10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2011

Guianan Cock-of-the-rock by David Shackelford Suriname is the only Dutch-speaking country in South America, part of the Amazonian basin and geographically one of the southernmost members of the Caribbean Community. The second sound that we heard belonged to another fantastic member of the cotinga family, the White Bellbird.

Suriname 249

Suriname Guyana Birds South America 249

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

In the mean time, a family group of Black-throated Magpie-Jays were frolicking in the breeze high over the dry valley, showing off their exorbitantly long tail streamers. It did not take long before we had a family group of Tufted Jays right by the side of the road (KM 216) and an uncommon Gray-collared Becard at the same spot.

Mexico 230

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Bats 230

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2014

They packed up in June of 2013 and headed south from San Diego with the southern tip of South America as their destination. Sixteen species within the antbird family (Thamnophidae) are considered true obligate army ant followers. A bite from an army ant can really pack a punch; I speak from experience.

San Diego 223

San Diego South America Costa Rica America 223

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

Experiments in the field (the famed Asa Wright Nature Center veranda) involving Bananaquits and bananas came up with numbers ranging from 7 to 16, but a tanager always came along to interfere with Bananaquits’ noisy appreciation of their namesake fruit. (2) Which hummingbird was more beautiful—Tufted Coquette or Ruby-topaz Hummingbird? (3)

Trinidad 234

Trinidad South America Birds 2011 234

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2015

I recently returned from my family’s annual spring trip to Florida, and unlike years previous I didn’t get any special time set aside to bird this time round. I guess our early March time-frame is a tad on the early side for them to return from South America, so you can imagine I was pretty stoked to see this one.

Florida 210

Florida North America Neglecting South America 210

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In a time of little published information about the rainforests of Central and South America aside from scientific journal articles and the works of 19th-century naturalists, the “little green book,” as it was called, became a must-read amongst nature-oriented travelers and researchers. is remarkable.

South America 185

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 185

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

He is also a serious birder (and a birding friend), and his birding observations and adventures are used throughout the book to introduce evolutionary questions and illustrate the mental interplay between personal experience and scientific curiosity. The book is smartly organized into 12 chapters. This is a book that requires attention.

Science 245

Science Albatross Owls Research 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2019

Perhaps just once in a decade, the UK experiences an invasion of Painted Ladies , Vanessa ( Cynthia) cardui. as I have some from the family in my garden. The Painted Lady is thought to be one of the world’s most succesful butterflies with a range covering the globe apart from Antactica and South America.

Ireland 139

Ireland South America North America 2009 139

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

The Ground Woodpecker (Drakensberg, South Africa) is listed as Near Threatened. At woodpecker family meetings, it usually stands a bit separate from most other species as it cannot meaningfully participate in discussions about wood (it mostly lives in rocky terrain without trees). Kind of like a diesel version.

Woodpeckers 263

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 263

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

Found throughout South America in ever-dwindling numbers these extremely beautiful birds – threatened by habitat destruction and collection for the wild bird trade – are often difficult to see and hard to find. The experience is one of the ornithological highlights in the world.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 Deer 255

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It actually makes a lot of sense, the geographic features of the isthmus between North America (including Mexico, because Mexico is part of North America) and South America cut across political lines, as do birds. One field guide, seven countries. Text is on the left, plates are on the right.

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2011

It may seem like cruel and unusual punishment for we denizens of the New World to spend an entire week celebrating what is surely the coolest family of birds in the world, a family that is sadly absent from the Old World, but it can’t be helped. Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

United States 217

United States South America Cooking 2011 217

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

Veraguan Mango by Carlos Bethancourt Although the Neotropical region supports fewer bird families than Africa, there are considerably more bird species here than anywhere else on earth. This means that there are some astoundingly large families of birds in Central and South America.

Panama 244

Panama Costa Rica 2011 Cleveland 244

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

Though wood-warblers, the mostly brightly colored birds of the family Parulidae, are only found in the New World we felt that birders the world over would be pleased to see a plethora of posts about these striking and sought after species. Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

United States 158

United States South America 2011 2012 158

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2015

Barker, and Carroll Henderson is a well-researched, copiously illustrated, engaging study of bird feeding practices, personalities, inventions marketing, and companies that developed in the United States from the late 19th century to the present day, with a little bit of Canada, Europe, and South America thrown in.

America 250

America Squirrels Industry Birds 250

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

While the jays did catch our attention by way of a smart crest and different shades of blue and gray punctuated by a black necklace and mascara, they were part of our common natural experience, their existence was taken for granted. This species also tends to forage in pairs or small family groups. Want to see toucans in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Panama Eating Eggs South America 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2011

Though wood-warblers, the mostly brightly colored birds of the family Parulidae, are only found in the New World we felt that birders the world over would be pleased to see a plethora of posts about these striking and sought after species. Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

Tigers 162

Tigers United States Jamaica Pennsylvania 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

I happen to be particularly fond of turtles because my family has taken care of a small box turtle for 30 years (beware–turtles are extremely low-maintenance pets but will outlast your child’s youth and probably your life). Or that tortoises and terrapins are considered part of the turtle family. Lovich and Whit Gibbons.

Turtles 248

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 248

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

Picidae, Woodpecker, is one of those charismatic bird families that everybody gets excited about. Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide is the first major guide to family Picidae in 20 years. Unless the woodpecker is drumming a hole into your garage, and then, well, it’s a different kind of excitement.)

Woodpeckers 264

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Philippines 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Approximately 2,300 bird species inhabit Africa, however as impressive as that sounds, much smaller South America boasts nearly 1,000 species more. I cannot but admit that South America is the “bird continent” but as Peter Kaestner, one of the world’s top listers, so eloquently put it, Africa is nevertheless the “birding continent”.

Papua New Guinea 252

Papua New Guinea Equatorial Guinea Madagascar Tanzania 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2011

For native people, living in South America meant living with hummingbirds, and for Europeans, discovering South American meant discovering hummingbirds (and, tragically, exploiting South America meant exploiting hummingbirds, destroying hundreds of thousands for stuffed specimens and in futile attempts to keep them alive in captivity.)

South America 163

South America New York Alaska America 163

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

It made us reach for our field guide for North America, but that really does not compare to the real thing. I had spent several holidays with my family in the USA in the 1980′s and then worked in Maine during the summer of 1985-beware the poison ivy and the snapping turtles!

South Africa 162

South Africa United States Alligators Austin 162