10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

At the very least appreciated for their hard-shell adaptation, the way they quietly survive in ponds, rivers, oceans, islands, forests, even, for a few species, deserts, and, if you are of a certain age, their cultural depiction as ninja warriors. Or that tortoises and terrapins are considered part of the turtle family.

Turtles 206

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 206

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

He is also a serious birder (and a birding friend), and his birding observations and adventures are used throughout the book to introduce evolutionary questions and illustrate the mental interplay between personal experience and scientific curiosity. The book is smartly organized into 12 chapters. that’s three birds). ” (p.

Science 223

Science Albatross Research Birds 223

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. How do they know? I do wish there was more about research on female bird song.

North America 279

North America Research Birds Groups 279

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Kooyman (co-author with Jim Mastro) spent decades studying Emperor Penguins and can be considered the world’s foremost expert on the species. Empire Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are the largest living penguin species, almost four feet tall (taller when they stretch), and the least likely to be seen on birding or nature trips.

Penguins 162

Penguins Seals Leopards Research 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

I new him because we enlisted his Dryfus Lion and one of his tigers to carry out experiments with bones (this is something archaeologists do). Also, feral Cats on islands seem to be a serious problem, causing the extirpation of some indigenous species. They are invasive species. That was one of his cats. Plus, Coyotes eat Cats.

Feral Cats 256

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 256

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

Osborn, a passionate field biologist who participates to the core of her being three re-introduction projects aimed at saving three very different, endangered species: Peregrine Falcon, Hawaiian Crow (‘Alala)*, and California Condor. She crafts her prose with a visual immediacy that bring you directly into her experience.

California Condor 186

California Condor Falcons California Birds 186

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

It feels good to start a post with some truly attractive birds – such as two species of broadbills. Strangely, there do not seem to be many papers on this species. In one paper , you can find fascinating sentences such as “The new species is most similar to D. My cats refuse to even try Fiery Minivets.

Birds 222

Birds Sri Lanka Taiwan Cats 222

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

Actually, as I just found out, this is not really new information. I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat).

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2014

Nearly wiped out by human heedlessness, development, and pesticide use, under the protection of the Endangered Species Act this handsome fish eagle has made a stunning comeback, rebounding in numbers and recolonizing areas where many thought they were gone forever. As an experiment, I also ran this book by a non-birding friend.

Bald Eagle 234

Bald Eagle Eagles Endangered Species Washington 234

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. The authors emphasize in the Introduction the great degree to which the text and illustrations are based on current scientific information.

Australia 108

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 108

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

I visited Tengchong in late 2020 and wrote about it – but I also went there earlier, in 2017, and this post shows some photos I took during that trip, along with the usual comments that seem to be much more about ridiculing my fellow humans (especially ornithologists and the like) than providing useful information on birds.

China 189

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 189

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

Basically, this species is so dimwitted, it doesn’t know how to survive. Because, Pink Pigeons are not capable of doing the tasks required to create and bring up children of the species. These endangered birds have trouble producing a fertilized egg and, even worse, they don’t even know how to build a nest so the egg survives?

Mauritius 102

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 102

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

JULY 6, 2019

While growing up in western New York during the 70s and 80s, sure, we could have found some information, some illustrations of toucans at the local public library. Like crows and jays, they are social, vocal, intelligent, and omnivorous (including eating eggs and nestlings). Yes, this bird acts like a jay.

Costa Rica 182

Costa Rica Panama Eating Eggs South America 182

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2013

En route they will be “birding in nearly every country in mainland North and South America,” and, as they say on their excellent blog , “Our journey is about collecting valuable data on bird species, their status and distribution, current conservation issues, and more along the way.

South America 188

South America San Diego Mexico America 188

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

I like observing them, reading about them, grappling with species and subspecies identification, and even—on a good day—talking about sparrow taxonomy. Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America covers 61 species of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae that breed in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.

North America 154

North America Sparrows America United States 154

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

The lengthy Introduction gives both a personal history and a global history of birds and art, including brief profiles of John James Audubon and the far lesser known Genevieve Estelle Jones, who conceived of a book eventually called Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio in the late 19th century.

Birds 156

Birds Eggs Laws Woodpeckers 156

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

The title is a bit deceptive, for while photographs are a huge part of the book, it is grounded in the 239 species accounts written by woodpecker guru Gerard Gorman. This background material is a good, succinct framework within which to read the Species Accounts, particularly for birders new to woodpecker study.

Woodpeckers 249

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 249

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

I couldn’t wait to give names to all my new species. I tried using the Internet, but found it frustrating for all the usual reasons; websites either didn’t include all species or were difficult to use for identification. Identifying the birds was easy thanks to the Collins Bird Guide.

Ireland 177

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2019

While the hunting of game with trained birds of prey can be a controversial topic among birders , falconry was a valuable early source of information on birds, and its history, culture, and imagery continue to fascinate bird lovers, as we shall see. Few hobbies place such value on the written knowledge contained in books as does birding.

2015 113

2015 Italy Falcons Europe 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2015

Although the guide describes species from a limited range, the importance of bees throughout the world cannot be overstated. Did you know for example that some species of bee are cleptoparasites , exploiting the nests of other species for their own eggs. If this was a bird guide, we would all have one already.

Ireland 101

Ireland United States Game Species 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to glimpse the home life of albatrosses, nor of any seabird species. Where does the female Emperor Penguin go after she has produced that one egg and handed it over to the male for incubation? Technology to the rescue! What about incubation shifts?

Albatross 114

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

As a Northeast birder I am familiar with the alarming decrease in the number of Red Knots along Atlantic shores and have signed petitions and written e-mails calling for legislation and rules that will limit the overharvesting of the horseshoe crab, whose eggs Red Knots depend on. The visual beauty and textual facts are a strong combination.

Delaware 182

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 182

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

They utilized GIS (geographic information systems) technology to pinpoint breeding bird location to a level far beyond the usual block-based geographic model. The core of the book are the Species Accounts, 190 accounts by 52 authors, some names that readers will easily recognize, others birders and ornithologists well-known in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania 236

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 236

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

I know from experience how accessible Dennis is, last year he helped me identify a damselfly I photographed in Costa Rica (Argia anceps, no common name). Although designed as a field guide, it is a hefty book, 376 pages long, covering 336 species. Many species are dimorphic, with females looking different from males.

United States 238

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 238

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

Experiments in the field (the famed Asa Wright Nature Center veranda) involving Bananaquits and bananas came up with numbers ranging from 7 to 16, but a tanager always came along to interfere with Bananaquits’ noisy appreciation of their namesake fruit. (2) Which hummingbird was more beautiful—Tufted Coquette or Ruby-topaz Hummingbird? (3)

Trinidad 201

Trinidad Birds South America Research 201

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2013

The story of the cahow, a “Lazurus species” that was thought to be extinct for over 300 years and then discovered to be breeding on a tiny remote island in Bermuda, is part of modern birding legend. These are magical experiences. This is a good read, informative and engaging. —————-.

Birds 170

Birds Rats Breeding 2012 170