10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

” While certain New Jersey decisions may be dubious, their state bird, the American Goldfinch, is a beautiful choice. The legislature named the goldfinch the state bird in 1935 , sharing the designation with Washington and Iowa. The populations of American Goldfinch are doing well throughout their range.

New Jersey 150

New Jersey United States Legislature Iowa 150

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

Since 2016, writers at 10,000 Birds have been contributing checklists to a joint eBird account called the “10,000 Birds Collaborative.” The writers at 10,000 Birds span the globe, but I am particularly interested in the lists for the United States, as that is my “beat.” For the United States, there is also a state list.

Rhode Island 114

Rhode Island United States West Virginia Puerto Rico 114

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2013

Greetings, 10,000 Birds readers! Birds have already begun making their presence known on the court. The Round of 64 boasts a healthy contingent of teams with bird mascots.* For the record, here are all the bird-related teams who made it to the tournament: Oregon Ducks. Iowa State Cyclones (represented by Cy the Cardinal).

Louisville 161

Louisville Bald Eagle Kansas Oregon 161

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Obviously, not all bird records have been reported to eBird. It happened during a Christmas Bird Count in Louisiana in 1984. The notes on this exceptional number of birds is “counted blackbirds in aggregates of 100,000 and estimated ratios of species every 10 minutes.” After all, have you ever counted to a million?

Birds 174

Birds Louisiana Nicaragua Blackbirds 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

If birders say they love birds ostensibly because they can fly and we cannot, then there must be no more beloved group of birds than the swallows. These aerial acrobats are among the most impressive flyers in the bird world, darting this way and that over open country in pursuit of flying insects. Til next year.

Jordan 189

Jordan Iowa Birds Africa 189

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2014

And to top it all off, the day before I left Kim drove me to the Grey Snow Eagle House, where we were given a breathtaking tour by Iowa Tribal Elder Victor Roubidoux. I just arrived home and since I’m too tired to write this week’s post, I’ll speak it instead. More on this trip to come.

Tulsa 167

Tulsa Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Iowa 167

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2022

Apparently, there is a traditional Chinese saying that seeing one pheasant in the wild is better than seeing ten other birds. Of course, this is nonsense – pheasants are probably among the most overrated of all birds. The name of the bird apparently comes from the color of its tail feathers. The pimps of the avian world.

Rhode Island 147

Rhode Island Research South Dakota North Dakota 147

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 187

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

The little red bit on the crown on this photo indicates that it is a male bird. For this species, this is unfortunate as some of its behavior is well worth describing ( Wikipedia ): “These birds get their English name from their ability to turn their heads through almost 180 degrees. ”).

Woodpeckers 241

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 241

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 254

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 254

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2017

I get that good nest sites are at a premium, whether you’re in the market for a box along a bluebird trail in Iowa or a ledge overlooking pigeon-rich Central Park. Drag some other bird bodily out of a hollow tree and thrash the feathers off them? Again, I know you’re just doing what you gotta do. Steal and eat their eggs?

Bald Eagle 100

Bald Eagle Belize Iowa Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2015

This being a life bird for me I had no choice but to take the drive. During the 1980s, the Pacific Coast Population swans became the source of eggs for several restoration programs in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa 2. The good news is that these majestic birds have been increasing in numbers every year!

North America 176

North America Iowa Wisconsin America 176

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

Timothy Barksdale is a birder/biologist turned filmmaker , passionately pursuing birds with a television camera for the last 24 years. Tim’s involvement with birds began very early and has led him to his passion for conservation through television. “No However, this is a watershed moment for this species of bird in the US.

Chickens 213

Chickens Illinois Campaign Nebraska 213

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Few American birds have the publicity problems of the titmouse. A bird in the genus Baeolophus is neither a mouse nor…the other thing. The word titmouse descends from the Old English terms, tit (any small animal or object) and mase (small bird), essentially meaning one small, small bird. So be on the lookout.

Arizona 266

Arizona Oklahoma Texas Mexico 266

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2011

The Beat Writers at 10,000 Birds are perhaps the single greatest conglomeration of nature writers ever to be assembled in the history of the internet. We are pleased to announce that such a stellar crew of scribes has yet another impressively talented member interpreting the natural world for the readers of 10,o00 Birds.

Brazil 160

Brazil Venezuela Iowa Guatemala 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2011

My father had stories he’d tell, time and time again, and one of them was from his one-room schoolhouse when he was a farm boy in Iowa. The teacher asked the kids to make a list of all the birds they knew, and they were busy scratching away with their pencils when one boy raised his hand and asked, “Ma’am, how do you spell “shitepoke?”

Iowa 233

Iowa Pigs Farming Raised 233

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

.” They fly with a direct purpose and bully large birds like gulls and many terns to drop their catch so they can feast properly. Jaegers come in hard and fast and can change direction at the drop of a hat to keep up with the birds they are harassing. I went out on Monday to try to find the bird.

United States 165

United States Colorado Iowa Fish 165

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. Lacey of Iowa introduced the nation’s first wildlife-protection law, which banned the interstate shipping of unlawfully killed game.

Hunting 113

Hunting Hunters Gorillas Wolves 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2014

“OOOOOOOklahoma where the birds come sweepin’ down the plain…” I know – it’s supposed to be the wind, not the birds. He was right; a cheerful, enthusiastic group of parka-clad people eventually arrived to watch slides, listen to tales of bird rescue and rehab, and buy some of my books. No matter.

Tulsa 187

Tulsa Wildlife Rehabilitation Oklahoma Wildlife 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

Crotty is a birder and lawyer living in Portland, Oregon who loves to share thoughtful , in-depth conservation pieces with 10,000 Birds readers. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), contain many of the nation’s most renowned birding locations, including Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico, Laguna Atascosa NWR in Texas, and J.N.

Factory 118

Factory Ducks North Dakota Nebraska 118

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 10, 2009

Although it was previously believed that cats were also safe, a cat in Iowa has now tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Ferrets and birds are susceptible. Ferrets and birds may develop swine flu, or other human flu viruses. Experts are continuously keeping an eye on the situation for any changes.

Swine Flu 100

Swine Flu Pets Ferrets Pigs 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2011

Outside of hardcore twitchers looking for specialty birds and after speaking to thousands and thousands of birders, I have concluded that most people really do not put much emphasis on our prairies. I can certainly speak about the Midwest where states like Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. Good birding and love our prairies!

Prairie Dogs 163

Prairie Dogs Colorado North Dakota Soreing 163

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

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2018

To celebrate spring migration, I usually review an exciting new bird book. So, here, for May, is a review of two amazing field guides, reminders that there are strange and wonderful things out there in the natural world other than birds that deserve our attention. Moths are more than bird food. Happy May Day! Let that sink in.

North America 100

North America America Oklahoma Missouri 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

We now interrupt all talk about birds and migration to consider dragonflies. Together they comprise Ondonata, an order of insects that, like birds, are beautiful in flight and challenging in identification. Unlike birds, they do not vocalize; unlike butterflies, they are totally predatory, not a vegetarian amongst them.

United States 238

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 238

Animal Ethics

JULY 15, 2009

It's hard to say because the government still has not instituted a comprehensive MRSA inspection process, but independent research conducted by Tara Smith, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa, suggests that MRSA-infected animals may be widespread indeed.

Vegetarian 40

Vegetarian Factory Farm Factory Farming Factory 40