10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

Found patchily in sub-Saharan Africa, this large, ginger-colored owl can never be guaranteed on a trip to the continent. It is classified as threatened in South Africa – where its numbers have dwindled due to loss of habitat and pollution – and is uncommon and localized elsewhere. Consider their name for a moment.

Fish 261

Fish Owls Botswana Barn Owls 261

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2019

In the end, I truly did set out to reduce the number of birds that I feature here from 1302, my years total species, down to 10-12. Our first Day In South Africa, I spotted the Burchell’s Courcal, as it flew across the road in front of us we entered Kruger National Park. I present to you, my favorite birds of 2018.

2018 190

2018 Costa Rica South Africa New Zealand 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

Our group got to see another species that is a master of camouflage on our trip for the Honduran Emerald. I had seen Thick-Knees in South Africa, but I was very excited to see this species, which is the only member of its family found in Central America. Later on, we saw a second one that was actually moving!

Honduras 262

Honduras Birds Costa Rica South Africa 262

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2011

This is not a surprise as both pastimes tap into my primeval desire to hunt. I don’t need to kill something to feel the rush of the hunt. The quest to see a particularly challenging species is something I dream about, plan for, study and rave about. But most antpitta species are a severe birding challenge.

Ecuador 150

Ecuador South Africa United States Hunting 150

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2019

When we returned to Tucson, from the Bahamas, I was approaching a milestone number, 1300 bird species, and drove myself hard, climbing, hiking, searching, and driving all over the state of Arizona looking for those last eight birds. Matt was working on his own US Big Year, and wanted to join me for the hunt. South Africa Total: 219.

Costa Rica 153

Costa Rica Tucson South Africa Bahamas 153

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Early starts are the rule when monitoring endagered species in Mkuze Game Reserve, in South Africa, but there’s a particular urgency to this morning’s start. And the two species were not inclined to get on, by which I mean that Lions will kill other large predators including Painted Wolves. Resilience.

Wolves 199

Wolves Lions Vet Dogs 199

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Many countries have private reserves and concessions, run for tourism or hunting, that provide outstanding wildlife watching opportunities. The reserve, in the eastern corner of Botswana near Zimbabwe and South Africa, isn’t open to the public in general, so I figured I’d share a few images here by way of showing off.

Zimbabwe 101

Zimbabwe Botswana South Africa Endangered Species 101

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 209

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 209

Critter News

JUNE 28, 2010

Cameron Selogie, owner of the Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, served burgers made with African lion this week as a nod to the tournament in South Africa. I was led to believe they were not hunted, they were not shot, they were not abused," Selogie said. "I Reservations sold out, with a waiting list 100 long.

Phoenix 100

Phoenix Lions Meat South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa).

Ethiopia 254

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Cattle 254

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

So, it sometimes comes to South Africa to relax and enjoy relative anonymity. Colorful bills and heads seem quite popular among Letaba’s bird species – see the African Jacana (blue and black) … … the Striated Heron (yellow and blue) … … and the Yellow-billed Stork (yellow and red).

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Benin South Africa Birds 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2020

Before it joins waters with the Matabele’s iliMphopho, the river of rapid rising and falling, known to the rest of the world as the ‘great, grey, green, greasy Limpopo’ of Rudyard Kipling’s writings, the Ngotwane River marks the boundary line between Botswana and South Africa. Habitats: riparian woodland (mostly Combretum sp.),

Botswana 225

Botswana Africa 2001 Monkeys 225

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Pafuri lies in the northernmost part of the Kruger National Park and is described as “some of the most potentially productive birding territory in South Africa” on the SANParks website. ” (HBW). ” (HBW). Vultures, therefore, tend not to nest in areas with high elephant populations ( source ).

Elephants 147

Elephants Congo Birds Africa 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2015

It can’t have escaped your notice lately that the blog has been overrun with articles about North America’s pseudo-warblers (or wood warblers, as some people, apparently unaware the name is taken by a proper European species, call them), and, even worse, no small amount of poetry. And they are always a pleasure to see.

Africa 177

Africa Ethiopia Feral Tanzania 177

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. Image by Adam Riley. Image by Adam Riley.

Lesotho 197

Lesotho Rats Africa Woodpeckers 197

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? With a trip to South Africa on the horizon at the time, I thought I could handle it. The Indexes show images of the most common birds of the area against a painted background, with page references to species accounts. Now, I’m not so sure.

Brunei 190

Brunei Asia Birds China 190

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

My best bird of the year is based on the sighting rather than the species. Obviously my best bird of the year is going to come during this trip, what with several species of endemic pitta and broadbill possible, not to mention 8 species of hornbill and numerous babblers, storks, kingfishers, trogons and even the endemic Bornean Bristlehead.

2013 168

2013 Costa Rica Birds India 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Fur 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

However South Africa doesn’t meet either of these criteria, but one special factor nevertheless carries it into this auspicious list of 17 nations – the Cape Florisitic Kingdom. of Africa’s landmass yet supports nearly 20% of the continent’s flora! An indication of its floral wealth is that this region covers a mere 0.5%

South Africa 259

South Africa Africa New Zealand Asia 259

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

I’ll never forget my introduction to the mammals of Kruger National Park, South Africa. We –participants of the ABA South Africa Safari—were on a small plane when one Lori Conrad looked out the window and screamed, “There are elephants down there!” and everyone ran to Lori’s side of the plane.

Rhinos 252

Rhinos Animal Mammals White Rhinos 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Later, Harry Fuller, President of the Klamath Bird Observatory, led us to an open meadow where we saw a pair of Great Gray Owls hunting in a meadow. Finally, the Similan Islands are perhaps one of the most beautiful islands in the world and form a stunning backdrop to this species, one of the loveliest pigeons in the world.

2014 216

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Penguins 216

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2012

A former wildlife wrangler, Currie also hosts, Nikon’s Birding Adventures TV , the first bird-watching travel show in the US. James Currie is a native of South Africa; he has led wildlife and bird-watching tours for more than 15 years. The new hour-long show delves into the Sonoran Desert to track Harris’s Hawks.

Madagascar 278

Madagascar South Africa Wolves Lions 278

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2011

Not that I don’t enjoy seeing new species myself, it’s just that they are an easy target and I am nothing if not lazy and mean spirited. Here in New Zealand te only potential big tick would be a lost vagrant painted snipe, and we’ve already established that I don’t enjoy that kind of vagrant hunting.

Family 167

Family Wombats Uganda Fiji 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

But nevertheless, this part of the country is home to an astonishing variety of birds and a good number of species that are found nowhere else in the US. In fact, this sub-species was formerly classified as endangered in the US under the Endangered Species Act. A nice Ferruginous Pygmy Owl showing its rufous tail.

Owls 174

Owls Texas Arizona Pigs 174

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

I was in contact with a group of birders for whom I arranged and guided an annual tour to Africa. We already had South Africa, Zambia and Uganda under our belts, but my clients’ request for the next year came right out of the blue: Ghana! We also knew we had discovered Africa’s next hot birding destination.

Ghana 215

Ghana Hunters Gambia Guinea 215

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

” Writing about owls means writing about roughly 250 species (I counted 245 on the 2022 Clements spreadsheet, but I might have missed a few, and we all know that each classification system is different). These are behaviors that are most likely to vary across species and topics that make for compelling stories.

Owls 241

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 241

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

In the Neotropics the barbets have been placed into two families, the original Capitonidae (New World Barbets) with 14 species and Semnornithidae (Toucan Barbets) with 2 species (Toucan and Prong-billed Barbet). Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird is a woodland species that occurs widely through Africa. Benson to collect birds.

Ethiopia 250

Ethiopia Tanzania Uganda Africa 250

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Given the complexity of the research, the result feels like a bit of a letdown – “northern populations start migration earlier than southern populations, especially in autumn” The species name of the Chestnut-eared Bunting is fucata , from the Latin “fucare”, to paint red.

Eggs 246

Eggs Birds Bangladesh China 246