10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2015

In the one hundred and six minutes I spent at the waterhole seventeen species of wood-warbler stopped by for a drink or a bath. Unfortunately, this has been a very dry spring in New York City so, as you can see in the photos above, intrepid Queens birders have made makeshift bird baths to take the place of what is normally a vernal pool.

New York City 176

New York City New York Connecticut Nashville 176

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2012

The New York Times has the story of this most improbable of discoveries.

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New York City New York Species New York Times 158

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Spotting 57 species of birds in the couple of hours we put in to seeking out birds was never so ho-hum in my life. One final stop at a popular park in Queens netted us another nesting species that we only found because they can’t fly yet, Great Horned Owlets. So-so looks at a brown swallow. How exciting. Of course it did.

New York City 163

New York City New York Walruses Sparrows 163

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

At least that’s where I added this species to my New York list. Corey went for a walk at Jamaica Bay with his family on Saturday evening, after the rain had stopped in New York City and went out again, alone, on Sunday morning before the rain picked back up.

Charlotte 244

Charlotte New York City New York Jamaica 244

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2019

On one gray, drizzly morning this week, I set out to bird my local patch in Albany, New York, and found 56 species in a few hours of aimless, unhurried traipsing. This is the third fall migration for which Kings County Brewers Collective has brewed Safe Flight IPA to benefit New York City Audubon’s Project Safe Flight.

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Collecting New York City New York Sparrows 120

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

His topic was the report recently issued by the Audubon Society where the organization claimed 314 species of birds in the United States and Canada are threatened by climate change. If 314 species are threatened in the United States and Canada then the numbers world wide must be absolutely staggering. Get involved!

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New York City New York United States Canada 212

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2020

While birders were out birding the coast of Queens on Friday as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay hit New York City, Corey was stuck working. If you spend any time in the NYC Metro area, you know what I mean! He missed Brown Pelicans , a Brown Booby , and dozens of Great Shearwaters.

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2020 New York City Whales Whaling 233

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2021

In 2021, the American Ornithological Society announced that it has now classified the Bahama Nuthatch as a distinct species, Sitta insularis. He gave one to his home institution, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and the other to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

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Bahamas Philadelphia 2004 United States 343

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

Though it is an invasive species it does not seem to be harming other species despite the concern about a potential negative impact on other Columbids. It was just nice seeing a species of pigeon or dove other than Rock Pigeon or Mourning Dove in New York City.

New York 167

New York New York City North America Bahamas 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2020

The last weekend lived up to my meager expectations of delivering only common species, but I did enjoy the Carolina Wrens in my yard chattering away, undoubtedly in delight that their aggressive House cousins were occupied elsewhere.

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2020 New York City New York Birds 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Perhaps most known throughout New York City for mafia ties and a couple of hate crimes against African-Americans, Howard Beach was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. For most residents of the five boroughs, parrots are an anomalous sight in New York City. I know I do!

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Parrots New York City New York New Jersey 223

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2020

Corey enjoyed a foul-weather seawatch on Saturday morning and birded a couple of locations Sunday morning before leading a walk for New York City Audubon in Forest Park. There’s something about the simple black, red, and white coloration of the species that makes it stand out as Best Bird of the Weekend.

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2020 New York City New York Woodpeckers 163

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2014

The trees are of one species and nearly devoid of insect life, the only plants are ornamental or lawn, and the amount of cover at ground level is virtually nil. Almost every year there are a few birds that stick around at Bryant Park long after they are gone from the rest of the New York City area. And the noise!

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New York City New York Birds Sparrows 211

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2020

New York City is the hottest of hot spots, and not in the fun, eBird meaning of the term but in the “holy moly our health system is going to collapse” meaning of the term. Since the pandemic I’ve added one new species to my personal list for Willow Lake Preserve, a Field Sparrow.

Bald Eagle 182

Bald Eagle New York City New York Birds 182

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

One of the rites of passage I underwent as a birder following my move from New York City to upstate New York was my first winter excursion to the rolling, snow-covered grasslands north of Albany to look for Short-eared Owls ( Asio flammeus ).

Owls 204

Owls New York New York City Cuba 204

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2019

I definitely didn’t see much, but sometimes the usual species satisfy well enough. Corey enjoyed a weekend upstate in his hometown, beating the heat that baked New York City. Northern Mockingbirds , for example, are charming any time of year but abundant right now in my part of the world.

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2019 New York City Virginia New York 133

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. Way back in March we were in the midst of a global pandemic and Queens was the epicenter of the epicenter that was New York City.

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New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 151

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

There is another area of the Queens County CBC where a team will also likely see Monk Parakeets , Myipsitta monachus , but I am seriously determined to count that bird for my area, Coastal Flushing, a section of northeast Queens, New York, that includes Whitestone, home of one of the loudest invasive bird species in the U.S.

Chicago 198

Chicago New York City Illinois New York 198

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

Corey did not have a plethora of pleasing species from which to choose his Best Bird of the Weekend this weekend but he supposed that the American Kestrel that perched up for the New York City Audubon field trip he led at Queens Botanic Garden on Sunday morning will have to suffice. How about you?

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2018 New York City New York Birds 124

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

In the late nineteenth century, Eugene Schieffelin, a wealthy New York drug manufacturer, resolved to introduce to North America every species of bird mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. Schieffelin was long a leading figure in the American Acclimatization Society, a bizarre group of meddlers based in New York City.

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New York City New York North America Species 190

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2019

Corey enjoyed leading a New York City Audubon bird walk at Forest Park on Saturday morning and visiting Breezy Point on Sunday. Though he had quite a few species to choose from his easy favorite was any of the many Razorbills he saw at Breezy Point.

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2019 New York City New York Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2015

It being mid-August in New York City there is one place where I have to be as often as I can. Combined, I netted eighteen species of shorebirds in the two days, a tally that included my favorite shorebird, featured above, a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher. I’m so glad I’m not a shorebird.

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Jamaica Wildlife New York City New York 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2018

Many birders have places they return to year after year, special pilgrimages promising scenes and species they see nowhere else. Corey did not see a ton of birds this weekend as he didn’t want to deal too much with the rainy weather that plagued New York City. How about you?

2018 124

2018 Ponies New York City Tennessee 124

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

How lazy and/or bad are these New York City birders? I knew we should have used a bigger species! This might not have been the best species to use. Everyone in New York City is losing their mind now. To: Tyrannus. From: Egret. Date: 09 October 2018. RE: Waiting. From: Tyrannus. RE: Waiting.

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Ducks 2018 New York City Sparrows 146

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

“Bird-friendly design” is becoming a common term in architectural and city planning circles and proponents can point to a successful initiative, the retrofitting of New York City’s Javits Center which reduced bird deaths by 90%. ’s Lights Out DC, to name a few.

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New York City Illinois Science Killing 252

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2015

Corey had a huge number of birds to choose from this weekend as northwest winds were continuous through New York City all weekend long. But of all the species he spotted he felt either of the two Grasshopper Sparrows at Kissena Park in Queens was his Best Bird of the Weekend.

New York City 150

New York City 2015 New York Sparrows 150

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2022

Yes, sure, Rock Pigeons are not a vulnerable species, unless you count the number of times they have been mocked, scorned, and shooed away. They’re apparently not a sensitive species either, because this derision doesn’t seem to bother them at all! I will watch the pigeons of New York City.

2018 212

2018 New York City Abandon Abandoning 212

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2018

He didn’t find anything particularly spectacular but he did see quite a few species. His Best Bird of the Weekend was either of a pair of young White-crowned Sparrows he found in Kissena Park in Queens, a good bird for winter in New York City! How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

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New York City 2018 New York Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was one of the many species of wood-warblers he saw this weekend, which was amazing for neotropical migration in New York City.

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New York City Kentucky 2014 New York 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

In the New York City area the number and variety of sparrows a birder can see in mid-April is astounding. I was lucky in that most of the wintering species hadn’t left yet but a bunch of species that spend the cold months further south had already arrived. I won’t even get into the Ammodramus sparrows.

Sparrows 145

Sparrows New York City Fox New York 145

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2014

There is one thing however that makes the Sunda Teal a rather highly desired species, and the name is a bit of a give-away: the species’ magic is in its range. Now, for comparison’s sake, New York City has around 8 million people on 800 square kilometres, or 10,000 / km². Jakarta has its rivers.

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Los Angeles New York City Timor Indonesia 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2018

Not only did I bag the beautiful bird I expected, but I also encountered a tasty species I never expect there until I see it every year: Olive-sided Flycatcher. Speaking of OSFL, Corey had quite a haul of species to choose from this weekend after leading two walks for New York City Audubon and doing a ton of birding on his own on Sunday.

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New York City 2018 Jamaica New York 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2018

Corey had a wonderful weekend of birding, hitting a variety of spots across Queens on Saturday and then leading a New York City Audubon field trip looking for ducks in central Queens on Sunday. The common scoters of Lake Ontario, these seaducks bring a strong, dark presence to our winter shores.

2018 100

2018 New York City New York Birds 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Although you know from the beginning that Dorian will end up with 618 species, there is suspense as he searches for skulkers like Black Rail, rarities like Rufous-back Robin, and his trip nemesis, Pacific Golden Plover.

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Los Angeles Massachusetts Birds New York City 210

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2011

Any species of shrike is an outstanding bird in New York City. It’s about time, after almost four years of living in New York City, that I finally saw a shrike within the city limits. A Northern Shrike in Brooklyn is no exception. What a great bird and what a great show! … a.

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New York City New York Species Birds 173

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

This pocket park is well known by New York City birders as a migrant trap and this fall has been no exception. I did see one species of wood-warbler that’s yellow: in fact I saw four Common Yellowthroats ! My sixtieth species for Bryant Park was a young White-crowned Sparrow , and it made my morning.

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New York City Birds Sparrows New York 121

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2014

We were four intrepid birders heading out of New York City to the wilds of New Jersey for birds, birds and more birds. ” Sandy Hook, our destination, is park of Gateway National Recreation Area like many of my favorite New York City birding locations.

New Jersey 166

New Jersey New York City New York Bald Eagle 166