About 10,000 Birds
“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started… and know the place for the first time.” — T. S. Eliot
There are approximately 10,000 bird species on this beautiful planet. Welcome to 10,000 Birds, where, between us, we expect to eventually see every single one. Expect plenty of commentary on natural history, science, politics, conservation, travel, and blogging along the way.
Are you fascinated by nature? Eager to travel? Passionate about understanding and observing the world’s birds over a lifetime of exploration? Then this is the site for you!
10,000 Birds was founded in 2003 by Mike Bergin. You can read the 10,000 Birds origin story at the Bird Watcher’s Digest website. Mike, who’s based out of the Bronx, is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but really aspires to be a naturalist. Learn more about Mike, Sara, Mason, and Ivy at the Core Team page.
Charlie Moores, writer, photographer, and world birder extraordinaire, is also the co-founder of Birds Korea, one example of the intensity of his commitment to conservation. Although Charlie hails from Britain, don’t be surprised if you spot him birding in your neck of the woods OR if he knows the local avifauna better than you. Read more about Charlie right here.
Corey Finger of Queens, NY is known around here is Bad Birdwatcher #1 for less than obvious reasons. He’s actually not bad at all. In 2007, New York birders knew Corey primarily as a blur streaking across the Empire State during his 2007 NY Big Year. Learn all about Corey here.
Here are 8 random things about each of us, 6 more random things about us, our collective Top 10 Nature Moments of 2007 and 2008, and our responses to the Birding Meme if you’re into that sort of thing. And if you’re friendly, contact us!
10,000 Birds was declared one of the 100 Most Informative Blogs in the world by Carnegie Mellon University in 2007!
[...] front page posts, three links to the Latest News items, basic information about the blog like who writes it and what it’s all about, and the link to buy 10,000 Birds bumper stickers. And I [...]
I found the photos of just hatched RT Hummingbirds on the blog : Natureremains.blogspot.com ,post of July 5 ( Born on the 4 th July) of special interest and thought this site might also be interested .
Mike, Your old friend Mike Cuddy is my stepson and while visiting today told me about your web site. I have been a birder for about 100 years and was delighted to know it is your (a)vocation! We were talking about you at dinner with Mike, remembering when he came east for the first time in summer to visit you and marveled at how green everything was. This is one of those family stories which lives forever. Anne (Mike’s Mom) and I live in Lincoln, CA where my claim to infamy is the founding of the town’s first bird club and co-founder of its first Christmas count. We are consistently in the top 10 nationally in raptor (species and individuals) count. Our count is all on private land (rice fields mostly) which of course makes it an “endangered species” in land hungry CA. We have easy access to two keepers for many eastern folk: Lawrence’s gold finch and yellow-billed magpie (disappearing fast thanks to W. Nile virus). Best to you,Paul Beach
This is some Herculean Task ! ! ! Just Fantastic.
regards
Neeraj Chawla
Great Site
hi
Great to meet the team.. we people have started a small informal team over here in Chennai, India. Its really great because we just organise small outings for bird watching in and around chennai. Thanks to WWF Tamilnadu office who linked our members. A great inspiration to see your website.
In Solidarity
Hi Yani
I only just saw this comment so apologies for not responding earlier. I occasionally get out to Chennai - if it would help inspire your new members a little more I would be very happy to meet them and/or perhaps go birding with you all? I don’t know if this would be of interest to you and your group, but I thought I’d ask anyway.
All the best - and, yes, in solidarity
Charlie
hi
it was great to have your reply.
I was searching for an image of a booted eagle gliding in the sky, coz we had been to the Guindy National Park a week before and saw one gliding but due to the lighting i could not see the features and we were struggling through the available binoculars. And to my astonisment i came across one you had taken at the same place. The image was amazing.
we are a small group of people networked together through our birding interests.
it includes people of different ages from 7 to 70.
We have started exploring birds of chennai.
As birds have arrived this season at different directions of chennai the bird sanctuaries are blooming with them.
We shall send you our written experiences of our outing - if interested. Even as i key-in this i can hear and look at a Shikra over a tree near our window. Birding has given great insights and expressions to a great level.
I have jsut finished - ‘An Eye for a Bird’ - by an english author - a great book to be read by every bird enthusiast. I am still going through your website so would comment on it later.
Thanks for encouraging reply i would send it across to our freinds and get our reply.
In Solidarity
Yani
[...] Thanks to nature sound recordists Martyn Stewart of Naturesound and Bernie Krause of Wild Sanctuary for providing bird calls for last week’s radio story. The magpie photo comes to us by way of 10,000 Birds. [...]
This is a wonderful site for anyone with even the slightest interest in birds. Wonderful pics.
Do you want pictures sending in or are simply trying to get to see all the birds of the world yourselves?
All the best,
Niv
hi
WE are shifting to Coimbatore from Chennai. Hence am interested to group people interested in birding. The whole of western ghats is a wonderful place for birding. Hope to inspire children conduct nature camps once we are there. You were likely to come to chennai. When is that let our group know about it. It would be great. What are the places you have been for birding in chennai.
take care
Yani
Here I am, stamping my foot and declaring ‘It’s just not fair! Just not fair!’. My birding has been totally within the United States and I’ve not heard of many, many of the birds you’ve seen. Take me with you wherever you’re going!
In the meantime, thanks for a very entertaining,educational and visually dazzling blog.
Regards,
Gail
Dearest our Charlie!
Hello!
You’ve been practicing generosity on this blog.
Isn’t it too good to be just a blog?
I hope more people will be able to learn shareness
through this space…for birds and other living creatures.
Good luck to you and your colleagues.
We love you*^^*
I was looking for information on the skin-shinned hawk here in Northern California, because I believe we just saw one in our backyard, and they are on the endangered list, to my understanding. It could have been a red-tailed hawk, but it was colored more like the skin-shinned hawk. Wish I had gotten a picture of it. Maybe next time.
@Charlene: Sharp-shinned Hawks are not on the endangered list, and, though I am not a northern Californian, I think that they would be relatively common in proper habitat. Good luck getting a picture!
@Corey… Thanks for the answer to that. I am not sure if it was a sharp-shinned hawk (sorry for the typo earlier)… it was large like a red-tail, but colored like the sharp-shinned hawk. So I will be keeping an eye out, and take my camera outside more often. The reason it was in our backyard is because we have a goldfish pond out there. We also had a Great White Egret visit a few months ago. No missing fish, because I caught them before they could - plus our pond is 3-1/2 feet deep.
re: forest park, queens, ny…..in the last month all the squirrels and chipmunks that inhabited the seating area in the park on the corner of metropolitan and park lane south… my parents sit there daily and enjoy the antics of the squirrels and chipmunks…They find it awful to know the animals have been exterminated. The joy they experiece has turned to sadness……
@linda: Hi, I live in the area and Corey told about your comment. I know they sometimes put down poison for the rats, but I have never heard of them deliberately exterminating squirrels and chip-monks. I didn’t quite understand your statment… do you/your parents know for sure that is what took place? In any case, you could phone Debby Kuha (Forest Park Administrator)718-235-9815. If it was sanctioned, she should either know about it or know how to find out. And of course she would be the person to express your displeasure to. Good Luck!
@Corey, thanks for the heads up. I will hopefully have some time to get back over there, and will certainly keep my eyes/ears open to Parks activities.
I just found this website a couple of days ago and what a surprise to read comments from my hometown: Queens, NY. I spent many days in Forest Park as a child and later as an adult. It was THE place where I became interested in the natural world, along with Cunningham and Alley Pond parks. Now I live in the middle of the world’s largest Amish community surrounded by lots of avid birders. This website is a great place to meet.
Dear Charly, I am thrilled to have found your site.
‘Are you fascinated by nature?” definitely
Eager to travel? yep
Passionate about understanding and observing the world’s birds over a lifetime of exploration? - I went birding all my life, wherever we were.
Yes, your site is for me. We live in South Africa. As a hobby I started the website for our local birdclub 2 years ago and made quite a few bird galleries for them. I would love to have some of your Cape birds photos, shall I make a gallery for you at http://www.stellenboschbirds.com?
Have fun!
Rosie
Just found your website today, and love it!
I’m in the process of helping my dad (an experienced birdwatcher who lives in Costa Rica) set up a little blog to discuss his questionable identifications. I’m sure your site will be a great resource for him. Please have a look at his site when you get a chance… there are some great questions raised.
http://www.birdsforbeer.wordpress.com
thanks, Mariana (and Paul, my dad)
Hey guys, Wanted to let you know that I featured your site as the “blog of the week” on my NatureBreak community this week. You can see it here: http://naturebreak.ning.com/
Hope it gets you new readers!
Vanessa