post will briefly discuss each of the 20 species of African bee-eaters.

Africa 266

Africa Gabon South Africa Uganda 266

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. They may have also had hunting dogs with them as well. Which would be weird.

Turkey 245

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 245

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 246

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

And, of course, there was a group of youngsters barbecuing. And that is why the hides are where they are, not to admire the scenery (or shoot at it – hunting is prohibited in the reserve and the ban is enforced). Next time I visited the Obedska bara, I found wooden benches at the platform. And a table, too. They got the message right.

Serbia 268

Serbia Spain Birds Hungary 268

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2012

Lago de Yojoa, Honduras, February 2009 Let’s say that you are a serious birder on your first trip to the neotropics and are hoping to see as many species as possible. We watched Purple Gallinules , Pied-billed Grebes , several species of swallow, Great-tailed Grackles , and every other bird that crossed our paths.

Honduras 220

Honduras Birds 2009 North America 220

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Sadly, the HBW states that the species is “almost extinct in some areas in China owing to hunting and trapping for the cagebird trade and taxidermy” The Maroon Oriole looks much more interesting, though my photos do not really do it full justice. … Traill did this enough times that Shirley began to hide the scale.’

Nepal 216

Nepal Birds Owls Nigeria 216

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2020

The most recent report was issued in December 2019 and it used data from the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. Others might require a life list or the ability to identify a specific number of species, or some other criteria. Of course, many eBirders live outside the U.S.,

2016 264

2016 North America 2019 2020 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2013

Of course, this meant that we spent the first hour-plus of our morning owl-less. Our missing it while it sat in that spot seemed impossible so rather than accept the title of blundering dunderheads we decided that we must have searched too early, while the owl was still hunting, before it had returned to its roost for the day.

Owls 198

Owls Skunks Hunting New York City 198

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2012

But the honeyguides, indigobirds, and a single species of duck all do the classic cuckoo strategy (obligate interspecific brood parasitism) as well. This behavior is most common in colony nesters, since popping next door to drop off an egg is a lot easier than hunting down another nest through acres of forest or grassland.

Eggs 160

Eggs Neglecting Adoptable Hunting 160

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2011

How excited we were to see what was for us a new species as we drove up into Olympic National Park on the road to Hurricane Ridge. And even less did we know about the taxonomy of the Black-tailed Deer , which turned out to be not a new species of deer for us at all. A Black-tailed Deer ! Let’s deal with the second issue first.

Deer 140

Deer Mules Alaska Mammals 140