10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2019

Their populations, plus those of other species that ‘wore’ the coveted long, colorful feathers used for women’s fashionable hats, were being dangerously depleted by hunters intent on feeding the millinery industry. Fitting, since New York City and London were the centers of the millinery trade. This is good stuff.

Virginia 118

Virginia Portland Industry New York City 118

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, one of the 145 species of Glass frogs living in the Cental and South American rainforests, I could look through the transparent skin on their undersides and see their internal organs. All species of frogs and toads share the fact that they are amphibian creatures, they have two types of skin gland, four legs, and, well, they jump.

Reptiles 184

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 184

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2019

In it, Bloch becomes LeChiffre, Fleming becomes Mathis and Popov becomes 007 (it does sound a bit better than Tricycle Licensed to Kill), while the rest of the gambling scene remains the same. An active birdwatcher, he has found more than 50 species new to Guadeloupe, the Lesser Antilles and, in some cases, the Caribbean as a whole.

Saint Kitts and Nevis 156

Saint Kitts and Nevis Antigua and Barbuda Dominican Republic Cuba 156

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 207

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 207

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2017

One of them had to be injured, possibly killed. The species is found in Atlantic coast salt marshes, and is valued for its role in the ecological life of the marsh, working with crabs and cordgrass to process decaying matter and keep our salt marshes clean. A happy circumstance, but not an unusual one.

California 170

California New York New York City Killing 170

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2015

Without further ado, here are our Best Birds of the Year for 2015… Jochen makes us all jealous with a bird that most of us would kill to see. 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.

2015 183

2015 Costa Rica Birds Sparrows 183

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

It took several days in Florida for the idea that I was pretty much surrounded by giant reptiles that could kill me to sink in to my brain. As a resident of New York City the only predator I am ever concerned about while birding near my home is other people. Though alligator attacks are rare they do happen.

Alligators 167

Alligators Reptiles New York City Florida 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2021

The Upland Sandpiper I found was only the second I had ever seen in Queens and it stuck around for the rest of the day, allowing dozens of birders to see this declining and hard-to-find-in-New-York-City shorebird. Eastern Screech-Owl, 22 March, Alley Pond Park, Queens, New York. A new Queens bird?

New York 255

New York California Birds Owls 255

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2023

Plume hunting raged supreme 150 years ago, when egret feathers were part of a worldwide trade in feathers and other bird parts, used for women’s hats and other articles of clothing (but mostly hats), delighting the upper classes and practically wiping out bird species. ©2023, Donna L.

Connecticut 147

Connecticut Washington Legislation Hunting 147