Animal Person

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

When I agreed to read and review Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson's THE DOG WHO COULDN'T STOP LOVING (Harper 2010), the regal Charles Hobson Booger, III was still with us. Masson tells Benjy's story--and Benjy stories--while explaining his theory about the mutual domestication of dogs and humans. And the crying would never stop.

Dogs 100

Dogs Pit Bulls Greyhounds Kennels 100

Animal Ethics

AUGUST 25, 2010

At our farm sanctuary, we see how much chickens rescued from factory farms delight in these experiences. Like humans, animals have a right to enjoy life. 15, 2010 The writers are co-founders of Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary. Most will never know sunlight, breezes, plants or soil. Bill Crain Ellen Crain Poughquag, N.Y.,

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Farm Sanctuary Factory Farm 40

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

If there are human fishing activities then all the better – Marabous will gather in numbers around fishermen’s docks and fish markets, in fact anywhere where fish are cleaned and scraps disposed of, allowing these intelligent birds to obtain a free meal.

Africa 239

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 239

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Which, naturally, got me to thinking about the newly erected order Suliformes, a development I mentioned in my December column, 2010′s Top 10 Developments in Bird Taxonomy and Systematics , but which I thought deserved further examination, for it’s one of those stories that defines the era in which we are living and birding.

2011 152

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 152

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. Even during the breeding season the birds appear to be quite unwary of humans.

Trinidad 194

Trinidad Birds South America Research 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Early research suggested that “Fragmented distributions and population bottlenecks due to human activities appear to have increased genetic differentiation among populations” (Leberg 1991). Boehrer, Bruce, Animal Characters: Nonhuman Beings in Early Modern Literature, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010., 78(1):61–78. ca 1630–1647.

Turkey 202

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

The Refuge has also become a place where people can experience and learn about wildlife and the places they call home, whether through self-guided discovery or by participating in one of our many educational programs. Note in this 2010 video, birders, birdwatching and kayakers are mentioned, not hunters. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk_5pt9OTLA.

Fish 143

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 143

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2020

In “Birding in Traffic,” Jonathan Rosen, no stranger to making connections between birds and human elements as he did in “The Life of the Skies,” describes how he took the subway to Union Square Park to see a rare (for NYC) Scott’s Oriole. The two stories about New York City are personal favorites, of course.

New York City 186

New York City Birds Owls Fox 186

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2011

The modal bird song is a song, but not all ‘songs’ are song-like, in the sense that we expect song to come out of the ‘mouth’ (bill) and to consist of modulated air currents (like human voice). Drawing of bower birds from Darwin’s 1871 volume on sexual selection. The top two are individuals with normal song.

Zebras 254

Zebras Birds Humane Raised 254

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2011

On this final day of 2011 it is time, just like it was on the final day of 2010 , to share your Best Birds of the Year. Kirby Adams had a magical experience with his Best Bird of the Year and he blogged about it on his blog, Sharp Tern. Here, without further ado, are your Best Birds of 2011, in no particular order.

2011 161

2011 Birds Ohio North Dakota 161

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Non-bird watchers without binoculars and experience are notoriously bad sources of information. The new offspring of that year hang back and leave later, finding their way to their wintering grounds using something other than experience, and something other than being taught by their parents. Deepwater Horizon, 2010; Paruk et al.

Humane 206

Humane Eagles Investigation Research 206

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

The books work best when the birding is coupled with the human element. The Jewel Hunter is heavily laced with Gooddie’s particular brand of broad ironic humor, and I did enjoy that, but I would have traded about 10 percent for a little more insight into the unexpected outcomes of his experience. WILDGuides, 2010 (UK), 424p.

Hunters 192

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 192

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

While these groups were once considered two orders (Caprimulgiformes and Apodiformes), recent work (summarized in Mayr 2010 ) shows that swifts and hummingbirds emerged from within the night birds. So do parrots, some songbirds, humans, and a few other mammals. Jarvis et al. Where do these abilities come from?

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

4 The Love Of Animals

JULY 3, 2010

With these lions there were clear welfare and public safety issues, When dealing with lions there are not only welfare and public safety issues, we are therefore delighted to be working with PAWS who have enormous experience with big cats and a reputation for setting the highest standards in animal care.”.

ADI 100

ADI Animal Defenders International Bolivia Lions 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Birding here is a joy, further augmented by the world’s most intact mammalian megafuana, fascinating tribal cultures, breath-taking scenery and the cradle of human history. Nowhere in the world are birds as colorful, easy to see and abundant as in Africa! And Africa is the ONLY continent without an extinct bird to boot!

Papua New Guinea 219

Papua New Guinea Madagascar Africa Equatorial Guinea 219