10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2014

The two star attractions for most tourists are Asian Elephants and Bornean Orangutans. I dipped on the elephants, but the river certainly delivered for orangutans. The birding was pretty ace too. This species was my bird of the year last year. What a bird! Trips apes Birding Borneo' A side tributary.

Rhinoceros 171

Rhinoceros Apes Elephants Monkeys 171

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2019

Just imagine a family excursion to Yellowstone to photograph grazing herds of elephants – equally wrong. When I started to bird, sometime in the last millennium, the common knowledge was that there were about 8,500 species of birds in the World (by some evolutionary miracle, nowadays we have 2,000 more). Map by Wikipedia.

Protection 162

Protection Elephants Owls Laws 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 249

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 249

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2011

I am cautious, I am vigilant, and I will go anywhere, so long as the place has birds. Seriously, ducks must be the toughest creatures ever, the Chuck Norrises of the bird world, because they endure this thing all the time. I am reminded of the ducks’ perilous and arduous existence on each family outing to Heidelberg Zoo.

Zoos 197

Zoos Ducks Elephants Tigers 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2015

By this I mean applying the term antelope to cover all of the family Bovidae, which would include the sheep, goats and ox. One of the spiral-horned antelope (the antelopes are a huge family and much sub-divided) it resembles an intermediate between a Lesser Kudu and a Bushbuck , albeit with much longer and more attractive hair on the males.

Africa 173

Africa Hunters Goats Sheep 173

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Pafuri lies in the northernmost part of the Kruger National Park and is described as “some of the most potentially productive birding territory in South Africa” on the SANParks website. A slightly more surprising threat for the vultures comes from elephants. Elephants destroy the trees the vultures live and nest in.

Elephants 147

Elephants Birds Congo Africa 147

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 155

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 155

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2015

Shot an elephant. Is it fair her life was destroyed because hers was public and mine was among family a decade ago? The mobs that once enforced “justice” in the streets now do so online. I think we’ve all done it. We’ve posted a link of someone doing something shameful. Shoving a cat in a bin.

Hunters 171

Hunters Hunting Animal Cruelty Game 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Photos courtesy of Mosetlha Bush Camp A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. And on the road, an elephant rules it.

South Africa 232

South Africa Africa Game Elephants 232

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Knowing that there are reserves with long lists of 600 or more species, I set my threshold at more than 600 birds… and found only a few such hotspots. Such places are clearly under-visited, under-birded or eBird isn’t that popular in those parts of the world. Other countries still have to reach the 300 birds threshold.

Asia 276

Asia Malaysia Papua New Guinea Thailand 276

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

The magnificent history and diversity of birds on Earth came into sharper focus this month with the publication of 28 new scientific papers in Science and other journals. One of the central papers, Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds (Jarvis et al. American Flamingo photo by Dick Culbert).

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

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. Empathy Among Elephants. Elephants have strong feelings.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. This bird is represented in an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph. Can’t say that it is a particularly obvious name from seeing the bird.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

“ There is, perhaps, no better place in the world for birds than this country. Despite discovering dozens of bird species, he is however not remembered in any English names of birds. The famous Verreaux family who made several expeditions into the province through the 1820’s and 1830’s procuring specimens for rich collectors.

Mozambique 195

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 195

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2022

While some bustards are the largest bird species capable of flight, the Black-bellied Bustard is only mid-sized. There is also a much older blog post on 10,000 Birds (by Adam Riley) specifically on Africa’s Barbets. Hopefully, as he is the owner of a birding company, Rockjumper, at least he gets some clients this way.

Birds 147

Birds Africa Eagles Barn Owls 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2015

Take an example, Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa. And don’t forget that Africa’s population continues to grow, putting more and more pressure on the land and many eyes watch the remaining wild spaces asking why the animals should have them and not hungry families. Not if we want to hang on to what we have left.

Lions 218

Lions Hunting Sierra Leone Buffalo 218

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 16, 2009

Disneynature’s first film, Earth , which comes out on Earth Day (April 22,2009), follows three animal families across the globe. I also loved the birds of paradise. In my case, I suppose it would be filming the elephants caught in a sandstorm in the Okavango Delta. Here they are! Me: I’m from 4theloveofanimals.com.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears Bears Walruses Norway 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

This country boasts over 1,000 bird species, vast wildernesses, a superb network of protected areas, the greatest concentration of large game and predators on the planet, excellent lodges and friendly people. The Baobab-studded woodlands and wetlands of the park harbor over 550 bird species and they sure come thick and fast!

Tanzania 228

Tanzania Africa Stud Leopards 228

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2013

JOHOR, MALAYSIA, DECEMBER 2012 – If you’re traveling to Singapore for birding, you might want to think outside the box or, in this case, the island. Some of the best birding in the area is just 90 minutes or so north in peninsular Malaysia, home of the infamous Panti Forest. Wanna try to ID this bird?

Malaysia 181

Malaysia Singapore Monkeys Birds 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2011

As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil giveaway we asked readers of 10,000 Birds to name the bird in Brazil that they would like to see more than any other species. It is a really neat bird that I have not seen before. It would mean that I was birding in a really cool place! Come quickly!”

Brazil 216

Brazil 2011 Birds Wildlife 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2013

A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. Two young bull elephants slowly walk along the road in front of us.

Africa 200

Africa South Africa Elephants Rhinos 200

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

We –participants of the ABA South Africa Safari—were on a small plane when one Lori Conrad looked out the window and screamed, “There are elephants down there!” This is the thing—no matter how devoted you are to birds and birding, once you get to Africa, you can’t resist the mammals. and everyone ran to Lori’s side of the plane.

Rhinos 247

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 247

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. Besides being colorful and energetic, another plus of these lovely birds is that they are relatively easy to track down.

Africa 265

Africa South Africa Gabon Uganda 265

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

I was planning a trip to South Africa, I had about five days to fill, I wanted to get a bunch of desert species (particularly the Springbok – not a bird) in a way that wasn’t too hard to reach from Johannesburg. Madikwe has perhaps too many elephants. Oh, this is a bird site, almost forgot. Yes, there are birds.

South Africa 159

South Africa Leopards Giraffes Africa 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2018

He roots the theft in the history of collecting bird skins, in the brief life history of Edwin Rist, in the secretive world of classic fly tying, and in his own efforts to follow up on a police investigation that got the man but not all of the loot. Only, birders don’t require pieces of dead birds to satisfy their desires.

Collecting 105

Collecting Iraq Ostriches Science 105

10,000 Birds

MAY 14, 2014

First off, it seems that New Zealand’s two iconic families of ratites, large flightless southern birds that includes emus, rhea, ostriches, cassowaries and the extinct elephant birds, are not particularly closely related. New Zealand’s birds and mammals come from a number of sources.

New Zealand 163

New Zealand Penguins Sea Lions Lions 163

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2011

I thought after my recent look at the more angelic end of the avian spectrum it would be illustrative to descend into the circles of birding hell in order to regard, through the safety of the Internet, one of the baser demons in the pantheon of the birding gods. The effect, a feathered maelstrom, is genuinely disconcerting.

Breeding 177

Breeding Collecting California Hunting 177

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2014

When you read trip reports of birders going to remote and interesting locations to see interesting (and not so interesting birds, I’m looking at you LBJs), these accounts are typically written by people who have either gone with groups of like-minded people or those that have gone it alone.

Birds 189

Birds Bats Elephants Family 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

I had spent several holidays with my family in the USA in the 1980′s and then worked in Maine during the summer of 1985-beware the poison ivy and the snapping turtles! It has the common names of the birds in English, Afrikaans and Eastern Bantu and Native languages!

South Africa 159

South Africa United States Austin Alligators 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

They are cryptically plumaged birds whose camouflage helps them to blend in with their often arid environments. The Water Thick-knee’s , Burhinus vermiculatus, preference for moist areas may contribute to the eroneous habit of considering them amongst the wading birds. Two or three eggs may be laid and either bird may incubate.

2011 170

2011 Deer Africa Peru 170

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

Barbets are a group of medium sized, chunky, generally colorful, frugivorous, hole-nesting near-passerines, that are popular targets for anyone birding in the tropics. Originally they were all placed in the family Capitonidae , but over time taxonomists have determined that actual relationships between these barbets are far more complex.

Ethiopia 240

Ethiopia Tanzania Africa Uganda 240

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 113

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2018

In 1850, the Passenger Pigeon ( Ectopistes migratorius ) was the most abundant bird in North America and possibly the world. That year Congress passed the Lacey Act, followed by the tougher Weeks-McLean Act in 1913 and, five years later, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protected not just birds but also their eggs, nests, and feathers 1.

Hunting 115

Hunting Hunters Gorillas Wolves 115