10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2012

Sure, I’m likely omitting some other far more important factors involving family, friends, and professional success, but the little things mean a lot. As promised, I watched Falcons get plucked, pinioned, and debeaked this weekend. Note that I only condone this treatment for the highly localized Atlanta Falcon.

Debeaking

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

Twelve family accounts have been added. It is 72 pages longer than the first edition. An undisclosed number of family and species accounts have been updated. Nine photographers contributed most of the photographs used to illustrate the family sections, including Richard Crossley, Kevin T. Over 70 range maps were updated.

North America

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

I’m happy to say that Laura Erickson and Marie Read have written a book, Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds , that is not too cute and that does not anthropomorphize. Peregrine Falcon nests. Yellow Warbler fledgling. But special. Familiar is not necessarily common.

Eggs

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2022

I’ve said it before, but this large raptor with the massive, eagle-like bill is not a Hawk or Eagle , but a genetic Falcon. When I reached the woods, I once again again marvelled at how much Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Hutton’s Vireos look like each other, in spite of being from entirely different families: Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Eagles

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

I’m much less embarrassed by this Gull-billed Tern shot because, despite the family that has been hanging out for weeks this summer on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay, they are usually tough to find in Queens. Then I saw this Peregrine Falcon. It has to be a faux pas for a falcon to flinch when a skimmer skims it.

Goats

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

This is where Gila Woodpecker and Yellow-breasted Chat meet Squirrel Cuckoo , Bat Falcon , and Black-throated Magpie-Jay. 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.

Mexico

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2021

Whistling Kites and Black Kites were active in the area too due to the nearby fire and we observed a Brown Falcon perched in a nearby tree. The egret family were represented by the Great Egrets , Intermediate Egrets and a lone Cattle Egret. Walking out onto the bridge we soon observed a good mixture of other bird species. Cattle Egret.

Cattle

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2011

Astounding because she picked up birding before she could speak and surprising because this ability was definitely not inherited from anyone in my family, myself included. Thankfully there are several really excellent family board games that you can play as a whole family. Her natural talent was astounding and surprising.

Birds

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2024

A pair of Jabiru were locked in a chase, one tucked in its eight foot wingspan and made a dive not too dissimilar from that of a falcon. A Jabiru disappeared up a small stream around one corner, another corner was attended to by a small family of Amazon Kingfishers.

Guyana

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2021

Here in Michoacán, we have four different species from the Myiarchus genus of the Tyrant-Flycatcher family. In case you were wondering, I’ll clarify that the header photo is of a Crested Caracara , a weird hawk-sized falcon that can’t decide whether it wants to be a hunter or a carrion-eater.

Woodpeckers

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2012

My family and I have taken our show to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. We haven’t seen many birds yet, but did enjoy the sight of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon unruffled by a mob of belligerent Blue Jays. Do folks on the southern side of the globe, I wonder, do the same thing around the end of January?

Michigan

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2012

My family and I are enjoying our week in a beautiful house in the St. Since the coast is so quiet, apart from Ring-billed Gulls , American Goldfinches , Song Sparrows , Northern Cardinals , Blue Jays , and the rare falcon or cormorant, Seth and I decided to see if birds were hiding out in the woods.

Michigan

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Then there were a few Hawfinches and two young Black Storks , Little Bittern , Great White Egret , Glossy Ibis , Common Kingfisher , Syrian Woodpecker , Peregrine Falcon , Red-backed Shrike , Lesser Grey Shrike , Collared Flycatcher and a family of Western Yellow Wagtails.

Greece

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

I have taken friends birding there, I have taken my family birding there, I have met total strangers at Jamaica Bay and birded with them. Whether a birder is a rank amateur or a skilled expert Jamaica Bay has something to offer them.

Jamaica

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

On the drive I had picked up the flamboyant Red-collared and Long-tailed Widowbirds , extraordinary members of the weaver family who’s ridiculous tails make them easy to spot even from a moving car. Longclaws are African members of the pipit and wagtail family, and unlike the rest of the family they have gorgeously-coloured throats.

South Africa

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Checklist for Belize lists 622 species in 76 families, of which 104 are rare or accidental and four introduced. Checklist lists 955 species in 86 families, with 152 rare/accidental species, three extirpated species, five introduced species, and nine endemics). For context, the IOC version 13.1

Costa Rica

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2013

But, you know, job, family, and all the other responsibilities of being a social animal means that, at best, I get out onto the East Pond once a week to see what shorebirds are stopping over on their way to their wintering grounds. Despite my visits being limited in number and scope I have still enjoyed my visits to the East Pond.

Jamaica

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

Here, thousands of Amur Falcons hunt for insects during the southern summer, Wattled Cranes and Denham’s Bustards may be seen, impressive Long-tailed Widowbirds display over the grasslands and the waterbodies are a haven to many hundreds of waterbirds, including Maccoa and White-backed Ducks. Photo by Adam Riley. Photo by Adam Riley.

Lesotho

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many Neotropical families and genera have some of their northernmost members here, such as the spinetails ( Rufous-breasted Spinetail ), Tangara tanagers ( Azure-rumped Tanager ), and guans ( Horned Guan ). This is a fascinating area of transition. In short, the mountain birding in Honduras promised a slew of cool new birds.

Honduras

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

I’m missing my family and that probably doesn’t leave me in the best frame of mind to write. The resident Peregrine Falcons have been fattening up on them, piles of feathers mark their collective demise on my favourite birding spot. But it is likely. Especially because my summer birds are gone.

Tethering

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

The guide presents 69 species and 1 subspecies, from “NEW WORLD VULTURES: Cathartiformes” to “OSPREY: Pandioninae” to “FAMILY: Accipitridae” (Kites, Hawks, Eagles, Hawk-Eagles), to “FALONIDS: Falconidae” (Falcons, Forest-Falcons, Caracaras, Kestrels, Merlin).

Mexico

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2024

Among our highlights were 5 doves species, a full 9 hummingbirds, 6 herons/egrets, 3 hawks and 2 falcons, 4 woodpeckers, all of 12 Tyrant Flycatchers, 3 vireos, 6 New World Sparrows, 4 New World Orioles in different shades of orange, 16 New World Warblers, 2 tanagers, and 6 grosbeaks and buntings.

Mexico

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2015

This year, what with family plans and other commitments, I didn’t get out on the pond until later than usual but it was worth the wait. Of course, no visit to the East Pond would be complete without at least one attack by a Peregrine Falcon , just to make everything flush and force you to start scanning over again.

Jamaica

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2022

Raptors to look for in this reserve are Golden Eagle and Short-toed Snake Eagle , European Honey-buzzard and Peregrine Falcon. Head back to the town of Opovo, south of Baranda, and ask for the Kod Bobe Restaurant (Chez Boba), a second generation in the same family and the best restaurant in the area.

Serbia

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Keep birding and you might see a White-tailed Kite hovering as it hunts rodents and one of the few Bat Falcons in the Valley might dash into view. Recently, I was surprised to have a family of Stripe-headed Sparrows , birds typically associated with dry habitats of the North Pacific slope.

Costa Rica

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2024

There are beautiful beaches, a plethora of amazing food and drinks, a multitude of family fun locations, a world-renowned zoo, and one of the biggest birding festivals in the US. My family visited San Diego every year as part of a Disneyland-SoCal Road trip to escape the rainy Christmases at home near Portland, Oregon.

San Diego

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. Also on hand were an Aplomado Falcon and a Red-tailed Hawk who was so mellow that he allowed Bowen to stroke him on the back, a gesture which we were told raptors ordinarily detest.

Nevada

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2011

Golden Gate Park was next and it delivered with a family of Great Horned Owls , nesting Cooper’s Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks , coyotes, an annual American Bittern , Belted Kingfishers , Brown Creepers , and a host of small songbirds that I’m still getting to know. Hopefully I can share that story with you in a future post.

San Francisco

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

We had a wonderful family vacation in Germany and the Czech Republic during which I managed to do a bit of birding. Whether it was hawks , terns , seabirds , wood-warblers , shorebirds , geese , falcons , finches , or songbirds and woodpeckers I was there with my camera. Peregrine Falcon. fledgling Song Thrush about to be fed.

2012

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

The provision of housing and food is most gratifying, I have successfully spread this joy to one of my three neighbors, who now gleefully sends me pictures of the Cocoa Thrush family on his front porch, and Green Iguanas lounging in his avocado tree. Each year, I alert him to the arrival of our guest of honor – a female Yellow Warbler.

Opossums

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2011

With them were about 40 White-rumped Sandpipers ( Calidris fuscicollis ) , and families of both Semipalmated ( Charadrius semipalmatus ) and Common-ringed Plovers ( Charadrius hiaticula ). A little more than two weeks ago, on the 10th of August, I counted over 150 along the shore of Arctic Bay, where our water lake empties into the ocean.

Seals

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2016

This may help songbirds successfully raise their families without worrying about invaders. This part of the theory doesn’t entirely jibe with the growing numbers of, say, Peregrine Falcons that make skyscrapers and urban bridges their home, but it’s interesting to contemplate nonetheless.

China

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Not a great place for a family vacation, though I think Duncan will disagree. Species Accounts are grouped by family, following what appears to be Sibley and Monroe’s 1996 taxonomy. (I The plates show differing plumages as required by the individual families and species. Artwork is by Karen Phillips.

Brunei

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2021

Groups them by family too and by their shape” His extra long arm extended and passed me that precious book. Competing with well adapted tinamous would have always been tough, the same goes for a related yet separate family of very grouse-like birds; the New World Quails. “Check it out!”

Costa Rica

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2014

So when we were contacted by Mitchell Waite, the creator and owner of the iBird family of apps, offering a promotional code for the new version of iBird Ultimate in return for a review I thought, why not? After all, I don’t want to bring down the wrath of the number one birder in the world.

New York

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2024

Until a small, falcon-like bird darted through the understory. Fortunately, the parrot family is a raucous one, and before long I heard the rasping vocalisations of my intended targets. A couple bends along the trail and it seemed as if we were out of human contact by a thousand miles.

Guyana

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2013

Participating teams include the E-Birders from Cornell University, the Tigrisomas from Louisiana State University, the Forest Falcons from Great Britain, the Zululanders from South Africa, Team Tramuntana from Spain, and the Ararajubas from Brazil. Photo: Alex Duran.

Peru