10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

Transported by the falcons’ inimitable aerial prowess, I could almost feel the wind stream behind me, feel every subtle movement of wing or tail that determined my trajectory, my speed, my effortless engagement with the wind. Becoming one with the sky, the peregrines flew with ineffable grace, dazzling speed, and breathtaking agility.

California Condor 196

California Condor Falcons California Birds 196

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

Also from BirdLife International: In general it prefers areas where vegetation, boulders or other landscape features at ground level provide tunnels in which to shelter and to breed. Its eggs are not known, it does not migrate, and it feeds, I understand, on insects and worms.

Science 220

Science Transported Shelters South Africa 220

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Basically, hornbills get paid by evolution to eat fruit, digest the fleshy parts, and regurgitate or defecate the rest – a means of seed transportation that is apparently quite attractive to many plants despite the yuck factor involved. One paper describes them breeding in a human settlement in abandoned clay jars.

Rhinoceros 134

Rhinoceros Singapore Transported Hunting 134

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

When these birds breed, this can lead to highly cringeworthy announcements, for example from Adelaide Zoo : “We have egg-citing news!” Of course, if science is not for you, you can also look for the Spiritual Meaning of Willie Wagtail (“Unlock the amazing secrets of this spiritual symbol”) here.

Birds 247

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 247

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2023

One interesting paper argues that contrary to what might seem logical, cuckoos do not aim to lay eggs specifically into the nests of those parrotbills whose egg color and pattern match their own. The rationale includes the speed of the laying (too fast to check for color matches) and the low number of egg-laying attempts (i.e.,

Pandas 224

Pandas Birds Eggs China 224

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 25, 2022

If you happen to find yourself in Melbourne then there are also plenty of places to go birding in the city itself or not far by public transport. Of course it is always nice to find Gang-gang Cockatoos and I have photographed them in Victoria since I started to write here. Echidna-egg laying mammal-500th post. Foster to Toora.

Australia 147

Australia Singapore Birds Battery 147