10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

Two-thousand-twelve was a pretty darn good year for me birding-wise and otherwise. Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. I went to the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida.

2012 143

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 143

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

These serve a couple of important roles – foliage provides cover for animals and a defense against predators, and flowers attract insects, which in turn attract insectivores such as hedgehogs, shrews and a variety of birds. A garden that has plenty of places to hide has a much greater chance of attracting wildlife.

For Animals 100

For Animals Hedgehogs Animal Wildlife 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

The subject is one that comes up a lot in this blog and other bird blogs, the subject of cats and their effect on wildlife. As most people know cats, both feral and domestic, have a pretty big impact on wild birds and other wildlife, and the effect of mammals is particularly profound in New Zealand.

New Zealand 115

New Zealand Possums Cats SPCA 115

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Thankfully the days of visiting Africa purely for slaughtering its wildlife have mostly come to a merciful end, and safari operators have adopted the Big Five term to market tours that offer sightings of the fortunate remanants of Africa’s once teeming great herds. They are large, noisy birds of drier areas of East and southern Africa.

Buffalo 197

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 197