10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2023

First birds came in the form of migrants and resident species that live in an oasis of precious green space near home. 2022 gave me a fair share of wonderful birds and birding experiences. Those kept me below the 700 species threshhold but I won’t complain about 691 species. 48 Hummingbird Species.

Costa Rica 261

Costa Rica Buffalo Endangered Species Birds 261

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

The photo also illustrates how our drought affects two groups of resident and wintering birds (which number in the hundreds of thousands). Both species can theoretically breed in central Mexico, but in my experience are almost exclusively winter visitors. Behind it, you can see the lake’s once-green reedbeds in flames.

Mexico 223

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 223

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2021

But when I felt familiar with perhaps half of the species around my town, I started to feel that my field guide is now too bulky and too hefty to carry, and that was the era before smartphones and phone apps. It is not a concept for a total beginner, more of a reminder to someone with some experience. Subspecies are not included.

Botswana 251

Botswana Africa Ecuador Birds 251

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2023

Yet, there is one group of birds where even I prefer photographs: gulls. That is why I am so pleased to see the new “Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: An Identification Guide” being illustrated with nearly 1400 colour photographs of the 45 species of gulls found in the Western Palearctic. The colder – the better.

Europe 237

Europe Africa Greece Groups 237

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2023

Considering Broome often experiences cyclones and strong winds it does make sense for the birds to build a more substantial nest to survive the extreme weather. The Crested Pigeons enjoy cooling off under the sprinklers in the parks and gardens on hot days too.

Breeding 203

Breeding Australia Eggs Family 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

As I have mentioned repeatedly over the past months, life this spring has gone topsy-turvy in central Mexico, as we experience what has certainly been one of our driest years in history. 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 219

Mexico South America 2020 America 219

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Birding Expeditions is a Guatemalan tour company created to help birders to have an unforgettable experience in the Mayan World. We work hard to provide the richest and most rewarding experience of the Neotropics. Besides nature, cultural experiences are a highlight when you visit Guatemala.

Guatemala 252

Guatemala El Salvador Belize Honduras 252

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 263

Birds Trinidad 2020 2009 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Despite depicting 540 species/56 families, it is a lightweight book of 173 pages, easy to pack and carry. Mammals of South Asia follows the latest taxonomy, describes all the species recorded within the region and provides a range map for each species. Larger species, that is, excluding dolphins and whales.

Mammals 179

Mammals Asia Sri Lanka Bhutan 179

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 276

Trinidad Owls Barn Owls Abandon 276

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 221

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2024

I saw 32 species here in my first 24 hours, some of them exciting ones. The Wood-Rails like to move around in a very visible group. My second lifer this trip was a migratory Yellow-throated Warbler , a species I could not hope to see my previous trip, which had occurred in early summer.

Barn Owls 216

Barn Owls Mexico Parrots ALA 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2024

My feelings about shorebirds came back to me a few days later, as I observed a mixed group of peeps and Dowitchers at Mecox Inlet, eastern Long Island, not far from where Peter Matthiessen once observed the shorebirds of Sagaponack, the stars of the first pages of his classic The Shorebirds of North America (1967). my face betrayed me. “I

North America 262

North America America 2006 Delaware 262

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

A Peregrine Falcon was seen in the distance, one of the day’s few species I could also have seen in Mexico. The locals were also excited when a small group of Black Storks flew overhead. Still, after the smaller group flew overhead, a larger group followed. One European Sparrowhawk turned up. Black Kite.

Spain 147

Spain Birds Mexico Eagles 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Over the course of the following hour or so we observed many different species *coincidentally* alight on the wall near to the body of the fallen yellowlegs. Animals obviously see death and experience it as we do, so the question is not one of if, but of how. Life departed from yet another little body, and all were notified.

Elephants 273

Elephants Ducks Humane Family 273

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2022

I don’t know what the experience is like in other parts of the world – so do let me know – but at least here in T&T, some of the absolute best waterbirding can be done at sewage ponds. Some days following that, I linked up with a friend who took us into another set of sewage ponds on a distinctly sunnier morning.

Ducks 217

Ducks Groups Experience Experiments 217

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2019

It’s a rush any new birder experiences: that of every species being a lifer. Once you’ve been around the birding block a few years, your appreciation for the lifer experience deepens greatly. But the opportunities to see new species become more difficult with each one seen. Those Snowy Egrets ? For my U.S.-only

Spain 200

Spain Europe Sparrows Mexico 200

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. There is so much here! How do they know?

North America 279

North America Research Birds America 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2021

Earlier in the day, as we ventured out towards the deep waters off of Malpais, Costa Rica at 6 in the morning, another Galapagos Shearwater was the first real pelagic species we encountered. A world birder who has seen literally thousands of species, Pirjo had hoped to connect with this small striking gull.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Dolphins Sea Turtles Turtles 264

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. ” Contribution to the vibrant bird community. when living in suburbia.

Nepal 166

Nepal Birds Owls Nigeria 166

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2024

Given how far Hokkaido is from Europe, it seems a bit surprising how many bird species wintering on this Japanese island have a name starting with “Eurasian” Or how many of these species I have also seen in my parents’ garden in Germany. It seems extra-pair paternity is very frequent in this species.

Iran 181

Iran Germany Research Humane 181

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2022

Yes, we do have warm, tropical weather and a fancy assortment of resident and wintering species. Nor is there any trudging through snow in search of extra hardy species or visits to feeders with the hope of finding a grackle or Red-winged Blackbird that failed to fly south. These were some of the highlights. The Count Meeting.

Costa Rica 249

Costa Rica Eagles Blackbirds Species 249

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.

Uganda 270

Uganda Africa Penguins 2019 270

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

(Someday I will get up the nerve to write about the ten, yes, TEN Empidonax species I believe I have seen in my little corner of Mexico. Many of these species are common and widespread, making them just that much more challenging. Many of these species are common and widespread, making them just that much more challenging.

Mexico 141

Mexico Argentina Groups Experience 141

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Babita Tours has many years of experience organizing tailor-made wildlife tours for private groups in this wonderful country. On a recent visit I threw my bags in the hotel room and went straight there, and got over 60 species of birds in a few hours and fantastic views of Nilgai , the largest antelope in India.

India 194

India Wildlife Tigers Otters 194

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2022

Both Trinidad and Tobago share over a hundred species but within the mix are many that are found on one island and not the other. The disparity in species could be stark, for example if one were to bird on different sides of the planet. I don’t keep lists but one of my guests did and the final tally was 166 species.

Trinidad 261

Trinidad Turkey Squirrels Cows 261

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2020

A single morning birding the thorny desert of Baringo in Kenya’s Rift Valley yielded several species at a rate I at times struggled to keep up with. Lake Baringo and the surrounding desert scrub at just over 3,000 feet elevation is one of the most profitable birding hotspots in the country, boasting approximately 470 species.

Kenya 236

Kenya Owls Ostriches Hunters 236

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Galápagos: A Natural History, Second Edition by John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin gives the traveling naturalist the tools needed to fully appreciate and experience the Galápagos Islands. Where once there were 13 species of “Darwin’s finches,” there are now 17. I wish I had read this book.

2006 256

2006 Tortoises Sea Lions Porpoises 256

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

So, I anxiously followed the “Flock to Marion 2022” Facebook group in anticipation for open cabins to come up for sale. After securing our passage, I patiently waited for this once-in-a-lifetime experience to a place we have never been and lacked any knowledge of, we were in for a complete surprise. I waited…and waited…and waited.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2021

My first experience birding was as a teenager back in the 70s, when birding meant a pair of binoculars, a couple of bird feeders, and a smallish field guide (book). I start visiting a nearby canyon to see what other species might be around. I start visiting a nearby canyon to see what other species might be around.

Kansas 200

Kansas Wounded ALA Squirrels 200

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

InkaNatura Travel is the only leading tour operator in Peru owned by Peru Verde, a non-profit conservation group. In groups of two and three the big Red-and-green Macaws come flapping in, landing in the treetops as they eye the main stage below — the eroded clay banks. We also have local offices in Cusco and Puerto Maldonado.

Peru 192

Peru Chickens Industry Groups 192

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

And I have lots of experience with my long lens drawing attention. Bethany-on-the Jordan is literally a stone’s throw from Israel, which is why we were required to stay with the group and keep moving. This was due, oddly enough, to my binoculars. But no one had ever been concerned about my binos before.

Jordan 147

Jordan Israel Birds Turkey 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2020

Even photos of the rarest of birds can be found, even heart-wrenching images of bird species that are no longer with us. Species like the Gyrfalcon , the aerial powerhouse of the tundra, of stunning, breeding-plumaged May warblers. Posters of three groups of birds are currently available; toucans, trogons, and hummingbirds.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Birds Woodpeckers Species 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Its mood is not helped by the ambiguous review on eBird: “Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range” The Latin species name of the Dusky Thrush is eunomos (I guess that is Greek, but whatever) – meaning well-ordered. They also eat more when together with other people.

Blackbirds 204

Blackbirds Birds Indonesia Bhutan 204

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

When you see a photo of a Snowcap, it’s easy to see why this species is a perennial top target for birding trips to Costa Rica. However, as with so many other bird species that must be seen to confirm their improbable existence, the Snowcap can be elusive. I’m sure several other species also occur.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2020

It was late December, 2012, and I slotted into a sizable group under the joint leadership of two highly respected birders. As prolific as the area was, the group was on the move. The group was significantly smaller, only myself and one other person. By 2015 I was assigned to lead a CBC group for the first time.

Trinidad 177

Trinidad Livestock 2015 Buffalo 177

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

The refuge is a popular birding location , and it has 229 species observed and nearly 8,000 checklists submitted. The meanderings and backtracks in the wooded area were looking at groups of Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, etc. The eBird checklist is here.

Portland 258

Portland Oregon Washington Geese 258