10,000 Birds

Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but what he really aspires to be is a naturalist. Besides founding 10,000 Birds and I and the Bird, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining sites and resources such as Nature Blog Network and Best Birding Tours.

Based on the blog carnivals, these are good times for great science. Enjoy, in no particular order, Tangled Bank #111, Linnaeus’ Legacy #10, and Carnival of the Blue #15.

I and the Bird #81will be hosted in just a couple of days by Seabrooke of the Marvelous in Nature. Be a part of it by sending your link to me or Seabrooke (sanderling AT symbiotic DOT ca) by the end of today.

One hundred years ago this month, a true giant of conservation was born. While his origins may have been modest, his accomplishments over a long, storied life became the stuff of legend, particularly among the millions of modern birders he played no small role in creating. When it comes to biographies, could there possibly be […]

…when it’s been renamed in the newly-released 49th Supplement to the A.O.U. Check-list of North American Birds, Seventh Edition.
The new supplement includes various and sundry switches of interest to North American listers, ornithologists, and taxonomists but probably very few others. Paramount among the changes is a new classification and sequence of genera and species adopted […]

Can you believe August is now upon us?  Just as summer is flying by, so are amazing birds, some of whom are already pondering the journey back to their wintering grounds. Keep your head up and eyes open… you never know what you’ll spot. So where are you watching birds this weekend? Comment below on […]

Terns have it tough.  Everyone in the world seems to know about gulls, but unless you’ve spent time in the company of seabirds or seabirders, you’ve probably missed out on the more lithe and lovely larids!
Terns are mostly medium-sized flying seabirds in the family Sternidae or subfamily Sterninae depending on your taxonomy.  Relatives of gulls […]

The estimable PZ Myers of Pharyngula fame out together two terrific blog carnivals. Not only did he provide a home to an orphaned edition of his own carnival, Tangled Bank, but he gave a boost to a relative newcomer by hosting the Carnival of the Elitist Bastards #3 as only a black-hearted bastard like PZ […]

Mason, Ivy, and I made the scene this weekend at Mendon Ponds in order to meet up with the notorious noflickster (Mike of The Feather and the Flower) along with his beautiful young daughter, Reina. Mason and Reina are almost exactly the same age so Mike and I had high hopes of interesting birding while […]

I don’t know about you but after a long week of work and rain, I’m ready to get out into the world for a little nature immersion therapy. The imminent end of July reminds us that summer itself shall not last forever. Thus, it behooves us all to live it to the hilt. So where […]

Welcome to the fourth year of I and the Bird! Our third anniversary bash really was something, thanks to our distinguished host and scintillating contributors. You can be forgiven for not reading through all the entries (…yet) but one response to the topic question spoke unexpectedly, albeit eloquently to the narrow scope of the topic […]

I feel like I owe everyone an apology. It’s been ages since I’ve posted pictures of my children and for that, I am sorry. After all, they are both truly sensational individuals. While 10,000 Birds is older than either of them, Mason and Ivy still tie for first in my heart. They demand more time […]

Did you hear this incredible news? The Canadian Province of Ontario announced last week that it will conserve a huge swath of the province’s northern wilderness, the area we frequently reference as the Boreal Forest. The promise to permanently protect at least 225,000 square kilometers of the Canadian Boreal Forest has been universally lauded by […]

What a weekend! While the rest of the Northern Hemisphere responds to the siren song of summer by visiting beaches, lakes, and air-conditioned malls, a select group of maniacs convenes at an undisclosed location in the Pennsylvania countryside for a good old-fashioned Chicken Inferno! If you’re new to this site, you may not know what […]

We’re almost a month into summer around here and I’m ready to relax. Too bad there’s so much to do in July! Where are you watching birds this weekend? Comment below on the excitement you have planned!
I and a small army of friends and family will, as is our tradition in the third weekend of […]

Kids today have such colorful colloquialisms, don’t they? Instead of describing an ill-conceived venture as wobbly, weak, lacking in coolness, or destined for the opposite of success, witty webheads say it’s made of fail. That’s a powerful concept; the recipe is so fatally flawed that fail is baked right into the bread. Sounds like my […]

During my most recent trip to California, I had a chance to drop in on Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles. The waterfowl there were mighty tame, with wild ducks, geese, and cormorants practically posing for portraits. But the bird that really captured my eye was not purebred but rather poultry.

This fine fellow […]

This past weekend, the Core Team - Sara, Mason, Ivy, and I - met with my siblings and aunts in Ocean City, Maryland to celebrate my mother’s 60th birthday (Happy Birthday, Mom!) As anyone who has been to Ocean City, or other local vacation areas like Rehobeth or Bethany Beaches, can attest, this stretch of […]

It’s hot out there, at least on my side of the Earth. Don’t let high temperatures keep you indoors! If you can brave the heat, you’re bound to see something beautiful. So where are you going birding this weekend? Comment below on the excitement you have planned!
I’ll be ogling avifauna at Ocean City, Maryland. This […]

The irrepressible Greg Laden has served up a LOL Evolution editon of the Tangled Bank.

The Wingnut, Jim Williams, shares a short, simple, and potentially transformative birding tip on his StarTribune bird blog. How many of you have done or would consider doing something like this?