10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

While photographing the Brown Bears in the Russian Far East, a friend of mine, Jovan “Lucky” Lakatos, was with Michio Hoshino, Japanese-born nature photographer specialized in Alaskan wildlife and experienced in how to behave facing this apex predator. At some stage, a salmon-hunting bear at a shingle beach came too close, mere 9 steps.

Animal 115

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2014

It’s cold enough in Chicago—where our high temperature for the day was –2 degrees Farenheit—that the polar bear at the zoo spent the day inside. Midwest (and, soon, the East) bad for birds? Most birds will probably fare just fine, if the cold snap is as short-lived as predicted. So I’m grateful that birding has steeled me.

Polar Bears 162

Polar Bears Illinois Chicago Zoos 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2014

Increased scrutiny of practices long considered the norm in wildlife management, including predator hunts, commercial trapping, the legal culling of non-game birds like American Crows, and some of the research protocols used to track and translocate wild animals.

Wildlife 245

Wildlife Coyotes Hunters Wolves 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

I find it astonishing that people argue of whether feral cats are bad for birds in North America. This is approximated by the size of the animal, but really, this has to be adjusted for depending on modality of killing. In North America, you’ve got Bears at the large end, Cats in the middle, and at the smaller end, the Mustilids.

Feral Cats 256

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 256

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2018

I am a human being, so I am entitled to, and I do, say that the starling is an ugly bird. But I can admire people who, even knowing of their depredations (on other birds, on crops, and on home siding – i.e., mine), nevertheless appreciate and celebrate starlings and starlingness, including their excellent mimicry.

Humane 104

Humane Species North America Sparrows 104

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2020

Whiskey Month at Birds and Booze: This January, Birds and Booze at 10,000 Birds is setting its sights on whiskeys all month long. But for such a cheery and spritely little bird, the robin’s long list of roles in legend and literature takes some dark and unexpected turns. The still-living C**k Robin.

Ireland 165

Ireland Branding Spain Compassion 165

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

At Sea With the Marine Birds of the Raincoast opens with the unexpected appearance of a Laysan Albatross. Having shown us the bird, the boat, and the water, Fox then introduces herself: “Albatrosses, petrels, fulmars, puffins and gulls live out their lives along these transect lines; my job is to count them all.”.

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

There’s a Sloth Bear in tall, dry grass, barely 50 metres from us, but all we can see is a dark, shape-shifting shadow that eventually becomes all but invisible. In a news report from 2009, the DNA quoted a senior Forest Department official who feared that the poachers must have killed around 20 tigers in the region in just five months.

Tigers 250

Tigers India Killing 2012 250

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge : Open to migratory bird hunting (youth only). 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. This is an Urban Refuge ! Why would you open it up to hunting?

Fish 144

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 144

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

And managing means killing them, breeding them, and otherwise fiddling with their populations. In the majority of cases, it is humans who are to blame for the plunging numbers of animals, and Corwin is very clear about the extent to which we have destroyed the world around us. This is all very unveganly, but I went for it nevertheless.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 20, 2007

The world of animals is a world without judgment, where embarrassment, remorse, guilt, and penitence are unknown, and where human beings can escape from the burden of moral emotions. Scruton appears to be saying that it’s selfish, or self-indulgent, to live with, love, and provide for dogs, cats, birds, and other animals.

Animal 40

Animal Morals Apes Emotional 40