10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2011

Waterbirds like pelicans and cormorants make the most of the chevron formation as well. In fact, such flocks demand a higher energy cost and, based on my personal experience with Columba livia , a great tolerance for trash birds. We know that big birds like waterfowl such as ducks and geese benefit from the flying-V.

Pelicans 162

Pelicans Geese Ducks Experience 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

Dalmatian Pelicans and Eurasian Spoonbills were flying above the beach, sometimes above the hotel garden, while Golden Oriole and Scops Owl could be heard. I recorded the song, which Merlin app identified as a Skylark’s, but I had enough experience to know better: it turned out to be a Greater Short-toed Lark. Now, I am done.

Greece 245

Greece Pelicans Otters Birds 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. Ringer Anhingas and darters , cormorants and shags , frigatebirds , gannets and boobies , pelicans , and the tropicbirds all share a characteristic found in no other living bird: Their feet are totipalmate.

2011 206

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea California 206

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

In the next year I visited the British Birdfair for the first time, which turned out to be the experience that changed my life. Also Dalmatian and Great White Pelicans are resident species, breeding successfully on artificial platforms (close to 300 pairs).

Greece 264

Greece Wildlife Boars Otters 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2019

The evening of September 7, 2012 was a truly memorable birding experience. I just happened to be there to experience it. There were also countless Brown Pelicans, Western Gulls, and Heermann’s Gulls, creating quite the cacophony. Of course, unexpected experiences such as this are one of the great appeals of birding.

San Francisco 188

San Francisco Portland Whales Whaling 188

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2012

Few experiences birding get me more excited than adding a new bird to my Queens list. Brown Pelican - Though two have been reported to eBird since 2008 this bird is even more of a long shot than Black Vulture. Brown Pelican - I refuse to acknowledge the unlikeliness of my finding one. What do you think?

Connecticut 231

Connecticut 2011 Jamaica 2012 231

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2013

Lastly, due to its previous inaccessibility to humans and the absence of natural predators, the wildlife is bizarrely unafraid of humans, allowing for a truly unforgettable experience. For those birders who want a Galapagos-like experience but without throngs of other visitors, Isla Isabel is a fantastic option.

Whales 267

Whales Whaling Sharks Marine Life 267

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2019

Ivy and I scored some rare vagrants at Montezuma NWR–which has been awful for shorebirds this summer–best of which was her first American White Pelican chilling in the same score view as a Sandhill Crane. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2019 176

2019 Costa Rica Pelicans Birds 176

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2018

I counted them very roughly, but I do have a lot of experience estimating flocks. Further south, heading towards the dam, is a cove from where Nikos Gallios sails out for Dalmatian Pelican photography tours. Afterwards, Nikos will receive an email enquiry how far the pelicans are and how much time is needed to reach them.

Greece 190

Greece 2017 Pelicans Geese 190

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

But we frame these birding highlights within a broader, more comprehensive experience, visiting world-class museums, archaeological sites, and cultural landmarks. The ruins of the Roman city of Glanum are an excellent place to look for bee-eaters and nightingales.

New Jersey 246

New Jersey Guatemala France Birds 246

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2019

We’ll leave it to him to give a full report but he had an easy time choosing his Best Bird of the Weekend as he finally saw a Brown Pelican in Queens, flying well offshore as you can see in his heavily cropped photo above. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2019 164

2019 Pelicans Birds Experiments 164

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2019

Number 8 – Brown Pelican. During my favorite birding event of the year, the annual Big Sit at Fort Tilden in Queens in October , we had hit a lull and were desperately trying to scrape up a few more species when Matthieu spotted a pelican and all was right with the Big Sit once again. I loved that I was seeing them at all!

2019 208

2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 208

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2013

Speaking of hawks, two talented and extremely knowledgeable falconers, Marie Gaspari Crawford and Chloe Bowen, shared with us their birds and their experiences. It’s small enough to provide hands-on, interactive experiences with experts that may not be so easy to achieve at larger festivals with crowds of people.

Nevada 214

Nevada Barn Owls Cows Lamb 214

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2024

It proved strong enough to take the many knocks and falls that a hard-used scope experiences during its lifetime. I tried many times with varying degrees of success – the Dalmatian Pelicans ( below ) were one of my better efforts. Dalmatian pelicans : digiscoping flying birds is a challenge.

Estonia 246

Estonia Poland India Pelicans 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2019

We look at the Six Pelicans who rest at night and see Brown Pelicans because we already know what pelicans look like. ‘Six Pelicans Rest at night. I do wonder, however, if Harper’s birds are too minimally visual for a toddler’s eyes. Or, maybe this is how toddlers see birds! Seven Finches Stand apart.

New York City 201

New York City Pelicans Penguins New York 201

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

The world’s three pelagic tropicbird species were long lumped with pelicans and cormorants because of their totipalmate feet (all four toes, not just three, are webbed), but it’s become clear in recent years that they don’t belong there at all (nor are pelicans and cormorants all that closely related, but more on that in a moment).

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2019

As such, his Best Bird of the Weekend is the Brown Pelican , a bird that always amazes Corey in places where they are common. Seeing a squadron on pelicans just past where hundreds of beach goers swim is always an interesting juxtaposition. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2019 113

2019 Pelicans Breeders Virginia 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2015

If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

Bald Eagle 124

Bald Eagle Nashville 2015 Pelicans 124

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

With the easy-to-use platform offered by the Great Backyard Bird Count, birders of all ages and experience levels set out to find, tally, and document as many birds as possible within the boundaries of Miami-Dade. American White Pelican: 19. Brown Pelican: 53. Red-breasted Merganser: 7. Common Loon: 1. Pied-billed Grebe: 91.

Miami 217

Miami 2015 United States Florida 217

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

I didn’t really have time to stop, but as I was passing by, I saw hundreds of American White Pelicans fly up and thought I’d better take a drive through and see what else was there. A First Christmas Bird Count Experience » To learn more about 10,000 Birds, Mike, Corey, or the many marvelous Beat Writers, please click here.

Wildlife 178

Wildlife Sacramento 2011 Jordan 178

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2018

I dropped in at Montezuma NWR before the errant American White Pelican could pull itself away from the carp-filled canal. Only the awesome rarity and pelican pulchritude of this vagrant could top the other amazing birds at Montezuma right now. What was your best bird of the weekend?

Pelicans 100

Pelicans 2018 Birds Experience 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Audubon Associate Naturalist, have led this tour many times, through tornados, droughts, questionable restaurants, and, sadly, the advent of fracking, and every one of my friends who has participated over the years has raved about the experience and the birds (in fact, one member of our group was on his third or fourth trip, I lost count).

North Dakota 197

North Dakota Sparrows Birds Blackbirds 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2011

In my limited experience on pelagic trips, which are almost entirely off the coast of New York State, I can say that Northern Gannets will willingly fly right into the midst of a chum scrum, sometimes even plunge-diving very close to the boat.

Monkeys 150

Monkeys New York Albatross Fish 150

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2013

It was truly an amazing experience only lessened by the fact that Desi slept through the whole thing. Though they haven’t rated a mention thus far, Brown Pelicans were everywhere and are awesome.

Whales 164

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 164

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2018

Terns, gulls, pelicans, gannets, and ducks all made their way past and all were digiscoped to within an inch of their lives. My favorite experience was on a day with really strong south winds. While on our beach vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina in early April I took full advantage of our location just off the beach.

North Carolina 150

North Carolina Fish Hunting Pelicans 150

Critter News

JULY 21, 2010

With some 400 species estimated to be at risk — from the tiniest oil-eating bacteria to shrimp and crabs, endangered sea turtles, brown pelicans and sperm whales — experts say the impact of oil and chemical dispersants on the food chain has already begun, and could grow exponentially. “A

Marine Life 100

Marine Life Sea Turtles Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

The island contains 80,000 breeding Sooty Terns, in addition to 4,500 breeding Brown Noddies and another 100 breeding pairs of the huge Magnificent Frigatebirds, not to mention pelicans, herons, Black Skimmers , other tern species, and so much more. Turning to face the wind, I gently tossed the birds into the air.

Florida 237

Florida Birds Groups Breeding 237

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2016

Our guides were researchers from Callisto, patient and always smiling Yannis Tsanakis (above) and Maria Petridou with her infectious laugh and stories of her Sun Bear and Jaguar research experiences. Dalmatian Pelican – Pelecanus crispus. Also, trekking poles proved useful. The cuisine was magnificent, especially lamb.

Bears 271

Bears Greece Europe Slovenia 271

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

Most of all, the time and effort is worth it when we see new birds, surpass our goals, and when we share those trying, challenging, exuberant and triumphant times with others because the birding party is always better, always stronger, when you you can enjoy the experience with like-minded souls. Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga; Paquera, 3-Jan.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

My own trip was not an intensive birding experience, and August is clearly not the most productive month. Local rarities include mouth-watering birds such as Dalmatian Pelican , Slavonian Grebe , Ruddy Turnstone , Asian Desert Warbler , Moustached Warbler and the Calandra Lark. “I would certainly recommend Serbia to visiting birders.

Serbia 203

Serbia Bulgaria Farming Turtles 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2016

Why did I care how many times I saw a Northern Mockingbird, American Robin , Brown Pelican , or one of the many hundreds of other species I tallied during the 365 days? Slowly, the days ticked by, and my long list accumulated. Example data sheet. My friends laughed at me, and I laughed along with them. A little too neurotic?

2015 124

2015 Pelicans Birds Species 124

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2018

They turned out not to be a new lifer for me after all, but instead my first remembered experience getting excited over with an escaped exotic. Besides, I hadn’t seen anything all so rare that I wasn’t going to add it to my life list sooner than later (and since have, I’m happy to report). Easy come, easy go. Good birding and happy drinking!

Australia 171

Australia Pelicans Europe Florida 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

A surplus of quality birding experiences kept me from making my reports, which is embarrassing. A handful of birds on a spit of land did turn out to be flamingos, standing among many Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls , and European Shags , as well as a trio of Great Pelicans. So writing for you fine folks fell by the wayside.

Spain 162

Spain Turkey Mexico Agenda 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

This diversity makes for a very unique birding experience. Brown Pelicans. Box canyons, long arroyos, and rolling desert vistas, accented with several different kinds of cactus. This, all bordered by the crystal clear waters of the Sea of Cortez. Here are a few of the birds we spotted last weekend. Black-throated Sparrows.

Mountain Lions 100

Mountain Lions Mules Sheep Lions 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2023

Those who are familiar with my ethos know quite well that I am very much for the experience as opposed to the payoff. I could see a few Brown Pelicans in the distance, cruising, then sharply banking into a sudden dive. Some call it a preference for the journey rather than the destination. In the east, the horizon began to lighten.

Trinidad 147

Trinidad Pelicans Groups Humane 147

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.

Ducks 247

Ducks Groups North America North Dakota 247

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

I don’t really know – from my own experience with school bullies or from Jack London’s novels? Pelican, Pelecanus spp. I was in primary school then, probably early grades, but I knew that whatever I do, I cannot afford to turn my back to them. How did I know that? Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica. Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus.

Animal 138

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 138