10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Ethiopia , a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Only twenty years ago it was an out-of-bounds, desperately impoverished and war-torn ex-Marxist state. Tourism infrastructure didn’t exist then and development has been slow. Tours groups that I guided to Ethiopia ten years ago had to endure very basic accommodation, almost no surfaced roads and low levels of service.

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Ethiopia Eritrea Africa Mammals 272

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

If you are getting ready to adopt a furry friend, or you know someone who is, you just have to see these adorable printables from Chickabug! Available in pink and blue, they have everything you can think of to help make your new addition welcome. If you are looking for inspiration on how to use it, just check out this amazing puppy adoption party ! Seriously, so cute!

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Dog Adoption Adoptable Puppy Adoption Dogs 149

Critter News

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Surprising to me at least. The editorial advocates a national standard that establishes humane standards in all parts of the country.

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Eggs Humane Hens Eggs Battery 109

Animal Ethics

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

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Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Tanzania has an enormous variety of exquisite birds but unfortunately it has an equal number of distractions that can interrupt your birding experience. Take these pesky Lions for instance. While seeking out tiny brown birds in the drizzle, we came upon this amorous duo and for some reason everyone in the car decided that the birds could wait. The Lioness sat regal in the rain and the chatterboxes who thought nothing of telling raucous tales while we crept up on a Tawny Eagle or a Variable Sunbi

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Tanzania Lions Birds Cats 181

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Caring for the homeless cat population in Los Angeles, FixNation , offers free spay and neuter services to caregivers of community cats. FixNation uses Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), which is a community-based program that involves trapping homeless, free-roaming cats, getting them spayed or neutered, and then returning the cats to the exact spot where they were trapped so they can live out the rest of their natural lives.

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Trap Neuter Return Feral Cats Neutering Spay 143

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

The Green-winged Teal ( Anas crecca carolinensis ) is North America’s smallest dabbling duck and taken by hunters second only to the Mallard. Click on photos for full sized images. Luckily for them, even though they nest on the ground, they usually breed far from human habitation, under heavy vegetative cover. It appears that most of the Green-winged Teal have already paired up in California.

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Ducks North America Hunters California 175

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

It is finally winter in New York! This year it was only a couple of months late – not that I am complaining. But, as all good things must, our warm and nearly snow-less season had to come to an end and this weekend it finally did with a blast of arctic air and small quantities of the cold white stuff. Of course, we New York birders don’t let a little winter stop us from birding and over the weekend I saw a bunch of what I would call snow birds.

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Kazakhstan New York City New York Birds 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2012

Last weekend, millions of people devoted their full attention to football and the accouterments of Super Bowl festivities. This weekend, the annual Grammy awards along with the unscheduled and untimely demise of a pop icon ensured that music dominated wide interest. Do you think that any event in our lifetimes will ever focus so much positive attention and excitement on nature or birding?

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Polar Bears 2012 New York Geese 168

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

The closest site to Quito to reliably see the Umbrellabird is Recinto 23 de Junio covered by Corey here and also written by me: here and here. Now the humble Ajila family has made a great effort and built a brand new small cabaña where you can stay the night before. I stayed there with six other birders and it was very clean and comfortable. The food was also very good so I encourage anyone to visit this wonderful place and demand from you tour operator to see the Umbrellabird at 23 de Junio a

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Branding Family Birds 165

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

If you are one of those nature lovers that appreciates that original Audubon plates do not represent the full extent of avian art, you may appreciate the new exhibit at the Freer Gallery of Art on the National Mall. Winged Spirits: Birds in Chinese Painting presents the finest of avian and flower art from the Ming and Qing dynasties from now through August.

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DC Washington Birds Species 164

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

If you think that you are tired of the fluffy critters raiding your bird feeders then you should be glad that you don’t own a pizzeria! Now this is one ambitious squirrel ! (Perhaps more so than the one I found several years back trying to crack a coconut.) And, amazingly, pigeons are apparently getting in on the pizza-eating trend too ! a.

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Squirrels Birds 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

On Sunday, the same day that I enjoyed a bunch of winter birds in Sullivan County and Ulster County, I also had a chance encounter with a diminutive goose. It was on the side of the road in a field at Blue Chip Farm, a large horse farm near the town of Wallkill. But it wasn’t so easy as driving along, pulling over, spotting the bird, and driving on my merry way.

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Geese Horse Farm Canada Farming 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

An egret that dances is a sight worth seeing. And the shuffling, hopping, running, and wing-spread, long-legged, two-stepping that Reddish Egrets use in their foraging must make them a contestant should there ever be an avian Dancing with the Stars. I had the great pleasure to see both color forms, more commonly called color morphs, when I was birding Merrit t Island National Wildlife Refuge during the 15th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival.

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United States Texas Wildlife 2012 161

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Experience

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

A new study suggests that birds are more likely to change mates between or during breeding seasons when the weather is severe or uncertain. For each species in their data set, they measured the rate of infidelity – defined as the fraction of nests containing chicks resulting from an ‘affair’ – as well as the rate of divorce, or the fraction of birds that changed partners between breeding seasons.

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Breeding Species Birds 157

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Beware the Ides of February! Schools across the United States are closing for Mid-Winter Break, which means the nation will be abuzz with energetic kids fighting boredom. Some families will travel, while others might prefer to hunker down and hibernate. How about you? What will you be doing this weekend and will you be birding? Share your plans in the comments below.

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2012 United States New York Australia 157

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Please make sure that when you discard the plastic that binds six-packs of beverages together that you cut the loops open, otherwise you force ducks to rescue each other. And there are only so many hero ducks. Hat-tip to Mike McDowell. a.

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Ducks Rescue 157

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2012

I’ve been struggling for a post topic this month. Don’t get me wrong there is lots going on everywhere I look and there have been all sorts of ideas jumping in and out of my head as I’ve gone about my business but none of them have grabbed me enough to turn them into a full post. I feel like I need some kind of de-cluttering of the mind to create a little thinking space.

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Ireland Iceland Japan Endangered Species 155

Speaker: Gabriel Wagner Presenter

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Because they are Superfly ! Hat-tip to Clare for the link (but not for the ’80s wrestling reference or the strange way my mind is working today). a.

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4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

Animal lovers, here is a great way to help seals and have fun at the same time! If you are in California, check out Run for the Seals ! The event is a fun run/walk and fundraiser that supports The Marine Mammal Center. Last year’s event was a huge success with over 1,200 people (and dogs!) of all ages enjoying this beloved Bay Area event, to support the life-saving work of the Center.

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Seals 2012 Mammals California 109

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Credits: Time Out New York, for more photos of the Westminster Dog Show: [link].

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Dogs New York Animal 109

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Now this is cool. a.

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Speaker: cha cha dwyer

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4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

If you know only a little bit about Charles Darwin, you know that he figured out Evolution via his study of the finches (and other birds) of the Galapagos. If you know a bit more than that about Darwin, you know that he totally messed up his collection of birds from the Galapagos Islands, and didn’t really think up Evolution until much later in time.

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Tortoises South America Panama Culling 207

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

There really isn’t much to say about the Mottled Duck. It is one of several species in the Mallard -complex of ducks, along with American Black Duck , Mexican Duck , and quite a few others. You find them in the south from Florida to Texas and down into Mexico, occasionally as far north as the Carolinas in the east and up the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois.

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Ducks Florida Illinois Mississippi 169

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Yesterday, Corey posted that winter had finally gotten to New York, and he went on to show off with a series of mouth-watering winter birds. Well, to be honest, I wasn’t so excited about the junco, but the owl, hawk and crossbill really got the juices going. And a Glaucous Gull is always a treat. But when I think of snow birds, I think of slightly different set of birdies.

Birds 170

Birds New York Europe Owls 170

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2012

Hutton’s Shearwaters are a bit of a mystery bird in the north of Western Australia, as you very rarely see them. It is believed that birds under two years of age wander the Australian coastline, but the information varies considerably between different field guides. Some old field guides just had it all around the coast and then more recent ones removed it from the north, due to it not being reported.

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New Zealand Australia 2012 Breeding 162

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Happy Valentine’s day from some super cute animals at Sea World ! Visit the Sea World blog for all kinds of animal conservation news!

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Seals Animal 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

The city of Cairns is a gateway for a lot of the top end of Queensland, both for those seeking the delights to be found in the Great barrier Reef and those looking to explore the patchwork of forest and savana that is tropical Australia. But for those seeking wildlife there is plenty to see without ever leaving the city, and most itineries at least allow one day of birdwatching within and immediately around this coastal resort city.

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Alligators Guinea 2012 Australia 168

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Phenology is a vital science. Among other things, it has provided some of the earliest and most compelling evidence for global warming. It also lends itself to the interested amateur; all you need is a notebook and a willingness to observe. But good phenology is hard. It requires an ability to look at the familiar with a constantly fresh and inquisitive eye, and (even harder for me) it requires a routine.

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Bald Eagle Montana Owls Dogs 157

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