10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

They took dogs to Australia, chickens across the Pacific, rabbits to England, horses to the New World, and then brought potatoes back. A housecat in Buenos Aires got its start in Africa, a sheep in Australia to the Middle East, a chicken in Ireland can trace its origin to the jungles of Asia. Rabbits are still an agricultural pest.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

It’s not surprising that animals—especially, but not only, mammals—share many emotions with us because we also share brain structures—located in the limbic system—that are the seat of our emotions. After publishing my stories I got emails from people all over the world who had seen similar behavior in various birds and mammals.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2012

I’ve been a fan of this particular peculiar Australian mammal my entire life, and more than any bird I wanted to see it here. This is another migrant from New Guinea, and one that can cause confusion as it is also a mimic and will imitate birds only found in New Guinea while visiting Australia. Not sure how it learnt that one!

Possums 171

Possums Guinea Marsupials Rats 171

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2013

Perhaps the biggest big year of 2012 was in Australia. A gang of four in Calgary did a combined mammal and bird big year across Canada , hoping to hit 400 bird species and 50 mammals, though it seems that they really want to hit a combined 500 species (with the catchy moniker “Fur and Feathers 500?).

2012 157

2012 South Dakota Costa Rica Houston 157