10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it.

Georgia 173

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whales 173

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2013

It wasn’t quite winter yet, with all the species that brings, but already some summer species like the Hutton’s Shearwater and Salvin’s Albatrosses were gone. This Short-tailed Shearwater is a passage visitor from Australia, on its way up to see America! A New Zealand Fur-seal.

Albatross 165

Albatross New Zealand Seals Fur 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

But, I did take many photos, and used the book, in spurts during the trip and more closely afterward, to identify three seabird species, two expected (Sooty and Black-vented Shearwaters) and one a surprise. It does not include near-shore, coastal species, like Brown Pelican, Elegant Tern, and Harbor Seal.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Ever the moral perfectionist, Franklin argued that the turkey was a much more honorable and determined fowl, and suggested the bird – as an “original Native of America” – would make a decidedly more fitting avian mascot for the United States (seemingly implying – incorrectly – that the Bald Eagle is not an indigenous New World species).

2017 150

2017 Bald Eagle United States Turkey 150

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

Unlike North America, Germany has never had naturally occurring psittacines that went extinct, and the one we have is a true and complete invasive alien introduction. Heidelberg Zoo to the south-west of Neuenheimer Feld, all over the place but most often at the seals enclosure and the adjacent kiosk. Very stupid thing to do.

Germany 240

Germany Netherlands Zoos Geese 240

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

For many grassland species, our vast expanses of tilled and plowed fields, orchards and vineyards, pastures and rangeland offer an abundance of convenient food and shelter – and some bolder birds even wander indoors to find these things in our barns and stables. For most of history, beer has thrived in agrarian settings, too.

Vermont 118

Vermont Belgium Farming Europe 118

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2012

I live in one of the few places in North America where both species breed and occur regularly. Sometimes they are found in the same location at the same time, my first encounter with both species this spring had both species within 15 feet of each other. Even with the birds that close it is challenging to tell both apart.

Seals 185

Seals North America Breeding Species 185

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

And, I started daydreaming about encountering something a little different, maybe a Horned Frog, Ceratophrys cornuta, a large, squat green and brown frog of South America, with a wide mouth large enough to eat other frogs as well as reptiles. Thrity-seven species are probably already extinct. This is not a field guide.

Reptiles 182

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 182

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

August arrived and I was releasing birds knowing they’d need time to adapt prior to making that long flight across the Gulf of Mexico, headed to South America. But lets see … I’d say one of my most memorable releases is that of a Purple Martin , a species of special concern in California.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 216

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ohio Tulsa West Virginia 216