10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2011

Our job is to fly above the Mississippi River at a about 120 feet going about 100 mph and count and ID ducks. Can you make out any species in the above photo? The birds in red are Canvasbacks, the birds in blue are Ring-necked Ducks and the birds in yellow are Gadwall. Here’s an example of what we see.

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Mississippi Ducks Minnesota Science 202

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

I was at the Blue Heron Wetlands in Titusville, Florida, during the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival hoping to connect with a Purple Gallinule that the field trip I co-led with Laura Erickson failed to find. I knew that I could count the introduced Muscovy Ducks in front of me but did I want to? And why is it still there?

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Feral Florida Ducks Texas 175

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) attempts to calculate the economic contribution of National Wildlife Refuge visitation to local communities. Rather, birding and other wildlife observation ( e.g., photography) are lumped together as “non-consumptive” uses of a refuge. Every few years, the U.S. billion for local communities.

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Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 238

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

On a sandbar in the center of the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, hundreds of ducks swirled around each other or lay down to take cover against the punishing wind. The waterfowl flock was made up of two very unique looking species: the Fulvous and Black-belled Whistling Ducks. What made my eyes widen?

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Ducks Wildlife Texas Bald Eagle 117

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2016

Since we first launched the Wildlife Conservation Stamp Project, we’ve made our case to thousands of birders and photographers. We’ve worked to change the dialogue around the Duck Stamp in public discussions and meetings, and we’ve reached out to Refuge officials and conservation officers to argue for the viability of this concept.

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Wildlife San Francisco Legislation Ducks 179

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

He has visited more than 40 National Wildlife Refuges in 20 states and frequently visits NWRs in his travels, most recently Buenos Aires NWR in southern Arizona. The focus on Malheur is and was appropriate, but we should not lose sight of the significance of the entire National Wildlife Refuge System. The combination is potent.

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Wildlife Grizzly Bear Puerto Rico Alaska 189

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

What I am getting at here is that I have seen lots and lots of Ruddy Ducks at Jamaica Bay but never one that looked like this particular individual. She was essentially cream-colored, much lighter than the typical female Ruddy Duck. Anyway, enjoy the images and keep an eye out for odd ducks! Go check it out! Get yours today!

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Ducks 2011 Jamaica Deer 150

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

That will be the opening day of the 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. Florida is a great place to bird in January because in addition to the year-round species there are a host of birds that winter in the relatively balmy climate that Florida has in winter. It hasn’t happened.

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2015 Wildlife Florida Honduras 193

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

As I always do on the way home, following a short visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, I take in at least one of the National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) found in the Sacramento Valley. California is blessed with 51 NWRs and Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), second only to North Dakota with 77. Click on photos for full sized images.

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Wildlife San Francisco Sacramento North Dakota 158

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2011

And it looks even better in my hands while I dream about a visit to regions of Brazil I had scarcely heard of before being provided with a review copy of the first volume of the Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil.* Talk about a win-win!

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Brazil Wildlife 2011 Deer 194

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2016

Today is the United Nations World Wildlife Day, a time to celebrate and raise awareness of the living world around us. I already have a history of searches for this species. Actually, when I started to bird, my second ever duck, after the Mallard, was a Ruddy Shelduck! What are your best wildlife moments?

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Wildlife Tigers Asia Europe 171

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2015

I found this pair among the Northern Shovelers at Delevan National Wildlife Refuge and watched as they perched atop a log for awhile, preening and scratching. I’m posting this video I shot at Delevan NWR in case you haven’t seen these elegant ducks in action. Dapper indeed! www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcgOFQtcyAo.

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2006 Ducks Wildlife New York 204

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2017

About four years ago I first wrote about the Pink-headed Duck , a charming species related to the pochards (although how, exactly, is up for grabs, like so much duck taxonomy.) Now Global Wildlife Conservation is out to get some fresh evidence and hopefully re-discover the species, which was officially last seen in the 1949.

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Ducks Myanmar Elephants Wildlife 119

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2011

The haunting call of the West Indian Whistling Duck has long been a sound synonymous with the ever-shrinking wetlands of the Caribbean. But, as with so many other species, these birds have been left to do their own whistle blowing. West Indian Whistling Ducks are the largest of the eight different whistling duck species.

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Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico Dominican Republic Jamaica 213

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2014

The video above showing the pair bonding and precopulatory behavior of the Northern Shoveler ( Anas clypeata ) was shot from the photography bind at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge , one of the refuges of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Northern California. Do you enjoy National Wildlife Refuges?

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Sacramento Defenders Of Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Ducks 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

Birders know that some of the finest birding locations in the country are on federal land , which include national parks , wildlife refuges , forests , monuments , and seashores , among others. The eleven largest national wildlife refuges are also in Alaska, including Arctic NWR and Yukon Delta NWR , each more than 19 million acres.

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Virgin Islands Alaska United States Nevada 199

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2016

In 2015 a Federal Duck Stamp Task Force was convened under the auspices of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) consisting of seventeen individuals. b) Recommendation : Work with all groups to identify synergistic opportunities for promoting broad conservation benefits of the Duck Stamp. 1) Action : U.S.

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Ducks Hunters Hunting Wildlife 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

Most of the estuaries of Puget Sound in Washington State have been developed, but one of the few that remain is the Nisqually River Delta, which was protected as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Nisqually NWR is a major staging area for migratory birds , a wintering area for many ducks and geese, and a breeding area for numerous songbirds.

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Washington Portland Birds Geese 226

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2022

pounds) heavy Colombia field guide with its 1900+ species. And that became heavier with each passing day… On the other hand, Europe’s Birds cover less than half of that number – 900+ species and a softback weighs 1.4 The number of species per page varies from one to two, rarely 3.

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Europe Colombia Birds Ducks 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2011

Feeding birds is generally regarded as a harmless past-time, a wholesome way for people to share nature and enjoy wildlife with the family. Sometimes people find themselves the victims of ill-informed home owners associations that have a phobic view of wildlife. How do you know when you are a little too involved with feeding birds?

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Bald Eagle Deer Minnesota 2000 236

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2011

There was a lot of hunting for Bald Eagles—it is traditionally a game species. Yes, they have been an endangered species for as long as most of us can recall, but remember, they were traditionally a hunted species. Hunting eagles will not hurt, but enhance non-consumptive wildlife viewing opportunitites.

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Bald Eagle Eagles Hunting Kentucky 249

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. Fish and Wildlife Service. this species breeds.

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Albatross Endangered Species Bald Eagle Alaska 197

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2012

The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex offers four photo blinds on three of their refuges which can be reserved, two on the Sacramento Refuge, one at Colusa NWR and one at Delevan NWR. This blind in particular is usually good for ducks, geese, waders and shorebirds. This is what blind #2 at the Sacramento NWR looks like.

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Sacramento Wildlife North America Ducks 102

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

It’s that coastline, however, that called me to Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, an oasis drawing migrating waterfowl like a magnet. Is there anything better for a birder than when the target species are literally everywhere , with nothing to obstruct them? Louisiana, I do so love you for your birding opportunities!

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Louisiana Wildlife Bald Eagle Geese 114

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

However, for a local birder who can’t help but take part in a permanent hustle to boost the year list, you gotta look for more than the resident eye candy species. The up-side to that is a new, four lane stretch of quick road for at least some kilometers along with a chance at rare ducks. 5 species on my year list.

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Costa Rica Ducks Morals Species 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

The Shoebill serves as the symbol of the magnificent wildlife experiences Uganda offers visitors, which may seem a bit odd. That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Having finally seen this iconic species, I can assure you that the experience wildly exceeds expectations.

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Uganda Africa Penguins 2019 251

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2021

Broadly speaking, birders care about the environment, particularly as it relates to wildlife habitat, and many donate accordingly: “Most respondents reported having donated to birdwatching and related issues (62%), as well as conservation of other birds (55%).” But only 13% purchased a Duck Stamp. “A This is not a surprising result.

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Minnesota Pennsylvania Ohio United States 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2017

A few weeks ago I led a field trip to Butte Valley Wildlife Area. It was a destination I had never experienced so I made a few phone calls and got some information from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife agent who actually runs both the Butte Valley and the Shasta Valley Wildlife Areas, which are about 25 miles apart.

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Wildlife Chipmunks Sparrows Blackbirds 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2018

I am something of an aficionado of National Wildlife Refuges. The new features are called “ Explore a National Wildlife Refuge ,” and they can be found in the “explore” tab under the “explore a region” sub-tab. On the overview page , eBird reports that there have been 242 species observed and nearly 6,000 checklists submitted.

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Wildlife United States 2018 Nebraska 101

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2018

I think most of you know how important our National Wildlife Refuge system is to me. After all, I have written several posts on wildlife conservation and the Wildlife Conservation Pass that my co-founder Ingrid Taylar and I have been encouraging for years. I will close with a video from Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.

Wildlife 101

Wildlife Sacramento Bald Eagle Falcons 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2024

In our early birding days, Erik and I had one of our most hilarious bird-related fights while looking at a flotilla of ducks in Mission Bay yelling at each other about field marks before realizing we were looking at two different ducks. This makes it a prime spot for bicycle-birding, our niche at the festival.

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San Diego Sea Lions Lions Birds 189

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2018

Late Saturday afternoon a Tundra Swan was reported from the south end of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. I set my tripod on the ice and scanned through the birds with my binoculars, ducks, ducks, ducks, two Mute Swans , ducks, gulls, gulls, gulls, ducks, two Mute Swans , ducks.

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Jamaica Wildlife New York City Ducks 104

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. When I reached the levee earlier that morning, I met an elderly hunter from whom I learned that there was an ongoing duck and pheasant hunt, but no one was shooting from, nor towards the embankment, hence I should be safe there.

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Serbia Otters Boars Hunters 242

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2021

I wonder what he would have made of the extraordinary peregrinations undertaken by this species in 2021, with birds turning up well north of their usual range in an event the American Birding Association has coined – with hashtag – #spoonbillsummer? I picked up a few bottles and we were off on our way home to Albany.

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New York South Carolina North Carolina Massachusetts 261

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2013

The male of the species will rattle off up to 200 songs, his repertoire size varying geographically, with the western males having considerably larger repertoires than eastern males 1. It is obvious to me that the male Marsh Wrens at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge are getting ready for the females to visit their breeding territories.

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Sacramento North America Wildlife Defenders Of Wildlife 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2015

Since we’ve covered some generalities already, once a month I’ll be exploring how a species, genus, or family of birds got its name, and how those names fit in with our larger understanding of, and relationship with, birds. Images courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Birds Goshawk names Northern Goshawk'

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Falcons Eagles Meat Geese 258

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Paging through a fieldguide, it’s always with a sense of dismay and sadness that I come across reference to an extinct species. Madagascar, however, has had more than its fair share of extinct or lost species and Madagascar Pochard was firmly on this list. Then in 1991, a fisherman on the lake caught a male in his fishing net.

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Madagascar Lemurs 2006 Owls 230