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Yee-haw! The New York Football Giants have won the Super Bowl for the second time in 4 years. Not too shabby! Not only does my football team end up on top, but now I get my Sundays back! This weekend, however, I didn’t see any special birds, unless you count the bird M.I.A. flipped during [...]

Do you get out birding much? If you’re checking in here on a Monday morning, chances are you have a bird tale to tell. Then again, maybe like me you simply enjoy hearing about the avian observations of others even when you can’t make time for your own bird chases. Speaking of Birdchasers, Rob Fergus [...]

Are we going to talk birds here or discuss how awesome it is that the NY Giants are going to the Super Bowl? Oh, birds? I should have guessed that. Big Blue fans can leave proud comments and hyperbolic predictions in the comments! My Best Bird of the Weekend™  was a Blue Jay celebrating a rare Rochester [...]

What a splendid weekend! With superb American playoff football all weekend long, I hardly noticed the bitter arrival of authentic winter weather or the apparent absence of non-corvid avifauna in my immediate vicinity. But who cares, right? As a Giant fan, I enjoyed my fill of meaningless entertainment this weekend. Oh, you’d rather talk about [...]

Just two weekends into 2012, I already love this year. No doubt the weather has something to do with it; Rochester, NY may historically be one of the United States’ snowiest metropolitan areas, but we’ve been basking in almost vernal weather. Plus my New York Football Giants just advanced in the first round of the NFL playoffs. [...]

Happy New Year! I’m feeling pretty good about 2012 so far. Not only am I suffused with the pleasant warmth that comes with watching one’s favorite sports team clinch the playoffs, but I also managed to shake off a scant night’s sleep to chase some birds this morning. How about you? My best bird of [...]

On this final day of 2011 it is time, just like it was on the final day of 2010, to share your Best Birds of the Year.  Well, actually, your Best Bird of the Year will only be shared here if you took the time to respond to the post in which we here at [...]

How are the holidays treating you? One hopes that the wheel of karma turns in your favor during this time of festivity and giving. One also hopes you’re seeing excellent birds! Everyone who lives in Rochester, NY knows about the million crows roosting within the city limits. The skies over every neighborhood stream with murder [...]

2011 is about to become 2012 and birders the world over are taking a look at their year lists and reminiscing about the awesome sightings and devastating dips that they have experienced.  We here at 10,000 Birds thought this would be a perfect time to look back and figure out what each of us considered our Best [...]

If you’re reading this, you’ve survived what may have been a very busy weekend of shopping, prepping, and partying. Hopefully you didn’t overextend yourself… the holiday season is just now beginning! I can’t recall a less birdy weekend than the one I just had. My only avian observation of note is how much easier the [...]

Is it better, to paraphrase that ragged old aphorism, to have birded and dipped than never to have birded at all? What if you just don’t see anything special? I didn’t go after any particular bird this weekend, which is good since I hardly saw any. The woods were quiet, so we focused on geocaching [...]

Don’t you just love sharing your best bird of the weekend with people that actually appreciate exciting sightings? Precious few are fortunate enough to work in an office where avian observations are swapped around the water cooler. For those of us who are not in that chosen .0001% (Occupy ABA, anyone?), here’s the place to [...]

Welcome to online retail heaven (or online retail hell if that’s the way you’re wired.) We hope everyone who celebrated the American observance of Thanksgiving enjoyed a delicious holiday. And to all of you, Happy Cyber Monday! You’ll find 10,000 Birds a pleasingly merchandise-light site, at least for the time being. What we’re selling right [...]

November is normally a pretty dull month compared to some of the more extreme periods in our calendar year. The action doesn’t really heat up until right about now as we begin six or eight months of holiday preparation and celebration. I’ve enjoyed November so far, but have doubts about whether I’m ready for the [...]

Last week, I mentioned how odd the weather has been around here. By odd, of course, I mean absolutely lovely. I know these patterns are atypical for western New York. I’m still curious about what my fellow naturalists have noticed: has the weather been odd by you? How so? Enough phenology… let’s get down to [...]

The odd climate patterns lately have conspired with my already suspect grasp of phenology to completely baffle my sense of season. As I’m sure you’ve heard me mention once or twice, winter comes early–very early–to western New York. Yet we’ve barely seen a flake of frost so far. Even more peculiar, I think our foliage [...]

Happy Halloween! See how I assume you celebrate Halloween no matter where in the world you live? Must be the way you’re dressed… The best bird of my weekend was Tufted Titmouse, which has become more prominent here as we approach winter. I forgot how much bigger these birds are than the other species like [...]

In the United States, so much seems to be happening towards the end of October. Not only is baseball hitting the very apex of what excitement it arouses, but the storylines in the National Football League are just beginning to manifest in reality rather than in the empty space between commentators. Kids can’t help but [...]

It was a gusty weekend in New York City and environs, with fall finally feeling like fall is supposed to feel.  Sparrows have almost completely taken over for wood-warblers and temperatures are finally waning as is only proper.  How was your weekend? Mike was in Costa Rica this weekend after what felt like an interminable [...]

What a weekend. New Yorkers enjoyed gorgeous, summer weather and will next enjoy a growing sense of dread as temperatures first wane then plummet. What did you enjoy this weekend? The best birdof my weekend was a Brown Creeper that hung around long enough for me to share with generally nature-numb friends and family; what’s [...]