10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

Each time, a small notebook tagged along with me, and I would note the bird species I spotted, then put it away. And it’s true, I know that the Pied-billed Grebes show up around the same time the Mississippi Kites leave, because I make a note of both and it sticks in my memory. Otherwise I would never remember.”

Florida 264

Florida Mississippi Birds Laws 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

I was happy to read that the wood stork ( Mycteria Americana ), a bird near and dear to me, was down-sited from the status of endangered to threatened species. Fish and Wildlife Service is down-listing the wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a biologist working for the U.S. Photo: U.S.

North Carolina 223

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 223

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2016

Sandhill Cranes , ancient and currently abundant – the most abundant species of crane in the world – are nevertheless almost miraculous to me every time I see them. The five subspecies – Greater, Lesser, Mississippi, Florida, Cuban – show the genetic marks of what the species has had to do to survive.

California Condor 172

California Condor Mississippi Florida Montana 172

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2021

As of mid-November 2021, the Collaborative had submitted more than 4,200 checklists (up from 1,700 in 2018) and has observed 691 species in the United States (up from 618). Thus, there are now seven states with 200+ observed species. The state with the largest increase was Arizona , with 139 species added.

West Virginia 235

West Virginia United States Puerto Rico Minnesota 235

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2020

It’s all good, as of April 6, my yard list has more than 60 species and will certainly grow in the coming days. More likely are a suite of sparkling hummingbirds, the eye-catching Flame-colored Tanager , acrobatic Red-faced Spinetails , and various other species. Barred Antshrike. Flame-colored Tanager. The Caribbean Lowlands.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Birds Mississippi Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

falcinellus ) in Mississippi © David J. The other two living species, the Andean Puna Ibis and the White-faced Ibis occur in the Americas. The other two living species, the Andean Puna Ibis and the White-faced Ibis occur in the Americas. A cryptic species? White-faced and Glossy ibises ( Plegadis chihi and P.

Louisiana 222

Louisiana Mississippi America Pelicans 222

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2013

How are seasons like species? Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a Mississippi Kite , though 17-year cicadas came a close second. In both instances, we can have trouble telling where one ends and the other begins. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

Mississippi 168

Mississippi 2013 Birds Experience 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

The species is said to have never been common, a description I’ve always thought is applied too liberally to long-gone species almost as a convenient declaration of helplessness or shrug of the shoulders toss off in the face of its eventual demise. Mississippi in 1949. Photo by Jerry Payne, Charleston Co, SC, 1958.

South Carolina 188

South Carolina Cuba Missouri Mississippi 188

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2014

I work part-time for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and here are some stunning views of our very urban park along the Mississippi River through the Twin Cities in Minnesota: This video is not only remarkable for the views, but also the places they take the small drone–behind waterfalls, are you kidding me?

Bald Eagle 213

Bald Eagle Mississippi Eagles Ducks 213

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

Today, the species has all but disappeared east of the Mississippi River and has declined in western parts of its range, most likely caused by the expansion of the House Wren which destroys and removes their eggs from nest sites 1. A century ago, the Bewick’s Wren was beloved as the “house wren” of the Appalachians and the Midwest.

Mississippi 173

Mississippi North America Eggs America 173

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2015

The official Florida checklist counts over 500 species, and thus Florida citizens had a wealth of State Bird candidates to choose from when they named the Florida state bird in 1927. This common bird is also the state bird for Arkansas, Texas (another avian hot spot), Tennessee, and Mississippi, so Florida even misses points for originality.

Florida 171

Florida Arkansas Legislature Mississippi 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2013

Fortunately, the folks at Princeton University Press agreed, and the person who correctly guesses my 300th species of bird in Queens will get a free copy of The Warbler Guide ( which Donna reviewed ). Write a comment in the comment section of the blog with the name of the species you think that will be my 300th. How do you enter?

Pelicans 174

Pelicans Mississippi Virginia Game 174

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 180

Ducks Illinois Florida Mississippi 180

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2012

Sure, the AOU has the final say in whats a species, whats not, yadda yadda yadda… but who tells them what to say? After all, there are some epic splits coming your way… what do you think about new species of storm-petrel and murrelet that can be found in the United States? But I digress.

San Diego 168

San Diego Mississippi Mexico Malaysia 168

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2014

That’s when the state and feds demand that we fill out complicated forms detailing every bird we’ve taken in during the year, supposedly using the North American Ornithological Society’s abbreviation for each species.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 255

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Mice Vet 255

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2015

The justification was ridiculously laughable: in order to further study the species. The unique behaviors this mysterious species might exhibit? Researchers observing (live) Mississippi Kites provide very useful information on the timing, paths, and correlation with fronts that I use when releasing my kites.

Collecting 240

Collecting Wildlife Rehabilitation Solomon Islands Texas 240

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2011

She lived on a stretch of the Mississippi River near a power plant that keeps the river open all winter long (even when it’s below zero). Do neighbors refer to you as bird species + Lady or Guy? A great example was the Swan Lady in Monticello, MN Sheila Lawrence. Are you the local Goose Lady? Grackle Guy?

Bald Eagle 260

Bald Eagle Deer Minnesota Eagles 260

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2013

states and thirty-seven counties, and added a whopping ninety-two species to my life list. Despite that, I managed to see 511 species in 2013 , which is not half-bad. Hopefully I will see at least that many species in 2014! Finally seeing my 300th species in Queens. a 17-Year Cicada. You will not be disappointed.

2013 191

2013 New York City Nevada Trinidad 191

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

The species name is long enough to be the middle line of a formal English haiku. You also learn that for birds that spend most of their lives drifting above the ocean and sleeping on the wing, the species isn’t exactly aquatic. So we used MAFR, the American Ornithological Union’s 4-letter code. Oil was everywhere.

Los Angeles 250

Los Angeles Wildlife Rehabilitation Killing San Francisco 250

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

So: we have bird identification shorthand, which is usually the bird’s North American Ornithological Society abbreviation, but which could be just one particular rehabber’s nickname for the species.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 242

Wildlife Rehabilitation Turtles Turkey Rodents 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2014

Sure, Miami and the Florida Keys do not boast any endemics ( ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow is close) at the species level. Many visitors who come through Orlando or Tampa see maybe eight or ten species on a winter trip. However, few realize how unique and how good the birding can be here.

Florida 173

Florida Miami Stray United States 173

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

The Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching offers two types of information: Species Accounts–descriptions of 112 birds within 15 families as they appear over and on the water, and Where to Watch, brief descriptions of 47 sites on the North American eastern coast and interior recommended for seawatching. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 246

Ducks Groups North America North Dakota 246

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2019

I generally wait until I have at least a dozen species on my year list before having my first drink of the year. But which species of crow is our Old Crow – Fish or American? By my reckoning, 500 miles up the Mississippi River as the steamboat goes only gets you as far as the Mississippi-Louisiana-Arkansas tripoint.

Mississippi 120

Mississippi Kentucky Tennessee Arkansas 120

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2016

Swallow-tailed Kite is an enigmatic species in North Carolina. Swallow-tailed Kites, and their equally graceful but less ostentatious cousins from Mississippi, have been found in at least a half-dozen fields in North Carolina in the last couple weeks, including a field not more than an hour from my home.

North Carolina 103

North Carolina Mississippi Charlotte 2016 103

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

In February of 2013, I wrote a piece outlining my thoughts on which exotic bird species should be added to the American Bird Association (ABA) checklist. In 2014, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) voted to add this species to the Florida state list. The ABA Checklist Committee quickly followed suit.

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco San Antonio 154

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2016

The proximity of both slopes also facilitates seeing a lot of different species in a short span because the montane barrier has resulted in differences in terms of species and habitats. This small antbird species is common in Panama to Ecuador but rare in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 166

Costa Rica San Jose Panama Nicaragua 166

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

However, few realize that this flat, densely populated county boasts one of the highest list totals of any county east of the Mississippi. The final species tally for the four day blitz was 186 ABA-countable species, an impressive total in winter for any location in the United States.

Miami 174

Miami 2015 United States Florida 174

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2015

Though I have been birding for a few years now, I had only birded west of the Mississippi once before my recent trip to Austin, Texas. I didn’t realize how many new species I would see within the city itself! Given how far west I found myself, I was hoping for at least a handful of new birds.

Austin 122

Austin Texas Mississippi Non Human 122

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2020

Sedge Wren – There are records of this species in Queens, generally along the coast in fall. Great Shearwater – At this point, seabirds are my weakest family in Queens with the most species having reported in the borough that I have not seen. It leaves Barnacle Goose as the last remotely possible goose species for me to add. (0

2018 174

2018 2019 2015 Kansas City 174

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

As of mid-October 2018, the Collaborative had submitted more than 1,700 checklists and observed 618 species in the United States. The heat map is revealing: Unsurprisingly for a site founded and run by two New Yorkers (one of whom literally wrote the book on birding New York), the Empire State boasts the highest number of species (316).

Rhode Island 115

Rhode Island United States West Virginia Puerto Rico 115

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2011

While I had heard Yellow Rails in North Dakota in 2010, to see this Ohio Review Species fly, not once but twice, right in front of me was an incredible experience. Susan Kailholz-Williams had raptors as her BBOTY: My best and thrilling bird of 2011: First confirmed nest of Mississippi Kites right here in Ohio.

2011 163

2011 Ohio North Dakota Bald Eagle 163

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 148

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 148

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

This morning, they have seen some 10,000 Broad-winged Hawks , mixed up with two dozen Swainson’s Hawks , several Mississippi Kites and one or two King Vultures , Swallow-tailed and Double-toothed Kites , Merlins and Peregrine Falcons. But why would someone look for that, an easy and common one among the 920+ bird species of Costa Rica?

Costa Rica 167

Costa Rica Reptiles Farming Mississippi 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I am shocked to be writing this post already, and doubly shocked that I’ve seen six new species for Queens since I guessed what my next five Queens birds would be just eight months ago, back in March. Eastern Whip-Poor-Will : It’s kind of amazing how rarely this species is reported in Queens. I’ll make it three!

New York City 156

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 156

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 18, 2011

The Cuban sandhill and Mississippi sandhill are both subspecies of cranes that are listed as endangered and are protected under the Endangered Species Act. SeaWorld Orlando’s Aviculture Team plans to release the adult and chick together, once the chick learns to fly and the adult is fully recovered.

Rescue 100

Rescue Mississippi Endangered Species Humane 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Frigatebirds (Fregatidae) Five species of frigatebird ply the planet’s tropical skies and seas. Ringer Cormorants and Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) Cormorants are more speciose than other families in the order; 30-40 species range widely on every continent and many islands. Ringer is exploring the world one bird at a time.

2011 161

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea California 161

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

Along that stretch, we enjoyed Fork-tailed Flycatchers and other species in the open fields and marshes including Harriss’s Hawk , the local Nicaraguan Seed-Finch , and, best of all, a pair of normally sneaky and secretive Yellow-breasted Crakes walking in the open through a grassy marsh!

Costa Rica 143

Costa Rica San Jose Lamb Farming 143