10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2016

The topography looks like it is right out of an early John Wayne movie. There is very little fresh water, at least to be found year round, but the bird populations all seem to do just fine. After you pass the mine, things change quite a bit. Setting up camp, it became quite apparent that I was going to like this place.

Zebras 100

Zebras Birds Sparrows Mexico 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

Birds are supposed to have feathers and birds without feathers look incomplete, like they left home with shaving cream on their ear and toothpaste spots on their shirt. The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. T urkey Vulture, photo by Dawn Puliafico.

California Condor 181

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2013

The general public is out and about, birds and animals are raising their young, and human/wildlife interaction is at its peak. Two days ago I went on Facebook and queried some of my exhausted compatriots: if you could have one wish right now – anything in the world – what would it be? “I wrote Veronica in California. “I

Wildlife 246

Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Oklahoma New York 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2014

It was the bobbing action on the rocks that drew my attention to the bird. The tide had receded slightly and the favoured roosting spot on the crook of a rundown pier was deserted in favour of the rocks on the west side of the protected harbour. The bird was feeding actively amongst the rocks to the north of the sailing club.

San Francisco 165

San Francisco United States California Breeding 165

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

And Flamingos and Hornbills and a Secretarybird and birds with names like Hamerkop and Thick-knee and Eremomela (which I know is a scientific term, but which, when pronounced correctly, reminds me of a Yiddish term of endearment my grandmother used). And so, I went on the American Birding Association Safari to South Africa.

South Africa 253

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 253

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2012

As special as any bird that is abundant… just not abundant in your neck of the woods. OK sure, it is only an hour drive before I reach Swainson’s paradise in the Central Valley of California… but where I live, any large brown Buteo has a higher probability of Red-tailed Hawkishness. This is a lovely dark morph.

Gophers 172

Gophers Argentina Oregon California 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2014

Sandhill Cranes ( Grus canadensis ) are among the oldest living birds. million years old, over one and a half times older than the earliest remains of most living species of birds. Sandhill Cranes fly south for the winter and in their wintering areas they form flocks of over 10,000 birds. I’m looking forward to that!

Mississippi 169

Mississippi Endangered Species Florida Wildlife 169

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2012

I know it sounds strange, especially when the folks at Mission San Juan Capistrano are trying to coax them back by playing recordings of the bird’s mating calls. Because I am a local Audubon board member, I was recently contacted by a bird lover who witnessed Cliff Swallow nests being destroyed at the marina where they dock their boat.

San Diego 165

San Diego illegal California South America 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2017

This little town of about 100 is located right next to what is considered the largest coral reef in all of Mexico [link] which is very well protected with in the boundaries of a Federal Marine Reserve. Quiet, peaceful, with no people to bother us, and of course, lots of birds. This is the large house.

Mexico 158

Mexico California Protection Birds 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2015

There are many charismatic endangered birds that capture people’s hearts and imaginations: the colossal California Condor , the evocative Red-crowned Crane , and the adorable Spoon-billed Sandpiper come to mind. Curassows are such stately birds. Photo courtesy of Ciro Albano. What happened next was pure magic.

Brazil 213

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 213

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2013

I wondered, last August, how animals endure it — the tiny ever-pumping lungs of hummingbirds, the lungs of bighorn sheep shouldering their way up mountains, they must get filled with smoke too, right? They receive no protection, and are often destroyed by salvage logging as quickly as possible.

Endangered Species 161

Endangered Species South Dakota Woodpeckers Sheep 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2014

Wounded birds were left to crawl away into the woods; sometimes, during breaks, children were encouraged to run across the field, scoop them up, and tear their heads off. What I want to know is: a hundred feet away, how can these people tell the difference between a crow and a raven, which is a protected species?”

Killing 272

Killing Slaughter Slaughtered Animal Abuse 272

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

A week ago today, the federal government proposed a “threatened” listing for the Greater Sage Grouse in Nevada and California , as part of a larger study considering whether the species as a whole should be listed. I am a great lover of these gallinaceous birds, though my encounters with them have been but brief.

Nevada 160

Nevada Endangered Species Montana Humane 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

I spotted a Eurasian Wigeon amongst the American Wigeon right out of the gate, but that wasn’t the best sighting of the day. Being winter, this bird is in non-breeding plumage with more brown upper parts and lacking the white face it acquires in its aternate (breeding) plumage. It was foraging in breast deep water.

Wildlife 155

Wildlife 2011 Sacramento Jordan 155

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Which, naturally, got me to thinking about the newly erected order Suliformes, a development I mentioned in my December column, 2010′s Top 10 Developments in Bird Taxonomy and Systematics , but which I thought deserved further examination, for it’s one of those stories that defines the era in which we are living and birding.

2011 152

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 152

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2016

The country of Mexico as a whole, is host to 27 different species of doves, with the California Baja Sure home to six. There is of course the dry, cactus strewn desert areas, but with mountains up to 7000 feet, the habitat for our local birds is quite varied. The Baja, as it is known, is a truly diverse area.

San Jose 100

San Jose North America Mexico America 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2015

Redgannet, the blog, has taken a back seat while 10,000 Birds does most of the driving and Mrs Gannet does the navigating, so it has slightly lost its way over the last year or so. Thus it is easy to organise yourself and visit a few sites to catch your target birds. Bring gloves and a coat to protect you from the wind.

San Francisco 133

San Francisco Seals Transported Ducks 133

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Asides / Nine-legged Plover? Win a Copy of Hawks at a Distance Great Horned Owl Taking a Deer Leg Cats Are Still Public Enemy Number One, For Birds Crossley ID Guide Giveaway Winners.Or Nine-legged Plover?

2011 158

2011 Deer New York Cats 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

That’s right, the overwhelming benefits to the environment and the economy are generated by non-consumptive uses of the refuges like wildlife photography, environmental education, wildlife observation and interpretation, not hunting and fishing. Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge : Open to migratory bird hunting (youth only).

Fish 143

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 143

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Petrel Paradise Petrel Paradise By Duncan • March 2, 2011 • 4 comments Tweet Share I’ve mentioned before that New Zealand is a great place for enjoying petrels.

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Stalking a Kiwi Icon Stalking a Kiwi Icon By Duncan • March 16, 2011 • 1 comment Tweet Share Most people, if asked, would confidently name what they thought the National Bird of New Zealand was.

New Zealand 145

New Zealand 2011 Deer New York 145

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

For only $450,000, we could buy almost all of the habitat neded to protect Ecuador's remaining frogs. if we believe it's our right to do what we want with the lives of other animals. . . . Tags: Activism Books Current Affairs Ethics Language 100 Heartbeats animal rights Jeff Corwin veganism.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

The birding world has been debating whether honorific common bird names ( e.g. , Clark’s Nutcracker or Baird’s Sandpiper ) should be changed. This once-niche issue moved into the broader birding world ( including 10,000 Birds ) with a petition to change the name of what was then called the McCown’s Longspur.

Birds 237

Birds Laws 2020 Jordan 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

In responding to Suzie’s post defending wildlife rehabilitation I began to think again about the areas in which animal rights and animal welfare overlap with the field of conservation, and the ways in which they don’t. Animal rights is concerned with preventing the suffering or even use of animals by humans.

Animal Rights 262

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 262

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2018

For birders who know the importance of being in just the right habitat in finding a particular species, this isn’t at all an unfamiliar idea. That isn’t to say that all are welcome: the wine industry expends a great deal of money and effort every year in keeping birds and other hungry pests away from its vines. alcohol by volume.

2014 113

2014 Milwaukee California Industry 113

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 24, 2009

How far do we go in protecting them? I hope that Mr. Steiner’s essay will result in people at least stopping for a moment, before carving the birds on their tables, and giving these ideas some serious critical thought. He’s right: I don’t care deeply about the suffering of animals I eat, wear or otherwise benefit from.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Vegan Vegetarian 40

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2016

I recently wrote a short story here on 10,000 Birds about one of our endemic species, the Belding’s Yellowthroat , Geothlypis belding beldingi. Galleries, boutiques, custom jewelry shops and small restaurants are now the bulk of the commercial trade, along with the world famous Hotel California. This was not looking good.

Sea Turtles 166

Sea Turtles Turtles Protection California 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

There are few more vexing questions in birding than the question of whether or not a bird counts. Even the most free-wheeling of birders don’t usually consider going to a zoo or a chicken farm a form of birding, but just because they choose to distinguish doesn’t mean they keep a list. Counts for what, exactly?

Species 179

Species New Zealand Zoos Chickens 179

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

There is a very distinctive smell found on seabird colonies, where thousands upon thousands of birds come to breed and, coincidentally, deposit large quantities of waste. Arriving at the colony the head lights go off and we move into position below the birds (trying not to fall over the cliffs and into the sea) coordinating everyone by radio.

Breeding 181

Breeding Seals Stray Whales 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2011

Melanerpes lewis is, to put it simply, a really cool bird. Second of all, Lewis’s Woodpeckers are birds of the west and they rarely stray to New York State. In fact, the bird is the fifth recorded in the history of the state,* and the first spotted in the Empire State since 2001. What a bird! Really well.

New York 192

New York Woodpeckers Jordan 2011 192

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

You start hearing and catching glimpses of birds as soon as you land, particularly the fast moving Tui. One bird I apparently heard at the landing (although it didn’t register to me) was the Fernbird , New Zealand’s only Old World warbler (or more accurately megalurid warbler ). Get yours today! Thanks for visiting!

New Zealand 148

New Zealand 2011 Deer Cats 148

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2011

I have hope that in the next couple of weeks I will be able to get enough decent shots to share a gallery of birds in transitional plumage and then another of birds in alternate plumage. Until then, enjoy these basic-plumaged birds* and make sure to check back between now and mid-April for further galleries of Oxyura jamaicansis.

Ducks 142

Ducks 2011 New York New York City 142

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

There are only approximately 23 million people in the whole country, which is about 10 million less than the state of California. 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 175

Species Australia Birds Parrots 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2017

After all, each refuge has been set aside to permanently protect birds and other wildlife. But in the current political climate, even permanent environmental protections can prove transitory. Nevertheless, if you have not spent much time birding in the area, it is difficult not to find lifers. Indeed, The U.S.

Texas 187

Texas United States Mexico Campaign 187

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2018

While there is not really a “birding” stop, there are plenty of opportunities for adding to this year’s growing species list. Puerto Escondido is a small protected harbor that caters to transient boats, both fishing as well as sailboats. A good portion though is agricultural and so the chance for a new group of birds is there.

California Condor 100

California Condor Mexico California Protection 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

To get out to the deep water we have to cruise for hours which necessitates leaving late in the evening, trying to sleep on an uncomfortable, moving boat, and waking up in the predawn hours to spend not-enough-time amid amazing birds before suffering through the long, boring ride through the “dead zone” back to shore.

Whales 110

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 110