10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2015

Close to 5% of turkeys being farmed in Minnesota have been or shortly will be destroyed , and the virus is also affecting chickens. In the past, most variants of this virus were not especially bad, but the current, recently emerged variant causes severe health effects in domestic turkeys and chickens.

Mississippi 176

Mississippi Fowl Turkey Minnesota 176

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2016

As reported by the fine folks at The Dodo , after Hurricane Katrina forced Katrina “Kasia” Perkowska to evacuate, she started bringing her pet Wood Duck , Scooter, to her mother-in-law’s nursing home in Mississippi. Scooter is now getting on in years and has suffered health setbacks. But that’s a whole ’nother rant.)

Pets 172

Pets Rescue Mississippi Chickens 172

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2015

Though I have been birding for a few years now, I had only birded west of the Mississippi once before my recent trip to Austin, Texas. We had seen a chicken or two so far on our walk, but it was hilarious to see this much larger domestic bird sitting between doves and starlings. Next to it was an even stranger sight.

Austin 112

Austin Texas Birds Non Human 112

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2014

Some abbreviations roll off your tongue and are thus quite helpful – Mourning Doves are MODOs, Peregrine Falcons are PEFAs, Mississippi Kites are MIKIs. Some abbreviations are not helpful, however, such as SSHA ( Sharp-shinned Hawk ) or GRPC ( Greater Prairie Chicken ) or UEFL ( Unidentified Empidonax Flycatcher ).

Wildlife Rehabilitation 239

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Mice Vet 239

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

For non-chef readers, if there are any, turducken consists of a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, which is then stuffed into a deboned turkey. For obvious reasons, Titmice (either Tufted or Black-crested ) are the subject of great hilarity (thank God we don’t live where there are Great T**s ).

Wildlife Rehabilitation 222

Wildlife Rehabilitation Turtles Turkey Wildlife 222

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2017

Finally saw one of these jungle chickens attending to an ant swarm on Pipeline Road. Mississippi Kite. Nonetheless, my family trip to Panama qualifies as a birding success. If you embark on a similar adventure, I hope you have at least as much fun as we did! Great Tinamou. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Lots on Lago Gatún and the canal.

Panama 100

Panama 2017 Monkeys Family 100