10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2011

Birding has come a long way since I was a nipper! Advances in optics, field guides, internet resources and now, apps, mean that there really is no excuse to be a horrible birder. Which is bad news for someone like me who still struggles with the fact that bats are mammals. But one of the most important aspects of these advances in new-age birding is the fact that they have grown hand-in-hand with the almost exponential growth in citizen science.

Science 267

Science North America Birds Research 267

Critter News

DECEMBER 29, 2011

From Hometown Station AM 1220. New legislation in California increases the misdemeanor penalty for animal neglect and makes it a crime to sell a live animal on any street, highway, public right-of-way, parking lot, or carnival. California SB 917 Two new laws in Oregon and California prohibit the possession, sale, trade or distribution of shark fins.

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Laws California Sharks Animal Neglect 109

4 The Love Of Animals

DECEMBER 29, 2011

Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay welcomed a new baby female reticulated giraffe on Tuesday, December 27, 2011. At 5 foot, 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 127 pounds! That’s a big baby! The calf is the daughter of father, Jafari and mother, Tesa, who has previously given birth to four other calves at Busch Gardens. The breeding program has been a great success.

Giraffes 109

Giraffes Gestation Tampa Rhinoceros 109

Animal Person

DECEMBER 2, 2011

There she is. my girl. She has beaten the odds and made it another year. The life expectancy of greyhounds is 12-15 years. If they've raced, you subtract a year for each year of racing. Violet Rays was a very successful competitor and the offspring of a Hall of Famer, and she made someone a lot of money, winning race after race for the two years she was hauled between Oregon and South Florida.

Vet 133

Vet Greyhounds 2004 Oregon 133

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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Animal Ethics

DECEMBER 31, 2011

To the Editor: In “ Hunting Deer With My Flintlock ” (Op-Ed, Dec. 26), Seamus McGraw says he has a responsibility to kill deer because there are too many. He has volunteered to kill a deer cruelly, ineptly and with an outdated weapon that causes additional suffering to the deer. I assume that the use of the flintlock is to enhance his self-image as a master of the woodland.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Mountain Lions Deer 40

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2011

The image that made me look hardest in this year’s Digiscoper of the Year 2011 competition was that of a Little Owl ( Athene noctua ) by Mario Cea taken at night ! Digiscoping is normally hard enough during the day and action shots with good light are doubly tough, but this was the first time I had ever seen anything like this: action at night. 2nd place Digiscoper of the Year 2011 by Mario Cea For a while now, friends and I have been playing with little flash setups to see what was possib

Owls 253

Owls 2011 Spain 2010 253

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2011

Bogota Sunangel or not, Rogitama Private Nature Reserve, about 3 hours drive north of Bogota, is a true success story. Founded by Roberto Chavarro and his family in the early eighties, this little reserve has been dropped slap-bang into the birding spotlight by the recent claims of the rediscovery of the Bogota Sunangel Heliangelus zusii , a species that is known from one record – a skin from 1909!

Colombia 243

Colombia Family 2011 Species 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2011

At last I was lucky to get some good shots of the legendary Long-wattled Umbrellabird at 23 de Junio. The early morning yielded some distant looks but just when we were walking back to the village we found a male and female pair that was hanging around closer to us near the school. The close encounter lasted for 15 minutes while the birds foraged and played in the trees showing their best sides.

Birds 238

Birds 238

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

The seventh occurrence of Harlequin Ducks in Utah is now over. Why? Because a hunter or hunters shot all three. They were apparently shot from the Antelope Island Causeway, where birders had been reporting them from, and, even worse, it seems that the hunters might have learned of their presence from birding listservs. This would seem to be yet another example of the interests of birders and hunters not coinciding. a.

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Hunters Ducks Utah Birds 231

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

Yesterday I posted a blog about the mystery hummingbird located in Rogitama, Colombia. I am pleased to share some photographs of the bird that was captured by a team of Colombian ornithologists for DNA analysis. Many thanks to Roberto Chavarro, owner of Rogitama Private Nature Reserve, for keeping us updated on the progress of this important project.

Colombia 229

Colombia Research Birds 229

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10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2011

The word “ tanager ” conjures certain images for most of us birder types. Maybe words like “colorful,” “beautiful,” “fruit,” and “tree.” But the tanager brand is changing. We’re learning we’ve got to expand our idea of what it means to be a tanager. Double-collared Seedeater ( Sporophila caerulescens ) © Dario Sanches These sparrows are tanagers A new proposal to the American Ornithologists’ Union South American Classi

2003 220

2003 Sparrows Family South America 220

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2011

(Check out Part 1 here) (Check out Part 2 here) This hawk was a fierce hunter. I’ve seen young Red-tailed Hawk s who just don’t have the hang of it, counting on luck of good fortune to present them with a careless gopher or a rare easy meal. Patch was focused and deliberate, consistent and inventive. She ate everything from Rock Pigeons to caterpillars, earthworms to Brewer’s Blackbirds, but her staple diet consisted of plump, toothy, charismatic, and abundant Pocket Gophers.

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Gophers Blackbirds Tanzania Hunting 216

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2011

What is there to say about a Mountain Bluebird , a bird of the west, of high elevation grasslands, of the Rocky Mountains, in New York State? What is there to say, that is, other than “Wow” as you head out the door to track it down? First found on Monday by Lenore Swenson and Diane Teta while it was feeding along a fence line in Suffolk County, on eastern Long Island, the bird was found again on Tuesday, so I made a pre-work chase after it on Wednesday morning.

New York 208

New York Birds Species 208

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

Be warned, The Atlas of Birds is not a map book, though it does contain maps, lovely orange and purple and green bird distribution maps. It is not an encyclopedia, though it does summarize research, explain basic concepts, and ends with a section on bird statistics. And, it is not a coffee table book, though it is on the large size (11 x 8.5) and contains many bright, crisp photographs and other visual goodies.

Albatross 204

Albatross Birds Campaign Protection 204

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Experience

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2011

A little while after the whole excitement of choosing and announcing the winners of the Digiscoper of the Year competition is over, I try to take a bit of a step back and have another look through the thousands of entries in the competition, and pick a few images that were not amongst the winning images, but that really stand out to me for one reason of the other.

2011 201

2011 Puffins Costa Rica Italy 201

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2011

There are few things in the natural world that frighten me. I certainly do not consider myself brave or courageous in any way, but I’d like to think that walking the wilds for 30-something years now has made me aware of the dangers and the ways of avoiding them. I am cautious, I am vigilant, and I will go anywhere, so long as the place has birds.

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Zoos Ducks Elephants Tigers 195

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2011

Let me proudly introduce a new exotic bird that has been trained by the ambassador of hand feeding the most difficult skulking birds in Ecuador: the Ocellated Tapaculo. For those of you that have tried and failed to see this bird now you have a reason to visit Refugio Paz de las Aves where Angel and Rodrigo Paz will now be able to show you the new grand prize.

Ecuador 191

Ecuador Family Birds 191

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2011

A nice thing about spending 7 months with the same bird, particularly a second year bird, is getting to watch it molt and acquire its adult plumage. Watching a bird mature is also gratifying because the majority of young birds don’t make it to their second birthday, so every adult you see is a special bird indeed. I remember noticing little red spots on Patch’s rump and closer inspection showed them to be the beginnings of her red tail.

Tanzania 193

Tanzania Breeding Rights Birds 193

Speaker: Gabriel Wagner Presenter

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

2011 is about to become 2012 and birders the world over are taking a look at their year lists and reminiscing about the awesome sightings and devastating dips that they have experienced. We here at 10,000 Birds thought this would be a perfect time to look back and figure out what each of us considered our Best Bird of the Year, just like we did last year.

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2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 190

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2011

Come 20 January 2012 birders will have reason to be philatelists as well. That’s because the United States Postal Service will be releasing a set of five stamps, illustrated by Robert Giusti, featuring birds of prey. The five lucky birds are Northern Goshawk , Peregrine Falcon , Golden Eagle , Osprey , and Northern Harrier. Check them out below!

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United States 2012 Falcons Birds 181

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2011

The event that I am most looking forward to at the 15th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is the “Noon Blog” that I will have the great pleasure of facilitating. I love meeting other nature bloggers and have had the great pleasure of birding and otherwise spending time with a host of other bloggers in the nature blogosphere.

Florida 180

Florida Wildlife Rights Birds 180

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2011

While I often tease Corey about how many albatrosses we have down here in New Zealand, the fact is that the United States has three species of Albatross that breed within its boundaries, albeit one of them only very rarely, and visit the western shores of North America. But the islands of Hawaii have two species that breed in considerable numbers, and the highlight of my time spent working on Tern Island in French Frigate Shoals was spending time with these birds.

Albatross 178

Albatross Hawaii New Zealand United States 178

Speaker: Steve Romanco

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2011

This week we decided to do a day trip about 40kms north of Broome in search of a Beach Stone-curlew , as they had been absent in Roebuck Bay for some reason this year. The road north starts off as bitumen/tar and then becomes sand/pindan and a four-wheel drive is recommended due to changing conditions. Here’s the location on Google Earth, which as you can see is a smaller creek system than Willie Creek further to the south.

Pythons 180

Pythons Groups Birds Species 180

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2011

We here at 10,000 Birds have long been enamored with what could conceivably be the cutest pair of birds in all of North America – the kinglets. Whether you prefer the brilliant canary on the heads of Golden-crowned Kinglets or the tiny red stripe that Ruby-crowned Kinglets tend to hide beneath their heads of gray you have to acknowledge the attraction that these little birds hold.

Unwanted 178

Unwanted Birds North America America 178

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2011

Any species of shrike is an outstanding bird in New York City. A Northern Shrike in Brooklyn is no exception. You can imagine my enjoyment then, when as we driving out of Floyd Bennett Field, Shawn Billerman, who was sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly exclaimed, “Shrike!” As my Ford Focus came to a screeching stop the gray, white, and black blur that had been speeding along next to the car perched up on a nearby bush and let us get good looks.

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New York City New York Species Birds 174

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Don’t you just love sharing your best bird of the weekend with people that actually appreciate exciting sightings? Precious few are fortunate enough to work in an office where avian observations are swapped around the water cooler. For those of us who are not in that chosen.0001% (Occupy ABA , anyone?), here’s the place to swap stories about the ones that didn’t get away during the weekend… Corey and I combed coastal Queens on Saturday for crackers like Ross’s Goose

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2011 Owls Birds Experience 173

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10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2011

…and some seriously pissed off birds. Of course, it should not be hard to find birds angry with Matthew Gonshaw of London, a pig in human form, who was recently jailed for six months after admitting to “ten charges of theft and possession of rare eggs.” He is a repeat offender who has been jailed for the same crime before and this time around was found in possession of over 700 stolen eggs.

Pigs 170

Pigs Eggs Humane Birds 170

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2011

I received a press release last week amidst all the Christmas Bird Counts stating that 3000 fewer birds were observed during the Christmas Bird Count in Central Park, NY and I thought the headline was a bit alarmist, but then again that’s what the headline on a press release is supposed to do to get your attention. Here’s a quote: “Audubon’s Birds & Climate Change data proved birds are not Climate Skeptics, but already voted on this issue decades ago with their wings, man

Abandon 174

Abandon Abandoning Abandonment Birds 174

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

I’ve spent most of my time since Thanksgiving trying to get my semester wrapped up, which means I’ve spent quite a bit more time looking at birds in the works of James Joyce than birds in real life. Many people don’t realize that Joyce was very into birds, using them as a symbol of artistic and spiritual inspiration throughout his quasi-autobiographical works ( Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses.

Oregon 175

Oregon Birds Sparrows 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2011

Big birds don’t get erections the way that it has always been thought that they do. They use lymph fluid to get erect, not blood. Be glad that you are not Dr. Patricia Brennan of Yale University, who, with her team, “closely examined the penis of a male ostrich and three male emus.” Ain’t science grand? a.

Ostriches 171

Ostriches Science Birds 171

Speaker: cha cha dwyer

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