10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Did the Black-bellied Whistling Duck represent his family, “showing face” as we say here in the Caribbean? Elephants, peccaries, and corvids have all been documented processing the death of (as we put it) a loved one. Or was it all dumb luck, the randomness of nature at play, pure coincidence?

Elephants 264

Elephants Ducks Humane Family 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2017

When it comes to a one stop shopping for food and shelter, no other plant is as widely used as the Cardon Cactus family. The Aborigines Hairbrush , and the Elephant Cactus. And this is the bloom for the Elephant Cactus. I discovered this pair of Spiny-tailed Iguanas had taken up residency in a very large, old Elephant Cactus.

Elephants 104

Elephants Woodpeckers Squirrels Shelters 104

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2011

I am reminded of the ducks’ perilous and arduous existence on each family outing to Heidelberg Zoo. This is especially true for my toddler son, who will rush there past the elephant enclosure and without giving the tigers as much as a casual glance. He doesn’t go there for the ducks, but for the fish.

Zoos 185

Zoos Ducks Elephants Tigers 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. Habitat loss, as documented by hieroglyphs. The Natal Spurfowl forages on rhinoceros and elephant dung (HBW) and does so without complaining.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2022

For some reason, the largest member of the heron family is not called the Great Heron nor the Giant Heron but rather the Goliath Heron. It is also documented on video. The shrike family (Laniidae) has two genera, one (Lanius) with 32 species and one (Eurocephalus) with 2 species. Consistency is overrated.

Birds 147

Birds Africa Eagles Barn Owls 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2013

We got good looks at Yellow-breasted , Crimson-breasted , Yellow-vented , and Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers along with more mundane representatives of the sunbird family, Plain Sunbird and Thick-billed Spiderhunter. Con wanted to document the only time he’d ever seen a fruiting tree.

Malaysia 170

Malaysia Singapore Monkeys Birds 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2018

I can’t end this review without talking about how impressed I am by Johnson’s research and documentation. That’s pretty much the reaction of anybody hearing this for the first time. It’s a sobering aspect to a narrative that, for the most part, is an absorbing, even thrilling read. And, well researched.

Collecting 102

Collecting Iraq Ostriches Science 102