10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In 2009, I traveled from New York City to the tropical rainforest of Ecuador. The first edition, A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics , was published in 1989. It was my first trip to the Neotropics, and I had no idea what I was getting into.

South America 150

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 150

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

Here's the good news: This is a very readable explanation of how animals in the Hundred Heartbeat Club (there are 100 or fewer individuals in the wild today) got to be in the club. This is irksome, as the premise is that we need to save the animals (and which ones is an interesting discussion) because we will suffer if they are gone.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

Searching for kiwi is unlike spotlighting that I’ve done while looking for nocturnal animals in the past. We set out at sunset, with the still partly sky filled with orange clouds giving the forest an otherworldly feel. Soon it became dark, and we slowly walked down the paths ringing the island.

New Zealand 145

New Zealand 2011 Deer New York 145

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Another, hands against the animal’s vast side, said… March On Into Spring – I and The Bird #146 Mar 17th, 2011 at 12:37 am [.] Quetzals of Ecuador » To learn more about 10,000 Birds, Mike, Corey, or the many marvelous Beat Writers, please click here. Thanks for visiting!

2011 152

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 152

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

In addition to Corey’s photo below from his trip to an Oilbird cave in Ecuador , check out these additional remarkable Oilbird eyecandy images. Oilbirds ( Steatornis caripensis ) in Ecuador © Corey Finger. Cuckoo Roller (Leptosomus discolor). Secretarybird ( Sagittarius serpentarius ) in Kenya by David J.

Madagascar 276

Madagascar Comoros South America Ecuador 276

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

The idea is that some finches from what is now Ecuador ended up on the Galapagos Islands, and subsequently diversified into a number of different forms … they speciated … filling various niches that on the mainland would have been filled by a number of different species. This included some birds as well as a fox.

Tortoises 198

Tortoises South America Panama Culling 198

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2013

In the past I have attributed some of this conflict to differences between the conservation mindset and that of animal rights/animal welfare. An example of this from outside hunting – Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park. Or are we expecting to shift the burden onto nations that can barely keep their people fed?

Tigers 172

Tigers Hunting Game Protection 172

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2024

Famous ornithologist Ted Parker crashed into a mountain in Ecuador while surveying birds. It has all Big Five animals and a whole lot of other grumpy mammals. She died in a car accident during a birding trip. And one of the first stories in her biography is how her friend died of altitude sickness. And so forth.

Mozambique 217

Mozambique Birds Ghana Namibia 217