10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Ahead of the first trip, I wasn’t thinking much about mammals, and yet, you cannot miss them, from Nilgais near villages to Indian Flying Foxes in town centres, not to mention those ubiquitous and irresistibly cute Palm Squirrels eating seeds left for parakeets. I clearly needed a mammal book. monkeys, deer, gazelles, etc.).

Asia 191

Asia Mammals Sri Lanka Bhutan 191

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2016

The gamekeeper drives by, I wave my greetings but do not mention the jackals I am observing at the moment: this animal is not protected in Serbia and is allowed for killing year-round (one may say “hunting” instead, but I am having problems trying to spot the difference). All this happens less than a mile from the nearest houses.

Serbia 151

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 151

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2014

It is technically correct, and recently fashionable, to insist that any living animal is a member of the larger group that contains it phylogenetically, i.e., ancestrally, with that group often named after the known animal that roots the tree. Meanwhile I have a few random thoughts. Whales are cows. So, for example, humans are apes.

Camels 212

Camels Whales Whaling Apes 212

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Africa is famous for its large, charismatic mammals, and the Big Five epitomize the most sought-after of these fantastic beasts. As visitors’ and the public’s interests expanded from the Big Five, and an appreciation for lesser mammals, birds and smaller wildlife has became more widespread, the term Little Five was coined.

Buffalo 228

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 228

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2011

How excited we were to see what was for us a new species as we drove up into Olympic National Park on the road to Hurricane Ridge. The deer walked down the road, seemingly unconcerned with being so close to an open car window that revealed an excitedly babbling family and a clicking camera. A Black-tailed Deer !

Deer 140

Deer Mules Alaska Mammals 140

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2016

In fact, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology , “The Golden Eagle is the most common official national animal in the world – it’s the emblem of Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and Kazakhstan.” The oldest known Golden Eagle was over 30 years old, and as a species they prefer open and semi-open landscapes.

Albania 102

Albania Mexico Eagles Kazakhstan 102

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

People ascribe near mythic status to the members of the family Delphinidae (and other related families). It may be part of the reason I find them unnerving, it is only the smart creatures that can do actual bad things, instead of just wild animal things. Birding dolphins marine mammals New Zealand endemic'

Dolphins 161

Dolphins New Zealand Sharks Albatross 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. That bald head, so odd and homely, is actually an adaptation for sticking one’s head deep inside the gut of a deceased mammal. Old World Vultures are nestled within the family Acciptridae along with the hawks and eagles.

California Condor 204

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 204

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2015

But it wasn’t founded to serve as a refuge for human refugees, but animal ones, specifically elephants. It is a good place for South African birders, as several species are found here and nowhere else in South Africa, and it holds a small number of endemics that it shares with the Mozambique lowlands.

South Africa 153

South Africa Elephants Africa Lions 153

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

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. Kricher has expanded subject coverage and updated, revised, re-arranged, and rewritten text.

South America 176

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 176

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Grief, friendship, gratitude, wonder, and other things we animals experience. Scientific research shows that many animals are very intelligent and have sensory and motor abilities that dwarf ours. In many ways, human emotions are the gifts of our animal ancestors. Waterfall Dances: Do animals have spiritual experiences?

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

She is an excellent mother, managing not only to feed her four large cubs, but their visiting father One-eyed who comes by every now and then (he has two more families and being the good father he is, visits them all regularly, usually around lunch time). Conservation endangered species India Mammals tiger'

Tigers 257

Tigers India Killing 2012 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2012

When staying with Daisy’s family in Yorba Linda, California, I often wake up early in the morning and take the short walk up to the southern end of Carbon Canyon Regional Park to do some birding. Despite, or maybe because of the active human intervention, quite a few species can be seen in a couple hours in the morning. (I

Coyotes 102

Coyotes California Mammals Sparrows 102

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Photos courtesy of Mosetlha Bush Camp A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. They are crossing one or two at a time.

South Africa 251

South Africa Africa Game Elephants 251

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2012

It concerns the nature of wildlife in Australia, and is perhaps the most remarked about aspect of Australia’s wildlife, at least the impression you’d get if you’ve ever watched ten minutes of Animal Planet. The family on a peaceful moment. The very dangerous nature of the wildlife.

Sharks 248

Sharks Birds Australia Boars 248

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

The Refuge is now home to nearly 200 species of birds, over 50 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a wide variety of insects, fish and plants. The refuge offers opportunities for hiking and biking trails, canoeing and kayaking on Swan Lake, bank fishing, and family friendly programs and events.”

Fish 147

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2014

It brings mammals, and frogs in profusion, and reptiles, and insects. We toured the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre after dark, and we did it by foot in a group that was just my family and a guide. We found some more sleeping birds, lots of frogs, and a Lesser Mousedeer – a new species for me! Or nothing big at least.

Badgers 154

Badgers Wildlife Reptiles Monkeys 154

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

I’ll never forget my introduction to the mammals of Kruger National Park, South Africa. This is the thing—no matter how devoted you are to birds and birding, once you get to Africa, you can’t resist the mammals. This means you need to pack a mammal guide in addition to your bird guide. Believe me, I tried.

Rhinos 251

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 251

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

Duck Stamp) for wildlife observers (81 votes, 12 comments) Create a photography permit allowing regulated off-trail access to refuges (80 votes, 15 comments) Christmas Bird Count for Kids – A half day free family event with partners @ all USFG visitor centers (46 votes, 5 comments) Establish partnership(s) with national birding conservation orgs.

2011 140

2011 Wildlife Birds Deer 140

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2013

The story of the cahow, a “Lazurus species” that was thought to be extinct for over 300 years and then discovered to be breeding on a tiny remote island in Bermuda, is part of modern birding legend. This very personal story might seem out of place in a bird book. It isn’t, because it is a part of the whole life of this exceptional man.

Birds 180

Birds Rats Breeding 2012 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

A range of animals come to satisfy their need for salt or the soothing effects of the clay along the river banks of the region. The field site I am assigned to is located in one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and home to a particularly rich avifauna that numbers well over 500 species. That’s right – birds eating clay.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 South America 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. That was useful, and it is still useful, even if there are often major exceptions.

Monkeys 157

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2022

Here in Shanghai, December is the month that a birder’s addiction cannot be satisfied by the increasingly meager assortment of species at Nanhui – we have to go to other places as well. If dinosaurs were the original punks of the animal kingdom, this Eurasian Hoopoe is their proud descendant (Chongming Island).

Birds 246

Birds Chickens Mammals Japan 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2013

A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. The others follow, some dozen animals in all. Sniffing us.

Africa 214

Africa South Africa Elephants Rhinos 214

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

This has happened before, Archaeopteryx and the bird family tree have had an often tenuous relationship. Of those traits, there are two kinds: The ones that are bird-like, but are not shared between birds and other animals because of a common ancestor having had the trait. That’s what Archaeopteryx is. Flight is an example.

Mammals 264

Mammals Europe Groups Family 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

Lynx Edicions, the ornithological (and now mammal) publisher that gave us the Handbook of the Birds of the World , has now published Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea , by James A. Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago covers 1,417 species, 601 endemics, 98 vagrants, 8 introduced and 18 undescribed species.

Indonesia 147

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. We have both resident and migratory species, and this post will briefly discuss each of the 20 species of African bee-eaters.

Africa 266

Africa South Africa Gabon Uganda 266

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2020

Each activity builds on these basics–observation, documentation and action–introducing concepts like migration, nesting, and conservation, and also teaching specific ways bird behavior may be different for different species. It’s an excellent resource for family and child-learning adventures.

Los Angeles 264

Los Angeles 2019 Birds 2014 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

In some cases someone was blown away by the scenery and thought “this needs saving” In some cases someone thought “there seems to be a lot of animals here, let’s keep things that way” Still others happen because no one had done anything with the land yet and no one wanted the land anyway. And lo, it was good.

South Africa 174

South Africa Leopards Giraffes Africa 174

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2014

There are approximately 10,000 plant species in the Cerrado. It also supports the greatest variety of large mammals in all of South America, including such iconic species as Maned Wolf and Giant Anteater. A Rufous-winged Antshrike, a typical species of lightly wooded savanna in the lower elevations of the park.

Brazil 171

Brazil South America Collecting America 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

Unless you are nothing but the lowly diehard lister, for which you should feel much shame and embarrassment for, birders and biologists alike frequently want to understand birds on a deeper level than how to identify the age, sex and species of a certain individual. What seeds does a Baird’s Sparrow eat?

Emotional 231

Emotional Science Birds Mammals 231

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2024

Phoebe Snetsinger was an American birder who first passed the 8,000 species mark. It has all Big Five animals and a whole lot of other grumpy mammals. So, apart from large vicious mammals and venomous snakes, what else can possibly go wrong while birding? She died in a car accident during a birding trip. None were found.

Mozambique 242

Mozambique Birds Ghana Namibia 242

Animal Person

AUGUST 25, 2010

An Animal Person reader wrote me with the following question: There are many species of cichlids in Lake Victoria that are on the verge of extinction, and most are hardy and small enough to be kept in an aquarium. The analogy to mammals we rescue is interesting; it's a good point. I'd really like to get your opinion on this.

Fish 100

Fish Rabbits Rescue Vegan 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica: A Field Guide covers 113 damselfly species and 170 dragonfly species, a total of 283 species. Wait–that adds up to 290 species, but the book only covers 283. .* Wait–that adds up to 290 species, but the book only covers 283. Paulson, William A.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica North America Family America 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2011

Even if you don’t live in the summer range of a particular species, you may have opportunities to observe it while it passes through, especailly if you live in an active flyway, like I happen to. Itcher birds, migratory members of the tern family. The birds do the flying for you. Specifically, Itcher Tern. Image source.

Research 214

Research Humane Compassion New York 214

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

Nineteen days later we had racked up an amazing list of 436 species, including some of Africa’s least known birds such as Congo Serpent Eagle , Yellow-footed Honeyguide , Tessmann’s Flycatcher , Yellow-bearded Greenbul , Black-collared Lovebird and much besides. We also knew we had discovered Africa’s next hot birding destination.

Ghana 211

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 211

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

The species name athertoni is derived from Lt. Unfortunately, there is not much literature on the species except for the inevitable analysis of the mitochondrial genome. As usual in China, there are some anonymous Leaf Warbler species – but who cares, apart from Bella of Alpinebirding ?

Squirrels 147

Squirrels Birds China Bears 147