10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2023

Why tediously write blog posts when ChatGPT can do it for me? So, I asked ChatGPT: “Please write a 500-word blog post about birding in Shanghai in the style of Kai Pflug for the website 10,000 birds” This is the result: Greetings, fellow birding enthusiasts!

China 160

China Endangered Species Sanctuary Protection 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2017

Ka’ena Point is also a breeding ground for the Federally protected Laysan albatross, where 45 nests were being carefully monitored by the non-profit Pacific Rim Conservation. But no one who has ever cared for another creature – be it bird, animal, or human – can comprehend, much less cope with, this kind of brutal, pointless killing.

Albatross 214

Albatross Honolulu Hawaii Killing 214

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

And, Essay #195, “Our Human Values: The Ugly,” describes the standoff between catfish loving Double-crested Cormorants and catfish farmers in the Missouri Valley. I’m not sure if “the Ugly” refers to the cormorant itself or human reaction (catfish farmers are officially allowed to shoot the birds). (I

Birds 114

Birds North America Breeding America 114

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

I got to see a beautiful female and owlet on a trip to a secret nest location near Howard Prairie Lake (human-made nest structures have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites). I also blogged about that dreamy day.

2014 184

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 184

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

Some of his finds are the first documented records of the bird in that area or the first decent photograph of a little-known species. I enjoy these books tremendously, and I know other birders, some blogging here, who gobble them up. The books work best when the birding is coupled with the human element.

Hunters 188

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 188

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2019

Writing a post scheduled for January 1st for a birding blog is a big responsibility. There is a small resident population in Polk County, Florida, in the middle of the peninsula, mostly on protected land, and once in a while they show up in a place where they can be easily observed. On the first of the year, every bird is a new bird!

2018 151

2018 New Jersey Michigan North Dakota 151

Animal Ethics

DECEMBER 23, 2006

Jonathan Hubbell, a philosophy major at the University of Texas at Arlington, is the newest member of the Animal Ethics blog, and once again, I would like to welcome him aboard. I suspect that underlying his thinking here is a common rationalization that many of my students initially embrace. Running time: 12 Minutes.

Factory Farm 40

Factory Farm Factory Farming Morals Meat 40