10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Mute Swans are large, white, and decorative, and as such their natural range has been significantly altered by humans who generally enjoy having them around. Its natural range in Europe was restricted the the surroundings of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, and in Asia it ranged from Asia Minor to central China.

Feral 168

Feral Europe Asia North America 168

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2015

I’m a big fan of the antelopes, a group that is most commonly associated with Africa but which also occurs in Asia and, if you stretch the term to be cladistically meaningful, Europe and North America. By this I mean applying the term antelope to cover all of the family Bovidae, which would include the sheep, goats and ox.

Africa 162

Africa Hunters Goats Wolves 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2019

Just imagine a family excursion to Yellowstone to photograph grazing herds of elephants – equally wrong. E.g. someone capable of telling the CGI masterminds that the crows at the corpses couldn’t be the Carrion Crows of Western, but the Hooded Crows of Eastern Europe? The panicky human parents are the worst kind.

Protection 145

Protection Elephants Owls Laws 145

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2012

Specifically, rural northwestern Spain, at various points along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route to the supposed burial place of Saint James the apostle and, before that, to the westernmost point in continental Europe, the supposed End of the Earth, the Finis Terra. There are many big birds, many pretty birds.

Spain 169

Spain Europe Industry Rodents 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2015

And the squirrel I will post about is indeed what it seems : a cute, little, ferocious, nest-predatory, butt-kicking, cuddly and adorable native critter of Europe, the Eurasian Red Squirrel. Germany, like most of Europe and very much unlike North America, is home to only one species of squirrel. And aren’t you glad it is.

Squirrels 162

Squirrels North America Germany Europe 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

I was given my first real field guide to the birds of Europe by my parents, a guide beyond the species found at backyard feeders and city ponds. My childhood in the 1970s and 1980s was of course shaped by family, friends, playmobil ( very popular in Germany back then), and school but also to a certain extend by the Cold War.

Europe 100

Europe Birds Kazakhstan Russia 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

To us on the traditional side of the Atlantic, they’ll always belong to the family Iznogoudae , the birds who want to become warblers instead of the warblers. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas. And do they ever try so hard.

Sparrows 209

Sparrows Italy Asia Austria 209

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2012

The Edwards’s Pheasant is a rather smart blue-black member of the pheasant family and it may be on the edge of extinction. Leading scientists, conservationists and aviculturalists from Europe and South-east Asia met at Walsrode in Germany recently to formulate a rescue plan.

Vietnam 153

Vietnam 2000 Germany Groups 153

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2019

Incidentally, Italy, Belgium, and Portugal are among the eighteen countries where falconry is inscribed as a living human heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESC0), attesting to the great heritage of this sport in many parts of the world.

2016 125

2016 Portugal Falcons Japan 125

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. The Blue Whistling Thrush is presumably named for its loud human-like whistling, and possibly for being blue.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2011

European Storks are majestic, they’re graceful and stately and all of the positively connotated adjectives that are applied to birds to which humans have a long and pleasant history rooted deep in our western cultural heritage. In fact, there’s hardly a bird in the world that has such a venerated relationship with us.

North America 170

North America Pedigree South Carolina Brazil 170

Critter News

JANUARY 22, 2009

Greenland Fisheries Minister Finn Karlsen, dressed in a traditional white Inuit sealskin jacket, insisted such a ban would “have severe and negative consequence for hunters and their families.” “Our Tags: canada greenland europe seal hunters seals. The article does say that the Inuit communities would have special exemptions.

Seals 100

Seals Canada Hunting Hunters 100

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 24, 2012

Families get ready for fun in the sun with loads of sunscreen and cute hats, but many don’t realize they need to safeguard their four-legged friends from the spiking temperatures as well. Like humans, dogs are susceptible to dehydration, overheating and sickness due to the sun and heat.

Dogs 100

Dogs Pets Puppies Asia 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

I say “the” mountain ash, but I am actually speaking of a collective – over a hundred species (the exact number is contested) of short trees and large shrubs found in the genus Sorbus of the family Rosaceae. Are small or large, twisted or straight rowans more common in the parts of Europe where they sustain the most lore?

Europe 160

Europe Collecting Humane Family 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2014

Parrots captivate me more than any other bird family. For one, they are remarkably diverse with a little over 380 species spread over every continent except Europe (only introduced) and Antarctica. However, they do not occur evenly across their familial distribution. I am a self-proclaimed psittacophile.

Parrots 167

Parrots Brazil Mauritius Dominica 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family. It breeds on chimneys, roofs, buildings and trees throughout Europe, parts of Asia and even North Africa.

Africa 233

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 233

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2022

For some reason that I do not quite understand myself – given that I really rather dislike children and am not too positive about the rest of humanity either – I recently put up a little display of bird photos inside my Shanghai compound, which I share (as the only foreigner) with about 1700 Chinese.

Birds 162

Birds Fish Germany China 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2012

Sure, the old runways and service roads are still there but the areas between them are not mowed very often, some of the paved areas have been allowed to go completely wild, and nature, as always, finds its way back in as soon as humanity turns its back. It was one of the busiest airports in the 1930s, is home to a building 1.2

Birds 197

Birds 2010 Humane Family 197

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Generally the large family herds of buffalo are peaceful, but the old bulls (called “dagga” boys, “dagga” being a Zulu word for “mud” since they are often covered with the substance after their long wallows) who have left the herds tend to be furious with life in general and anyone they can smash in particular.

Buffalo 195

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 195

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2016

The world is still turning, the blog didn’t crash, no anonymous threats against my family on social media … I guess my small series on gulls may continue with part 2 of 3, which will focus on the Herring Gull ‘s second side-kick: Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans. Yes, there are Caspian Gulls on this picture. And Jackdaws.

Kazakhstan 111

Kazakhstan Germany Ukraine Asia 111

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation. The species are taxonomically divided into two families: Tytonidae, Barn-Owls, and Strigidae, Owls, encompassed in one order, Strigiformes. They are also hunted.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2020

This boldness isn’t restricted to exchanges with other grouse, either: in some locales, members of this circumpolar family are astonishingly foolhardy around humans. But there’s at least one night on the Scottish calendar when the grouse enjoys a reprieve, at least from human appetites.

Sheep 189

Sheep Branding Ireland Fowl 189

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

A few do breed in Europe, on the extreme north-east of European Russia. The latter is half the size of the Grey, but with its stout beak and prominent eyes shows a distinct family likeness. I watched it run forward to tug a fine, fat lug worm out of the mud, which it eventually swallowed with what one has to assume was relish.

Geese 175

Geese Russia Breeding Unwanted 175

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2019

When I came here for the first time, the Kerkini Lake was the only place in Europe where Dalmatian Pelicans were increasing their numbers. Below legal size for humans is still legal for pelicans. This is my only way in and out of the harbour,” Nikos good-naturedly complained. Dalmatian Pelican © Dusanka Stokovic-Simic.

Greece 189

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Fish 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2011

Gray Jay : This drab but charismatic species demonstrates that the more a bird interacts with humans, the more colloquial names it will tend to pick up. Once known as the Canada Jay, but more interestingly by such tags as Camp Robber and Venison Hawk for its habit of hanging around humans and viewing them as a food source.

Hunters 178

Hunters Falcons Ducks Montana 178

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2015

As a bonus, they are often heavily visited and as a consequence the birds found in them are used to large numbers of people having picnics, regarding begonias, dating, courting, playing Frisbee, and are therefore untroubled by humans regarding them carefully. Kirstenbosch is famous for proteas.

Africa 182

Africa Birds South Africa Mongoose 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

March 14, 2011 Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Jon Gassett, Commissioner One Sportsman’s Lane Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Dear Mr. Gassett, I am a writer, naturalist and artist with a special interest in human/bird interactions. Sandhill Hunt: They’re Voting Now Sandhill Cranes: Game Birds?

2011 239

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 239

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2024

But not in Europe either. One of these pages is dedicated to the harm and benefit the species has for humans, while a full page is dedicated to instructions on how to hunt the bird: The translation of the first sentence indicates the general tone: “They are not very shy, and easy to shoot.” Not an in-vitro photo.

Birds 180

Birds Research Science Europe 180

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

While the HBW describes the bulbul family as “often rather plain”, I find them usually quite attractive, though in an understated way that may not appeal to the flashiness-seeking HBW authors. The Black Drongo is a very common member of the family. Going with a Chinese friend or guide is thus recommended.

Birds 173

Birds Woodpeckers Kangaroos Madagascar 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

While mainly an Asian bird, the Red-flanked Bluetail has recently been seen in parts of Europe (particularly Finland and Scotland) more frequently, indicating a possible range extension ( source ). Like this bird family b. I wonder if male eBird employees ever call their girlfriends “modestly attractive”?

Birds 130

Birds Iraq China Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

Picidae, Woodpecker, is one of those charismatic bird families that everybody gets excited about. Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide is the first major guide to family Picidae in 20 years. Gorman, a Brit who now resides in Central Europe, is a naturalist and tour leader who specializes in Eastern Europe and woodpeckers.

Woodpeckers 234

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 234

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

This is how, I think, the “Crossley technique” works best—coverage of specific bird families that pose identification challenges to birders at all levels of skill. And Hybrids: Waterfowl tend to hybridize to a greater degree than most other bird families, and the guide does an excellent job of covering hybrids.

Ducks 114

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 114