10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World states that “disturbance by local people, tourists, and egg and zoo collectors has similarly reduced the colonies, and more protection is vital”. The individual I am pictured holding ( above ) was a friendly bird that (rather like a dog) seemed happy to be handled.

Morocco 240

Morocco Austria Algeria Germany 240

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Due to heavy rains many clutches of Great Crested Grebes had failed, but we observed both nests with eggs (and left the area immediately) and adults with chicks, some of them piggy-backing their mothers.

Greece 242

Greece Pelicans Birds Stray Dog 242

Animal Ethics

MARCH 6, 2014

The same goes for pigs and cattle that are exploited and forced to live in substandard conditions. Chickens deserve to live humanely. That’s the least farmers can do. People seem to lose sight of the fact that these are sentient animals, not food machines! Congratulations to California for being so compassionate and leading the way.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Farm Sanctuary Battery Cages 40

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

With a hardiness that belies their delicate looks (but helps explain their phenomenal success), these pioneering pigeons are already sitting on eggs at at least one location in Montana. My ears perk up with every new song, my tail wags (ok, not literally, but darn close) every time I see or hear about a newly-returned migrant.

Montana 141

Montana 2011 New York Bahamas 141

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2018

Of the estimated 500 million cattle in India, only 4% were destined for consumption by humans as meat. The disappearance of vultures has allowed other species such as rat and [stray] dog populations to grow. A vulture’s metabolism is a true “dead-end” for pathogens, but dogs and rats become carriers of the pathogens.

India 146

India Stray Dog Cows Rats 146

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

Each year tens of thousands of these gulls go to the islands and each pair will lay three eggs. Most of these clutches of eggs will hatch to produce three fluffy and adorable chicks. By way of an example take the Western Gulls that I studied on the Farallon Islands in California.

Animal Rights 268

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 268

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Cattle Tyrant – Machetornis rixosa. Marathon Prairie Dog Town. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Stormwater Treatment Area 5/6. 13 Jan 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113