10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Paging through a fieldguide, it’s always with a sense of dismay and sadness that I come across reference to an extinct species. Madagascar, however, has had more than its fair share of extinct or lost species and Madagascar Pochard was firmly on this list. Then in 1991, a fisherman on the lake caught a male in his fishing net.

Madagascar 242

Madagascar Lemurs 2006 Owls 242

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

There wasn’t much around, and aside from a lifer Yellow-bellied Bulbul the two most impressive species were heard not seen – a Blue-headed Pitta an a Banded Kingfisher. Two highlights of the walk back were a bright green Greater Green Leafbird and a Lesser Fish Eagle following the road above our heads. Did I mention them?

Lemurs 159

Lemurs Family Rhinoceros Fish 159

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 17, 2010

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed two endangered baby red-ruffed lemurs on April 21. The babies are the first lemurs to be born at Jambo Junction, home to the parks’ animal ambassadors, since Maditra and Bozeny arrived as babies three years ago. Lemurs are a species of primate, and reach sexual maturity between 2 and 3 years old.

Lemurs 100

Lemurs Madagascar Tampa Rescue 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. Some sort of ancient fish-with-feet is the ancestors of humans.

Monkeys 140

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 140