10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2016

Amongst all the species that were split off the Herring Gull, the Caspian Gull is my favourite one, and its existence alone is our fair reward for the identification crisis we had to endure during the dark ages of the 1990s. This is lake Bukhtarma in far eastern Kazakhstan. You can’t get further away from any ocean than this.

Kazakhstan 140

Kazakhstan Germany Ukraine Asia 140

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

In its natural old-world range, the House Sparrow offers an interesting identification challenge and has vagrant potential since it is a polytypic species with a highly complex taxonomy. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas.

Sparrows 252

Sparrows Italy Kyrgyzstan Asia 252

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2014

I already have a history of searches for this species. They do mention the “utva zlatokrila” (golden-winged duck), but do we know which species did they meant? Further north, in Poland, they used to write off all Ruddy Shelducks recorded, assuming they were escapees, until they found one ringed in Kazakhstan!

Serbia 252

Serbia Ducks Poland Kazakhstan 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2014

But I had seen one in 2006 and I have since seen them twice more so the species never rose to the level of nemesis bird for me. I mean, sure, I’ve had my share of dips but none of them were multiple attempts at a single species that did not end up in victory within three attempts.

Costa Rica 233

Costa Rica Hungary Honduras Woodpeckers 233

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. We have both resident and migratory species, and this post will briefly discuss each of the 20 species of African bee-eaters.

Africa 266

Africa Gabon Uganda South Africa 266

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Fortunately, though Caspian Terns are not common in Queens, they are common around the world (in fact, up until I saw these two birds I had seen as many Caspian Terns in Kazakhstan as I had seen in Queens), and are considered a Species of Least Concern by BirdLife International because of their enormous range and large and growing population.

Kazakhstan 162

Kazakhstan Jamaica 2007 Birds 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

But, even better, part of the profile is a heat map that allows you to view the number of species you (or others) have seen in different regions from the county level to world wide! You can’t even see my visit to Trinidad and Tobago on this map but you definitely notice Kazakhstan !). And, much to my delight, I won !

Kazakhstan 174

Kazakhstan New York Trinidad Branding 174

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2014

There’s no way around it as the various species are reasonably common, and you will surely want to identify them. And since River Warbler is an incredibly neat species (aka difficult to get on your life list), it sure is worth the effort of peeking at its undies. This may sound tough, but it really makes it very easy.

Europe 248

Europe Kazakhstan Sparrows Abandon 248

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

These Blasts From The Past Striped Basilisk Lizard Lore Herps in Rockland County and Orange County Diamondback Terrapin at Jamaica Bay The Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) Lizards of Kazakhstan About the Author Dale Forbes Dale got his first pair of binoculars for a very early birthday after his dad realized that it was the only way to be left in peace.

2011 234

2011 Breeders Deer Breeding 234

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2016

In fact, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology , “The Golden Eagle is the most common official national animal in the world – it’s the emblem of Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and Kazakhstan.” The oldest known Golden Eagle was over 30 years old, and as a species they prefer open and semi-open landscapes.

Albania 104

Albania Mexico Kazakhstan Austria 104

Animal Person

MARCH 18, 2009

The site was where northern Kazakhstan is now, the culture was called Botai and the date was around 3500 B.C. Among all the animal species on this planet, humans have domesticated only a handful. The Botai did not just herd horses for meat. So far I'm not seeing the mutual benefit. And that fact gives rise to a thought-experiment.

Experience 100

Experience Experiments Horses Kazakhstan 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2011

Among these white-headed/dark-winged gulls formerly lumped into the genus Larus , there were 18+ recognized species the last time I checked, sharing similarities that make telling them apart for the amateur birdwatcher very difficult. 1998), then the proper name for this species is L. fuscus – should be separated as species.

2011 157

2011 Cyprus Deer Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

To that end, the principals have created a terrific site called Conserving the Future: Refuges and the Next Generation to elicit votes and comments. You may even have some profound insights that need to be shared in this public forum. • Explore These Related Posts Greenough – Green Enough.Or

2011 140

2011 Deer Wildlife Birds 140

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

I was given my first real field guide to the birds of Europe by my parents, a guide beyond the species found at backyard feeders and city ponds. In 1996, during my university days at Greifswald, I was invited to join an excursion to eastern Kazakhstan, travelling along the Chinese border from Almaty to lake Zaissan and back.

Kazakhstan 100

Kazakhstan Europe Russia Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 13, 2016

I’d only ever seen Garganey once before, way back in 2009 in Kazakhstan. So we set to scanning, adding species and birders at a roughly two-to-one ratio. What if we missed it? But before we get into the search I’d like to touch briefly on the bird itself. We saw Sandhill Cranes , Northern Shovelers , and Bald Eagles.

New York 100

New York Bald Eagle New York City Kazakhstan 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

Seeing a species in New York that is much more common in Eurasia and that only has North American breeding grounds in far northeastern Canada was pretty awesome. And here, for the heck of it, is an image of the last Northern Wheatear I saw – a breeding plumaged bird in May of 2009 in Kazakhstan. And I even got to work on time!

New York 177

New York New York City Kazakhstan New Jersey 177

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2024

According to the British Trust for Ornithology’s BirdFacts website, “Although a small number of vagrant Red-breasted Geese from the declining arctic Siberian breeding population winter in Britain each year, the species is popular in wildfowl collections and many birds are of captive origin. The post The World’s Most Beautiful Goose?

Bulgaria 130

Bulgaria Geese Romania Estonia 130

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

This bird represented only the second documented record of this species in Florida. 2012 has certainly been a bumper year for me with an estimated year list of around 3,000 species after extensive travels to South Africa, Ethiopia, South Korea, Indonesia, the Russian Far East, United Kingdom, Peru, Guatemala and Panama.

2012 183

2012 Guatemala Birds Florida 183

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2017

The year 2016 was not a particularly birdy year for me, mostly because I didn’t get to go on business trips to Indonesia or Kazakhstan, as was frequently the case during the last few years. I therefore finished the year on a high note, seeing quite a few species I scarcely got to see during the previous years.

2016 104

2016 Germany Italy Netherlands 104

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2014

In a funny twist of fate, it seems that 2014 will be much the same as 2012 and 2013 have been, with family trips to somewhere in France and business trips to Indonesia and Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan: Mangghystau province at the Caspian Sea shore, probably in May. See more than 500 species. See more than 20 lifers.

2014 145

2014 France Germany Indonesia 145

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2015

During my previous five trips to Indonesia, I only heard but never caught a glimpse of three species. Now my tally stands at four species seen and a fifth heard-only. However, all that changed when I saw a species that was both a long-awaited lifer and a very rare vagrant for Costa Rica. A country-first?

2015 189

2015 Costa Rica Birds Sparrows 189