10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2019

Although Bobolinks are a very rare migrant, lots of other birds are possible, more than enough to rack up hundreds of species over the course of the year. Each January, I hope to identify at least 600 species over the next 12 months, this year, I’m hoping that Marilen and I (aka Team Tyto ) will find 700.

Costa Rica 198

Costa Rica Species Birds New York 198

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2021

On the way, I pass through a wonderful mixed habitat with lots of native trees that keep fruit-eating birds happy, and flowers that attract all of our region’s hummingbird species. This particular thorny habitat seems to be especially beloved by sparrows, both migratory and resident: There were Clay-colored Sparrows by the dozen.

Sparrows 222

Sparrows Birds Virginia Protection 222

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2022

In pastures of the hot lowlands, they tend to be lines of stunted Gumbo-Limbo trees or some other heavily pruned species. In addition to those birds and the Squirrel Cuckoo pictured above, the following are some of the more common hedgerow species of Costa Rica. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and other hummingbird species.

Costa Rica 257

Costa Rica Birds Sparrows Woodpeckers 257

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Some call them trash, tours might not visit, but they can host more than the expected and common species. Some such vegetated spots can also attract oddball birds, species that wander to find a home in urban circumstances. Three species of seedeaters sing from the tall grass, one of them being the Yellow-bellied Seedeater.

Costa Rica 251

Costa Rica Sparrows Rodents Rats 251

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2022

They are places where we invest most of our birding time and rightly so; mature tropical forests are where we find the highest number of species. Additional bird species prefer the sun-drenched vegetation of open fields and other edge habitats. Stripe-headed Sparrow and Other Dry Forest Birds. Pied Puffbird.

Costa Rica 262

Costa Rica Farming Barn Owls Sparrows 262

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

The tipping point was the morning of February 10th, when I saw 20 species during two hours simply by looking out my back window as I had breakfast and read the news online. (My It included a question about how many species one has seen in one’s yard, total, with the options being 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, or 20+. Warbling Vireo.

Nashville 243

Nashville Sparrows Sweden Mexico 243

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2014

It’s mid-July, which among other things means that those of us in North America are starting to check local mudflats for returning shorebird migrants and waiting impatiently for the AOU to hurry up and create five species from the Clapper-King rail complex (the reasons for which we covered last year ). Gowen et al.

Elephants 195

Elephants New Zealand Sparrows Ostriches 195

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2014

Big news about a small bird broke earlier this month when bird researchers from several nations announced that the species formerly known as Spotted Wren-Babbler ( Spelaeornis formosus ) — a tiny, secretive bird of montane forests from the eastern Himalayas to southeast China — is not a Spelaeornis wren-babbler at all.

Family 268

Family Comoros Asia India 268

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2021

What I enjoy–almost more than any other moment of my birding year–is that special spring day when White-Crowned Sparrows deign to visit my humble home en route to their boreal breeding grounds. Happily, the sparrows finally arrived this weekend and have strutted around my feeders enough for me to fully admire their beauty.

New York 255

New York Sparrows Birds Breeding 255

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2024

Still, I did manage to see a decent 65 species in 6 hours, and many of them stayed quite close to me, allowing for some nice photos. Let’s see if you agree: I liked some of the photos as much for their backgrounds as for the bird itself, such as this Lincoln Sparrow foraging among duckweed, algae, Ficus fruits, and Jacaranda flowers.

Squirrels 225

Squirrels Mexico Turtles Sparrows 225

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. A 1931 daily newspaper article (likely from The Philadelphia Bulletin) reported that Bond “brought back thirty species of birds never before represented in the Academy’s collections.

Bahamas 343

Bahamas Philadelphia 2004 United States 343

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

After three attempts, I finally found this incredibly rare vagabond sandpiper spinning amongst more common local species; interestingly enough, it prefers the company of Bonaparte’s Gulls , which the phalarope happens to resemble in both winter plumage and feeding territory. A subspecies as Best Bird of the Weekend?

2020 264

2020 Sparrows Birds Experience 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Double the ecosystems, double the species. When I first explored this zone, I was astonished to discover highland species like the Hepatic Tanager and Brown-backed Solitaire could be seen feeding on the very same tree as lowland species like the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and Masked Tityra.

Sparrows 320

Sparrows Species Rights Birds 320

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2020

This sort of biozone mixing can create a tremendous richness of species. Each of these habitats attracts its own group of species. Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrows and Stripe-headed Sparrows are also fond of this brushy grass habitat. Among those are Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers , a species I love. And they sing a lot!

Mexico 238

Mexico Nicaragua Lamb Sparrows 238

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Corey had two species he wanted to make sure he saw this weekend because it is their prime migration time and he hadn’t seen either all year. He connected with both, adding Nelson’s Sparrow and Vesper Sparrow for the year.

Sparrows 237

Sparrows Birds Experience Experiments 237

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Not a bad video of a young White-crowned Sparrow , right? The sparrow was remarkably cooperative and that is an important aspect of getting decent video. Don’t plan on using this set up to document a rarity that is hiding deep in the brush, though it does work for distant species that might be beyond the range of your SLR.

South America 268

South America Sparrows Birds America 268

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2021

My first House Sparrow for 2021!) January is the month where I allow myself to go only to my very best sites, and rejoice in even the most commonplace species. I correctly suspected that Lake Cuitzeo would be too dry this year to give me its usual 75+ species in the deep of winter. (It Ten of these were hummingbird species.

2020 264

2020 Ducks Birds Abandon 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2021

Only a month ago, a good morning spent gazing at my garden could yield 20 species; but now, suddenly, my goal is 10. And in another month, when the rainy season makes my birdbath less attractive, that number will drop to around 5 species.). Before this winter, I had only seen Lincoln’s Sparrows there 5 times.

Mexico 254

Mexico Trafficking Sparrows Virginia 254

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2022

With 85 species in 6 hours, I’d like to think it was well repaid. Las Mesas is the only place I’ve found for which the Black-chinned Sparrow is a reliable species, but this adorable bird, perhaps my favorite local sparrow, always seemed to position himself with some severe backlighting… until this trip.

San Diego 247

San Diego Turtles Mexico Sparrows 247

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2019

It’s a rush any new birder experiences: that of every species being a lifer. But the opportunities to see new species become more difficult with each one seen. But the opportunities to see new species become more difficult with each one seen. Even so, I was able to see 54 species, of which fully half were lifers.

Spain 192

Spain Europe Sparrows Mexico 192

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Still, the outing did not produce any new species for the year, or enough good photos for a post here. Instead, I have chosen to write about an idea I’ve had percolating for a while: to tell you what the most common species are down here. I’ll take the most common native species in taxonomic order.

Woodpeckers 324

Woodpeckers Mexico Cattle Turkey 324

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2021

I’ve continued my inconsistent effort to pick off the species I need for my Monroe County list. eBird) had it that the best place to find Clay-colored Sparrow is a particular conifer plantation on a particular farm road in the rural western portion of the county. In that sense, June is no different than any other month, right?

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Sparrows Farming Birds Experience 218

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2021

Surrounded by native plants and at the edge of the woods, her feeders were always hotspots for interesting migratory and wintering species. On this particular day, I wanted to see one species and one species only: the Purple Finch. I never expected another opportunity to see a Purple Finch in 2021.

Florida 262

Florida Breeding Birds Sparrows 262

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

This species loves to sing while high up in pine trees. There was the Botteri’s Sparrow giving a larger Canyon Towhee a piece of its mind, on my way into town: The reservoir itself was underwhelming, only offering me a collection of white Egrets (Cattle, Snowy and Great) and a single Great Blue Heron. Brown-backed Solitaire.

2020 263

2020 Reptiles South America Birds 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2024

I have mixed feelings about ranking different bird species. The Rusty Sparrow is a large sparrow that can only be found from western Mexico to northern Central America. Several Black-chinned Sparrows sang from different perches, making this site a special one, indeed.

Livestock 207

Livestock Sparrows Birds North America 207

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

These species should all be slam-dunks for Lake Cuitzeo in the fall. Still, what is bad for one species may be good for another. But, as always, new sites bring new species. Nor did I see any Green Herons , or Least or American Bitterns. Puddleglum indeed! That was to be suspected. How I wish I knew. And the Dowitchers!

2020 248

2020 Ducks Sparrows 2019 248

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2014

Hordes of House Sparrows and Rock Pigeons are more than willing to push you around rather then let you have that choice morsel you just found. 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. And the noise! Pretty nice!

New York City 211

New York City New York Birds Sparrows 211

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Chief among these are three trees, known here as Huizaches (Sweet Acacia, Vachellia farnesiana), Granjenos (Spiny Hackberry, Celtis ehernbergiana), and Nopales (Prickly Pear, various species). But the area would not be home for more than 120 species, if it were not for those thorny trees. Humans like me enjoy eating them, too!

Shelters 229

Shelters Mexico Sparrows Species 229

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2020

Especially if they are competing for attention with multiple species of large mammals at a watering hole. Contrasting with the other larks’ habits of perching on the tops of acacia trees and hanging out along the roadways, Fischer’s Sparrow-Larks were intent on slipping through tall grasses. Isabelline Wheatear.

Sparrows 190

Sparrows Mammals Parrots Game 190

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2021

But it does offer plenty of the endemics and other species that make our area distinctive, and many of them were waiting for me on this latest visit. For the taxonomy fans out there, the American Ornithological Society just announce that this species should be moved to the Chlorophonia genus. My guess is that they are still mating.

Mexico 220

Mexico Sparrows United States Virginia 220

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Other species expected in December include Velvet Scoter , the last flocks of Common Cranes , perhaps a Red-breasted Merganser , Long-tailed Duck or a Smew (if the winter gets cold), as well as the still missing Red-throated Diver. Although many of them can be found in city parks, too, at the top of Avala your chances are higher.

Serbia 296

Serbia Woodpeckers Ducks Birds 296

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2024

Grassland Sparrow , Leon says excitedly. Grassland Sparrow In the distance, the first of many Crested Caracaras sailed across the parched landscape. Well, the Latin name of the species is Tyrannus savana and what better savanna to photograph it in than the Rupununi?

Guyana 208

Guyana Giraffes Brazil Trinidad 208

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2020

If conditions are right, the Palm Beach Agricultural Area can be teaming with various shorebird species such as Spotted, Solitary, Upland, Buff-breasted, Least, Semipalmated, Western, and Pectoral Sandpiper, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Black-necked Stilt. They especially like live oaks.

Florida 252

Florida Miami Falcons Birds 252

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2021

I saw 57 species in the area, which is pretty good for the church neighborhood. Three species especially stood out. I used eBird’s species map option to confirm that in other recent years, only a few Cedar Waxwing sightings were reported in Mexico from January to May. Granjeno fruits! I’ll take mine to go.

Turtles 227

Turtles Mexico Sparrows Branding 227

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2021

Of course, I also go there several other times each year; I have, after all, seen 160 species at this endemic-rich site. The reason for this annual pilgrimage is a single species, the Sinaloa Martin. All sightings southeast of the species’ Puerto Vallarta-to-Los Mochis breeding area are of migrating birds.

Nicaragua 261

Nicaragua 2015 2016 Mexico 261

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2024

One always wants to see as many species as possible in a single day, whether on an ocean island with few species, or in Suffolk, England. It was in this latter region that he reports seeing 60 species on his first outing of this year. But how many species can one see over a few hours in the highlands of central Mexico?

Mexico 209

Mexico Birds Woodpeckers Sparrows 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2024

Clay-colored Sparrows In about a month, I will have my 66th birthday. Black-chinned Sparrow , a flagship species for this site. Lark Sparrow In recent months, several American birders have reached out to have me take them birding in or around Morelia. It happens that I hate doing traditional exercise.

Livestock 197

Livestock Birds Sparrows Mexico 197