Critter News

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Outcry is growing against one of California’s top wildlife officials after a photo of him holding a dead mountain lion surfaced online last week. Hunting mountain lion is legal in Idaho, but illegal in California. KCRA 3 could not reach Richards for comment.

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Mountain Lions Lions Humane Society Of The United States Idaho 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2018

Happy hunting! Corey may still be recovering from a California birding blitz, but he’ll probably hit the coast in Queens or the surrounding area. We may be chasing migrants well into October, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start the process now.

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2018 California Birds Hunting 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2016

Photo above by Louise Hunt, courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) At just about 5,000 individuals, Florida’s only exclusive endemic is Endangered. Take the Florida Scrub-Jay. And with the bird’s oak scrub habitat rapidly disappearing , scientists are searching for ways to preserve the species. ”

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Florida Research California Hunting 176

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Eventually, the name came to be attached to another kind of game hunting device with which we’re more familiar today: life-sized wooden carvings of waterfowl floated on water to fool birds into landing within range of nearby hunters lying in wait. The playful name admits the ruse, of course, and Decoy might be commended for their honesty.

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2016 Ducks California Hunters 106

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2011

Must we wait until every released California Condor is dead before fully banning lead ammunition for hunting? Three more are dead and three more have been taken into captivity, treated and released after suffering lead poisoning.

California Condor 167

California Condor Suffering California Hunting 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2014

I am not anti-hunting. The “Crow Down” is a “hunting contest” where both adults and children slaughter as many crows as they possibly can in two days. Obviously killing contests have nothing to do with traditional hunting, and “animal abuse” is normally used when describing domestic animals. This is baloney.

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Killing Slaughter Slaughtered Animal Abuse 272

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

A very rare find in Northern California. For the past several years I have been taking advantage of our many National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) here in Northern California. In September of 2013 there was an Eastern Kingbird ( Tyrannus tyrannus ) seen in Redding, California, less than 30 miles from my home. This was a no-brainer.

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California North America Wildlife Campaign 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2012

Birders in Northern California have been treated to rare sightings of several species, sending avid twitchers from all over the west in our direction. Personally, I’m waiting for the irruption of Snowy Owls to reach northern California! They also can be easily attracted to nest boxes (plans available here ).

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Owls California Jordan Sparrows 178

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2017

They have adapted a form of communal living, to the point of cooperative hunting techniques. This way of hunting has proven to be very successful, as sometimes there are as many as 7 birds all working together. There are three subspecies of Harris Hawks: The P.

Mexico 100

Mexico Game South America Rabbits 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

There’s very little thrill of the hunt, very little excitement. Leaving aside the fact that an urban park in San Diego is anything resembling an “natural” environment in the first place (though there were Wrentits, a California near-endemic, around). Birding California exotics' It feels almost cheap.

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San Diego California Unwanted Texas 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2018

There were California Scrub-Jays gathering up as many sunflower seeds as they could hold in their beaks… and Spotted Towhees who would occasionally perch up in the trees waiting their turn. Here is a male Lesser Goldfinch taking his turn. All in all, I tallied 44 species. Fun birding!

2018 100

2018 Bald Eagle Woodpeckers Turkey 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2019

In birding, perhaps only the proverbial wild goose chase and snipe hunt rank below owling in terms of expected success. Para Maria de los Tecolates is a California red wine blend from Stolpman Vineyards of Santa Barbara County, released every year since 2014. There’s the whole role of chance in owling, too.

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2017 Owls Game California 137

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2019

such as California Condors and Passenger Pigeons. His parents moved where opportunity beckoned, taking him from San Angelo, Texas, to Columbus, New Mexico, then to Dallas, and finally on to California. Author Sherrida Woodley thinks deeply about dearly departed birds. She’s already written about Rachel Carson: Secret Birder.

Falcons 178

Falcons California Condor Alaska Texas 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2016

Like their relatives, the California condors, Andean condors have bald heads.” It was placed on the Endangered Species List in 1973 , its populations dropping mostly due to hunting pressure from farmers who believe they kill livestock. Unfortunately, the range of the Andean Condor has decreased.

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California Condor Livestock Endangered Species Killing 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Cinnamon Teal ( Anas cyanoptera ) pair by Larry Jordan (click on photos for full sized images) Winter is the time to visit the National Wildlife Refuges in California. million people were spending nearly $1 billion annually to hunt waterfowl. In addition, there are over 30,000 acres of conservation easements in the Complex.

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Sacramento Wildlife United States North America 169

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2012

OK sure, it is only an hour drive before I reach Swainson’s paradise in the Central Valley of California… but where I live, any large brown Buteo has a higher probability of Red-tailed Hawkishness. The first time I spent any quality time with them was in Klamath Basin on the border of California and Oregon.

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Gophers Argentina Oregon California 172

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Hunting, however, fuels Fin’s soul, and so he must hunt, whereas Aiden Elliott comes to abhor the sport; to protect the birds, and to promote himself, Aiden becomes a prominent figure in the formation of the Audubon Society. What compelled these men, beyond desire for money, to kill birds?

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Hunters Oregon San Francisco Portland 194

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2013

We reached the edge of the hillside and a large group of ground birds flushed in front of us making lots of noise which attracted the hunting hawks; they flew over our heads looking to catch something in this chicken-run type of escape. The birds appeared to be the California Quail but the brush was so thick that I could not see them.

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Chile California Argentina Chickens 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The unrivaled aerial champions of the Americas have to be the two species of Condor, the one-time almost nearly extinct California Condor and the truly massive Andean Condor. The California Condor has a story well-known by anyone with an interest in birds. California Condor , photo by Sheridan Woodley. Old Wold Vultures.

California Condor 180

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 180

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

There are more than 50 regional endemics to choose from, and many birds are easier to see in Costa Rica than many other places because of access to habitat and/or lack of hunting pressure. Thanks to better protection from hunting, this fancy bird is tame and easy to see at many sites in Costa Rica. Buff-fronted Quail-Dove.

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Costa Rica Panama Birds Eagles 202

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2011

.* It is found from northern California to British Columbia though it formerly ranged must further east before it was hunted out of its eastern haunts. Because Daisy and I had seen Mule Deer in southern California before our sighting was therefore not of a new species for us.

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Deer Mules Alaska Mammals 140

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2016

We have been assured by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) that they are watching this nest also. They can be three to five feet across and from one to ten feet high! We are all watching intently as these two beautiful raptors attempt another successful breeding season without further disturbance.

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Transported Eggs Birds Killing 101

Critter News

MAY 18, 2009

The hunting peaked in 1931 with more than 29,000 animals killed in one season. The animals used to cruise from Mexico and Southern California to Alaska, but they had mostly vanished from Alaskan waters.

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Whales Whaling Marine Life Alaska 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

I first encountered Molly Hashimoto’s bird art in California. 118-119) was split into two species in 2016–California Scrub-Jay and Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay. (I Her lively block prints adorn calendars, note cards, puzzles, and children’s books, very much in the popular tradition of beloved minimalist Charley Harper.

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Birds Eggs Laws Woodpeckers 148

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

Secondly, New Zealand had already experienced on wave of extinction due to the introduction or rats and human hunting. Useful species were ones you could eat, or hunt, or preferably both, which is why New Zealand had several species of deer, the alpine goat-antelopes known as the Chamois and the Himalayan Tahr introduced.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

But in Iraq, and more exactly, Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan, they are supposed to be there (and are regularly hunted and eaten) and the fighting is not supposed to be there. If this was America, we might not be concerned because starlings are an invasive species, at least in North America. BBC has the story as a video.

Science 151

Science Iraq Research Birds 151

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2011

What can I, as a birder who has birded the northeastern United States and southern California rather extensively, hope to add to my life list? I am excited to see new birds and that is what this blog post will be about, of course! What other birds that I have seen before will I be excited to see again?

Seattle 160

Seattle Rhinoceros Puffins United States 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

He claims that he modeled Woody on the Acorn Woodpeckers who entertained him and his wife on their honeymoon in California. The result is the same though — loose Flicker and plenty of fun hunting him down. You can read a very funny account of the NPR dust-up here.) I dare you not to duck when that happens!

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Woodpeckers Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Seattle 223

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2017

I had never seen this species of kite before, but Guhin explained that they often hunted in the natural acres of the reserve. Peering through my binoculars, I saw a white bird with black spots on the undersides of the wings. Guhin knew without binoculars, “ White-tailed Kite ,” she identified. Life-bird for me!

Research 101

Research Birds Virginia Protection 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2012

Like several of my favorite NWRs, this one was established as a haven for migratory birds, most notably waterfowl, during the bad old days when uncontrolled hunting and habitat loss had put the future of even species we now think of as common in doubt. As a result, early migration season is an excellent time to visit.

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Wildlife Montana Geese Bald Eagle 167

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 13, 2009

6): I was disappointed that you dignified the “harvest” (a classic euphemism) with high-tech bows and arrows of tule elk in California on the front page with references to the “sport” and compliance with “an ethical code known as Fair Chase.” To the Editor: Re “ Bow Hunters’ Solitary Quest: Stalking an Elk and a Record ” (front page, Jan.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Hunters Hunting 40

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2012

Over a hundred organizations have again petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to ban lead in hunting – a move opposed by many hunting groups. At issue is that millions of birds each year end up eating the lead and dying.

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Hunting California Condor Hunters California 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2011

The more you know about bird physiology, migration, hunting methods, longevity, etc. Just because you can’t spare the time to watch a California Towhee anymore doesn’t mean your non birding buddy won’t decide that a towhee is the best thing since sliced bread. 3) Know stuff. This one is easy.

Grizzly Bear 167

Grizzly Bear North Dakota Downers Bears 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

We don’t simply learn that Great Horned Owls sometimes eat fish, we learn that in northeastern California, they eat Tui chub and in Pennsylvania they eat brown bullhead catfish. Of course, most natural histories are based on research, but Weidensaul’s approach is highly specific.

North America 221

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 221

Animal Ethics

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

Its currency is ideas, and though it is those who act—those who write letters, circulate petitions, demonstrate, lobby, disrupt a fox hunt, refuse to dissect an animal or to use one in "practice surgery," or are active in other ways—though these are the persons who make a mark on a day-to-day basis, history shows that ideas do make a difference.

Animal Rights Movement 40

Animal Rights Movement Animal Rights Rights Los Angeles 40

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2011

It was hunting around the edges of the West Pond of Jamaica Bay back at the beginning of March, a day that I saw both the individual in Queens and one in Brooklyn. King Eider – Now this was a nice bird, seen on Christmas Eve of last year just before I flew off to California. Short-eared Owl – Finally, a bird that I saw!

Jamaica 156

Jamaica Owls 2010 New York City 156

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2011

I looked over to see this beautiful male hunting from a perch directly across the bridge from me. Occasionally they would sit on the bridge railings and pose. While I was sitting there, I heard the unmistakable call of a Belted Kingfisher ( Ceryle alcyon ). He wasn’t calling in this photo, just yawning I guess.

Bald Eagle 165

Bald Eagle Leopards Turkey Eagles 165