Critter News

MARCH 14, 2010

Each year, millions of cats, dogs, non-human primates and other animals suffer and die in research laboratories. World Week for Animals in Laboratories (April 17-24) exposes their plight and the broken federal research funding system that perpetuates outdated animal experiments at the expense of modern and more humane technologies.

Animal Research 100

Animal Research Research Obama Monkeys 100

Animal Ethics

APRIL 19, 2016

"There is no longer dispute among serious scientists that humans aren’t the only animals who have the capacity to suffer physically and mentally. Elephants, great apes, orcas, dogs, cats, and many other animals can experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and compulsive disorders.

For Animals 40

For Animals Apes Psychology Suffering 40

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

Solid Air: Invisible Killer- Saving Billions of Birds from Windows is the summation of Dr. Klem’s expertise, experience, and professional life–what we scientifically know about bird and glass collisions, a handbook on how to prevent them, and, not insignificantly, the story of a remarkable career.

New York City 252

New York City Birds Illinois Science 252

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

After writing this last sentence, I looked up the species in the HBW and found the sentence “Song poorly documented” in the appropriate section, while with regard to calls, the description is that “call is a two-note raspy nasal ‘ryeeh-reh’”. Another – much rarer – drongo at Nanhui is the Ashy Drongo.

Singapore 147

Singapore Mountain Goats Birds Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Steve Howell has spent decades of experience in the field studying the birds of Belize, Costa Rica, and especially Mexico. Appendix A lists “Rare Migrants and Vagrants,” 81 species, including birds for which there are no documented records, but which are listed in the literature or eBird. Fantasy is the key word here.

Costa Rica 210

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 210

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

And, Essay #195, “Our Human Values: The Ugly,” describes the standoff between catfish loving Double-crested Cormorants and catfish farmers in the Missouri Valley. I’m not sure if “the Ugly” refers to the cormorant itself or human reaction (catfish farmers are officially allowed to shoot the birds).

Birds 115

Birds North America Breeding America 115

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Recently it has also been documented as breeding in Wisconsin, Ontario, and the Upper Michigan Peninsula, but those birds are few and not always accessible. It’s the warbler that is often the last unchecked species on birders’ life lists and, whether you list or not, for most of us observing it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Michigan 226

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 226

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2011

Peterson’s big idea, succinctly stated on page 68, is as follows: “I believe that morality appears as a predictable response to group living, and we can therefore expect to see clear signs of full moral behavior appearing much, much earlier than the recent start of human evolution.&# Still, it strikes me as a worthwhile project.)

Morals 109

Morals Animal Humane Research 109

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation. Humans were drawing owls 36,000 years ago, as Ackerman points out!

Owls 207

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 207

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2013

While these adults were not banded, it is well documented that Bald Eagles are monogamous and return to the same nest each year. By year three, the adults were practicing the eagle equivalent of human “hover parenting.” The Bald Eagles were full of surprises – one of the main reasons this project took three years.

Eagles 184

Eagles Bald Eagle Seattle Game 184

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Some document one of the last views of the species, others are of the last representative of the species. There is the flightless Atitlán Giant Grebe of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, whose habitat was destroyed by a combination of human incursion and earthquake, but whose DNA lives on in hybrids that fly.

Animal 266

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 266

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

He brings to this book an academic background in biology and horticulture and, more importantly, decades of experience developing strategies for the best backyard bird feeding practices. Jim Carpenter is the founder of Wild Birds Unlimited, the popular bird feeder and seed franchise. Places for the birds to perch near the feeders?

Birds 171

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 171

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2019

At Keep River National Park the Great Bowerbird bower was almost entirely white bones and it was nowhere near human habitation. It is well documented that Satin Bowerbirds collect blue items. Birds can see more colours than humans, so it is intriguing that this Great Bowerbird appears to like collecting blue!

Collecting 113

Collecting Horses Humane Experience 113

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Crawford, in “Introduction to Europe and Diffusion of Domesticated Turkeys from the America (sic)”: A document dated 24 October 1511 was an order from the Bishop of Valencia for each ship from the Islands and Tierra Firme to bring to Seville ten turkeys, half males and half females, for breeding. According to R.D. Kiva 78(1):37–60.

Turkey 201

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 201

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

I got to see a beautiful female and owlet on a trip to a secret nest location near Howard Prairie Lake (human-made nest structures have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites). The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY.

2014 186

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 186

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

Like all talented travel writers, Dunn is adept at drawing us into his experiences. There is a photo of him caring for a White-chinned Sapphire in the book, the only human pictured in Dunn’s 16-page collection of hummingbird photographs, and it is inspiring. I had hoped for more.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

The experience is one of the ornithological highlights in the world. Geophagy, the intentional consumption of soil by vertebrates, has long been documented in a number of bird and mammal species – including wide-spread use by humans – which consume soil to increase absorption of certain minerals not naturally occurring in the local diet.

Peru 254

Peru Parrots 2011 Research Center 254

Animal Person

MAY 26, 2010

Reading thousand-word long posts in black type on a plain white screen with nothing interesting to look at isn't exactly a satisfying sensory experience. Otherwise you'd create a word document on your computer and enter your posts in that instead of on a platform designed for anyone in the world who has access to the Internet to see.

Vegan 100

Vegan Suffering Free Range Animal 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2015

This has been looked at in other studies for ectotherms (the most obvious sorts of animals to be affected since they get their heat from ambient conditions) and elderly humans. This is the first study of this kind on birds, or that would relate directly to wild endotherms (the elderly humans do not live in the wild!).

Killing 204

Killing Zebras Birds Research 204

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

This is the story of Fox’s experiences on board the Achiever, the research vessel of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. She is one of the best nature writers I’ve encountered in recent years, able to paint experiences with emotional immediacy. Northern Fulmar, image courtesy of Peter Hodum.

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

Some of his finds are the first documented records of the bird in that area or the first decent photograph of a little-known species. The books work best when the birding is coupled with the human element. If it were just the birds, I’d grab my bins and be on the next plane to Asia or Africa.

Hunters 191

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 191

Animal Ethics

DECEMBER 23, 2006

He clearly thinks that it is wrong to cause animals to suffer unnecessarily, but he appears to be somewhat ambivalent about killing animals (provided the killing is carried out humanely). I suspect that underlying his thinking here is a common rationalization that many of my students initially embrace. Running time: 12 Minutes.

Factory Farm 40

Factory Farm Factory Farming Morals Meat 40

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

To research this book, he traveled extensively to see as many woodpeckers as he could; this field experience was supplemented with museum research and consultations with other experts, plus a library of print material ranging from field guides to scientific papers. The Index lists species by full popular name and scientific name.

Woodpeckers 240

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 240