10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Instead of going on about zip lines and other modern, adventure tourism attractions, the birding crowd talks about taking photos of Resplendent Quetzals , seeing dozens of hummingbird species, and the seemingly odd absence of raptors in Costa Rica but nope, we don’t really talk about extinction. Resplendence.

Costa Rica 216

Costa Rica Species Panama Falcons 216

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2018

More than 50 years ago, the Hawaiian Goose (Nene) was one of the first birds listed under the Endangered Species Act, part of the inaugural “ Class of 1967 ”. Under the Endangered Species Act, any listing, uplisting, downlisting, or removal from a list requires a formal “rulemaking” process.

Endangered Species 101

Endangered Species Species Hawaii 2018 101

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

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. Black Rosy-Finch.

Species 174

Species Los Angeles Science 2000 174

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2024

My main interest lies in the endemic species and subspecies, trying to understand why some species got there and others didn’t. When we look at the breeding birds, they are all Palaearctic, either mainland species or endemics that evolved from mainland species. On the eastern Canaries they are Palaearctic species.

Cape Verde 249

Cape Verde Europe Breeding Africa 249

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2024

Award-winning free-lance science journalist Nicola Jones , most noted for her work on climate change and environmental issues, ventured into the book world with a picture book on the wildlife rehabilitation efforts for one of North America’s most endangered bird species, the Northern Spotted Owl.

Owls 196

Owls Wildlife Rehabilitation Endangered Species Protection 196

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2024

While I have visited a few birding sites around the Netherlands during the course of my Bachelor studies, I did not go birding a lot around the city where I lived, Maastricht. I was very happy about this lifer as I had been hoping to see this species in autumn during my stay on Heligoland.

Netherlands 220

Netherlands Birds Ducks Hunting 220

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2024

One always wants to see as many species as possible in a single day, whether on an ocean island with few species, or in Suffolk, England. It was in this latter region that he reports seeing 60 species on his first outing of this year. But how many species can one see over a few hours in the highlands of central Mexico?

Mexico 210

Mexico Birds Woodpeckers Sparrows 210

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Of course, that means that the birds I saw on September 30 are now somewhere in blogpost limbo, not having appeared in the September post but also not legitimately belonging in the October one. If you want to pretend to combine learning Mandarin and learning about this species, watch this video. The male, of course, I am afraid.

Deer 218

Deer China Birds Owls 218

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2022

One of the reasons that I usually start each year’s species list with a visit to the wetlands of Lake Cuitzeo is that the site offers so many species that I can find nowhere else. And to add to my new year list, of course. There were Vermilion Flycatchers , of course. Not all the colorful species have feathers.

Eagles 211

Eagles Falcons Sparrows Species 211

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2024

Although by this time we had already clocked around a hundred species after a day and a half in Guyana, we were understandably eager to explore the famous rugged interior of the country. Unless, of course, a small aircraft is involved. It was only after reading up on the species I realised that it was not only me who thought this way.

Guyana 205

Guyana Litter Owls Trinidad 205

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2024

Now that this bird has seemingly moved on, I had to find other species to distract me, but fortunately that was not too hard. Fortunately, I did not only see the standard species, but was also rewarded with less regular species. Perhaps the scaups are bad luck for me, but I’m sure I’ll get my bittern one day.

Birds 201

Birds Ducks Groups Species 201

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Even the Latin species name soror (“sister”) indicates the similarity to another pitta species (blue-naped). The eBird description of the Small Niltava starts with the surprisingly dull statement that “size distinguishes this species from other niltavas” Who would have thought.

China 224

China Birds Pythons Eagles 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2024

While I’ve heard and seen both species multiple times, these atmospheric songs in the humid dawn, with songs of other species and the sound of water dripping through the foliage in the background, was already a highlight of the day. Common Nightingales and Common Cuckoos where calling everywhere.

Sri Lanka 207

Sri Lanka South Africa Transported Africa 207

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2021

One of the target bird species for birders when they visit the Broome area is Yellow Chat. The colour on this bird species is incredible and not easily hidden in the environment. For scale I will include some photographs of the Orange Chat with other bird species. It always seems odd when only one of a bird species shows up.

2006 316

2006 Cows Australia Species 316

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2021

The islands and surrounding islets of Trinidad and Tobago boast an astounding list of almost 500 species of birds. There is a recurring theme of threes within the multitude of bird species in T&T, you can see for yourself in some previous posts I made. There are of course a few more which I intend to get to in due course.

Trinidad 259

Trinidad Groups Family Species 259

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2024

Apparently, the species name rutila means “red, golden red, reddish yellow”, which sounds a bit like a contradiction in itself. It is well known that chicks of this morph immediately start having an identity crisis when combining the knowledge of their species name with the information gathered from a look in the mirror.

Killing 170

Killing Birds Breeding Breeders 170

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2023

But of course, you can skip them when getting near the end of this post – though that will mean not using your knowledge and skills to help Afghan women. And of course, there is a large number of Rock Doves (feral), particularly near one particular mosque. Oh god, I sound like the Pope now.

Afghanistan 170

Afghanistan Birds Feral Zoos 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2021

Of course, I also go there several other times each year; I have, after all, seen 160 species at this endemic-rich site. The reason for this annual pilgrimage is a single species, the Sinaloa Martin. All sightings southeast of the species’ Puerto Vallarta-to-Los Mochis breeding area are of migrating birds.

Nicaragua 262

Nicaragua 2015 2016 Mexico 262

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 212

Washington Oregon Wildlife United States 212

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2024

It often refers to common, non-native, or sometimes invasive bird species that are perceived as less desirable or interesting compared to other birds. Common and Ubiquitous Species : In some contexts, “trash bird” might refer to very common species that are often overlooked by birders seeking rarer sightings.

Lions 202

Lions Birds Namibia Portugal 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2024

Why, Bean Hollow, of course. He pointed out the differences in the day’s five gull species, all of which flew fairly close to the bluff from which we watched. Of course, I had known none of this when the day began. All Brandt’s The same goes for the three species of loons flying by.

California 184

California Sea Lions Marine Life Puffins 184

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2022

Well, busy observing the Great Indian Bustard, of course. Hunting and disturbance, deterioration, fragmentation and destruction of habitat were the forces behind the decline of this, once widespread species, making it Critically Endangered on the IUCN Global Red List. After my trip, I followed the news of this species closely.

Gazelles 254

Gazelles India Pakistan 2012 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2024

But, as most of our readers know, the phrase “trash birds” usually refers to those species that one sees so often that they become tiresome. Central Mexico has, of course, its own trash birds. This is a species that has very much learned to cohabit with humans, causing its population to explode into new areas.

Portland 217

Portland Mexico Humane Sparrows 217

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2022

You’ll note the sky was still pretty dull, but of course it was still around 30c. The next bird species I photographed on a different type of streetlight that looks like it could do with a splash of paint was the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike. As is typical of this bird species there was a bit of wing shuffling when it landed.

Birds 244

Birds Species Australia 244

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad. Red-crowned Woodpecker.

Woodpeckers 238

Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 238

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

Since this latter martin appears to winter in northern South America, and no one knows where the the Sinaloa Martin winters, it has been suggested that the two species might winter together there. I have now seen the species in eight different years. Of course, Paso Ancho is also a hotspot for many other beautiful species and endemics.

Mexico 209

Mexico South America 2020 America 209

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 243

Costa Rica Birds Parrots New York 243

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2024

Although an attractive bird, this species was not of particular interest to me as I’ve seen it countless times when I lived in South Africa (and is not present there at this time of year anyway), but the area has much more on offer.

Squirrels 194

Squirrels South Africa Germany Ducks 194

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2024

There are 154 species of cuckoos in the world, and they’re all a fascinating bunch. It’s not a species you are likely to overlook, either, as it is extremely noisy, its cackling call carrying great distances. It reminded me of a Roadrunner, which is, of course, also a member of the cuckoo family.

Cyprus 214

Cyprus Africa Europe Asia 214

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2022

The Oriental Scops Owl is possibly my favorite of all bird species (though I may have said that about other species as well) – so, here’s a post with just some photos of this owl taken this autumn migration season. Of course, the ear tufts are not really ears. It comes in two morphs – one greyish, one reddish.

Owls 162

Owls Eggs Woodpeckers Cats 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2023

This area offers Mexico’s greatest concentration of endemics, as well as very few species an American birder might have already seen up north. So I took him to Paso Ancho, of course. But I knew that quite a few charismatic species had failed to turn up. I hoped for a more complete survey of the site’s species.

Mexico 147

Mexico Oregon Squirrels Falcons 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2023

I began recording my bird sightings with photographs in late 2009, and since then I have seen (or at least heard) a fair proportion of species recorded within my home country of Trinidad & Tobago. Of course, a major factor in this decision rests in its status as a resident species. Well, let me explain.

Birds 262

Birds Trinidad 2020 2009 262

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

As mentioned in many other posts on this blog, the avifauna of Trinidad & Tobago consists of several species and family groups occurring very interestingly, in threes. Short-tailed Nighthawk (above and below) Overall, this species seems to be poorly known, which is understandable given its habits. Well, kind of.

Trinidad 130

Trinidad Bats Falcons Groups 130

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2021

Fortunately, other spots in the same area offer similar birds, which of course I would not have known without our guides. Similarly, the Alpine Leaf Warbler is one of the more attractive species in an otherwise almost indistinguishable family of identical leaf warblers. (“But the difference in wing bars, Kai!”).

North Korea 236

North Korea China Birds Woodpeckers 236

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2024

I could imagine that timing the earlier emergence of insect prey at the breeding grounds is particularly problematic for insectivorous species. A few times I got decent sightings of these adorable birds, which have got to be one of the cutest species in the region. Eurasian Blackcaps, while even more common, are also always a pleasure.

Soreing 173

Soreing Owls Eagles Woodpeckers 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

The Latin species name is dissimilis (different, unlike), possibly because the female looks quite different from the male (though based on that explanation, dissimilis would have to be a very common species name). The Blue Whistling Thrush is of course named for its whistling – you can hear it here. Then it is tame.

Horses 193

Horses Family Blackbirds Species 193

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

As is my self-declared tradition of speaking of groups of birds within the species gamut of Trinidad & Tobago, allow me to introduce you to yet another group of three. While the entire Tyrannidae family of Tyrant Flycatchers is massive, the Myiarchus group of those recorded on these two islands comprises just three species.

Trinidad 208

Trinidad ALA Groups Family 208