10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2016

On my recent short family vacation to Miami, I was granted a single day to get out and really bird like a madman. Of course, I contacted Carlos Sanchez , alleged south Florida birder extraordinaire, to maximize the returns on what time I could spend. We needed countable species! At least this time we saw three of them.

Florida 139

Florida Miami Birds Owls 139

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

So what’s so special about seeing the resident re-introduced Whooping Cranes in Florida? One of the last remaining Whooping Cranes in the non-migratory Florida flock. Whooping Cranes occurred naturally in the eastern United States until the late 1940s, and there are records of Whooping Cranes in Florida until the 1930s.

Buffalo 253

Buffalo Florida Louisiana 2004 253

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2013

Broward County has one of the highest densities of Burrowing Owls in Florida. The Florida sub-species of Burrowing Owl is now classified as a threatened species in Florida and it is one of the rarest sub-species of Burrowing Owls. This is unfortunately an all too common problem for these owls in Florida.

Owls 251

Owls Florida Raised Coyotes 251

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2015

Birding in Florida is unique in that so much of that state’s plenty is evident even to the casual observer. There are few places in the United States where simply driving around can leave you with a list of 30+ species, many of them large and spectacular. I’ve spent the last week in southwest Florida.

Owls 231

Owls Tenant Florida United States 231

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’m not that old, but I have been in this birding game for 20 years and even I can remember when Wood Stork was a choice bird in central Florida.

Florida 201

Florida North America Neglecting South America 201

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

The brilliant orange coloration and rich, haunting song of the Spot-breasted Oriole ( Icterus pectoralis ) makes this species one of my favorite permanent residents in southeastern Florida, even though it is an introduced exotic. How can an introduced species be a favorite among birders?

Miami 186

Miami Costa Rica Florida 2005 186

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2012

With a family renowned for its strong flight and capability to colonize far flung locations (such as the Imperial-Pigeons and Fruit-Doves of the Tropical Pacific, Blue Pigeons of the Indian Ocean, or endemic pigeons of the Canary Islands), this fact comes to no surprise. Is this the closest equivalent to a tramp species in the Americas?

Florida 187

Florida Miami Bahamas Mexico 187

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Together, they are placed in the family Threskiornithidae, and they’re related to herons and egrets, pelicans, and the strange Hamerkop and Shoebill. White Ibis ( Eudocimus albus ) in Florida © David J. The other two living species, the Andean Puna Ibis and the White-faced Ibis occur in the Americas.

Louisiana 224

Louisiana Mississippi America Pelicans 224

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2011

By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. 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. And perhaps 20 others by sight.

Birds 279

Birds Game South Africa Wildlife 279

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2021

If you’ve had an encounter with a wild animal – a bird stunned by hitting a window, a fox hit by a car, or a family of raccoons unexpectedly found residing in your attic – you know how hard it can be to find help. However several of them, including 411 Wildlife Solutions in Florida, have agreed to be listed nationwide.

Wildlife 264

Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Animal Raccoons 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2012

In fact, prior to my visit to Florida in January for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, I had never seen an Anhinga at all save one lousy look in Honduras back in 2009. I must of mistaken flying Anhingas for ten different species over the next few days and I never really adjusted to seeing a cormorant-like bird soaring. .

Florida 180

Florida Honduras Turkey Wildlife 180

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

It is one of several species in the Mallard -complex of ducks, along with American Black Duck , Mexican Duck , and quite a few others. You find them in the south from Florida to Texas and down into Mexico, occasionally as far north as the Carolinas in the east and up the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois.

Ducks 182

Ducks Illinois Florida Mississippi 182

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2019

In addition to spotting exciting new species in Florida, including the rare Snail Kite, travel across the country brought me into contact with birds in Oregon, California, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alabama, and more. With my new job, I feel privileged to work towards protecting vulnerable species each and very day.

Bald Eagle 169

Bald Eagle Alabama Kansas Wisconsin 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2016

I have been fortunate to bird Florida many times, and over the years I’ve seen most of the specialty birds that people travel from all over to see. Florida has revealed a great many of its birding secrets to me, but it has yet to provide me with the dainty little neotropic Buteo I have sought since my first trip way back in 1993.

Florida 150

Florida ALA Blackbirds Family 150

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2014

That is, of course, dependent on me finishing a manuscript in a timely way by the end of February which I am well on my way to doing, having completed over one hundred species accounts thus far. In the meantime, I have whittled down the number of birds I want to include to 298 species, which is still a bit more than I am supposed to include.

New York 227

New York New Jersey Colorado Pennsylvania 227

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2020

The bird family that got his attention was originally the herons, egrets and other wading birds, but as time went on New World warblers, woodpeckers and ducks fueled the passion further. Luis is an avid eBirder and he likes to keep a good record of his lists, photograph as many species as he can, and he encourages others to do the same.

Canada 189

Canada Cuba Miami Florida 189

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2015

I have now officially moved to the Emerald Coast of Florida, a beautiful region on the Florida Panhandle. I am within one of Florida’s sub-tropical zones, and my birding experiences have expanded, with life birds galore. The largest of the three species was the Ruddy Turnstone , in between its breeding and non-breeding plumage.

Florida 157

Florida Mice Birds Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2012

If you have been out birding in southeast Florida there is a good chance that you have run into him in the field. Thick-billed Vireo in Florida’s Matheson Hammock Fall By the time mid-July rolls around, fall migration is well underway in extreme southeast Florida.

Miami 163

Miami Florida Pelicans Birds 163

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2016

It was odd to realize that with a temperature of 85 degrees F and a breeze, I felt like “fall” had begun in Northwest Florida. Here and there, spits of pale sand became playgrounds for families and dogs, or hunting areas for Great Blue Herons. My husband remained more interested in the species below the surface.

Bald Eagle 154

Bald Eagle Florida Alligators Pelicans 154

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2011

The epicenter of large, charismatic, and often photogenic, fish-eating birds is in Florida, at places like Everglades National Park and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the only site in the park system that could convincingly be named for an exotic dancer. Below is a family shot of at least six. Can you find all of them?

South Carolina 157

South Carolina Alligators Florida United States 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2011

It was reportedly unforgettable, but then again most members of the celebrated psitticine family are unforgettable, though these days it probably has more to do with their dominance in western cultural traditions as primary avian cracker-wanter and pirate accessory.

Parrots 242

Parrots Stray Mexico United States 242

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

This spurred her to pursue a career in environmental education and wildlife nature tourism as a park ranger in Texas and as the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail Coordinator with Florida Fish and Wildlife. Marion has a fascinating history with invasive species.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. I want to reach 500 birds in the ABA, get my Queens list to 295, see a total of at least 500 species, and get my World Life List to 1,100. But how did I see so many species this year?

2012 149

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 149

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2016

I opened the year in California and even though I flew out in the evening on New Year’s Day I did see some species out there that I would otherwise not have seen for the year. Winter birding around New York City was just so-so but I did add one species to my Queens list. Burrowing Owl , 27 April, Kendall-Tamiami Airport, Florida.

2016 158

2016 Puerto Rico New York City New York 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2024

Their discoveries, writings, art, and lives are woven in and out of chapters focused on bird families (thrushes, shorebirds, warblers), places (Florida, Texas), significant points in North American ornithological history (Wilson versus Audubon in Philadelphia), and the big topics of taxonomy and conservation. The mind reels.

Philadelphia 246

Philadelphia Birds Investigation North America 246

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Eight days with 20 of the world’s top birding guides looking for some 1,000 species and three dozen endemics. You can see as many hummingbird species as the folks at Magee Marsh are seeing warbler species—during 25 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. As the rally tore through its itinerary, the species piled up.

Peru 255

Peru South America Birds Kenya 255

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Navarro’s exceptional drawings illustrate the species accounts. Forty-eight species. Compare, for example, the species account illustration of the Cuban Trogon with the photo that opens up the introductory chapter. The luxury of space means that each species can be shown from various angles and in distinctive poses.

Cuba 243

Cuba Birds 2000 United States 243

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

Over Memorial Day weekend (23-25 May) my family and I spent the weekend along the Delaware shore enjoying the beaches, natural areas, and tourist traps that make visiting the shore such a delight. That I got to share a bunch of these birds with my family later in the day on Sunday was nice too.

Delaware 193

Delaware New York North Carolina Birds 193

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2015

One particular family of owls had particularly evaded me. All the local birders had seen them, and though I arrived on the Florida Panhandle too late to observe them when they were young, I fervently wished to see them all grown up. Almost the entire family had us surrounded. Three owl species seen, many more to go!

Owls 150

Owls Florida Raised Family 150

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

Interestingly, the Palm Warbler shares spur on the Dendroica family tree with the Yellow-rump – but also with the more traditional Black-throated Blue and the sun-loving, southern Yellow-throated Warbler.) Like right now, for instance. The other half glow more-or-less yellow.

San Diego 186

San Diego Sparrows Breeders 2009 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

The countryside too is full of signature European species like European Bee-eaters, European Rollers and Great-spotted Cuckoos … Within a shortish drive of the lodge is an unusual birding spot called Pulo do Lobo or The wolf’s Leap. This is worthwhile to pick up some rocky terrain species and the scenery is stunning.

Portugal 194

Portugal 2011 Deer Africa 194

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2018

We did however gain an extra night, at our expense in Miami, Florida, all of which was in the dark, so I could not even run out and put a couple of birds on a Florida State List. Our first stop was the Lakeview Drive Ponds, Corey’s primary birding location when he and his family visited the island a few years ago.

Bahamas 141

Bahamas Costa Rica Abandon Abandoning 141

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2013

He now wakes up to the choruses of Northern Cardinals and Northern Mockingbirds in sunny Vero Beach, Florida. These are the characteristics that generally elevate a species higher in a birder’s wish list, but often times this is not the case. An example is the set of birds living in the coastal desert of Peru. Photos: Alfredo Begazo.

Peru 198

Peru Birds Chile Parrots 198

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2011

On the grounds, Punta Cana has preserved a 1,500 acre Ecological Park that is an excellent place to view the local endemic bird species and enjoy nature. James is currently the host and owner of Nikons Birding Adventures TV and he resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Dominican Republic 213

Dominican Republic 2011 Deer Kuwait 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2012

Jake lives in southern Florida, so he and his friends had to be interested in learning about these birds, which they saw everyday, right? And then I showed them the one photo that was not taken in Florida, an image of baby American Robins in a nest in Central Park. There is nothing as deadly as 15 bored 4-year olds.

Switzerland 243

Switzerland Birds Owls Lions 243

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

When I arrived at the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance office in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, a high-tempo, tap-tap-tapping immediately arrested my attention. Bird territories vary in size depending on the bird species and available resources.

Florida 128

Florida Breeding Family Groups 128

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

It was a hot and sunny Labor Day along Florida’s Gulf Coast, and my husband Brian and I were heading home from a friends and family weekend on the Suwannee River, stopping at state parks along the road-trip home. Luckily, the birds stuck around, and eventually I captured a smattering of photos looking straight up.

Florida 100

Florida United States Family Species 100