article thumbnail

Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History from Cave Art to Conservation–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

There’s the Neolithic era; Ancient Egypt (bird mummies!); the development of field-based ornithological research in Europe and Great Britain; a quick step back through the history to look at bird protection, conservation, and our precarious future, with a focus on Birkhead’s long-term (50 years!)

article thumbnail

Birding the Kruger Park (2): Bateleur area

10,000 Birds

Wikipedia also has an interesting paragraph hinting at observation bias in ornithologists: “At the continental scale, saddle-billed storks preferred protected areas that have a higher extent of open water compared to areas without the storks. Ostrich industry in Egypt. Studies on improving ostrich egg hatchability.

Ostriches 147
article thumbnail

A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects: A Review

10,000 Birds

The story of the flightless Dodo, discovered on the island of Mauritius in 1598 and killed off by 1700, is sad and familiar. by Arthur Ransome, 1947, starts with an affectionate recollection of a children’s book, in which a group of kids identify and protect a possibly rare bird (Great Northern Diver?), Number 57, Great Northern?

Mauritius 172