10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2020

As the year is closing, I am looking back to realise, despite it being such an awful year, it’s far from the worst I had, it doesn’t even come close (it’s the mileage that’s killing me, I guess). I was mostly birding once per week (and sometimes fewer). I wish you all a happy, healthy and bird-rich new 2021.

Serbia 229

Serbia 2020 Birds Killing 229

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Just as the ranger was telling us that we might see wild cats – well, not wild cats, but rather, Wildcats , the wild version of the domestic cat, Felis silvestris lybica , one of those cats popped its head out of the brush about 50 feet beyond her. The most interesting thing about this cat was lack of kitty-cat-ness.

Feral Cats 256

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 256

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2012

I am so sick of the feral cat colonies that infest so many locations that I like to bird. And while I am sick of the cat colonies I am even more sick of the deluded people who believe that by feeding feral cats they are somehow helping them. Outdoor cats live short, ugly, violent lives. Keep your cat indoors.

Feral Cats 223

Feral Cats Feral Cats Coyotes 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2016

She keeps her cats inside. I keep my cats inside,” she texted me, “and my dog turns out to be the killer.”. We have a cat that is a hummingbird murderer.” Since I am a wild bird rehabilitator and have seen, up close, the damage a cat can do to a bird, let me address the owner of the “hummingbird murderer.”.

Cats 173

Cats Rabbits Chipmunks Pets 173

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

What can be done to solve the intractable problem of wildlife and feral cats? Peter, who lives in New York State, noticed two feral cats living near his house. Peter, who loves cats, has saved two of them from the normally short and brutal life of a feral cat. Ask Peter Paonessa.

Feral Cats 231

Feral Cats Feral Cats Wildlife 231

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2014

feral cat with a Golden-crowned Kinglet by Isaac Grant. Pity the poor souls at Alley Cat Allies. So on 16 October, which Alley Cat Allies has turned into “National Feral Cat Day,” local governments got an earful. After all, someone is taking care of all those cats, right? Example one?

Feral Cats 264

Feral Cats Feral Cats Trap Neuter Return 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2012

A while back I asked the question, How much bird is there, anyway? I had noted that if you took a quick look around you’d think there were a lot of birds and very few mammals. And some of them would be hiding behind bushes waiting for a chance to jump on some of the birds. 3) Some of these birds were going to die anyway.

Cats 186

Cats Boston Ferrets Killing 186

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2012

As anyone who follows this blog knows, outdoor cats are a veritable holocaust for wild birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and even insects. Almost every single outdoor pet cat, feral cat, or stray kills other animals , no matter how well fed the cat is through other sources.

Cats 209

Cats Feral Cats Litter Ohio 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

Another product has been invented that could cut down on the number of wild birds killed by domestic cats. The idea is that brilliant colors will warn birds that something is coming, and they’ll fly away. The idea is that brilliant colors will warn birds that something is coming, and they’ll fly away.

Cats 260

Cats Butcher Birds Pets 260

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2013

He wrote a column , not for Audubon, but for the Orlando Sentinal , in which he advocated the killing of feral cats instead of the use of trap-neuter-release. It has also apparently been edited by the newspaper since it was originally published to make it more palatable for the crazy cat people.).

Cats 272

Cats Feral Cats United States Euthanasia 272

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2012

Do you or someone you love still doubt the apocalyptic ecological impacts of outdoor domesticated cats? The Oatmeal serves up a must-see infographic that makes the connection between cats and the number 2,912,000,000 crystal clear.

Cats 186

Cats Killing 186

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

In 2007 I was working in a university building that was just begging for bird feeders. This was where I set up my bird feeders, just one at first, then expanding as everyone expressed delight in seeing the Carolina Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Downy Woodpeckers. There were no dead birds for weeks. I hoped it was an anomaly.

New York City 259

New York City Birds Illinois Science 259

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2018

‘Tis the season when young birds fledge and take to the wing, or more commonly plunge to the ground where they are easy prey for predators. In the UK, so figures indicate , 10 million domestic cats account for 275 million prey items, of which 55 million are birds. billion bird deaths. billion bird deaths.

Cats 114

Cats Culling Hunting Feral 114

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The chapter titles of Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds represent both ends of the spectrum: “A World Full of Poisons,” “Malaria,” “Forest Intruders,” “Lead Shock,” “Shot.” Coyotes took carrion from young Condors and then killed the weakest ones.

California Condor 186

California Condor Falcons California Birds 186

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2012

A new study conducted in Athens, Georgia, by National Geographic and the University of Georgia put cameras on house cats allowed outdoors. Thirty percent of the cats killed wild animals, an average of two kills per week. It’s safer for your cats and for wildlife for your pets to be kept indoors!

Los Angeles 178

Los Angeles Cats Georgia Killing 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2023

The Collared Finchbill is not a rare bird, and it is not endangered, but it is a particular favorite of mine. So, in order to show a few more photos of the bird than the usual two or three had I included this bird in a post of birds seen around Wolongshan, Sichuan), here is one dedicated to the species.

Vegan 186

Vegan Cats Animal Friendly Eggs 186

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

As suggested before, it might be time to get somebody with at least a vague interest in birds involved in working on the online edition of the HBW. Of course, the White-cheeked Starling is even more common in Shanghai and can sometimes be seen in flocks of 20 or more birds. I am sure you are as excited about it as I am.

Birds 130

Birds Tigers Humane Ecuador 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

“A reading of recent research shows that Australian birds are more likely than most to eat sweet foods, live in complex societies, lead long lives, attack other birds, and be intelligent and loud.” When going to Australia, one of the two birds I wanted to see most was the Tawny Frogmouth.

Birds 237

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 237

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2023

In Kangding, there is a rather opulent bird hide – two stories, solid construction, spacious, lots of glass, a separate paved parking lot, though mysteriously (and as far as I can tell from my experience of living in China for almost 20 years, not indicative of fundamentally different physical needs of Chinese people) missing a bathroom.

Birds 147

Birds Mammals St. Louis Monkeys 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2011

She’s not really a birder, but having been friends with me she knows that they are there, watches some ( Red-bellied Woodpeckers are her favorite) and will even drink shade-grown coffee because she knows it’s good for migratory birds. Photo courtesy Kimm Schroeder She also has some serious cats.

Cats 238

Cats Leopards Kittens Unwanted 238

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

I did not find much about this bird online except for a paper with the exciting title “A new quill mite Torotrogla emberizae sp. Given that this bird moves very fast and thus leads to bird photographers spending a lot of time getting mostly completely unusable photos, I think the parasitism is well-deserved.

Birds 216

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 216

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

The other day, Minneapolis, Minnesota passed a feral cat ordinance. So I put together a “carnival” (of sorts) of Feral Cat Ordinances and Issues that samples current events across the US. From the Star Tribune : Feral cats win a round at Minneapolis City Hall. She said she has a cat that stays indoors — unwillingly.

Feral Cats 215

Feral Cats Feral Cats Minneapolis 215

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

Memorable encounters with Mammals: Part I Most birdwatchers enjoy seeing mammals, but the trouble with mammals is that they tend to be much more challenging to see than birds. I remember the guide on my first Kenyan birding safari remarking that “birding groups always see far more mammals than those who come just to see animals.

Fur 194

Fur Bulgaria Otters Estonia 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2013

Case in point: some of my family members have become active with feral cat colony organizations. It started with donation requests for spay and neutering cats but then quickly transferred to a trap, neuter and release organization. On the one hand, it’s better than doing nothing with a feral cat colony.

Feral Cats 187

Feral Cats Feral Cats Family 187

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2015

If I were to describe my long time wildlife nemesis, my ultimate dip of dips, I would reach for a nemesis cat, not a nemesis bird. I had, after all, been to 13 countries that were home to leopards, over the course of 14 years, of which in all but one I had been in habitat suitable for this most adaptable of big cats.

Cats 105

Cats Leopards South Africa Tigers 105

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2022

So, the next blog post on Shanghai birds may turn out to be a lot more interesting, though of course with regard to bird migration, May is more interesting than June … As I am unlikely to see a live gannet any time soon, I might as well point you to the song “Nigel the gannet” by The Burning Hell now.

Birds 147

Birds Sparrows China Abandon 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Motomco’s Material Safety Data Sheet for “Hawk” warns that the product “is extremely toxic to fish, birds, and other wildlife” and that “dogs and predatory and scavenging mammals and birds might be poisoned if they feed upon animals that have eaten this bait.” Tomcat seemed a better, more aggressive sounding choice than just ‘Cat’.

Mountain Lions 265

Mountain Lions Rats Rodents Lions 265

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Back in July, my fellow 10,000 Birds contributor Dragan wrote a delightful piece about birding Lake Kerkini in spring. I first visited Kerkini and this bird-rich region of northern Greece 15 years ago, and have been returning regularly ever since. My photograph below is of a captive bird).

Greece 219

Greece Pelicans Geese Buffalo 219

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2016

I asked a group of wildlife rehabilitators: “What are some of the Worst Bird Myths? Had they been able to make the jawbone talk, no doubt its first words would be, “You can’t put a baby bird back in the nest, because the parents will smell your hands and abandon it.”. s and “Kill me now!”s. Feel free to vent!”. s, “Gaaahh!”s

Wildlife Rehabilitation 183

Wildlife Rehabilitation Porcupines Raccoons Birds 183

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the rest of 10,000 Birds. I’m not just saying this to be an annoying gadfly on the backside of the birding and general wildlife community, although this is certainly a fringe benefit. There is no solidarity among the big cats. Qualifying statements to follow).

Lions 186

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2013

On 14 March, 2013, the Orlando Sentinel published an opinion piece by Ted Williams under the headline “Trap, neuter, return programs make feral-cat problem worse.” Then he gave a couple of alternative solutions to the feral cat problem: There are two effective, humane alternatives to the cat hell of TNR.

Feral Cats 272

Feral Cats Trap Neuter Return Tnr Extremist 272

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2015

You (or your child/friend/etc) have just found a seemingly parentless baby bird. Here with the answer(s) is Maureen Eiger, a bird rehabilitator in Roanoke, VA: . Wild bird rehabilitators want bird parents to feed their own babies. Putting a baby bird back in its nest is not always the right thing to do.

Wounded 256

Wounded Rescue Medical Cats 256

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Shorter Steve Dale : Hey, birders, agree with me that feral cats should be left in the wild where they will kill birds. Oh, and could you volunteer to help maintain feral cat colonies? Trap-Neuter-Release is a failure and leads to misery for cats and death for birds and other wild creatures.

Feral Cats 176

Feral Cats Neutering Feral Cats 176

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2012

Migration is the single most dangerous thing that birds do and many don’t survive as Greg pointed out in his recent post. A warning – there are some graphic images of dead birds in this post. dead Common Yellowthroat Please, keep your cats indoors. Another major hazard for migrating birds is roads.

Feral Cats 189

Feral Cats Cats Killing North America 189

Reddit Animals

JANUARY 30, 2024

These guys are all different species and genders, tho despite that, they still coexist with one another without killing each other somehow. These guys are sometimes called the Nick Jr animals, tho their group name will be called something else. Anyways, here are all their names and genders.

Porcupines 40

Porcupines Ferrets Kangaroos Animal 40

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Hannah Buschert was first exposed to birds and birding during a required ornithology course at Oregon State University and she quickly caught the birding bug. This is Hannah’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Hannah and Erik ready to see some birds! I love to go on cruises.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

So, I think I found a weird way to get my non birding co-workers to learn bird identification. We get lots of birds passing through, like our regular band of Wild Turkeys that roam our parking lot. This at first was met with a dubious reaction, “Won’t birds fly into the glass?” ” Well, no.

Birds 173

Birds Sparrows Turkey Killing 173