10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2011

Australia is a dry continent and as such all bird-life needs to take advantage of any fresh water that is available. During wet years the bird-life has the incredible adaptability to find fresh water lakes in the middle of the continent. Derby Poo Ponds give an alternative to bird-life from all the surrounding mud.

Feral Animals 203

Feral Animals Australia Ducks Feral 203

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2012

There I found a study which showed that the ingenious little birds had found a protein source that allowed them to coincide their breeding with times of man-made, rather than natural seasonal abundance. They are popular as caged birds and escapees have established a number of feral populations beyond their normal ranges.

Asia 232

Asia Feral Breeding Africa 232

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2019

There was evidence of feral cats and now we have seen foxes around Broome we know they will also be a threat to our local shorebirds. Pied Oystercatcher chicks can swim, but maybe feral cats will too if they are hungry. Some nests had clearly been there for some time and had contained eggs until recently.

Feral Cats 142

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Fox 142

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2021

We have to understand, though, that this was a natural predator and not one of our introduced feral cats or foxes. The chick is just to the right of the adult bird in the photo below in the shade. The post Pied Oystercatchers and Sand Goannas appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Pied Oystercatcher and chick.

Eggs 264

Eggs Feral Cats Feral Fox 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2019

We don’t always have especially high standards here at Birds and Booze – really, a bottle need only have a bird on it for our consideration here – but today we have a rosé that defies the style’s unfortunate reputation. Good birding and happy drinking! Château de Colombe: Bordeaux Rosé (2017).

2017 119

2017 France Lifestyle Feral 119

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2014

Interestingly, the birding lexicon uses other terms to describe unanticipated arrivals in more positive terms. What would birding be without the prospect of twitching the occassional vagrant, which is by definition an uninvited, though in these cases welcome, guest. Birds exotics invasive species Invasive Species Week irruption'

Species 160

Species Feral Cats Feral Miami 160

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2020

They are a large chunky bird with substantial legs when they hatch out. Feral cats are also a problem in Broome. The post The first Pied Oystercatcher chick of 2020 appeared first on 10,000 Birds. We don’t know if all Pied Oystercatchers do this, but this pair do. Having an eye on the sky is of utmost importance.

2020 225

2020 Eggs Feral Cats Breeding 225

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2018

The footprints lead clearly to the nest site and the birds fly up into the air chasing any potential predators. The animal is most likely a feral cat along that stretch of beach, but we also can’t discount a feral fox having encountered a dead one close to Broome recently. Animal prints leading to and from a raided nest.

Eggs 157

Eggs Feral Cats Feral 2018 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2012

Last week I shared with you all some of the delightful chicks that we hope to see in upcoming weeks, but these birds are not always successful on their first attempt at breeding due to predation. Feral cats are a huge problem in Australia and they do take a lot of the eggs. Both parents share sitting duties equally.

Eggs 200

Eggs Turtles Feral Cats Investigation 200

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2019

The two chicks appear to favour being close to the male bird and this is most likely due to the male bird being on the eggs when they hatch. There are still very real threats of predation by feral cats and birds of prey, but we just have to be optimistic.

Eggs 151

Eggs Feral Cats Shelters Feral 151

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

The subject is one that comes up a lot in this blog and other bird blogs, the subject of cats and their effect on wildlife. As most people know cats, both feral and domestic, have a pretty big impact on wild birds and other wildlife, and the effect of mammals is particularly profound in New Zealand.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Possums SPCA Cats 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2015

There are sixteen pairs of Pied Oystercatchers and they have varying success at raising young birds. The main problem appears to be feral cats, but there is also predation from birds of prey and the parent Pied Oystercatchers do their utmost to protect their young. Feral cat prints at nest site-eggs gone.

Feral Cats 163

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Cats 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2021

It is also strange, perhaps, that the subject of this short excellent video series, is not from Australia but from the true ‘land of birds’ across the ditch from Australia – New Zealand or Aotearoa. Certainly, it is worth watching just for the birds. I am not sure what I liked the best.

New Zealand 264

New Zealand Feral Animals Feral Parrots 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2019

As keen birdwatchers, who just happened to have found the Night Parrots in Western Australia, they were keen to look for the Fairy Pitta at first light the next day. This was only to be the second record for Australia. There were a lot of birds about at this early hour and we were very surprised to see seven Magpie Geese fly by.

Australia 138

Australia Litter Geese Cats 138

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2011

We are unsure as to what the bird population is there, but there are a lot less birds present at the old ones. With all the rain we have had the birds are spread across the whole continent and Alice Springs has had some amazing records recently. Those that had stayed had bred, though and there are a few family groups.

Feral 150

Feral Ducks Dogs Groups 150

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2018

Pied Oystercatcher chick sheltering under an adult bird. There are several birds of prey in the area including Black Kites and Brown Falcons. Feral cats have been an issue in previous years and continue to be a problem along the length of Cable Beach that we monitor. Clumsy Pied Oystercatcher chicks not long out of the nest.

2018 100

2018 Eggs Feral Cats Camels 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2011

Sadly a lot of eggs are lost to feral cats and chicks are sometimes taken by birds of prey. If the parents chase the bird they may drop the chick, but from a great height this is a fatal injury. This bird was originally banded in Roebuck Bay in 2002 and has used Cable Beach to nest for at least 12 years.

2002 171

2002 Feral Cats Eggs 2007 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2016

They have not always partnered together, but the female bird appears to have a lot more luck than others. I say “luck” because there is a problem with predation by feral cats and it really is beyond their control as it were. The first clutch of eggs were first observed on June 11th and were predated a few days later.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Feral Cats 2000 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2020

7 beats contributed their sightings from 7 countries (Hong Kong, UK, China, USA, Serbia, Australia and, of course, Costa Rica). You may notice a few non-commital “sp” entries and/or a few domestic/feral/hybrid forms. The post Collaborative List – May 2020 appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

2020 168

2020 Sparrows Niger Woodpeckers 168

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

Incidentally, Uganda ( 510 ) leap-frogged Australia ( 475 ) to become the list’s fourth most prolific country behind Costa Rica ( 763 ), USA ( 654 ) and Brazil ( 555 ). They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Steigerwald Lake NWR.

2019 226

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 226

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2020

I always approach the bridge slowly to see what bird species are below and around the area. There is a family of feral foxes that I often encounter near Bennison Creek. Foxes were introduced to Australia in 1855 for hunting and have established themselves far and wide. The post Foster to Toora appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

Fox 172

Fox Feral Ducks Horses 172

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2012

It seems that my article last week on the dangers posed by birds struck a chord with the readers, many of whom posted their own stories of terror at the hand of this avian menace. One commenter actually said their were rooting for the birds, and, well, no offence but I’m not sure I want to go birding with you. Dum dum DUM!

New Zealand 188

New Zealand Birds Australia Kangaroos 188

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Finally Saw-Whet Finally Saw-Whet By Mike • March 13, 2011 • 11 comments Tweet Share Taking down a nemesis bird always takes a place of honor on any birder’s litany of triumphs.

2011 201

2011 Owls Deer New York 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2018

There were only a handful of people camping at Lake Indoon on January 25th despite it being a long weekend for Australia Day. Most of the birds in the area were well above ground level! There were some reeds remaining as well and enough water to sustain a substantial amount of bird life and wildlife. Feral bees.

Kangaroos 100

Kangaroos Feral Australia Branding 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2018

Over the years that we have been observing Pied Oystercatchers along the coast near Broome we have noticed that it is the male bird that always appears to construct the nest site. We do not add debris to protect the nests and the main threat to the nests still appears to be feral cats.

Eggs 131

Eggs Feral Cats Feral Raised 131

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2014

The drug that turned the White-rumped Vulture from the “most abundant large bird of prey in the world” in 1985 to a species that is critically endangered. For those that don’t remember, diclofenac is the veterinary drug that just about wiped vultures out completely in Asia.

Lions 150

Lions Giraffes Zoos Killing 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2013

Most people have heard of Lake Eyre , which is well-known for the variety of bird life on years that it floods. It appeared that Lake Bindegolly National Park could also offer us the same birding opportunities if there was water present. We carried ample water and spent 4 hours walking and birding. Feral pigs. miles long.

Feral 168

Feral Pelicans Ducks Pigs 168

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2017

When we had our camping/birding trip earlier this year we entered Queensland from the Northern Territory at the border near the small outback town of Camooweal. We chose to camp at the far end of Lake Canellan to be as far away from others as possible and to enjoy the bird-life in the area. Black-winged Stilt.

Ducks 100

Ducks Pigs Zebras Feral 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2012

It is no secret that the large civic parks found in most large cities are great places to go birding, and it Centennial Park in Sydney is no exception. I popped in for a visit two days after Christmas in order to walk off some of the excesses of the last three days, and get a few good bird while I tried to salvage my health.

New Zealand 185

New Zealand Ducks Australia Japan 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2011

Thankfully they do live for many years and the population is not in decline at present, despite the feral cats getting their eggs. One adult Pied Oystercatcher and two chicks prints One pair of Pied Oystercatchers that we monitor have a bird with a rather awful looking growth on it’s abdomen.

Feral Cats 185

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Cats 185

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

Australia is a vast country with a very small human population, which mostly clings to the edge of the continent. The lack of people does not mean we have any less extinct or threatened bird species than other countries. Handbook to The Birds of Australia, 1865. Preface,p.xxiv.

Species 189

Species Australia Birds Parrots 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2012

Whenever possible we have used our Christmas Day to see how many bird species we can get in our local area and this year was no different. It is a great way to spend the day together, especially if work commitments have prevented birding trips together for a few weeks. Such are the vagaries of birding! Target set!

Feral Cats 129

Feral Cats Zebras Feral Ducks 129

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2011

We keep our observations to a minimum to avoid disturbance and usually only visit the nest site once to get GPS coordinates to report to Birds Australia’s Nest record Scheme. With the data we have collected over the years we are hoping to address the predation of eggs by feral cats in the Broome area.

Breeding 205

Breeding Feral Cats Eggs Feral 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2011

Of all the dangerous sports birders risk their necks in in the pursuit of birds, birding while driving is perhaps the most common threat to the life of a birder of all. So, inspired by a similar article on road birding in Thailand, I present road birding in New Zealand.

New Zealand 205

New Zealand Birds Thailand Falcons 205