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How Birds Evolve: What Science Reveals about Their Origin, Lives, and Diversity: A Book Review by a Non-Science Person

10,000 Birds

Doug Futuyma believes in science and in the scientific basis of evolution. How Birds Evolve: What Science Reveals about Their Origin, Lives, and Diversity by Douglas J. Here are good, complex questions about why this diversity exists, how it came about, and what is its function when it comes to species and overall avian survival.

Science 223
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Birding Protection Island, Washington

10,000 Birds

I love puffins. 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. At $55 a head, and free for toddler Desi, the chance to see puffins from a comfortable boat seemed too good to ignore.

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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. and Canada. Texas and Florida round out the Top 5.

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Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History from Cave Art to Conservation–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

Birkhead, the experienced storyteller who is also Emeritus Professor at the School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, author of multiple scientific articles as well as books of popular science, knows how to make it readable and fun. Colonialism and appropriation of knowledge is discussed in Chapter 6, The New World of Science.

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An unusual auk baby

10,000 Birds

The auks, which range from puffins to guillemots all the way to the tiny auklets and murrelets, are typical for seabirds, long lived with tiny clutches of one or two eggs. One North American species I am very familiar with is the Cassin’s Auklet , which ranges from the end of the Aleutian Islands to California.

Eggs 165
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Birding by Volunteering

10,000 Birds

You may not get the species counts that the race delivers, but you’ll have memories burned into your skull. There is no feeling in the world like knowing your helping something you care about, whether its sharks or puffins, protecting forests or reefs, advancing science or communities.

Uganda 162
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What It’s Like to Be a Bird: A Review of the New Sibley Book

10,000 Birds

This is a delightful book, large (8-1/2 by 11 inches), filled with Sibley’s distinctive artwork and an organized potpourri of research-based stories about the science behind bird’s lives. His field guides are known for images that simultaneously portray notable field marks and also the ‘personality’ of a bird species.

2020 264