10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2022

The Costa Rica Bird List grows… With more than 900 species of birds identified from a country the size of West Virginia, it might be an understatement to say that Costa Rica has a lot of bird species. while simultaneously working to educate locals about the importance of protecting this top bird of prey.

Costa Rica 195

Costa Rica Eagles West Virginia Albatross 195

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2019

My home state of Michoacán, Mexico is smaller than West Virginia. All because you do not live in central Mexico, where most of these species spend the winter, all jumbled together. Indistinguishably. And yet, somehow, we have four resident Empidonax species, and another six spend the winter here.

West Virginia 145

West Virginia Mexico Illinois Rabbits 145

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

If they don’t feel like it, they can just keep going and fly over a place the size of West Virginia in a day. I think this is one of the reasons why we see so few Upland Sandpipers , might be why we see few numbers of Veery , and also explains why we don’t see large numbers of Baird’s and Buff-breasted Sandpipers.

Costa Rica 325

Costa Rica West Virginia New York Panama 325

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2021

He ends this lovely book, in an Afterword, warning of various environmental dangers to seabirds, and his writerly tone here is perfect: serious, but not hysterical or preachy, with a gleam of hope evident.

West Virginia 210

West Virginia Rats Albatross Georgia 210

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Here in New York State Snowy Owls have been reported in more than ten counties, with most of those counties having birds being seen in multiple locations.

Owls 278

Owls Rhode Island North Carolina New Hampshire 278

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2019

It wasn’t the highest list for a country but given that Costa Rica is the same size as West Virginia and that a high percentage of possible species were found, it’s still impressive. After all of the lists came in, we ended up with a fantastic 716 species (!).

Costa Rica 214

Costa Rica Species West Virginia New York 214

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

A jay born and raised in New York State may winter in Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia, or Tennessee, depending on its taste in barbecue. That last bit is my own interpretation of the data.) Some stop as short as Pennsylvania. And many – more than 80% – never leave their nesting grounds at all.

Alabama 106

Alabama West Virginia New York City New York 106

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2019

Although the country is around the same size as West Virginia, 39 species of diurnal raptors are on the list. The tropical habitats of Costa Rica are home to a surprising number of raptor species.

Costa Rica 185

Costa Rica Eagles West Virginia Opossums 185

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2017

It’s a fine selection of birds for a place the same size as West Virginia but it also comes with a catch commonly found in tropical forest ecosystems. In keeping with high diversity in other aspects of the avian kingdom, including falcons and excluding owls, this small country has a raptor list that tops fifty species.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica West Virginia Eagles Monkeys 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2011

My real goal is to talk to the local people, and to let them know how much we love coming to their part of the world—whether that’s Woodworth, Nort Dakooootah, or Muddlety, West Virginia or Moose Jaw, Maine, or Salmon Shin, Alaska. They need to know that their local birds are special and worth protecting.

North Dakota 244

North Dakota West Virginia Farming Alaska 244

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2015

That’s not as daunting as one might think when you have a 900 plus list of possibilities in a place the size of West Virginia. Each year, I hope to identify at least 600 species. Yeah, jam-packed with biodiversity, and occasional guiding plus regular birding helped me hit my mark ten days ago.

Costa Rica 154

Costa Rica Species 2015 West Virginia 154

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2017

I reside in Costa Rica, the country is roughly the same size as West Virginia, but I rarely make it to some parts of this birdy nation. Although points between A and B might be a short distance, the near constant range of ravines, gorges, ridges, and mountains tend to turn those travel lines into marathons of squiggliness.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica West Virginia Panama Virginia 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

From the Cerulean Warbler whose home will not be removed by dynamite in West Virginia to the Greater Prairie Chicken who will be hatched on a restored prairie sponsored by a new company who understands for the first time that birders care about birds. Go to the theaters with your binoculars show everyone We Are Birders.

West Virginia 233

West Virginia Chickens Missouri Penguins 233

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2017

Similar in size to West Virginia, thanks to a bunch of different major habitats, rain, and tropical biodiversity, it’s pretty easy to top 300 in a week or two, and even identify 500 over the course of three weeks. That said, not even 300 of those were identified in an area around the same size as Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 117

Costa Rica 2017 West Virginia Birds 117

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2019

To give an idea of what I mean by “birdy”, although Costa Rica is similar in size to West Virginia, more than 920 species have been recorded within the borders of this southern Central American country. The biodiversity is extreme, the birding is typically action-packed, binocular raising happiness.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica Parrots West Virginia Birds 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

We let a one-eyed Bald Eagle go after a year of battling state officials in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky. “Long story made some what short,” wrote Heather Merritt, with Birds in Flight Sanctuary in Warren, Ohio. “We Finally my colleague Doty worked her magic in Michigan, and we let him go there.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 227

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ohio Tulsa West Virginia 227

Animal Ethics

MARCH 12, 2008

To the Editor: Re “ To Revive Hunting, States Turn to the Classroom ” (front page, March 8): Shame on West Virginia if it approves a bill that allows hunting education classes in public schools to become law. We should not use public schools to try to reverse the inexorable decline in the “sport” of hunting.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York West Virginia Animal Welfare 40

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2015

In my own defense,” said one boy, “I had a choice between spending my money on a kayak or a better camera.”.

Puffins 259

Puffins Birds Groups West Virginia 259

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2017

Given that the country is the same size as West Virginia, and most of the migrants had already flew north, this was a damn fine total. In Costa Rica, we did our part and were elated to finish with more than 640 species. Keel-billed Toucan , one of three toucan species seen during our day of birding.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica 2017 Owls West Virginia 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

Charley Harper (I know the title of this book is Charles Harper’s Birds & Words , but I can’t find any sources that does not call him Charley) came to bird art by way of a farm childhood in West Virginia, an art education at the Art Academy of Cincinnati (he did spend one semester at the Art Students League in NYC, a period which convinced (..)

Betty Crocker 170

Betty Crocker 2008 Birds 2007 170

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2011

No, my rational mind took over–it was a Mourning Warbler , and I’ve known that song since my early birding days in the West Virginia highlands. Moments later I heard a sharp, staccato warbler song and my pulse raced–was it a Connecticut? The owl bog on the rifle range, pre-owl sighting.

Connecticut 173

Connecticut North Dakota Ohio Owls 173

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

17); he was born in West Virginia and spent most of his life and career in Cincinnati. I understand that this is common in many media style sheets (looking at you, New York Times), but they should be capitalized in a bird book. There are a couple of factual errors: Charley Harper does not come from Alaska (p. Western Scrub-Jay (pp.

Birds 153

Birds Eggs Laws Oregon 153

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 29, 2006

However, 12 states, namely, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and Wisconsin [Imagine, The Dairy State doesn't protect a woman's right to nurse!],

Animal 40

Animal Meat Cows District of Columbia 40

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2016

A few weeks ago I joined a group of bird lovers to go out to a little clearing in the woods of West Virginia and watch the skydance of the American Woodcock. If we see that the number of views and comments reaches an all-time high on the site, we’ll know something about you readers!

West Virginia 101

West Virginia Maryland Chickens Birds 101

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2011

.&# Happy New River Birding Festival attendees moments after adding Swainson’s Warbler to their life lists The New River Birding & Nature Festival is in the mountains of south-central West Virginia. There have not been mountains around Lake Erie (either the Ohio part or the Canada part) since the glaciers came through.

North Dakota 145

North Dakota West Virginia Ohio Birds 145

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2018

Just when a birder thinks that a list of 920 plus species is big enough for a place the size of West Virginia, a few more fly into the local birding scene. The endemic ground-sparrow is actually a cool, colorful towhee. New Birds for Costa Rica. Although none of these were unexpected, they are still major sightings for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 172

Costa Rica 2018 West Virginia Birds 172