10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2012

The topic was the concept of humans as predators, or hunters, or really, eaters of meat, and I was discussing the many ways in which people misconceived this notion. Vultures, in North America (and this may or may not apply to all vultures) are so damn adapted to scavenging that they can’t see in front of themselves in flight.

Humane 165

Humane Lions Buffalo Hunting 165

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Originally a hunting term, the Big Five were the most dangerous and prized targets of the great white hunters on safari. They are part of the scarab beetle complex and over 300 species have been described, occurring not only in Africa but also Europe, Asia and the Americas. In Asia they are even commonly kept as pets!

Buffalo 195

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 195

Animal Ethics

JUNE 27, 2008

To the Editor: “ Getting Bacon the Hard Way: Hog-Tying 400 Pounds of Fury ” (front page, June 21), about Texas hog hunters, illustrated the barbarity of hunting with dogs. As the dogs tear chunks of flesh from the terrified pig, the hunters undoubtedly feel proud of their accomplishment.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Boars Hunters 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

The 6 th edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America , for example, includes “extinct” and “probably extinct” species in a chapter, mixed in with accidentals.) Fuller’s astonishment at locating this “grail of extinct-bird photograph hunters” is contagious.

Animal 264

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2017

3) It is a sequel to Good Birders Don’t Wear White: 50 Tips From North America’s Top Birders , the popular 2007 collection of essays. Dorian Anderson finds a moment of connection with a duck hunter during his bicycle big year, and, despite his distaste for the sport, realizes that in hunters we have allies for conservation.

2017 133

2017 Costa Rica 2007 Hunters 133

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

The sandhill crane has the lowest recruitment rate (average number of young birds joining a population each season) of any bird now hunted in North America. Kills in Canada, Alaska and Mexico are not included in the count. Nationwide, wildlife watchers now outspend hunters 6 to 1. to a high of 11%.

2011 239

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 239

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2016

In her book, “ On a Wing and a Prayer, “ Sarah Woods describes the bird that captured her interest when she first visited Panama: “At more than one metre tall and able to kill a monkey with a single swipe of its powerful, knife-like talons, [H]arpy [E]agles are incredibly hard to find.”

Panama 100

Panama Grizzly Bear Porcupines Eagles 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2011

Hunters flocked to the Kittatinny Ridge to literally blast raptors out of the sky, buoyed by the belief that they were doing the world a great service. But this weekend has reawakened my faith that the state of birding in America is in good shape and that birding truly is a multi-generational pastime.

Bald Eagle 254

Bald Eagle Pennsylvania Sanctuary Hunters 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

The Oilbird today lives only in South America, but fossils of similar species are known from Wyoming. I wrote about the Hoatzin here a couple of years ago when Gerald Mayr published a paper hypothesizing that Hoatzins invaded South America from Africa by raft. The story just keeps getting better. Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata).

Madagascar 274

Madagascar Comoros South America Ecuador 274

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Fuller has not preached about the evils of the human practices that killed and dislocated the Passenger Pigeon; he hasn’t moaned and groaned or sentimentalized. In both countries, birds have been killed for reasons of food, commerce, and sport. It wasn’t just the mass killings in so many ways.

2014 159

2014 Killing Michigan Kentucky 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Assuming you have a passing interest in wildlife, or at the least you know someone that does, and chances are in the last week or so you’ve become aware that some lady from America shot a lion. Hunters go to Africa to shoot lions, and this is without question a good thing; for birds, for ecosystems, and for lions in general!

Lions 181

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2018

The definition of the word HUNT is “to chase or search for game or other wild animals for the purpose of catching or killing.” One is defined as catching or killing and the other as keeping from injury. Of course, by now most people know they have been slaughtered by hunters for their ivory. A newly created U.S.

Hunting 108

Hunting Hunters Gorillas Wolves 108