10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Just under a fortnight ago, I saw a report on the local bird alert of a sighting of a group of approximately 20 Nacunda Nighthawks at a wetland not more than 20 minutes from where I live. Two species of icterids populated the area, the presence of either was a direct indicator of the degree of water present. Great Blue Heron.

Livestock 203

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2020

Having observed the Cattle Egret in breeding plumage at the Derby Poo Ponds on June 19th we found ourselves at Windjana Gorge first thing the following morning. Green-backed Gerygones were calling and it is a species we always seek out when we visit. There was a small group of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos being destructive as usual!

2020 258

2020 Australia Cattle Groups 258

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

The official definition of CR status says the species could be gone within ten years, or could lose 80 per cent of its population within three generations – whichever comes first. That can be traced back in time to 1875, when Alfred Brehm wrote that he had found Sociable Lapwings only alongside the domestic cattle.

India 240

India Sudan Ukraine Camels 240

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Its mood is not helped by the ambiguous review on eBird: “Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range” The Latin species name of the Dusky Thrush is eunomos (I guess that is Greek, but whatever) – meaning well-ordered. One page is dedicated to the Long-tailed Shrike. (yes,

Birds 186

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 186

Critter News

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Environmental groups have called on Obama to get rid of the USDA's Dept. Animals killed also include threatened and endangered species, a number which has steadily increased since 2005. Lethal control efforts of WS professionals typically remove less than 5 percent of a species' overall population. Ranchers oppose the move.

Killing 100

Killing Wildlife Groups Endangered Species 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Cattle fields surrounded the small town, the cows forming dark silhouettes against the rapidly graying skies. We felt in high spirits after a gorgeous afternoon in the grassland, tallying up over 20 species of birds, including three lifers for me. Add another species to the daily list!

Kansas 114

Kansas Pelicans ALA Cows 114

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2019

Then someone decided that the Canary Island birds were a separate species. Later, the North African ones were moved to the Canarian species. All good and un-notable in the world of ornithology, were species are lumped and split so often that publishers no longer pretend their latest guide book is up to date.

Iran 126

Iran Barn Owls New Zealand Europe 126

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2013

federal level, and a Species of Special Concern in California. (For The combined efforts of conservationists and sustainability-minded farmers, however, are helping to save the species. So the conservation groups are working on ways to provide attractive alternatives.

Blackbirds 183

Blackbirds California Cattle Farming 183

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

This is a very different book from what I expected, less of a handbook and more of a comprehensive identification text on 24 groups of birds, presented in words and photographs. It is an intriguing choice of species. These are bird groups that have been covered extensively by other guides. Armistead and Brian L.

Birds 189

Birds Groups 2015 North America 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). Over a dozen distinctive ethnic groups exist here, many of whom live lives little touched by the modern world. Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 235

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Game 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2011

They like to fly in pairs or groups and in the evening they come together in big groups to roost in a favorite ‘dormitory’ tree. Such cavities are hard to find and are sometimes disputed by more than one species. To be more specific, this vast tropical savanna is home to some 800 bird species.

Protection 183

Protection Brazil Parrots Paraguay 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2016

I’ve been home only a few days after what amounted to an almost-three-week trip–twelve days with the ABA group, a six-day extension to Assam, and travel time–so I think the simplest way to write about the safari is to focus on two memorable days. The species is crepuscular and nocturnal, but can sometimes be seen during the day.

India 187

India Tigers Birds Owls 187

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2013

A study showed that a herd of cattle from which ox-peckers were shooed away over a prolonged study period showed no significant reduction in ticks compared to a herd which were allowed to host the birds. Ironically the biggest similarity between the species is their colour (grey). Look for the eponymous wide lips.

Rhinos 155

Rhinos White Rhinos South Africa Birds 155

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Audubon Associate Naturalist, have led this tour many times, through tornados, droughts, questionable restaurants, and, sadly, the advent of fracking, and every one of my friends who has participated over the years has raved about the experience and the birds (in fact, one member of our group was on his third or fourth trip, I lost count).

North Dakota 134

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 134

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2019

We started our Singapore bird list at Pasir Ris and leaving the train station we were delighted to see several Cattle Egrets on the grass and several photographers. We were able to observe birds nesting as well as a variety of age groups among the trees. We were soon in Pasir Ris Town Park and observing a huge variety of birds.

Singapore 114

Singapore Otters Owls Zebras 114

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2016

Above is a photo of the only Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia ) seen at Tuscan Preserve back in February of 2010 when a group of concerned birders installed eight artificial burrows on this property, to be preserved in perpetuity. This property is also a site with vernal pools and uses cattle grazing for vegetation control.

Owls 101

Owls California 2010 Colorado 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2019

We were met by several Cattle Egret in beautiful breeding plumage feeding on the grass right next to the train station. We had found thirty four bird species so far in Singapore and had to admit defeat due to lack of sleep and returned to the hotel. There were a couple of people with large cameras and then several school groups.

Singapore 114

Singapore Transported Boars Malaysia 114

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2014

It is technically correct, and recently fashionable, to insist that any living animal is a member of the larger group that contains it phylogenetically, i.e., ancestrally, with that group often named after the known animal that roots the tree. So, for example, humans are apes. The point is, of course, that whales are not cows.

Camels 196

Camels Whales Whaling Apes 196

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. We’ll take these two similar, yet very different groups of birds separately.

California Condor 175

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 175

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

Normally the lighthouse is obscured in fog, but when we arrived the air was crystal clear, and in addition to seeing groups of Gray Whales migrating past, I spotted hundreds of Surf Scoters , a Pigeon Guillemot , and a pair of Peregrine Falcons from my perch atop the lighthouse cliff.

Seals 180

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 180

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2014

This is a very hot and dry region known as El Chaco where many interesting bird species can be found. This land has gone through extensive ecosystem destruction from farming cattle and soybeans. Suddenly in the middle of the soybean fields there was a group of Lesser Rheas that were approaching the road. Lesser Rheas.

Argentina 179

Argentina Farming Chile Birds 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2017

None of these birds are rarities, and would never be considered a species to get all twitter-pated about. Again, there were lots of new birds here, and I was not even surprised to have a large group of white herons fly right over my head. I mean not like Corey’s Jabiru , for gosh sakes! I told the boss, I had to go out for a bit.

Cattle 100

Cattle Mexico Cows Game 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

For many grassland species, our vast expanses of tilled and plowed fields, orchards and vineyards, pastures and rangeland offer an abundance of convenient food and shelter – and some bolder birds even wander indoors to find these things in our barns and stables. For most of history, beer has thrived in agrarian settings, too.

Vermont 118

Vermont Belgium Farming Europe 118

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Moreover, the pair I saw was feeding from a livestock trough alongside a group of cattle. But most importantly its vital to reflect on how close we came to losing an incredible species. And when you see them – as I have recently – they have massive transmitters and color bands on their legs.

Florida 217

Florida Buffalo Louisiana 2004 217

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2017

1,712 species, 12% of which are endemics. Our group saw over 400 birds on our 15-day tour of the Pantanal, Cerrado and the Amazon (Cristalino Lodge). Our group saw over 400 birds on our 15-day tour of the Pantanal, Cerrado and the Amazon (Cristalino Lodge). Oh my gosh! I shouldn’t have been surprised. Any suggestions?

Brazil 142

Brazil Birds Los Angeles Tigers 142

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2024

The island’s largest salt lake, Akrotiri, is not a great draw for waders, but the range of large, shallow saline pools on its east side, along Lady’s Mile, were in perfect condition to attract a wide variety of species. Additional species seen included a pair of Whimbrels which didn’t linger, Little Ringed Plovers and Greenshanks.

Cyprus 185

Cyprus Tethering Breeding 2016 185

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2012

The New Jersey Bird Records Committee (NJBRC) documents 465 species of natural origin. Used in conjunction with the species distribution maps, this is a helpful feature in evaluating field observations. That Cattle Egret I found in Somerset County, August 2009? There are, sadly, entries for extinct species.

New Jersey 187

New Jersey Birds 2009 Bald Eagle 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2024

There was a large raft of hundreds of American Coot , an American White Pelican and lots of duck species. A group of about 15 Least Sandpipers was feeding in the shallows. We then checked the Presa El Nogalito for one bird species in particular. The birds warmed us too. Both the taste and the view were mouthwatering.

Ducks 149

Ducks Emotional Cattle Owls 149

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

The field site I am assigned to is located in one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and home to a particularly rich avifauna that numbers well over 500 species. By twos and fours they arrive and scatter in small groups among the canopy to their favorite perches in iron, cecropia and aguaje palm trees.

Peru 254

Peru Parrots 2011 Research Center 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Bad developments indeed, particularly as the White-backed Vulture was found to be a good avian biomonitor species – if it does badly, most likely the environment as a whole will do badly, too. I could immediately tell them it was an Egyptian Goose – an invasive species in Germany but not at Kruger.

Elephants 147

Elephants Birds Congo Africa 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2020

I am only responding to my subjective impression of a single species’ appearance here; specifically, that of the Bronzed Cowbird. Instead, they lay their eggs in other species’ nests, and let those nest-making birds (often significantly smaller than the cowbirds) raise their young. Native versus invasive species?

Birds 153

Birds Blackbirds Mexico Cattle 153

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2021

In the Orinoco, the largest observed groups number 30, but average is just above five. We sailed right into a group of more than a dozen Hoatzins (cover photo, by Tyler Ficker) with their orange mohawks and blue facial skin. At first one, then two more, then one more, and altogether some 6 or 7 dolphins were coming to the surface.

Dolphins 256

Dolphins Colombia Otters Birds 256

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2019

We are entering the mixed colony of 11 species ( Grey , Squacco , Purple and Black-crowned Night Herons ; Great , Little and, recently, Cattle Egrets ; Eurasian Spoonbill (below) and Glossy Ibis ; Pygmy and Great Cormorant ). What is the status of this species in the Kerkini NP?

Greece 189

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Fish 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

Wildlife conservation is concerned with protecting wildlife at the level of species or perhaps population. With the exception of species that number in the hundreds, conservation biologists are not as concerned with the fates of individual animals, it is only when such fates of many individuals are added up do they begin to worry.

Animal Rights 257

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 257

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

The second edition of the National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition has one of the longest book names in bird bookdom: National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition: Now Covering More Than 1,000 Species With the Most-Detailed Information Found in a Single Volume. This volume is no exception.

North America 177

North America America Birds Family 177

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

Whenever you encounter one bird species near the edge of the track it is worth stopping, because invariably there are several species in the vicinity. Grey-crowned Babblers are usually in family groups of eight and are easily heard as you travel along the track. Two distant Pied Honeyeaters. Velliia panduriformis.

Marsupials 100

Marsupials Birds Camels Zebras 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

In the time we spent on Culebra I saw 49 species of birds, not bad for an island outside of the wintering grounds for most neotropical migrants and only measuring eleven miles square. ” White-tailed Deer have been introduced but no one in our group picked up any ticks. I spotted eight species in my time on Culebra.

Puerto Rico 106

Puerto Rico Birds Sea Turtles Chickens 106