10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

There’s a Sloth Bear in tall, dry grass, barely 50 metres from us, but all we can see is a dark, shape-shifting shadow that eventually becomes all but invisible. Earlier, a large number of villagers were being killed by tigers: 11 in 2006, 13 in 2007 and more than 26 during 2008. The Telia Lake.

Tigers 246

Tigers India Killing 2012 246

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2011

In 2008 Mark founded the annual Red Centre Bird Week and Twitchathon which occurs each September/October in Alice Springs. Yes, fellow birders, I keep a detailed list of all the species I have seen whilst I have been on the throne, peeing behind trees, or making like the proverbial bear in the woods. I take it to the toilet.

Chile 195

Chile Australia Monkeys 2008 195

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

Lucky for us, world-traveler Tim Ryan of From the Faraway, Nearby was good enough to provide a profusely-illustrated account of his visit to Tambopata as a volunteer in 2008. The experience is one of the ornithological highlights in the world. Is this one of the ornithological highlights on the planet? That’s right – birds eating clay.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 South America 255

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

In fact, the Dodo belonged to a clade (sometimes called Raphini) of 15 remarkable, bizarre, intriguing island-adapted pigeons, some of which are still alive today, but eight of which have been hacked from the tree of life, driven to extinction by humans. The bird’s skeleton bears similarities to New Guinea’s much smaller (!)

Solomon Islands 276

Solomon Islands Guinea Mauritius Humane 276

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

There is also a third element, only hinted at in the opening–the environmental and scientific necessity of gathering this data to document the importance of keeping the Pacific Northwest waters healthy and uncontaminated by human elements. Fox does an excellent job balancing these three elements, keeping the emphasis on the birds.

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100