10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2020

If it was any indication of where my passion lay, instead of racing home like the proverbial bat out of hell, I stayed put to monitor this supposed nest. A female American Redstart showed up, but all attention was quickly diverted to a group of Channel-billed Toucans that had just arrived.

Trinidad 218

Trinidad Battery Industry Bats 218

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2015

Right off the bat I could watch the two cute birds, unobstructed by anything other than some low sand vegetation. After two hours everyone had woken up, and I left the beach to rejoin the group and avoid being too antisocial. Turns out, it took me almost 30 minutes to leave the parking lot! Nesting Wilson’s Plovers.

South Carolina 154

South Carolina Bats Pelicans Fish 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

The inside front covers are the start of four-page pictorial guides to bird families/groups and the pages where they can be found, a quick, easy entry to the identification process (see image above). The Species Accounts follow the ‘modern guide’ format, with illustrations clearly labeled and arranged in species groupings.

Costa Rica 214

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 214

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2011

But that is because we often have the relationship between dinosaurs and birds reversed in our little primate minds; Much of what is bird-like is not exclusive to birds, but rather, to a larger group of dinosaurs. Facultative (occasional, used when needed) bipedalism occurs in one group of carnivores.

Birds 270

Birds Primates Marsupials Whales 270

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2016

The English language, or at least the adherents thereof with more time on their hands than sense, has bestowed us a great number of names to collective nouns for groups of birds. Conservationists pioneering translocation to a safe island managed to save the saddlback , but not the others.

New Zealand 104

New Zealand Parrots Rats Bats 104

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2014

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. Best of all the lodge also set out a large white board with lights on, which attracted lots of insects and in turn bats. Decidedly so, you might say. Sepilok was the first, and to my mind probably the best.

Badgers 154

Badgers Wildlife Reptiles Monkeys 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2021

Ranging in color from off-white to dingy black, with pastel to gelatinous shades of yellow, orange, purple, and brown in-between, found in moist crevasses, decaying trees, rain-soaked pastures, mushrooms lack the beauty of butterflies and wildflowers cannot equal the action of bats, or flying fish, and certainly lack the spiritual zest of birds.

North America 257

North America America Species 2018 257

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

The small group was a good counterpart to the large, convivial ABA Safari group of 98 birders. That’s a lot, and the organizers of the safari did an excellent job of creating an environment that offered small group birding during the day and a birders party every night. Wait, let’s backtrack a bit. And, there were birds.

South Africa 253

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 253

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

Here’s a sample of Plate 30, Bat Falcon and Orange-Breasted Falcon (pp. 84-85, though it’s hard to tell because there is no pagination in this section, simply plate numbers): And, here is a sample of the first two pages of the three-page Species Account for Bat Falcon (pp.

Mexico 164

Mexico America North America Falcons 164

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2016

I asked a group of wildlife rehabilitators: “What are some of the Worst Bird Myths? Bats just love to fly into human hair!” One might think that thanks to the Internet, all those ridiculous old wild animal myths handed down for generations would finally die a deserved death. Feel free to vent!”. Porcupines throw their quills!

Wildlife Rehabilitation 179

Wildlife Rehabilitation Porcupines Raccoons Birds 179

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

I know these winds had a lot of the birds all settled in, and not moving much, but right off the bat, I got a new Lifer, in a pair of Nuttall’s Woodpeckers. Despite my grouchy mood, I did manage to find a couple more new birds for the list, a large group of Ring-necked Ducks, and one very cold ( I know how it feels) Tree Swallow.

Woodpeckers 100

Woodpeckers Oregon California Geese 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2021

Yes, field guides to other groups of organisms, as there’s hardly any room left in your baggage or the energy to carry it. No, Madagascar is the most famous for an endemic group of mammals: lemurs, sifakas, indri, aye-aye – in total, 112 endemic species and subspecies of lemurs alone!

Madagascar 243

Madagascar Mammals Lemurs Seychelles 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2018

It has been located in a group of large old growth trees, several man made water features, and a great selection of flowering plants. This Black-throated Blue Warbler was a bird we missed while in Texas, so it was great to see one right off the bat! Here is one of those Ani’s sunning it’s self. L ittle Big Year species – 1280.

Bahamas 113

Bahamas Tucson El Paso Texas 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

There were also small groups of Little Woodswallows perched on branches throughout the gorge and their chocolate brown colour added to the surrounding environment. During our short visit we observed 45 bird species and it is also supposed to be a good place to observe various bats and mammals after dark. Pair of Little Woodswallows.

Australia 161

Australia Bats Mammals Groups 161

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2011

Which is bad news for someone like me who still struggles with the fact that bats are mammals. And lastly, many new birders are introduced to our wonderful hobby through various citizen science projects at schools and youth groups around the globe. eBird is fast-becoming one of the largest natural history databases in existence.

Science 266

Science North America Birds Research 266

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the group and a table of contents of subgroups that includes brief but key descriptions. Composite group photographs and brief text descriptions present the core information, the species accounts. That’s when this book would have really come in handy! Probably Long-beaked.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 18, 2009

Both animal rights groups and animal welfare groups use "compassion" frequently. Compassion" has been so diluted that most people don't bat an eyelash at the idea of " compassionate carnivores." Because I've been thinking about the evolution of my own thinking--and languaging--regarding animal rights.

Compassion 100

Compassion Psychology Tnr Vegan 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

It turned out that I saw a number of Lucifer Hummingbirds on this trip–at the Ash Canyon B&b on my own and a week later with my New Jersey Audubon group, and in Portal, courtesy of a homeowner who had up to five coming to his feeders, and who kindly allowed my friends and I access. Now, years later, it was time to return.

Arizona 102

Arizona Lovebirds Phoenix New Jersey 102

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

As mentioned in many other posts on this blog, the avifauna of Trinidad & Tobago consists of several species and family groups occurring very interestingly, in threes. Once I looked through proper glass however, all doubt was blown to smithereens – it was a Bat Falcon.

Trinidad 130

Trinidad Bats Falcons Groups 130

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

We are looking up in the sky, trying to identify the small group of swifts that are circling over head, when we are joined by a young man with his camera and tripod. On our last day in Bijagua, we got to see a small group of White-throated Magpie-jays. per person) and head back outside to look around the area. That story is here.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica Falcons Mexico Groups 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2011

So when a group of friends invited me to join them in a float on the Blackfoot River, I agreed, although with some trepidation; though this spring’s flooding is over, water levels are still high and the rivers more challenging than usual. By the time we pulled up on shore, the Common Nighthawks and the bats were out.

Bald Eagle 169

Bald Eagle Rescue Dogs Cooking 169

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Strictly speaking, Mammals of South Asia is not a field guide, because some larger groups (rodents, bats) cannot be identified down to a species level following the concise descriptions and a single illustration. Still, there should be no problem with larger species that allow for longer observation time (e.g.

Asia 176

Asia Mammals Sri Lanka Bhutan 176

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

A group of five spectacular White-throated Magpie-Jays made a raucous appearance. Nacho assured me that these bats are fruit-eaters. That was a relief, since Mexico is home to all three of the world’s vampire bat species. Also, vampire bats are very small, and these guys were BIG.) This photo is Nacho’s.

Bats 130

Bats Mexico ALA 2020 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Over a dozen distinctive ethnic groups exist here, many of whom live lives little touched by the modern world. The Turmi area is home to the Hamar tribe who numbering nearly 50,000 are one of the largest ethnic groups living in the Lower Omo Valley (with an approximate population of 200,000 tribal people). Hamar mother and child.

Ethiopia 242

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Game 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2012

You see, everyone knows the bats, wolverines, spiders and cats get their turn as well known superheroes, but what about the birds? She took on the persona Songbird and joined the Thunderbolts, a group of villains trying to take over the world by pretending to be heroes. Heroes, mind, you won’t find the Penguin here.

DC 224

DC Phoenix Birds Falcons 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

A female Snowy Cotinga , another canopy species, surprised us by swooping down low to feed on fruits at eye level while a Bat Falcon had breakfast on a snag, and a Wilson’s Snip e, a great find, burst into view from underfoot. White-ringed Flycatchers also sang as we approached the forest, a kiskadee-like bird that lives in the canopy.

Costa Rica 121

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 121

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

In 1903, the distinguished Elliott Coues declared , “This is a definite and perfectly natural group, which will be immediately recognized by the foregoing characters, one of which, complete webbing of hallux, is not elsewhere observed among birds.&# He could not say the same today. almost everything about flamingos and grebes).

2011 153

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 153

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate. Sometimes the matriarch would even feed Babyl.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2016

So, probably, there were things we would have to call birds that were less like modern birds in how they flew than are modern bats. The different main groups of living birds differentiated from one another prior to the extinction of the dinosaurs, ca. 66 million years ago, and one of those groups gave rise to the ducks and geese.

Groups 170

Groups Collecting Primates Bats 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2011

This is also a hard question to address because most data on animal size distribution does not compare across classes of animals, and/or focuses on groups that would not be helpful. Those mammals consist of the previously mentioned fossorial members of Insectivora, Rodents, and bats.

Mammals 175

Mammals Rodents Birds Reptiles 175

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

Up to 256 bird species, deer, black bears, foxes, big cats, Gila Monsters, and 16 species of bats call this area of southeastern Arizona home. ( The Friends of Madera Canyon group publishes a good bird checklist.). Peregrine Falcon. Photo by © Mark Schraad. Cooper’s Hawk. Photo by © Mark Schraad. Red-tailed Hawk.

Arizona 141

Arizona Tucson Birds North America 141

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2019

Near us, a bus stops and a group of about 30 Irish birders heavily armed with binoculars and scopes climb out… a sign for us to look for a more secluded spot. The dirt road winds along hillsides, next to vineyards and through the pine forest with a lot of bat boxes. Enough is enough.

Terrapins 182

Terrapins Eagles Europe Rats 182

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2015

As I got closer to Geelong there were several groups of Black Swans in the shallows feeding. There are 104 of these artistic bollards and each group has a rabbit painted on it somewhere for children to find! The following bollards show a group of life-savers and one on the right appears to be carrying a Pacific Gull.

Rabbits 157

Rabbits Bats Pelicans 2003 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

’s list because those birds have closer living relatives than some other birds do, despite their membership in the oldest extant group. It’s a bat-like cave-dwelling, echolocating, fruit-eating nocturnal species capable of hovering on three-foot wings. ’s list.

Madagascar 277

Madagascar Comoros South America Ecuador 277

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

This is quite a big deal for an island group that had no mammals save bats for millions of years. But animal rights groups (albeit not all of them) not only opposed the move, but sued to prevent the poisoning. In New Zealand at least public opinion is generally behind 1080.

Animal Rights 263

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2018

What did find right off the bat, was an amazing group of people, all willing to help out in so many ways. Our first three days were spent bouncing around from area to area, looking to find the species on my wish list. Tom and Connie, and John Y.

Texas 130

Texas Tucson San Antonio Owls 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2014

When I write about dislike and frustration, I am not talking about the uncertainties of species limits in that particular group, about the different call types and their invasions and what challenges these bring to a birder’s work. Which is what birding is often, if not mostly, about.

Germany 171

Germany Parrots Bats Europe 171