10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2019

I couldn’t help thinking this–me, the anthropomorphism hater– as I watched a pair of Philippine Eagles tend their nest, raise a chick, and tear monkeys apart in Bird of Prey: The Story of the Rarest Eagle on Earth , a well-crafted, beautifully filmed documentary with a mission. The Philippine Eagle has a kind face.

Eagles 203

Eagles Philippines Eggs Birds 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2020

Parasites penetrate the skin, travel through the blood vessels and finally (if you’re lucky) settle in the urinary tract where they happily breed, doing irreversible damage to it (and if you’re less lucky they might get confused and settle inside your spinal cord or even your brain). Vervet Monkey c. Oh, my big mouth! Cape Wagtail 2.

Botswana 181

Botswana Africa 2001 Fish 181

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

JUNE 26, 2018

The causes were the usual reasons for island extinction—deforestation by both humans and invasive plants that crowded out native plants, hunting, and invasive rats, mongoose, monkeys, and, of course, feral cats. Yet, think a bit about what our world would be like if the Passenger Pigeon still existed.

Mauritius 101

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 101

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

To be honest, both the robin and the flycatchers shown above remind me of the easter eggs I hunted for as a child – the same strong colors in front of a green background, same time of the year (feel free to insert your own Proust Madeleine reference here) … Bluethroats apparently are good at imitating other birds.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

I returned home with very mixed feelings, which have spurred this article. Here local hunters had known about the colony and for generations had been harvesting the birds by simply picking the adults off their nests during the breeding season. Ghana’s people are just as friendly as before.

Ghana 188

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 188