Not so much of the Bullock’s, because everything outside of New York, and especially everything in the vague space in my mind labelled “Out West” – past, say, Cleveland Ohio, a land of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, California Condors, Lazuli Buntings, and Green Jays , all equally impossibly exotic – might as well have been Phoenicia. I can’t possibly remember when the Baltimore and Bullock’s Orioles were lumped into Northern Oriole. MORE

Mark Gamin, a Cleveland lawyer, likes both birds and books, which makes him an ideal birding book reviewer. He previously reviewed Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer for 10,000 Birds. If you’re a birder, it would be wonderful to know all the songs and calls, and if you’re a bicyclist, it would be wonderful to ride across the United States. MORE

Those of us who raced bikes with banana seats through the streets of Niagara Falls, Cleveland, or Jackson shared space with Northern Cardinals and American Robins. Some birds seem familiar but that’s just because they are the ones we grew up with, the birds that were hopping or flying around the neighborhood. The familiar ones, the usual birds, of course depend on where someone spent their childhood. MORE

Mark Gamin, a Cleveland lawyer, likes cats and birds both. He likes books too, which made him the ideal reviewer for Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer. This is Mark’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Agonizing quandaries concerning invasive species are well-known to wildlife biologists. In Oregon, the Barred Owl is taking over Northern Spotted Owl territory and threatening that smaller bird’s survival. MORE

Wynne from Cleveland. Dogs, as well as cats, are considered the most popular and delighting pets all over the world. However, sometimes it is difficult to recognize them just as pets, which preserve silence and follow their masters almost everywhere. Is it possible to observe some features of humans in their behavior? Yes, responsible and caring individuals often treat them as family members, which seems essential and adorable. MORE

Like when Cleveland local Lebron James showed up in Miami and started playing basketball for the Heat. But Panama is probably better off than the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose chances of winning a NBA title without LeBron are pretty slim. MORE

Andy Avram is a lifelong resident of northeastern Ohio, just east of Cleveland. From the time he can remember, every camping, hiking, or simple trip outside was focused on finding wildlife with herps, mammals, birds and native fish as his primary interests. This passion eventually lead into his chosen career field where for the past few years have been happily employed as a naturalist at a county park district. MORE

CON – Ohio is home to two professional football teams, the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinatti Bengals, that should probably go back to being amateurs. And you don’t even want to get started on the disasters that are the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cincinnati Reds. CON – The America’s first traffic light debuted in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914. MORE

Mark Gamin, a Cleveland lawyer and birder, is a frequent and appreciated reviewer for 10,000 Birds. BIRDING WITHOUT BORDERS: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World. By Noah Strycker. Houghton Mifflin, 352 pp., $27. ISBN 978-0-544-55814-4. The most impressive photograph in Noah Strycker’s new book is not one of a bird, but of the author. MORE

Second Place: Valerie Mayen, an independent designer in Cleveland, Ohio, for her “Cherry Snap,” a two-tiered skirt with a textured high waistband, adjustable to size with varied snaps, designed to accessorize any basic ensemble in a unique way. Received this press release yesterday. MORE

Dr. Dean Ornish has also documented the heart-protective effects of plant-based diets, as has Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic. Jonathan Hubbell, a philosophy major at the University of Texas at Arlington, is the newest member of the Animal Ethics blog, and once again, I would like to welcome him aboard. MORE

The image above is the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland Ohio. The citizens of Cleveland, and indeed the nation, decided something needed to be done about the pollution of our waterways. For those of you who may have forgotten, or some who never knew, we once had rivers in the United States that would catch fire because they were so polluted. The Cuyahoga River caught fire thirteen times between 1868 and 1969. MORE

Attorney's Office in Cleveland, Ohio. Good news. Tania Julie Siyam, a 32-year-old Canadian art dealer, has been sentenced to serve 60 months in prison and pay a $100,000 fine for illegally smuggling ivory from Cameroon to the United States. The sentence follows a long running international investigation by special agents of the U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife officials from Environment Canada and the U.S. Siyam plead guilty in a U.S. District Court to four federal felony charges. MORE

The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs , in Cleveland, OH is a wonderful organization! They take in older dogs and try to find them homes. The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs makes a lifelong commitment to the dogs they rescue. so even if the dog is too ill or too poorly socialized to be adopted into a loving home, that dog stays with an experienced Sanctuary foster caregiver for life. There has been a big upswing in the number of loving, older dogs, being given up. MORE

When people like Arthur Cleveland Bent and John James Audubon would be envious of your skills, there is reason to rejoice. A profound and deep understanding of birds is hard to complain about. MORE