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A review of the birdcentric novel “Accidentals” (the title of which is in the plural for a reason)

10,000 Birds

She lives part-time in Uruguay and is co-director of the Fiction Meets Science program at the University of Bremen, Germany, which seeks to bridge the “two cultures” of science and literature. In the marshes of the estancia , he discovers what he comes to believe is a new species of rail – one of the “accidentals” of the title.

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My eBird 10th Anniversary

10,000 Birds

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. After an initial period when all species are new, the lifers begin to follow a pattern. Thus, I can pinpoint my first pelagic trip, as it added 13 new species. For example, I’ve seen Bald Eagles in 15 states. and Canada.

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Good news for the Wood Stork

10,000 Birds

I was happy to read that the wood stork ( Mycteria Americana ), a bird near and dear to me, was down-sited from the status of endangered to threatened species. Fish and Wildlife Service is down-listing the wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a biologist working for the U.S. Photo: U.S.

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The Parable of the Goat Mites

10,000 Birds

And so, these goats ate the flora of the island: unique species of Indian paintbrush and woodland star, bushmallow and wirelettuce and morning glory. Also, they were infested by a species of ear mite unknown to science. And so, the goats grew small and nimble, shy and drought-tolerant, through natural selection.

Goats 162
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Bonus Season – Late Winter

10,000 Birds

Phenology is a vital science. There’s some excitement in putting up feeders and in discovering which species are gracing us with big invasions this year (2011, Montana: Snowy Owls ) but much of the time its a slog. A pair of Bald Eagles scopes out the Clark Fork for likely snags. But good phenology is hard.

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Bird Butts and Other Matters

10,000 Birds

The local Bald Eagles are getting busy, I suspect there is an egg in the nest. The birds were too far away to identify, and I know more than one species does this, but if I had to guess they were starlings. There is a bit of science news. But if half of the species of goatsuckers go extinct, you’ve got a lot less left.

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Birding Protection Island, Washington

10,000 Birds

Before my trip to Washington the only species of puffin I had ever seen in the wild was the puffin of the Atlantic Ocean, the appropriately named Atlantic Puffin. The first obstacle was getting to the general range of the species, which is the west coast from northern California to Alaska and across to Russia.* I love puffins.