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 264

Botswana Africa Birds Ecuador 264

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 225

Mammals Asia Sri Lanka Bhutan 225

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

That was the first thing we–our New Jersey Audubon group of 11 birders, led by Scott Barnes–noted as we exited the airport. Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences. There was no snow. And, no snow.

Honduras 263

Honduras Birds Costa Rica South Africa 263

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2024

David Tomlinson wrote this week about how many and which species he has seen so far this year, and I can do the same. Especially since, to my surprise, it turns out that I am somehow picking up species faster this year, here in Michoacán, than in any other year. Fortunately, I have other 10,000 Birds writers from whom to steal ideas.

Virginia 246

Virginia Mexico California Species 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2014

What happens when you visit one of the best birdwatching sites in the region with the highest number of endemic bird species in the Americas in the world’s birdiest country? My group came to Montezuma to spy tasty Chocó endemic tanagers, hummingbirds, and anything else we could lay eyes on. Your mind gets blown.

Colombia 268

Colombia South America Birds America 268

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

February 12 is Darwin Day , the birthday of the brilliant author of On The Origin of Species. 10,000 is the approximate number of bird species in the world but certainly not the actual number. 10,000 is the approximate number of bird species in the world but certainly not the actual number.

Groups 233

Groups 2009 Parrots Branding 233

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 214

Spain Europe Sparrows Mexico 214

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

Namibia is politically stable and a safe country to visit offering spectacular scenery, untouched wildernesses, vast game reserves, superb wildlife and fascinating cultural experiences. Over 700 bird species occur in Namibia, many of them range-restricted and highly desirable southern arid zone species.

Namibia 272

Namibia Angola Lovebirds South Africa 272

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 260

Breeding Australia Eggs Family 260

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 264

Kenya Owls Ostriches Hunters 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2012

Before I get into the nitty-gritties of my awesome birding experiences in Hungary I thought I would just share a few of the shots that I got during the trip. My life list has increased by 33 which, considering I tallied 137 species during the trip (out of the 160 that the group got), is a pretty significant total.

Hungary 210

Hungary Hedgehogs Blackbirds Mammals 210

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 254

India Wildlife Tigers Rhinoceros 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

I found those comments insightful and inspiring, valuable experiences and opinions worthy of sharing to a wider audience than the FB groups where they were initially posted. Eric DeFonso: “I think a ‘good guide’, in the most generic sense, is one who provides for a gratifying nature experience for his or her clients.

Greece 250

Greece Zambia Birds Abandon 250

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 264

Europe Africa Greece Groups 264

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 264

Costa Rica Buffalo Endangered Species Birds 264

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 263

Ducks Groups Experience Experiments 263

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 Abandon 279

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 Birds Research America 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

These arid hills, cloaked in a mosaic of deciduous scrub and desert vegetation, form a northern outpost for several Neotropical species while also harboring several key endemics and southwestern Nearctic species. I had point blank life views of this tricky species from within a few feet.

Mexico 243

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Bats 243

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2024

Somewhat strangely, the HBW calls it a “small grey to yellow babbler” – while the species indeed has some grey parts, that is not the color that sticks to mind when seeing or remembering the bird. Plus the sibia apparently plays an important role in the pollination of one endangered rhododendron species ( source ).

Eggs 246

Eggs Birds Japan Myanmar 246

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2011

Back in 2006, Problogger Darren Rowse proposed a fun Group Writing Project challenging bloggers to put together a good “How To&# post. Even the most barren habitat shelters enough stealthy, confusing, downright frustrating species to scare off newbies. The next logical step was to explain the right way to get started.

United States 251

United States Birds 2006 Breeders 251

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

What elevated the kings of kings above other species this time around was their gregarious behavior. Now that we’re later in the season, they are grouping either in family clusters or anticipation of migration. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2013 220

2013 United States Birds Family 220

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2014

The story is etched into my memory not for my experience with the bird, which was an obstructed view of a singing male through a mess of dense underbrush at about 100 feet, but for the effort it took to get there. One of our target species was Swainson’s Warbler. Warblers of other species were plentiful.

North Carolina 234

North Carolina Canada Groups Experiments 234

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2013

There were three other small groups staying there and after dinner we all drove 40 minutes to the cliffs. I can hardly begin to describe the surreal experience that unfolded before me. Hundreds of birds all huddled closely together, dangling from the jagged ledges, seemingly separated by species in separate levels along the cliff.

Iceland 239

Iceland Puffins Europe Birds 239

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

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

Written in the tradition of the classic Hawks in Flight , but very much a product of the experiences of its birder authors, this is a groundbreaking book that offers a new way of identifying migratory birds at sea to all of us who observe the waters of eastern North America with expectation and excitement. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 247

Ducks Groups North America North Dakota 247

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 253

Peru Chickens Groups Industry 253

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

My life experience allows for a generally calm and balanced demeanor. Take, for example, the group of the goatsuckers Caprimulgidae – the nightjars, and nighthawks, and whip-poor-wills, and widow-chuckers. Here is a further series of images from another typical day-roost of the species: roof-tops. Legs: The Expendables 2.

Goats 243

Goats Indonesia Science Experience 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

It confirms many of the once-radical notions put forward or refined by Shannon Hackett and her colleagues in 2008, and several since, and it proposes solutions to some of the most deeply unresolved questions about how major bird groups are related to each other. ( “Metaves” was purported to contain the groups in Jarvis et al.’s

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

To the relief of Mexican birders everywhere, this species was split several years later into two species; the black-and-white eastern race is now Morelet’s Seedeater , and the more colorful western race is now the Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater. What I didn’t know was that this is a very special species. or Canada.

Mexico 222

Mexico Birds California Spain 222

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 181

Mexico Argentina Groups Experiments 181

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2024

My only other experience with an Audubon Club field trip anywhere, on a cold October morning in the American Midwest, was frankly kind of a bust. But this one was a wonderful experience. According to my list, which somehow ended up being the official group list, we saw 41 species in about four hours.

San Francisco 246

San Francisco California Woodpeckers Turkey 246

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 264

Birds Trinidad 2020 2009 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2019

If you are into amazing avian-dense trail experiences, you either want to bird Pipeline Road or want to bird it again. But this type of singular experience can be enjoyed in the Old World as well. The lush understory supports a multitude of different ecological niches yet still affords good sightlines to spy the species within.

Uganda 246

Uganda Monkeys Africa Eagles 246

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2014

This is a very hot and dry region known as El Chaco where many interesting bird species can be found. Suddenly in the middle of the soybean fields there was a group of Lesser Rheas that were approaching the road. We stopped and observed this first group of adult Rheas that seemed quite comfortable with us and the road traffic.

Argentina 235

Argentina Chile Farming Birds 235

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 279

Elephants Ducks Humane Family 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2013

The San Blas Christmas Bird Count is a popular event amongst international birders and close to 300 species have been recorded during a single day. Sustainable coffee plantations, fringed by primary forest, are common and provide excellent habitat for many species, including a high number of regional endemics.

Mexico 264

Mexico United States Woodpeckers Sanctuary 264