article thumbnail

Whooper Swans at Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido

10,000 Birds

They are ridiculously unafraid of people there – so the cynic in me suspects that swan meat is not regarded as tasty by the Japanese (another explanation, that the Japanese just like animals too much, can presumably be discarded given the country’s very principled approach in insisting on the right to kill whales).

China 233
article thumbnail

When is a Vulture Not a Vulture?

10,000 Birds

Zone-tailed Hawks , however, are very fond of fresh meat. And how do they get this fresh meat? Zone-tailed Hawks breed in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but they winter from Mexico to Brazil. And technically, you also won’t need to worry when you are dead. Then they drop out of the flock, and pounce.

Turkey 221
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

Where Are You Birding This Last Weekend of April 2017?

10,000 Birds

With April almost over, the real meat of migration fast approaches. At some point, everyone gets hit with a wave of winged travelers zooming towards their breeding or wintering ground. If that time hasn’t come for you yet, get ready.

2017 140
article thumbnail

Castellare di Castellina: Chianti Classico (2019)

10,000 Birds

Who knows – perhaps early humans got the idea of cutting and hanging meat by watching these shrikes at work in their arboreal abbatoirs? In fact, the family name Lanius derives from a Latin word for “butcher”, though the “butcherbird” was a butcher long before humans even developed the language to describe these activities.

2019 242
article thumbnail

15 Australian Birds (Episode 1)

10,000 Birds

One of my most vivid memories of watching The Sopranos – still the best TV series ever, in my opinion – is Tony outside barbecuing, occasionally turning the different pieces of meat. Contrary to alleged preferences among humans, the golden-headed cisticola has a shorter tail during the breeding season ( source ).

Australia 206
article thumbnail

Review: North on the Wing by Bruce M. Beehler

10,000 Birds

I had to work my way past this to get involved in the story and reach the meat of the matter. But like many a tough nut to crack, the meat was worth it. He addresses this task with humble determination rather than florid drama, to the point that at times I lost track of how many species he had yet to see.

Meat 103
article thumbnail

A few Barbets

10,000 Birds

P.S. A day after writing the bulk of this post, I was re-reading the short novel “Meat is murder” by Joe Pernice – a sort-of coming-of-age story frequently mentioning The Smiths. Plus at my age, I should really like somewhat different music. Probably jazz. Highly recommended, as is some of the music of Joe Pernice (e.g.,