10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2013

It all seems like such a charmed life … until you have to fly down to Africa for the winter. There aren’t many solutions proferred—the article is really about consciousness-raising—but it’s well worth a read. The population of Millerbirds on Laysan has doubled , and breeding seems to be going well.

Cambodia 145

Cambodia Slaughter Slaughtered Cyprus 145

4 The Love Of Animals

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Each animal they raise to adulthood is a step away from extinction, with the ultimate challenge to return them to the wild. We’ll see ambitious programs to save diverse species from the outback of Australia, the savannahs of East Africa, the Brazilian Amazon and some of the most successful zoo breeding programs in the world.

Pandas 100

Pandas Leopards Gorillas Zoos 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Islands, for various reasons, experience more extinctions than continents (with Africa being the only continent not suffering a bird extinction!). Then rumors leaked out that at this same site the mythical Red Owl could easily be seen, Madagascar Serpent Eagle was breeding and other rare birds and lemurs abounded.

Madagascar 246

Madagascar Lemurs 2006 Owls 246

Animal Ethics

JUNE 7, 2016

In light of this horrible incident, is it right for the zoo to carry on a breeding program that subjects more animals to such unnatural lives? This horrible incident has raised some tough questions indeed. Many sanctuaries do not permit breeding. Finally, what of the audience?

Los Angeles 40

Los Angeles Gorillas Zoos Non Human 40

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

I did that with Peacocks & Picathartes – Reflections on Africa’s birdlife (published by Penguin Random House South Africa ). In case you didn’t know, yes, there is an indigenous peacock living in Africa, the Congo Peafowl. He has authored several other books and many articles, largely on natural history.

Congo 264

Congo Africa South Africa Madagascar 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Thus, the cattle we raise for meat and dairy are sometimes called Bos taurus while the extinct wild form is always called Bos primigenius. Some time after the Spanish encounter with the Turkey, birds were brought back to Europe where they were raised and became an important source of food and fancy feathers.

Turkey 210

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 210

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The African Spoonbill is one of the six global spoonbill species, and the main African one (there are also some Eurasian Spoonbills in Africa). While the species is listed as Least Concern, there are some papers suggesting it may not be as common as assumed, at least in South Africa. “ The diet includes seeds, nuts, and nectar.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

The book is produced by WILDGuides, Ltd, the excellent book company responsible for over a dozen photographic guides on Britain’s natural life ranging from dragonflies to plant galls as well as books on Africa, Australia and other areas we all want to visit, and was published this summer by Princeton University Press.

Ireland 150

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 150

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 8, 2011

Gazing at Cathy Conheim, a psychotherapist raised to hate cats because they ate birds, and Donna Brooks, a retired physician and sculptor who had never had a cat, but always reached out to heal anyone who was hurting, the kitten eyed them hopefully. Cathy sent an email to 20 friends describing Henry’s escapades as a newly minted indoor cat.

San Diego 100

San Diego Kittens Emotional Cats 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

What the Owl Knows is organized into nine chapters: introduction, adaptation (including vision and flight), research and researchers, vocalization, courtship and breeding, roosting and migration, cognition, and two chapters on owls and humans–captive owls (not zoos, educational owls) and owls in our cultural history.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

If they can spare a glance upward, the busy grape-pickers might also be treated to another portent of the changing seasons in the Iberian skies overhead: the sight of flocks of White Storks ( Ciconia ciconia ) heading south from their summer breeding grounds in Europe to Africa, where they spend the winter on the warm savannas.

2017 114

2017 Spain California Condor California 114

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

We are familiar with the story, birds flying north in the boreal summer, taking advantage of the warmth, long days, and abundant insect life, to raise their young. They also migrate to and from the High Arctic, crossing the Atlantic to Europe, but they keep going, down across the Mediterranean into Africa. And for the most part it is.

Africa 204

Africa Somalia North America Nigeria 204

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa – it was established in 1895. In terms of breeding behavior, starlings are a diversified group – some use helpers, others do not. It is thus much older than the Hold Steady song “ Heavy Covenant “, which was only released in 2021.

South Africa 197

South Africa Africa Birds Cape Verde 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

I was in contact with a group of birders for whom I arranged and guided an annual tour to Africa. We already had South Africa, Zambia and Uganda under our belts, but my clients’ request for the next year came right out of the blue: Ghana! During each trip we would discuss a destination for the following year.

Ghana 199

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 199

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2013

There is a Linnet at Kissena Corridor Park in Queens, and though I bird this park regularly, the Linnet, a bird regularly found in Europe, Asia, and North Africa and also named in a sweet song by Stephen Sondheim (Green Finch and Linnet Bird from Sweeny Todd) has eluded me. I needed a book showing a Linnet. I studied it.

Ireland 173

Ireland 2013 Breeders Ducks 173

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

Penguins are also bellweathers of climate change; dwellers of remote areas you’ve (probably) never heard of; creatures who have developed unique, innovative ways of adapting to the harsh environments where they breed and rear chicks and the water environments in which they feed and swim.

Penguins 209

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 209

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Hopefully, the winter time in Shanghai gives the Black-faced Buntings some time to relax from the challenges of the breeding season. In contrast, the females need to make sure not to get duped into raising actual cuckoos – the buntings are a targeted host species ( source ). No wonder no species are named after me.

Birds 221

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 221