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Welcome Back Waterfowl at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

10,000 Birds

Like several of my favorite NWRs, this one was established as a haven for migratory birds, most notably waterfowl, during the bad old days when uncontrolled hunting and habitat loss had put the future of even species we now think of as common in doubt. Fish and Wildlife Service a. Welcome back waterfowl, indeed.

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Our Best Birds of 2020

10,000 Birds

But in 2020, with all my travel plans cancelled and pretty much everything shut down, I wasn’t straying too far from Albany, New York for birding. The closest I’ve ever come to breaking that run was in 2014, when I only had six lifers all year.

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Feral Cats in American Cities

10,000 Birds

They may be “outdoor cats” with a specific owner, stray pets, feral, or may have originated in one household and are now fed or cared for by other households in the neighborhood. Free-roaming cats will hunt and kill birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, resulting in wildlife mortality.