10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2024

In what might nowadays be regarded as a slightly weird scientific practice, after meeting naturalist Daniel Gottlieb Messerschmidt, he married Messerschmidt’s widow after his death and got notes from Messerschmidt’s Siberia travels from her that had not been handed over to the Imperial Academy of Sciences.

Eagles 130

Eagles Sea Lions Bears Russia 130

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2012

Though it was well-known to the Native American populations that shared its space, the black-footed ferret was overlooked by Lewis and Clark and all subsequent Euro-American expeditions, remaining officially unknown to science until John James Audubon, his sons, and the Rev. But the ferrets kept dying.

Ferrets 188

Ferrets South Dakota Wyoming Captive Animal 188

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2012

The National Audubon Society tells the story best: Prior to the turn of the century, people engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt”: They would choose sides and go afield with their guns; whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won.

North America 125

North America Birds America South America 125