10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

It’s the warbler that is often the last unchecked species on birders’ life lists and, whether you list or not, for most of us observing it is a once in a lifetime experience. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list. A nest wasn’t found until 1903, which set off a craze for Kirtland’s Warbler skins, nests, and eggs.

Michigan 227

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 227

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

It is my best bird because it is just such an incredible species, and looking at it made me realize that I had temporarily stopped to fully appreciate birds during the stressful last few years. This year I watched them from the day they arrived , until two chicks successfully hatched, the northernmost breeding record for the species.

2011 181

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. I’m wondering as I write if you are shaking your head, uneasy that all these FACTS will interfere with your love of observing owls, an experience that easily borders on the mystical for some of us. But what do we know beyond these commonly seen and heard behaviors?

Owls 209

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 209

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

I once knew a guy who kept and raised cats. I new him because we enlisted his Dryfus Lion and one of his tigers to carry out experiments with bones (this is something archaeologists do). Also, feral Cats on islands seem to be a serious problem, causing the extirpation of some indigenous species. They are invasive species.

Feral Cats 254

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 254

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

For this reason, the species is evaluated as Vulnerable.” The Rufous-tailed Robin used to be called Swinhoe’s Robin but apparently, somebody decided that there were already too many bird species (6, according to the HBW) named after him. The Eurasian Hobby was another notable raptor of the month. They were missed.

Birds 196

Birds China Eggs Owls 196

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2021

The fields near the Tiaozini mudflats look very much like a lunar landscape, but this does not seem to keep a number of species from breeding there, sometimes directly on dirt roads. The fourth species apparently breeding on these fields is Grey-headed Lapwing. The birding life. A somewhat older chick.

Birds 213

Birds Uganda Breeding Rats 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2012

The Barred Warbler , otherwise known as Sylvia nisoria , is one of those species that is aptly named if you only ever see an adult male. When the adult male bird has more than one mate, the femaleincubates the eggs and tends to the chicks alone. You know what is interesting about Barred Warblers?

Hungary 169

Hungary Eggs Abandon Abandoning 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

I know from experience how accessible Dennis is, last year he helped me identify a damselfly I photographed in Costa Rica (Argia anceps, no common name). Although designed as a field guide, it is a hefty book, 376 pages long, covering 336 species. Many species are dimorphic, with females looking different from males.

United States 231

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 231

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

How do I know of their Gothic moods when they have hidden them so well in an egg-white shell of conformity? And I haven’t even started to write about ageing them … What are your experiences, and what is the colour of the claws on your local gull species? It is the claws that give them away, their black nail polish.

2011 161

2011 Birds Deer Europe 161

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 29, 2006

In recent years, the prevalence of disease-causing bacteria in meat, poultry, and eggs has risen sharply, which is why health authorities insist that these products be carefully handled and thoroughly cooked, if they are used at all. There is no need for infants to be raised on cow's milk formulas. But what about prior to two years?

Animal 40

Animal Meat Cows District of Columbia 40

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

We are familiar with the story, birds flying north in the boreal summer, taking advantage of the warmth, long days, and abundant insect life, to raise their young. In the High Arctic we find several migrating species that break that mould. Anywhere from 3-8 very pale blue eggs are laid, incubated by both parents.

Africa 195

Africa Somalia North America Nigeria 195

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat). Swinhoe’s White-eye was just promoted to the rank of a full species in 2018.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147