10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2019

The Philippine Eagle has a kind face. I couldn’t help thinking this–me, the anthropomorphism hater– as I watched a pair of Philippine Eagles tend their nest, raise a chick, and tear monkeys apart in Bird of Prey: The Story of the Rarest Eagle on Earth , a well-crafted, beautifully filmed documentary with a mission.

Eagles 203

Eagles Philippines Eggs Birds 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Their common names reflect their size, appearance, residence, and sometimes their sound, ranging from the simple to the eponymous: Little Owl, Powerful Owl, Pharaoh Eagle-Owl, Cloud-Forest Pygmy-Owl, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Morepork, Christmas Island Boobook, Blakiston’s Fish-Owl. They are also hunted.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

If you cannot find the nest or it’s too destroyed, do not try and raise a chick this young. It’s illegal to raise wild birds (even orphaned ones) without state and federal permits. Young raptors like the above Bald Eagle chick are a different matter. Never raise a wild goose or duckling yourself.

Birds 266

Birds Fox Raised Ducks 266

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

Eagle-eyed Pat spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull in nonbreeding plumage and other birders that week noted a Thayer’s Gull (which we may have seen too–I mean, who expects Iceland Gull in April?). Multitudes, hundreds of Brown Pelicans and Terns–Least, Common, Foster’s, Sandwich, Royal, and Caspian.

Houston 225

Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 225

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Not only were they a common bird, they were a common bird nearshore; indigenous peoples hunted them up and down the coast. The most notorious effect is that their eggshells become so thin that a parent bird will crush it’s eggs while attempting to incubate them.

Albatross 215

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 215