10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

That will be the opening day of the 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. Florida is a great place to bird in January because in addition to the year-round species there are a host of birds that winter in the relatively balmy climate that Florida has in winter. Have I missed anything?

2015 201

2015 Wildlife Florida Birds 201

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2019

After being “officially” closed during the government shutdown, Florida’s Gulf Islands National Seashore didn’t look too worse for wear when my husband and I visited over the weekend. As a duck hunter, he had seen Redheads and scaups and mergansers throughout the winter, but as I did not relish getting up at 3:30 a.m.

Bald Eagle 113

Bald Eagle 2019 Florida Hunters 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

I’ve been learning to band birds at the South Florida Bird Observatory. Of course I’ve seen these birds in Florida many times but I never really appreciated just how big these nocturnal bucket mouths are. In Florida, many birds remain year-round.

Florida 243

Florida South America United States North America 243

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2019

Linking the mainland of the Florida Panhandle to the barrier island of Navarre Beach, half the bridge structure slopes to the water as sandy edges and sea wall. Though the terns actively feed throughout the day, the skimmers wait until dawn and evening to hunt for prey in small flocks, flying low and fast across the water.

Protection 113

Protection Florida Eggs Hunting 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2016

It was odd to realize that with a temperature of 85 degrees F and a breeze, I felt like “fall” had begun in Northwest Florida. Here and there, spits of pale sand became playgrounds for families and dogs, or hunting areas for Great Blue Herons. These river areas of Northwest Florida always strike me as mysterious.

Bald Eagle 154

Bald Eagle Florida Alligators Fish 154

10,000 Birds

MAY 29, 2012

In early May, I reluctantly accepted my parental obligation to bring my children to Orlando, Florida. At least, thought I, Florida would produce some superior birds. Orlando, Florida is an ecological blight. Actually, the best live bird I spotted on site was a wild White Ibis , one of my favorite Florida birds.

Florida 174

Florida Birds Alligators Turtles 174

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2015

I hear them constantly calling with that steadily repeated squealing keeyuur, keeyuur, keeyuur , and I see them more often in early summer hunting for food for their nestlings. You may want to compare this dark Western Red-shouldered Hawk to Corey’s paler Florida variety here.

Sacramento 177

Sacramento Wildlife Florida Hunting 177

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

The Aruban Burrowing Owl hunts primarily from the ground, hopping and running after lizards, insects, and small mammals. Though not based on the Aruba populations, the movie portrayed a group of friends from Florida trying to save Burrowing Owl habitat from destruction.

Prairie Dogs 101

Prairie Dogs Tortoises Owls South America 101

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2017

In addition to a pair of swimming Common Gallinules , we watched the hunting antics of a juvenile Little Blue Heron , half blue and half white as it transitioned to adult plumage. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, which is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited in Florida.

Wildlife 100

Wildlife Florida Pelicans Fish 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2015

Another day, another dead lion erupting in the world’s media, another opportunity for me to annoy my few remaining anti-hunting friends. There isn’t too much I could write on the subject that isn’t dealt with much better by David Shiffman, a shark conservationist from Florida. Go read his take. I’ll wait. .

Hunters 170

Hunters Hunting Animal Cruelty Game 170

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2012

It was a real pleasure to have a friend and colleague, Simon, accompany me on a visit to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Miami this week. My experience of Common Nighthawks had previously been at dusk as they begin hunting for the night. In southern Florida, this might suggest an Antillean Nighthawk.

Miami 168

Miami Florida Hunting Breeding 168

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

This is the final of three posts about the day I spent birding central Florida with Doug Gochfeld back in January at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival. Cloud on the southern edge of East Lake Tohopekaliga, which the locals call East Lake Toho, and our final birding destination for our central Florida run, Kaliga Park.

Florida 151

Florida Birds Wildlife Hunting 151

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Some of the most prolific killing fields were in the marshes of the American West (I knew about Florida but was surprised at how widespread it was), where men shot birds such as grebes, terns, pelicans, snowy egrets, and great egrets. What compelled these men, beyond desire for money, to kill birds?

Hunters 199

Hunters Oregon San Francisco Portland 199

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

She was a native of Florida and said, “I thought since it was summer it would be warm, even for you people.” A few years ago I planned a winter trip to Florida and a record cold snap and frost hit. Hunting sections will always have gloves, wool socks, bug spray–all sorts of handy tools.

Birds 260

Birds North Dakota Florida Soreing 260

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2012

As a result, animals like the Florida panther and diminishing habitats like the prairie grasslands stand a fighting chance. Proposal: Creation of a Federal Wildlife Conservation Stamp A birder, wildlife watcher, photographer and non-hunter version of the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (aka Federal Duck Stamp).

Wildlife 205

Wildlife Hunters Ducks Hunting 205

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2019

There had been reports of a couple of real rarities up in Florida ( pronounced Flor-ee-da) Canyon, just to the north of Madera Canyon, so I was up at o-dark thirty the very next day after getting the owls. Matt was working on his own US Big Year, and wanted to join me for the hunt. Giles Daubney – Melbourne Australia.

Costa Rica 134

Costa Rica Tucson South Africa Bahamas 134

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

The birds interacted in the air several times and watching their behavior with each other and while they were hunting was educational and enjoyable. Cloud’s Lakefront Park on East Lake Tohopekaliga, was fruitful and I got to watch two different Snail Kites looking for snails. Snail Kites flying over the marshes at East Lake Toho.

Lifestyle 215

Lifestyle Meat Wildlife Florida 215

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2019

In the spring (when they look like they do — the males, that is — in the photo on the left, above) they fly more than six thousand miles from the Amazon Basin to the Arctic, via Florida and Ohio. Kaufman is attuned to these sorts of ironies, ones that sometimes arise from supposedly competing interests.

Ohio 200

Ohio Bats Legislature Ducks 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

There’s very little thrill of the hunt, very little excitement. Nutmeg Mannikin is pretty common in SoCal, and getting that way in Florida, Texas, and along the Gulf Coast. There’s something very matter-of-fact about seeking out non-native target species. It feels almost cheap. There can be no denying it.

San Diego 181

San Diego California Unwanted Texas 181

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

At some stage, a salmon-hunting bear at a shingle beach came too close, mere 9 steps. Florida scrub jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens. Now, you should know Lucky, he’s no taller than my wife, who is of average height for a woman, and that bear was at least 4-5 times heavier than him. Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius.

Animal 115

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2013

Driving around for other species such as Northern Shrike , Ruffed Grouse , and Rough-legged Hawk afforded plenty of opportunity to soak in the unique beauty of a boreal forest in winter, with many bits of landscape seemingly taken out of a Christmas card scene familiar to me while shopping for them in southern Florida.

Minnesota 190

Minnesota Owls Bald Eagle Hoarding 190

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Seeing several different American Bitterns up close and hunting in the open was a fascinating experience which probably explains why I took so many pictures of them. You see, the Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is kind of ridiculous when it comes to good looks at American Bitterns. How ridiculous?

Wildlife 189

Wildlife Hunting Experience Experiments 189

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

boat trip, and despite the heat of the day quickly ticked off Tricolored Herons , White Ibises, Little Blue Herons, and even Yellow-crowed Night Herons hunting in the reeds or resting at the base of towering cypress trees. We opted for the 12:30 p.m. Both Black and Turkey Vultures swooped overhead, occasionally upstaged by a shrieking Osprey.

Alligators 118

Alligators Turkey Family Hunting 118

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

As a result, there is a substantial backlog of federal land acquisition needs estimated at more than $30 billion—including places vulnerable to development such as the Florida Everglades, Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, Civil War battlefields in Virginia and other precious places around the country.

Legislation 173

Legislation Montana America Wyoming 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2013

Though as the Sacred Ibis continues to make inroads in Florida, that line gets more and more blurry every year. They are birds of the march, with long billed particularly adept at probing mud and extracting prey critters from well-dug trenches. Southern Bald Ibis , photo by Adam Riley.

Birds 217

Birds North America Charlotte New Jersey 217

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2016

Of course, I contacted Carlos Sanchez , alleged south Florida birder extraordinaire, to maximize the returns on what time I could spend. From the bulbuls we went in search of another introduced species that has taken to south Florida like home. Let me get out of the car before making me look at birds! What is it with this guy?

Florida 121

Florida Miami Birds Owls 121

Animal Person

MARCH 9, 2010

Dunayer devotes a chapter each to the language used in hunting, zoos, "marine parks," vivisection and "animal agriculture." An animal's own terms are 'Don't hunt me'" (49). "At Sea World of Florida has directed its staff to replace tank with aquarium , and cage with enclosure " (94). "In Often it permanently disables or kills.

Animal 100

Animal Vivisection Suffering Emotional 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2018

I love the challenge of “the hunt” and the satisfaction of the find but I also have the ones I want to see the most, my biggest targets if you will. Many are on the Costa Rica list and many of those sprite songbirds are rare vagrants to Costa Rica, especially ones that are expected in Florida. This bird does indeed glow.

Costa Rica 101

Costa Rica Bald Eagle Eagles Birds 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Another item they feed on is hunting edible bird nest swiftlets, which are quite common in edible swiftlet houses in Sabah, Malaysia ( source ). The first attempt in hunting was made by the male hornbill which was seen snapping at a passing swiftlet, but was unsuccessful.

Rhinoceros 129

Rhinoceros Singapore Transported Hunting 129

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

In addition to habitat loss, extreme weather, invasive species, hunting, and the illegal capture of birds for pet markets are major contributing factors. Each account gives population estimate, population trend, estimated area, endemism level, reasons why the species is threatened, and conservation measures adopted and proposed.

Cuba 234

Cuba Birds United States 2000 234

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Later, Harry Fuller, President of the Klamath Bird Observatory, led us to an open meadow where we saw a pair of Great Gray Owls hunting in a meadow. And I can’t forget the awesome birds I saw in Florida in January. (If Larry’s BBOTY – Great Gray Owl.

2014 192

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 192

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

The USA’s only truly indigenous parrot was wiped out by a combination of factors, although direct persecution through hunting seems to have been the major contributor. The Carolina Parakeet was extinct by 1918 and extinct in the wild by about 1904. Today, if you want to see parrots in the USA you need look no further than Miami.

Miami 137

Miami Parrots Research Birds 137

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2019

John James Audubon first heard the sparrow in July, 1944, on a buffalo hunt in North Dakota. Whooping Crane, Florida. There is a small resident population in Polk County, Florida, in the middle of the peninsula, mostly on protected land, and once in a while they show up in a place where they can be easily observed.

2018 161

2018 New Jersey Michigan North Dakota 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2015

It’s amazing how shy they can be in New York when you consider that they practically throw themselves on you in Florida. scruffy looking Tree Swallow hunting for some bug life. This is the only shot I got that is remotely presentable. And how can I not appreciate that? They’re not the ABA Bird of the Year for nothing!

New York 157

New York Virginia Hunting Florida 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2024

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.”

Birds 196

Birds Research Science Europe 196

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2011

Breeding behaviour and plumage was very apparent, but John Wise , an ex-pat Brit now resident in Orlando, told me that the birds’ activities had been held up for a couple of weeks during a cold snap that saw frosts in Florida. There are more at the Orlando, Florida post on Redgannet. Get yours today!

2011 117

2011 Alligators Florida Deer 117

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

Hunting: You may have noticed that the Written Species Accounts include a section on hunting. I am a city girl and until I became a birder my contact with hunting was limited to occasionally seeing dead deer on the tops of cars in upstate New York. So–not a fan of hunting. So–not a fan of hunting.

Ducks 121

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 121