Archive for Mike

Author ImageMike 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, particularly the Nature Blog Network.

Stalking the California Gnatcatcher

By Mike October 24, 2008 3 comments

Business brought me out to Orange County, CA for a week in mid-October. Despite the length of my stay, I had precious few available moments for birding. My dear pal Amy brought me for some Upper Newport Bay birding not once but twice. The first attempt was undermined by the severity of Santa Ana winds [...]

Where Are You Birding This Last Weekend of October 2008?

By Mike October 23, 2008 25 comments

October is screaming to an end, which means that for many of us, fall migration is drawing to a close. If you’re closer to the equator than I am, you may still have a shot at interesting birds. At my latitude, however, the skies are filled mostly with falling leaves and errant snowflakes. What are [...]

Further Confirmation that We Kick @$$

By Mike October 22, 2008 6 comments

Blogging is just like everything else in this wild world… if you work at it long enough and surround yourself with talented individuals, you’re bound to earn some level of respect. 10,000 Birds has been most fortunate in that regard.  We’ve been showered with links, spots on people’s blogrolls, heck, we were even declared one [...]

Berry Go Round Comin’ Round

By Mike October 21, 2008 2 comments

Get excited, plant people! I’ll be hosting this month’s edition of Berry Go Round, the carnival devoted to fantastic flora blogging. Please send me links and summaries to your best plant posts of the last month or two. Also include, if you’d be so kind, permission for me to use any exceptional associated images… [...]

Better Birding at Upper Newport Bay

By Mike October 21, 2008 4 comments

Upper Newport Bay has a sterling reputation as a locus for some of the best coastal Orange County birding around. This is a big deal, considering both the outstanding avifauna this part of California can deliver as well as the other superlative sites along this stretch of the Pacific. Unfortunately, my first taste of [...]

Blown Away at Upper Newport Bay

By Mike October 20, 2008 5 comments

Business has brought me once again to a shiny section of the Golden State. It is the height, indeed the very definition, of privilege to rise up after breakfast over a variegated expanse of autumn hues to arrive for lunch in a portion of the Pacific coast where one is far more likely to spot [...]

October

By Mike October 18, 2008 1 comment

Do you feel it in the air? The last whispers of summer are slipping away. Many of us grow wistful this time of year, and dear Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was no exception. Fortunately, she could find words for the sense of loss that accompanies the passing of a cherished season. One of the greatest [...]

American Seabirds Thrown a Lifeline

By Mike October 17, 2008 No comments yet

Did President Bush actually say, “I believe the Agreement to be fully in the U.S. interest” in reference to The Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels? He did and one hopes the U.S. Senate will feel the same way.

Where Are You Birding This Third Weekend of October 2008?

By Mike October 16, 2008 10 comments

In the middle of October, nearly every migrant in on the move. Raptors and songbirds and butterflies and who knows what else are all winging their way closer to the equator. If you’re not on the move yourself, you could do worse that to lift your head to see the streams of birds sailing south [...]

I and the Bird #86

By Mike October 16, 2008 1 comment

Perhaps I’m growing suspicious in my old age. Maybe my ability to judge others has, through constant application throughout the years, become more sensitive to deception and, dare I say it, deviance. Whatever its origin, this nagging doubt has festered in my mind long enough, causing me to question birders, bloggers, and possibly the entire [...]

Flyways And Byways

By Mike October 13, 2008 3 comments

You don’t need to be a birder to know that most birds above the equator fly from temperate northern climes to more tropical southern locales for the winter. Changes in light, temperature, and food availability trigger the instinct to migrate, an urge so powerful that only a really well-stocked backyard bird feeder can override it.
Migratory [...]

Where Are You Birding This Second Weekend of October 2008?

By Mike October 9, 2008 13 comments

Mid-October is a beautiful time of year in most parts of the world. Whatever you plan to do, do it in style. The 3-day weekend many of us in the United States will enjoy should inspire you to go big. You can dream big, play big, even sit big! Whatever you expect to do this [...]

Carnival of the Blue #17

By Mike October 9, 2008 No comments yet

Considering the host, it should come as no surprise that the newest Carnival of the Blue coincides with the 2nd annual International Cephalopod Awareness Day. Happy Squid Day!

Missed Mendon Migration?

By Mike October 7, 2008 1 comment

Sara, Mason, Ivy, and I took a quick jaunt to Mendon Ponds this weekend. Has fall migration passed me by up here on the icy shores of Lake Ontario? If the kind of common species I’m spotting - Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Black-capped Chickadee, etc. - are any indication, warblers and their ilk are long [...]

Religulous

By Mike October 5, 2008 No comments yet

I just saw the new Bill Maher documentary, which I recommend without reservation. However, be warned that there is a moment during the movie that bird watchers might find uncomfortable!

World Birdwatch

By Mike October 3, 2008 2 comments

As connected as it seems our North American bird blogging network is, it sometimes feel very removed from the greater international birding culture. For example, did you know that this month, people all around the world are participating in the 2008 World Bird Festival?
The 2008 World Bird Festival is a month-long celebration of the cultural [...]

Where Are You Birding This First Weekend of October 2008?

By Mike October 2, 2008 20 comments

The month of March gets great press for ending more placidly than it begins. Why isn’t October acknowledged, at least in the temperate zones above the equator, for coming in like a lamb but going out like a lion? Perhaps we’re too distracted by all that Halloween candy. What does this rather random point have [...]

I and the Bird #85 - The Show Must Go On

By Mike October 2, 2008 19 comments

Due to technical difficulties beyond Y C Wee’s control, the 85th edition of I and the Bird will not be hosted at Bird Ecology Study Group as planned. Still, as they say in show business, the show must go on! The IATB Players have put together a sensational performance as always. Sure, we may have [...]

IATB #85 Deadline

By Mike September 30, 2008 No comments yet

The Bird Ecology Study Group may be experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment but fear not. The IATB show will go on. Send your submissions with confidence to me or Y C (wee37 AT starhub DOT net DOT sg) by the end of the day!

National Hunting and Fishing Day

By Mike September 29, 2008 5 comments

Did you know that this past Saturday was National Hunting and Fishing Day in the United States?
From our rugged peaks and mountains to our shining seas, our Nation is blessed with remarkable natural treasures. These magnificent landscapes are places where families and friends can create lasting memories and enjoy the outdoors. On National Hunting and [...]