10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2015

My work as a wildlife rehabilitator over the past forty-five years has allowed me a unique perspective on a disturbing trend. Consider this: ninety percent of birds treated at wildlife centers are admitted as a result of human interactions that have nothing to do with “nature.”

Wildlife Rehabilitation 189

Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle Rescue Wildlife 189

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2016

As a birder, this 72 minute documentary film about the Duck Stamp Contest didn’t accomplish what I was hoping it might – get people excited about the Duck Stamp, or at least wildlife conservation. The film follows several contestants on their journey to win what is described as the “Olympics of Wildlife Art.”

Ducks 103

Ducks 2016 Hunters Wildlife 103

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

And the morning before the Mkuze pack of Painted Wolves, or African Wild Dogs, had been very close to one of the park’s few Lions, as far as tracking collars had told. We hadn’t been on the road long before a shout went out that a dog had been seen, and we quickly turned back, and there was my first Painted Wolf in Mkuze.

Wolves 190

Wolves Lions Dogs Vet 190

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2020

For a land that can lay claim to an abundance of such wonderful native wildlife, it’s peculiar that the national symbolism of Scotland is so populated by mythological creatures. Landseer asked the Queen if she wished him “to illustrate the peaceful and sunny side of the Highlanders – character in preference to Mist and savage treatment”.

Eagles 161

Eagles Lions Hunting Lamb 161

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Originally, a decoy was a closed-ended wickerwork tunnel used to catch grounded wild ducks by driving them into this trap with dogs. The Richard “Fresh Air” Janson Bridge that carries California State Route 37 over the Sonoma Creek in what is now San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is named for this colorful carver.

2016 107

2016 Ducks California Hunters 107

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

E.g. I remember trying to enter my local scrubland once, just across the car park behind the last apartment building and there, awaiting me, was a territorial pack of stray dogs barking at an intruder – me. At some stage, a salmon-hunting bear at a shingle beach came too close, mere 9 steps. How did I know that?

Animal 115

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

Lest you think that modern technology robbed all the challenge from my hunt, though, I would point out that there were a couple of confounding factors. And, of course, creeping people out, however inadvertently, doesn’t make one a good ambassador for wildlife. A helpful site gave me not only the block, but the very backyard to check!

Sparrows 167

Sparrows St. Louis Kansas City Kansas 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2013

My post last week where I defended game hunting as a conservation tool has, unaccountably, encountered a certain amount of push back. Who would have thought that a post defending hunting game in general would have not been universally acclaimed? I will address two of them in the new year, namely, “Is hunting moral at all?”

Tigers 175

Tigers Hunting Game Protection 175

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

And one that is easy to use, because, let’s face it, you want to spend most of your time looking at wildlife, not searching for information. Thankfully, as the authors note, this focus on animals to hunt has given way to visitors’ fascination with a range of creatures.).

Rhinos 243

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 243

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Dogs are similarly dispersed across size ranges, with Foxes, Coyotes, and Wolves taking prey across different parts of the size range. Free-ranging domestic cats have been introduced globally and have contributed to multiple wildlife extinctions on islands. That part of the carnivore landscape is taken by other animals.

Feral Cats 256

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 256

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

In responding to Suzie’s post defending wildlife rehabilitation I began to think again about the areas in which animal rights and animal welfare overlap with the field of conservation, and the ways in which they don’t. People would often express surprise that I, someone that cared about wildlife conservation, would eat meat.

Animal Rights 265

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 265

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2020

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently sought public comments on its proposal to permanently add a hunting element to the Duck Stamp art competition. For example, Congress passed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act in 1934, but it did not mandate specific rules for a Duck Stamp Competition.

Ducks 204

Ducks Hunting Hunters Legislation 204

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Assuming you have a passing interest in wildlife, or at the least you know someone that does, and chances are in the last week or so you’ve become aware that some lady from America shot a lion. The answer should be obvious to anyone familiar with wildfowl hunting in the US and the film Jerry McGuire – money.

Lions 185

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 185

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2011

The grackles might well be found here anyway as they like the wet habitat in Florida, but as an extra enticement, visitors feed the alligators with hot dogs and there is always a little something left over for a cheeky omnivore. Fish & Wildlife comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity.

2011 117

2011 Alligators Florida Deer 117

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

The change was to “permanently” require a mandatory hunting element in each submission. And in order to reflect that contribution, the Administration proposed that the Duck Stamp contest have a mandatory hunting element. This year, the Biden Administration used the same administrative process to undo that “permanent” change. * * *.

Ducks 208

Ducks Hunters Hunting 2020 208