Critter News

JUNE 21, 2009

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2009 100

2009 Humane Society Of The United States District of Columbia Humane 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2021

None of it stuck, of course, but it’s still hard to believe we’ll be in the midst of peak migration in just another two weeks or so when it snows so late in the spring – but this is to be expected here in upstate New York. And while it warmed up slightly later, we also saw several waves of lake-effect snow throughout the day.

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2016 Portugal New York Protection 221

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2022

So, the next blog post on Shanghai birds may turn out to be a lot more interesting, though of course with regard to bird migration, May is more interesting than June … As I am unlikely to see a live gannet any time soon, I might as well point you to the song “Nigel the gannet” by The Burning Hell now.

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Birds Sparrows China Abandon 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2020

Little Ringed Plovers are fiercely protective of their cute chicks. Of course, being mean, I only show you one of them. Black-crowned Night Heron. Little Egrets are busy bickering inside their nest. Meanwhile, Little Grebes are still in a slightly earlier phase. Understandably, after all the trouble of incubating the eggs.

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Birds Tigers Farming Eggs 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2019

Just a few days ago, I got a text about a male Evening Grosbeak , out in the middle of a small public golf course, in the middle of the desert. Finally, when the superintendant of the golf course came out to mow the nearby #1 green, the bird flew up into a small mesquite tree, which offered some better protection.

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Arizona Tucson 2018 2019 112

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2021

Fortunately, other spots in the same area offer similar birds, which of course I would not have known without our guides. Is it more important to protect one’s reputation as a serious bird blogger, or to spread a bad joke? Of course, for me, the decision has never been in much doubt.

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Birds North Korea China Woodpeckers 235

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2023

Palm oil plantations seem to cover most of the lowlands, with only a few protected areas offering more varied and undisturbed habitats. Of course, this is particularly bad as most caged birds are most likely to have been caught in the wild. In fact, if you travel to Sabah expecting primarily jungle, you are in for a disappointment.

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Indonesia Asia Species Raised 174

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2019

Of course, the California Condor is listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and it has been famously subject to some of the most ambitious conservation efforts (including litigation ) ever undertaken for a bird. But that does not necessarily mean there are no protections.

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California Condor California Endangered Species Oregon 219

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

And of course, it is the autumn migration season, which I like more than the spring one. Hopefully the efforts of some younger Chinese in trying to protect important areas, destroying nets used for bird trapping, etc. The birds seem to be more relaxed, and there are more of them as well. will be successful.

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China Protection Birds 121

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2019

In 2016, the Shanghai Wildlife Protection Management Station started the search for one, though progress has been slow. So, recently I changed my own ringtone accordingly (you can listen to it on xenocanto of course). This has also made the Reed Parrotbill the symbol of a local initiative to protect the wetlands of Nanhui.

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Birds Protection China Factory 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2020

The adult Pied Oystercatcher that is sitting on the eggs will lay as flat as possible to protect the eggs. Of course Black Kites also breed and at the moment there is a nest very close to the highway. Pied Oystercatchers at a nest site with Black Kites present.

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Breeding Eggs Raised Protection 152

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2023

They look crap but presumably offer some protection for the chicks, though not from each other (see the murderous activities within the nests in my previous post ). Of course, many people still know exactly what they did when this happened. Blue-throated Bee-eaters build nests on sticks sticking out of the water. Back to birds.

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Birds Eagles Elephants Rhinoceros 213

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

This is a bit of a dilemma for local authorities – on the one hand, they would presumably like to protect the birds, on the other hand, they also want to draw as many tourists to the place as possible. As this is a coastal place, there are of course lots of waders, in larger numbers, and more variety than in Shanghai.

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China Birds Fish Asia 270

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2015

On my recent visit to southern Africa I saw them in several parks and even outside some protected areas, and in some numbers too. Fortunately, after what happened in Asia conservation groups are alert to the risks and are working to protect them before things get dire. Some sit it out at first.

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Africa Feral Ethiopia Tanzania 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

And though the satellite transmitter let Machi be tracked it did not protect it from the hunters’ guns. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed, in part, to protect dwindling numbers of birds that migrate across country borders. Machi was, of course, only one bird.

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Hunters Barbados South Carolina Hunting 235

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

That is, cuckoo nestlings shunted into Carrion Crow nests can secrete a godawful-smelling substance that keeps potential predators at bay and thereby protects their nestmates.

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Science Albatross Research Protection 180

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

Every person has a responsibility to be part of the solution by doing something to protect and encourage the re-establishment of biodiversity. While reading the book I kept muttering, “Of course”; indeed, there was little to surprise or disagree with. Every person owes a debt to the planet for these life services.

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Wildlife North America Mammals Breeding 262

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Hannah Buschert was first exposed to birds and birding during a required ornithology course at Oregon State University and she quickly caught the birding bug. This is a cruise like no other, full of scientific lectures, over forty guides spread out on deck, bird-themed parties, and a lights-off mandate to protect birds at night.

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South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 263

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2016

It’s natural to encounter resistance which, of course, we have. This evolved from our artist’s creative input, signifying not just protection of wildlife as a whole, but our focus on valuing and protection of all life as it exists in our Refuge system. You’ll note the separate words “wild” and “life.”

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Wildlife San Francisco Legislation Ducks 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2021

Their strong presence here at Nanhui in combination with their highly threatened status should be a good argument to protect Nanhui better. In case the local government needs further incentives to protect Nanhui, Oriental Storks are also listed as endangered. Can’t say I heard this though. An Eastern Buzzard had goose for lunch.

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Birds Humane Japan Ducks 231

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2011

The fencing protecting the colony was respected, of course, but the birds often came near the edge of the fencing despite the presence of several photographers. The confiding nature of the birds was, of course, greatly appreciated by the photographers, if the cacophony of clicking was any indication.

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Eggs Protection Birds 211

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2013

Their name, of course, comes from the fact that they grow a protective layer of feather down their legs for insulation. They spend the summer in the Arctic, nesting on cliffs, getting into skirmishes with Skuas , protecting their young from wolverines.

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North America Owls Protection Hunting 179

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

That would, of course, be better than nothing. I now protect the lots Huizaches, which shelter self-sown fruiting plants such as Granjenos and Prickly Pears. Michoacán has such wonderful forests — I just wish I didn’t have to witness so many being cut down. Wild Grapes are sprouting in a pot in my yard as I write.

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ALA 2016 Free Range Livestock 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2015

Captive bred geese and reintroduction went hand in hand with active population management, including predator control and habitat protection. They are hit by cars on roadways, and face the scariest danger of all: errant golf balls on courses where they like to feed. Still, these geese face significant population threats.

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Hawaii Feral Cats Mongoose Geese 156

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

Encompassing over 30,000 acres, the refuge protects birds of course, but also butterflies, mammals, and more. The waterfowl flock was made up of two very unique looking species: the Fulvous and Black-belled Whistling Ducks. Not only had I never seen the two together, I had never seen Fulvous Whistling Ducks at all!

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Ducks Wildlife Texas Bald Eagle 117

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2017

The trail wove downhill, around farm buildings demonstrative of the agricultural history of the site before it became protected. Supporting NERR sites like Elkhorn Slough means protecting these incredible landscapes for the public’s education and, of course, native wildlife.

Research 101

Research Birds Virginia Protection 101

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2023

And I have protected and cared for other native plants that have turned up on their own, particularly granjenos , which have now begun to produce their first tasty red fruits. Of course, a forest does not consist only of trees. This Guamúchil seedling is only 7 months old. They will eventually turn a deep red.

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2018 Suffering Mexico Protection 179

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2018

“Cangreja” means crab in Spanish and refers to the shape of the mid-sized peak at the center of the protected area. On account of its remote nature, this is one of the lesser known protected areas in Costa Rica but that doesn’t keep it from being an excellent area for birding. This year’s official count shirt.

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Costa Rica San Jose Birds Falcons 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2016

Carara National Park isn’t just any old protected area. If stuff if flowering, a dozen or more hummingbird species in and around Carara is par for the birding course. Scarlet Macaw : A true star of Carara, the national park protected a remnant population of this major bird for many years. Fairly common around Carara.

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Costa Rica Birds Malaysia Protection 173

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2019

Instead, he led a life of leisure: playing billiards and golf (he competed in the 1904 Olympics as a golfer but somehow didn’t finish the course), traveling, and amassing a massive collection of dead birds, over 19,000 all told. He refused, saying, “I do not protect birds. I kill them.”*.

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Boston Killing Protection Collecting 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2015

And then, of course, there are the unruly gangs of teen birds. They’re half in adult plumage and half in protective fluff still, and sometimes they’re as big as the the parents that they follow around, begging for food. Maybe “gangs” is a bit harsh. They might lack a tail appropriate to the occasion.

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Birds Rescue Pets Protection 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2012

But first one and then a second Brant seemed to have no problem figuring out how to eat it, even managing to peel it back further to get at the sweet fruit protected by the peel. The identity of the goose is not in question, of course, though I am not entirely sure that the fruit is in fact a banana. Want to see that?

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New York North America Geese Jamaica 187

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2020

There are very few reports from sites further afield although with all public and most private parks closed, a birder can’t go to such official protected areas anyways. A yard list adjacent to such choice habitats could easily yield a hundred species in a day and will likely turn up more during the course of the pandemic.

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Costa Rica Birds Mississippi Woodpeckers 250

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2020

Of course, in our slightly more rational age, we know that these irruptions are driven merely by hunger, as waxwings wander south in search of fruit in the cruelest, coldest winters – just the time of year when humans too are likely to endure significant hardships, as it happens.

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Farming New York Humane Europe 165

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Of course we all want that! The owners have been protecting the forest and using it as a natural teaching lab for several years and the matriarch makes delicious home-cooked meals. Overall, the trail is flat but there are a few small bridges and a few steps. Roosting Great Potoo and Crested Owls! Want to see a roosting potoo?

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Costa Rica Puerto Rico Birds Owls 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2015

Tell me, what happens if we rip away hunting when hunting protects more wildlife land in Africa than national parks? Conservation is concerned about protecting populations, species, habitats, ecosystems. Given a choice of protecting the habitat exclusively for conservation and for hunting, we’d pick conservation.

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Lions Hunting Sierra Leone Buffalo 205

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2017

A New York City Parks Department contractor just wiped out a breeding population of sparrows in tons of trouble already, on land owned by the parks department that was supposed to be protected as “Forever Wild.” Any destruction like this of a wetland would be bad, of course. Here’s a short video of the damage.

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New York City New York Sparrows 2016 208