10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

Red-tailed Tropicbird. “This clumsy, ungraceful bird was displeasing to observe” – Carol F. Pelagic trips. There is nothing in birding like a pelagic…you never know what to expect. You can end up basking in a rare bird bliss that may linger for weeks, or you basically experience a living hell. Today I will give you all the reasons why you are better off riding the bow of your couch than a boat’s, complete with personal anecdotes from disgruntled pelagic birders.

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Puffins Albatross Penguins Experience 249

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

The following is a guest post about the horrors of shark finning. Sharks are a regular feature on television channels like the Discovery Channel, with even entire weeks devoted to this majestic sea creature. However, watching these shows on DIRECT.TV from home often does not give weight to the real struggles and dangers that many sharks face, including the barbaric practice of shark finning.

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Sharks Asia Endangered Species Hunters 122

Critter News

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

The zoo keepers at the Toronto are desperately trying to get the City Council to reconsider its decision to move three aging elephants to a sanctuary. They presented the Council with a petition with 1,100 signatures.

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Sanctuary Elephants Zoos Animal Sanctuary 109

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

The results of the Swarovski Optik Digiscoper of the Year 2011 have just been published and once again, they show just what is possible with a telescope and everything from a cheap compact camera to a semi-pro DSLR. The winner this year was Tara Tanaka of the USA, with a stunning image of a Roseate Spoonbill ( Platalea ajaja ), showing action, movement, great lines, a bright colour palette, and a strong focal point - not to mention the great “wish I was there” feeling.

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2011 Eagles Bald Eagle Owls 238

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

Have you ever looked to the sky and seen a high-flying hawk and wanted to know what it was? Do you wish you could tell an eagle from a hawk? Do you know your raptors but wish that you had an easy reference for all the raptors of North America? Never fear, David Allen Sibley has done it again with the release by Scott & Nix of Sibley’s Raptors of North America poster.* Beautifully illustrated and well executed, Sibley’s Raptors of North America is a perfect decoration for nature

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North America America United States Eagles 238

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2011

New York has its famous Red-tailed Hawks Pale Male and, until recently, Lola. Cambridge, Mass has a celebrity raptor pair, too. Last winter, a pair of Great Horned Owls took up residence in a spiny locust (?) tree near The Dell in Mt. Auburn Cemetery. The nest was so tiny, flimsy and low to the ground that anyone walking by could clearly see the two owlets trying to grow up there.

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Owls New York Rights Eagles 232

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2011

It is a very small antpitta that lives in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia. This antpitta is found in southern Ecuador (near Peru) and curiously also inside the Puluahua Crater which is my residence near Quito in northern Ecuador. There has been no studies that explain why this bird only resides inside our homey crater, but I suspect that most of its habitat has been destroyed in the highlands of Ecuador and somehow it found the correct conditions for its subsistence in this crater

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Ecuador Bolivia Venezuela Peru 176

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2011

We have spent most of our time recently with the shorebirds of Roebuck Bay. They have returned from the north, though more are returning and there is very little knowledge on their arrival back in the Bay. When they depart on their northward migration it is possible to go into Roebuck Bay in the late afternoon and watch them group up, call and then take off in beautiful V-formations.

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Taiwan Cooking China Groups 173

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

As introductions to tropical Pacific birding go, you could do a lot worse than Fiji. Their combination of isolation and size makes them a great place to see lots of local and Pacific endemics. More importantly the airport in Nadi (pronounced Nandi) on the main island of Viti Levu is a major air hub and frequent stop on flights between the United States and Australia or New Zealand.

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Fiji Solomon Islands Parrots Los Angeles 170

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

My travels have taken me all over the United States including coastal sites where some of the most interesting flyers can be found. Some of the more crazy fliers in my mind include Jaegers. Our three regularly occurring Jaegers are amongst the nastiest flyers around. And by nasty I mean, “MEAN.” They fly with a direct purpose and bully large birds like gulls and many terns to drop their catch so they can feast properly.

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10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

Greater Yellowlegs ( Tringa melanoleuca ) photos by Larry Jordan Shorebirds. Why are they seemingly so difficult to identify? One obvious reason is that most have plumage variations between their breeding plumage and non-breeding plumage. Plus many sandpipers plumages are very similar. Take the Greater Yellowlegs ( Tringa melanoleuca ) for example (click on photos for full sized images).

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10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

Robert Mortensen has been named “Bird of the Year Coordinator” for the ABA. Here’s hoping he does the right thing and chooses Green Heron as the Bird of the Year for 2012. Who’s with me? And, if you want, use the comments to put forth your idea for the 2012 Bird of the Year (you had just better pick Green Heron ). a.

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10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

I know of no other day of the year when a larger percentage of Americans are likely to be eating the same foods, unless Halloween candy or Independence Day barbecue counts. Too many of us focus on the turkey, but bird watchers know that Meleagris gallopavo means so much more than a meal, no matter how stuffed and savory. By the same token, Thanksgiving and this weekend represent much more than food and football (unless, like me, those are what you’re really looking forward to!

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2011 Turkey Birds Family 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

Seagull Steve has traveled to the secret Hooded Merganser courtship grounds and returned with some amazing pictures that help explain why hoodies try to keep their courtship a secret (they are really goofy). a.

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4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

They aren’t cute and cuddly, but sharks are still very important! Nat Geo Wild is airing an amazing show tonight called Shark Attack Experiment: LIVE! Shark Attack Experiment: LIVE will feature a team of free-divers and conservationists putting their safety on the line to separate myth from reality and dispel negative myths about sharks while raising public awareness about shark species which are being driven to extinction.

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Sharks Experience Experiments South Africa 109

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

Now here is something you don’t see everyday! The iconic turkey, star of Thanksgiving, also seems to enjoy playing a good game of soccer! What do you think? Could they win the world cup?

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Turkey Texas Game 109

Critter News

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

Here's the full article from the Los Angeles Times. An animal rights group has called for a federal investigation into the death of an elephant at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Umoya, a 21-year-old African elephant, died Thursday, possibly due to injuries suffered during an attack by another elephant. The Northern California-based In Defense of Animals called for the Department of Agriculture, which does inspections of zoos, to investigate Umoya's death.

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San Diego Elephants Zoos Los Angeles 109

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

Source: flickr.com via Andrea on Pinterest.

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Speaker: Gabriel Wagner Presenter

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

And how cool is it that there is now evidence that dinosaurs ate birds ? a.

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Birds 160

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 19, 2011

On November 12, 2011, Banfield Pet Hospital hosted Brooklyn’s “Hottest Dog” contest to celebrate the grand opening of the Banfield Pet Hospital in Brooklyn. World Championship Competitive Eater, Joey Chestnut, judged the “Hottest Dogs” as guests enjoyed Nathan’s hot dogs. We didn’t get to attend in person, but it sure looks like it was a fun event.

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Dogs 2011 Pets Medical 100

Critter News

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

It's true! He attended a bullfight in Mexico City. That sucks!

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Mexico 116

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 20, 2011

This little owl is so cute, and obviously really enjoys the nice head rub too!

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Owls Animal 100

Speaker: cha cha dwyer

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10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

Did you know that 10,000 Birds might, at any given moment, publish a post that could change your life ?!? True, most of our commentary on birds, birding, nature, conservation, travel, and anything else on our hyperactive minds don’t qualify as truly transformative, but you’ll no doubt find it all informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking.

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Birds 160

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving.

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10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2011

November is normally a pretty dull month compared to some of the more extreme periods in our calendar year. The action doesn’t really heat up until right about now as we begin six or eight months of holiday preparation and celebration. I’ve enjoyed November so far, but have doubts about whether I’m ready for the weeks ahead. How about you?

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