10,000 Birds

Birds and Bathwater – The birds you’ll find in four American hot spring towns

a Guest — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000

By Claire Bennett Claire is a travel writer for Hotel Hot Tubs, covering hotels in the USA offering exceptional bathing experiences. She’s also an amateur birdwatcher. Last February in Ouray, I watched an American Dipper dive in the Uncompahgre River for twenty minutes while steam billowed off the pool behind me. The bird had chosen the cold water. I had come for the hot water. For a while, neither of us seemed interested in getting anywhere fast. Hot springs and birding are an easy pair to enjoy in this corner of Colorado. Across Ouray, Pagosa Springs and Glenwood Springs, rivers flow right past the pools, allowing for a unique birding experience while you relax in the water. Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is covered later in this article has a slightly different set-up, with a hillside forest optimal for birding that offers a gorgeous backdrop for its historic bathhouses. If you’re looking for a relaxing weekend without having to sacrifice checking a few birds off, or if you’re accompanied by a partner that doesn’t quite share your zest for birding, a birds and bathwater combination might be the perfect choice for your next trip. Ouray, Colorado Ouray, Colorado, sits in a narrow valley in the San Juan Mountains (part of the Rockies), with incredible hiking trails and waterfalls close to town. The outdoor hot spring pools stay open through winter, enabling a beautiful hot spring experience amidst the snow-covered backdrop. Common Ravens are present year-round in Ouray, flying above town and calling from the slopes with deep croaks. Black-billed Magpies can also be sighted here above the grounds. If you’re looking to catch a sight of either while taking a dip, make sure you visit the pools while there’s still daylight for you to see what’s flying overhead. For a chance at spotting an American Dipper, follow the Uncompahgre River Walk north from the pools. Scan the rocks along the water for a small gray bird bobbing up and down. In winter, look around stretches of open water, where dippers continue to feed even in the cold. If you find one, take some time to watch it. Dippers dive beneath the current in search of aquatic insects and larvae, using their wings to move underwater. You might see one surface, return to a rock for a moment, and plunge right back in. Summer brings an entirely new reason to visit Ouray: from June through early September, Box Cañon Falls is home to a colony of Black Swifts. To find them, follow the short Falls Trail into the canyon and ask the park staff if any nests are visible from the walkway. Make sure to arrive early enough to give yourself time to look, as you may need some patience: the swifts nest on damp ledges near the waterfall, but they can often spend hours away from the canyon feeding. Ouray after a snowfall. Photo: Alan Stark, Ouray, CO in the Winter (2012), CC BY-SA 2.0. Unmodified. Pagosa Springs, Colorado Of the four towns, Pagosa Springs makes it easiest to combine birding and bathing. The San Juan River runs through downtown, and the pools at The Springs Resort overlook it. Mallards and Common Mergansers are common on the river. Female mergansers are easy to pick out among the Mallards, with rusty heads, shaggy crests and long, narrow bills. Both species raise young along this stretch, and by late summer a line of ducklings can be more entertaining than anything happening in the pool. In the warmer months, look up for Ospreys hunting over the water. Winters are as good a time to visit. Warm water from the springs keeps the river and nearby wetlands from freezing, so birds gather here when other water has iced over. For a closer look at the birds, walk the San Juan Riverwalk early in the morning before you soak. From Town Park to the Community Center is about three-quarters of a mile each way. Blue-winged Teal stop at its shallow wetland ponds during spring and fall migration, and Song Sparrows sing from the cattails. Rock-lined pools beside the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs (2021). Photo: Netherzone / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Glenwood Springs, Colorado The Roaring Fork meets the Colorado River at Glenwood Springs. To birdwatch while you soak, go to Iron Mountain Hot Springs, where the pools sit on terraces above the Colorado. In winter, scan the far bank and riverside perches for Bald Eagles. A white head and tail mark an adult, and a huge brown bird may be a young one. Ospreys hunt the river in the warmer months. A morning soak gives you the best light and leaves time for a walk along the river afterward. Listen for the dry rattle of a Belted Kingfisher, which you’ll usually hear before you see it. Veltus Park, on the Roaring Fork, makes a good walk after your soak. The Colorado Birding Trail lists it for the American Dipper, especially in winter, and Lewis’s Woodpecker is also a possibility. A soaking pool beside the Colorado River at Iron Mountain Hot Springs, Glenwood Springs (2020). Photo: Jbirkby / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Hot Springs, Arkansas Eight historic bathhouses line Central Avenue on Bathhouse Row, with wooded national parkland right behind them. Unlike in the Colorado towns, the thermal bathing here at Buckstaff and Quapaw is indoors, so you’ll do your birding before or after (I recommend before). The Grand Promenade, a half-mile brick walkway behind the bathhouses, is best in the first hour after sunrise. Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice are here all year, and with luck you’ll spot a Carolina Wren in the undergrowth. In winter, White-throated Sparrows feed in the leaf litter and Yellow-rumped Warblers work the branches above. Spring and fall migration bring more songbirds. When a small flock moves through, stay with it, because the first bird you see often has company of other species. By late spring, Red-eyed Vireos and Summer Tanagers are...

Demotivational Posters for Birds (LIV)

Kai Pflug — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Some of our bird friends complain constantly about their stressful lives and increasing competition — for food, mates, roosting sites, or sometimes just a little solitude. As poster editors, there is little we can do to help. But we hope they understand our core message: “You are not alone.”…

Source

Birds giving terrible relationship advice

Kai Pflug — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Birds have evolved an astonishing variety of mating strategies. Few of them are suitable for humans, as these examples of quotes from bird species show. Common Cuckoo: “Children always strengthen someone else’s relationship.” Satin Bowerbird: “A flashy house matters more than personality.” Emperor Penguin: “Standing around in the cold together builds character.” Magnificent Frigatebird: “A giant red balloon is all the emotional availability anyone needs.” Oriental Pied Hornbill: “We lock you in for a few months. I’ll provide food.” Blue Manakin: “Personality is overrated. Look for good dance moves.” Pheasant-tailed Jacana: “Once he has the eggs, you’re free to start looking for someone better.” Indian Peafowl: “Make everything about yourself.” Turkey Vulture: “Take your date somewhere romantic. Preferably somewhere you can smell from miles away.”

Fascinating Falcons

Leslie Kinrys — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00:45 +0000

There are three falcon species that fly over the Toronto raptor watches in the fall period: American Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon. These falcons add lots of personality and fierceness to any day of migration. The American Kestrel is North America’s smallest raptor. It is a colourful, small, long-trailed falcon. It breeds in the boreal forests and winters from the southern US into Panama. These falcons migrate in September and October. Kestrels are mainly solitary and we usually see them flying by themselves. As they fly past, they are watching for prey. Many times, I have seen them flying, while eating a dragonfly. They hold it in a talon and lift it to their beak, as a child would eat a lollipop. Recently, there were dragonflies patrolling the spot where we had our watch. One Kestrel dropped out of the sky and almost grabbed one. Our collective gasp of surprise to see the falcon’s maneuver may have caused it to miss its snack. Female American Kestrel The Merlin is a small, dashing falcon, about the same size as a Kestrel. But, it is more robust looking and has a shorter tail. Merlins migrate during September and October. The Merlin is a fast flyer. If a falcon speeds past, not allowing you any time to call it out, you know a Merlin has gone by the watch. They have a fierce nature, too. At one watch I used to attend, there was a fake owl placed near the viewing platform. One of the more experienced raptor watchers said that any Merlin worthy of that name wouldn’t miss an opportunity to buzz the owl. I was lucky enough to see that happen more than once. At a recent watch, a Merlin was flying overhead. A small flock of Blue Jays came into view. They saw the Merlin, turned back, and hid in the trees. They knew not to challenge that bird-catching machine. Peregrine Falcon The Peregrine Falcon is a large to medium-sized raptor. Its robust body, long wings, and large feet make it a formidable predator. Fall migration is from September to mid-December. These birds may hug the coastline of the lake, but they are strong enough to migrate offshore. I have seen Peregrines fly away from shore and head out over Lake Ontario. Just like the previous story of the Merlin and the jays, I have seen Peregrines flying over the watch and songbirds zipping into the shelter of the trees. Falcons are another raptor that keeps the hawk watchers fascinated and entertained through the fall season. Note: All photos are from Wikipedia Commons, an online source of copyright-free photos: Merlin (at top of article) by Just a Prairie Boy from Calgary, AB, Canada; American Kestrel by Andrew Dimler; Peregrine (in Toronto) by Mykola Swarnyk.

Feeding Birds in Extreme Heat: What 45°C Summers Taught Me

a Guest — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000

By Faisal Rehman Faisal is the founder of BirdFeedly (birdfeedly.com), where he has published 48 in-depth articles on backyard bird feeding. His writing blends practical feeding advice with ornithology research, written from his home in Pakistan — where summers reach 45°C and the birds still come to drink.Almost everything written about feeding backyard birds is about winter. Keep the feeders full through the snow. Offer suet when it’s freezing. Break the ice on the birdbath. Winter gets all the poetry. But I live in Pakistan, where summer arrives like a furnace door opening. In June, the thermometer in my town pushes past 45°C (113°F), and parts of the country have touched 50. And I have learned something the winter-feeding guides never mention: extreme heat is just as dangerous to backyard birds as extreme cold — and almost nobody talks about how to help. Consider this a letter from the hot side of bird feeding. First, understand what heat does to a bird Birds are tougher than they look, but heat pushes them frighteningly close to their limits. A bird’s normal body temperature already runs around 40–42°C — hotter than ours. As ornithologists point out, the proteins that keep a bird’s organs working begin to break down at temperatures only slightly higher than that. There is not much margin. Unlike us, birds cannot sweat. They have no sweat glands at all. Instead, they cool themselves by evaporating water — through panting, and through something called gular flutter, a rapid vibration of the throat tissues that works like an avian version of panting. A House Sparrow’s breathing rate can jump from about 57 breaths per minute at 30°C to 160 per minute at 43°C. Doves have been measured fluttering their throats more than 680 times per minute. Here is the cruel tradeoff: every cooling breath costs water. Research on small desert birds found that near 50°C, a tiny bird can lose roughly 7% of its body mass per hour through evaporative cooling alone. That is why heat and dehydration arrive together — and why everything in summer bird care starts with one thing. Water is everything — ten times more important than food In winter, food is the gift. In extreme summer, water is. A bird can survive days of thin pickings at the feeder, but in 45°C heat, a few hours without water can be fatal. The researcher Blair Wolf, who has studied birds in extreme heat for over two decades, puts it plainly: water and shade are the two most important things any person can provide. So I run my summers around water, not seed. Here is what works: Go shallow and wide. A dish an inch or two deep is ideal — deep enough to drink and splash, shallow enough that small birds feel safe. I set out several wide clay saucers rather than one deep bowl. Clay stays cooler than metal or dark plastic, which can turn bathwater scalding in direct sun. Multiply the stations. One water dish in extreme heat is a single point of failure — it evaporates, gets fouled, or gets monopolized by the boldest birds. Three or four small dishes in different spots serve far more birds than one big birdbath. Use the ice cube trick. On the worst afternoons, I drop a few ice cubes into the dishes around midday. It is a small thing, but it buys an hour or two of cool water when birds need it most. Audubon’s own guidance mentions this trick — if the water warms too fast, ice is a perfectly good answer. Shade the water, always. A dish in full sun can heat past 40°C within an hour and becomes useless. Tuck every dish under a bush, a wall overhang, or a tree. Change it daily. Heat turns a birdbath into a soup of algae and bacteria shockingly fast. Dump, scrub, and refill every day in a heatwave. A neglected dish is worse than no dish at all. Rethink the menu completely Here is a mistake I made for years: I kept filling the feeders exactly as I did in the milder months. In extreme heat, that is wrong twice over. First, some foods become hazards. Suet — the winter hero — melts into a greasy mess above 35°C or so, coating feathers and going rancid. Hummingbird-style nectar (if you offer it) ferments within hours in high heat; fermented nectar can harbor molds that harm birds. I simply stop offering both once the real heat arrives. Second, dry seed works against the birds. This surprised me when I first read it, but it makes sense: digesting dry seed actually draws moisture out of a bird’s body. In extreme heat, when every drop of water counts, a belly full of dry millet is a liability. Moisture-rich foods are the summer answer — overripe fruit, soaked raisins, chopped grapes, a few mealworms. In my yard, the sparrows and bulbuls go straight for fruit on hot afternoons and ignore the seed tray entirely. The birds know. I still offer some seed — birds with nestlings need the protein — but less of it, refreshed often. Heat and humidity turn a feeder into a mold factory within days. Feed at dawn, then let the feeders rest In winter I keep feeders stocked all day. In summer I run a different rhythm: fill at first light, and let the feeders empty — or even bring the most perishable offerings in — by late morning. There are two reasons. The practical one is spoilage: seed, fruit, and anything moist turns in the midday furnace. The kinder reason is the birds themselves. By late morning in a Pakistani June, the yard goes quiet — the sparrows vanish, the doves melt into the shade. For a long time this silence worried me. Then I learned they were doing exactly what ornithology textbooks describe: resting through the hottest part of the day. No foraging flights, no wasted energy, just stillness in the deepest shade...

Ask a Birder: Do Coots Get Used to City Life?

Kai Pflug — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Admittedly, I would be rather surprised if anybody ever asked me that question. Imagine doing some birdwatching, perhaps in a city park next to a lake, and somebody walking up to you and asking you about the above. Nevertheless, I think it is always good to be prepared for as many eventualities as possible. So here is the answer, based on a recent paper. The researchers looked at Eurasian Coots in three different environments: rural, established urban, and newly urban. They then tested the coots’ reactions to two things: a human intruder appearing at the nest and a novel object being placed there. The first was intended to measure shyness; the second, neophobia (the birds’ reluctance to approach something unfamiliar). The results were clear. Coots from the long-established urban population were quicker to return to their nests after a human intruder appeared and more likely to return when confronted with a novel object. The recently urbanized birds were somewhere between the established urban and rural populations. Are these behavioural differences the result of individual birds adjusting to their surroundings, or do urban populations gradually evolve different behaviour? The distinction is important. A bird that moves into a city might simply learn that humans are generally harmless and adjust its behaviour accordingly. But if birds that have lived in cities for many generations become genetically less wary of humans and unfamiliar objects, then urbanization could actually be changing the behavioural characteristics of the population. While the study cannot distinguish between these two possibilities, it does show that the long-established urban coots behaved differently from the rural and recently urbanized birds. Becoming an urban coot apparently takes time.

How Alien Pollinators and Avian Are Reshaping Worldwide Ecosystems

Grace Waters — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:42:06 +0000

Your local ecosystems are changing, down to the pollinators. While it may seem ideal to attract and notice as many bees and birds as possible, countless areas are harboring invasive species. They are causing ecological shifts, altering existing competition, predation and even mutual support. Discover the most disruptive instances to see how these invaders are capitalizing on nectar and space, transforming all the nature they touch. Intense Competition for Food Resources Invasive bees do whatever they can to survive. If you pay attention, you may notice they are less picky than local varieties. They have become generalists by default, taking whatever food resources they can get to keep reproducing rapidly. This eats into the local supply of pollen and nectar, stripping local bees of their essential nutrients. In the South American woodlands, the European Bombus terrestris has outcompeted the native pollinators, including the hummingbird Sephanoides sephaniodes and the native bee, Bombus dahlbomii. This nectar-robbing behavior could leave these species weak and open to predation. However, some species have responded to the arrival of new bees by preying on them, turning the insects into a new food source. The Chilean giant robber fly became a primary predator of the worker bees. The new predator-prey relationship could change the ecosystem for a long time. Takeover of Nesting and Breeding Sites Hawaii and Australia are enduring two threats with similar outcomes. In the Hawaiian Islands, feral honeybees have been overtaking nests of birds like the Ua’u, or the Hawaiian Petrel, and the ‘A’o, or the Newell’s Shearwater, since 2013. Populations have declined by 78% and 94%, respectively. The birds’ long lifespans and slow reproductive rates have given the bees the upper hand. Fortunately, experts are now monitoring hundreds of nests to combat the issue. Foreign bees are also further compromising the strength of an endangered bird in southwestern Australia, Carnaby’s Cockatoo. They are operating similarly, killing chicks, scaring away adult birds and claiming the nests. Local efforts have tried to reduce numbers with bee-feeding stations laced with pesticides, though regional farmers are pushing back because of the need for pollinators. The tension will continue as bee numbers rise, with some nests containing tens of thousands of bees. Disruption of Native Plant Pollination When the balance of bees and birds becomes disjointed, native plants start to suffer. They have adapted to the pollinating behaviors of local species. If numbers and behaviors shift, then their growing cycles could become unpredictable or inefficient. The consequences of unchecked invasive species could include reduced seed production in local plants, causing them to thin and alter the food web. Aiding the Spread of Invasive Weeds Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash Invasive bees and birds have no filter for which plants to care about, which means they could unintentionally cause invasive varieties to flourish as well. It seems mutually beneficial on paper, as multiple species grow to healthy numbers simultaneously, but the destruction and competition tamp down the strength of local varieties. This phenomenon, called invasional meltdown, has been shown to reduce the number of complementary species in an area, despite the success of the few invasive breeds. Native Birds as Biocontrol for Invasive Pests Photo by Tao Yuan on Unsplash The Spotted Lanternfly has been ravaging North America for the last several years, damaging everything from vineyards to maple trees. Many state governments have recommended that you kill them on sight because of their adverse impact. While introducing an invasive predator to solve problems like this can often make situations worse, several native North American species have shown interest in helping. Since 2021, experts have noticed that a few bird varieties and new predation behaviors could eat into these swarms. Tufted Titmice, Blue Jays, Gray Catbirds and Northern Cardinals have been witnessed preying on the lanternflies. Chickens are another strong predator, alongside Praying Mantises. While these species are effective hunters, states are using natural predation alongside many other tactics to control the invasive pests. Specialized Predators Targeting Invasive Hornets When you look at a nest, be careful not to confuse hornet and bee hives. They can look similar in some ways, so make sure you only target what is actually a threat. The Yellow-Legged Hornet is a highly aggressive species from Asia that is moving west into Europe. Native honeybees and other insects have been threatened by its arrival, prompting nations like Portugal to find a targeted defense against it. Fortunately, a local bird, Merops apiaster, also known as the European Bee-Eater, seems to have a taste for more than bees. The bird has been targeting these invasive hornets, and the distraction could change its predation behaviors. Instead of feeding on as many European Honeybees as before, the new food source could allow other insect populations to grow until the invasive hornets are no longer an issue. A Different Ecosystem Than Before More is not always better, even as the world faces a pollinator crisis. Bee numbers are declining, and many bird species are in danger. Part of the cause is the spread of invasive species. The causes of these invasions are diverse, including human-induced movement and climate change stressors leading to species displacement. Become aware of your local wildlife and invasive species, and do anything you can to report and stop them, because habitats are becoming homogenized and unsustainable.

Interviews with 10,000 Birds Writers: John Hague

Editor — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Your Birding History And Future How long have you been a birder, and how did you get into birding? I have been birding for as long as I can remember. I am 62 now and can’t think of not being a birder. Family tells me I was identifying Yellowhammer by song from the pushchair (stroller) as a toddler. Has your attitude towards birding changed with time – for example, did it get intense, do you focus on different things now, etc.? I was quite casual until being made redundant in December 1992 and buying a copy of Bird Watching Magazine in the UK and things exploding… I have sometimes pulled back from twitching but only for short spells until the bug bites again. What were the ornithological highlights in your life so far? Being one of the first to see Short-toed Eagle on Scilly in October 1999, shortly after ticking Siberian Thrush. I was in the first five to see the Eagle as it flew in off the sea and over us. My best find in the UK is Swainson’s Thrush on Shetland, and the best bird has to be Wallcreeper on the cliffs in Northern France in sight of the English coast. What are your plans for the next few years, as related to birding? For example, trips planned? I am off to lead a tour in Northern Spain in late October, and then 2027 has plenty of trips as a tour leader. If you had to make a living off birding, what kind of activity would you try? I top up my pension now by leading bird tours and surveying birds. Your Life As A Non-Birder What do you do for work? Retired as a nurse manager in the NHS in 2024 and now lead bird tours and do environmental surveying for a living. Is there any link between your work and birds/birding? Birding is work. What’s your favourite thing to do outside of birding? Listening to music, food and drink, and travel (I always have my bins). How does your personal environment (e.g., partner, children, etc.) regard your interest in birds and birding? My partner is a bit bemused, but she likes pretty birds. Birding General Info And Advice What are some of your birding tips for beginners? Stop trying to identify everything by photographing it (usually badly) and posting on Facebook. Start by just watching and learning. We never had the luxury and had to learn the hard way. How important are apps for your birding? Very; I have a huge variety from eBird and Merlin to The Sound Approach, and ID guides like Collins and Sibley. Do you have any favourite birding-related media (e.g., books, podcasts, websites, magazines, videos, etc.) you can recommend? I subscribe to BirdGuides (bird news and Birdwatch Magazine), British Birds, and Dutch Birding. Are there any aspects of birding you would like to learn more about (e.g., bird families, birding destinations, people involved in birding)? I am always learning. I’m getting into sound recording now. 10,000 Birds Why do you write for 10,000 Birds, other than for the fame and glory? To share my enthusiasm. What do you like and dislike about the site? What should change? Nothing. In an ideal world, who would you want to contribute to 10,000 Birds as well? I’d love to get Ken Kaufman on board. A great writer and inspiration.