10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2021

For the fifth year in a row, I was assigned the prolific and well-known Aripo Livestock Station at the foothills of Trinidad’s Northern Range. For birders who have visited T&T in the past, the livestock station has always been a staple site for several key species that would be fairly difficult elsewhere.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Livestock Groups Eagles 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2016

Their wingspans can reach nearly 90 inches , and they have been known to prey on cranes and livestock. The oldest known Golden Eagle was over 30 years old, and as a species they prefer open and semi-open landscapes. Crested Caracaras, though they often associate with vultures, are actually part of the falcon family.

Albania 101

Albania Mexico Eagles Kazakhstan 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2023

Plume hunting raged supreme 150 years ago, when egret feathers were part of a worldwide trade in feathers and other bird parts, used for women’s hats and other articles of clothing (but mostly hats), delighting the upper classes and practically wiping out bird species. ©2023, Donna L. But this is not a hagiography.

Connecticut 147

Connecticut Washington Legislation Hunting 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). Quality time was spent with a friendly Hamar family at their homestead of grass huts surrounding their cattle corral. Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 240

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Game 240

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Moreover, the pair I saw was feeding from a livestock trough alongside a group of cattle. I have compiled the family trees of both birds below: Ancestry Chart of 1781, born in the wild in Central Florida. But most importantly its vital to reflect on how close we came to losing an incredible species.

Florida 224

Florida Buffalo Louisiana 2004 224

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

For many grassland species, our vast expanses of tilled and plowed fields, orchards and vineyards, pastures and rangeland offer an abundance of convenient food and shelter – and some bolder birds even wander indoors to find these things in our barns and stables. For most of history, beer has thrived in agrarian settings, too.

Vermont 118

Vermont Belgium Farming Europe 118

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2011

They’re all named for livestock. The naming of the hornbill family is a bit farther fetched. Wikimedia Commons Bucerotidae is etymologically opaque to most birders, I’d venture, but when Rafinesque described the family almost two centuries ago, he had kine on his mind.

Cows 142

Cows Cattle 2011 Birds 142