10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2012

Somewhere around the Platte River one of the Audubon boys received a black-footed hide from a fur trader. American scientists, realizing belatedly how embarrassing it was to know so little about a species right in the heart of their own continent, rushed to study this remnant population. But the ferrets kept dying.

Ferrets 181

Ferrets South Dakota Wyoming Captive Animal 181

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2016

In the early morning out on the water there were plenty of Fluttering Shearwaters and Australasian Gannets, and close to a salmon farm we found New Zealand Fur Seals as well as Pied Shags, Little Shags and Spotted Shags (I can only assume that kiwis just like calling all cormorants shags because they are all five years old).

Charlotte 112

Charlotte New Zealand Seals Fur 112

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Kirtland’s Warbler is a classic niche species; they breed in only very specific conditions, which occur in only a very specific area. That is a big difference compared to the 2,000+ singing males detected in 2012, well above the recovery goal for this species set by the U.S. this species breeds.

Albatross 199

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 199

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2013

Their numbers have declined so rapidly that a paltry 10 percent of the pre-20th century population remains (read Adam Riley’s post on Africa’s endangered species ). The only other significant mainland breeding colony is based about an hour out of Cape Town on the east coast at a place called Betty’s Bay.

Penguins 209

Penguins South Africa Africa Sharks 209