10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2016

As I said last week , I’ve decided to try and knock off a few of the New Zealand endemics and specialities that I haven’t seen before over the coming year, and the first place that sprung to mind was pretty close, just across the Cook Strait in the Marlborough Sounds. Then came Blumine Island, and my number one target for the day.

Charlotte 114

Charlotte New Zealand Seals Fur 114

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

Soon we were out of the protected harbour and into choppier waters, and here I have to say I suffered for about two hours from the dreaded affliction known as sea-sickness. The first to cruise past in a hurry were the stunning Cook’s Petrels. It is also restricted as a breeder to the north of North Island.

New Zealand 175

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2014

Add 315 bird species, 42 species of mammals – including Vulnerable Irrawaddy and Endangered Ganges River Dolphins , 61 amphibians and reptiles – including Estuarine Crocodile , at least 150 species of commercially important fish and 334 plant species to the picture. And tell me now – don’t you share my dream?

Bangladesh 185

Bangladesh Dolphins Cambodia Cooking 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2021

There are a few special wave-cut platforms that prove to be wonderful habitat for such species as Eastern Reef Egret, Silver Gull, Crested Tern, Sooty Oystercatcher [below], Pied Cormorant while above sail raptors such as Osprey, White bellied Sea-eagle, Brahminy and Whistling Kites. The Little Wattlebird was also conspicuous.

Australia 255

Australia North America Cooking Fish 255

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2018

Our next stop, Havelock was one I had been looking forward to, as it has a huge estuary, with a large number of species that could be found here. I added the Australasian Shoveler finally, along with 22 other species that have already made the list. Not a great image of the Shovelers, but they were a very long ways away!

New Zealand 100

New Zealand Opossums Charlotte South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

The fish owl is an endangered species, and before Slaght’s work, very little was known about it, especially in Russia. (It It is also native to Japan, where it is protected and protectively studied to the point where Slaght had trouble getting any information.). So, Blakiston’s Fish Owl it was.

Owls 136

Owls Russia Fish Research 136

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2019

brandy from the Dutch branden (“to burn, distill”), and mezcal from the Nahuatl mexcalli , meaning “oven-cooked agave”. By 1595, protective mercantilist policies ordered by the Crown banned the creation of new vineyards in Peru, along with a later prohibition on exports of Peruvian wines to other Spanish colonies.

Peru 123

Peru San Francisco Parrots Chile 123

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2012

Royal National Park is one of the jewels of Sydney, a massive park that protects a huge swathe of coastal bush (bush in the Australian sense meaning anything from rainforest to coastal scrub) to the south of the city. Heathland specialities are tricky, as coastal heath is dense and the the species that are found in it retiring skulkers.

New Zealand 181

New Zealand Cooking Species Collecting 181

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

Nineteen days later we had racked up an amazing list of 436 species, including some of Africa’s least known birds such as Congo Serpent Eagle , Yellow-footed Honeyguide , Tessmann’s Flycatcher , Yellow-bearded Greenbul , Black-collared Lovebird and much besides. We also knew we had discovered Africa’s next hot birding destination.

Ghana 193

Ghana Hunters Gambia Guinea 193

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 29, 2006

Researchers have also learned that the cancer-causing chemicals that form in beef as it cooks also tend to form in chicken. Never mind that the bulk of the fat in Starbucks's beverages comes from the milk -- yes, milk ! -- of another species. Meatless meals also help your child to keep stronger bones. Never mind all that.

Animal 40

Animal Meat Cows District of Columbia 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2011

It didn’t take long to be set right though, as I managed to get my first native species, the Polynesian Starling , while drinking a Coke on the waterfront of Nuku’alofa, the small town on Tongatapu which is Tonga’s capital. Whereas Tongatapu was flat, ‘Eua was quite hilly and had a great deal more forest.

Tonga 163

Tonga Fiji New Zealand Parrots 163

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2022

The ongoing destruction of Nanhui, where the species can frequently be seen on migration, certainly will not help. Judging from the facial expression of this White-shouldered Starling , I would rather not have an annoyed bird of this species as a roommate. The species has reversed sex roles, with the males doing the incubating.

China 179

China Birds Ukraine Killing 179