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Fur and Fangs rather than Feathers and Beaks

10,000 Birds

Memorable encounters with Mammals: Part I Most birdwatchers enjoy seeing mammals, but the trouble with mammals is that they tend to be much more challenging to see than birds. On my 21-day Kenyan safaris we reckoned to find around 600 species of birds and around 60 mammals, both impressive totals.

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Freeze-birding down the Danube

10,000 Birds

A shot or two coming from the opposite bank, but they do not sound like geese shooting – more like boar hunting. A goose hunt sounds like a WWII battle. The only mammals of the day were feral Nutrias (Coypus), aquatic rodents originally from southern South America released from the bankrupt fur-farms and well established here.

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The Geladas of Ethiopia

10,000 Birds

They strut about flicking their luxurious fur capes, roaring, displaying their massive canines, chasing off rival males and generally just releasing their built-up testosterone, but back at the ranch, it’s the females that actually call the shots. Mammals Ethiopia Gelada' they are the most terrestrial primate after humans.

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Poop From The Front End Of The Bird

10,000 Birds

It’s not fecal material, but parts that are not digestible like fur, bones and the exoskeletons of insects. For example, since eagles and hawks tend to rip their prey apart and have stronger digestive acids, their pellets look like wads of fur. There was also a mammal jawbone in the pellet too. Was that a cardinal beak?

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Acclimatisation Societies of New Zealand

10,000 Birds

There were no mammals, little game, and not many birds either. Secondly, New Zealand had already experienced on wave of extinction due to the introduction or rats and human hunting. Brush-tailed Possums were brought from Australia to help start a fur industry. Part of the world they wanted to transport was natural.

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Where to See Kiwi (and other birds) During the Rugby World Cup

10,000 Birds

North of Dunedin is Orokonui , a wildlife Sanctuary modeled on Karori with a fence to keep introduced mammals out. Abel Tasman is popular for its easy hiking trail along the coast and kayaking, keep an eye out for New Zealand Fur Seals and Spotted Shags. And to the south are The Catlins, mentioned above. You really are spoiled here.

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Sperm Whales in Kaikoura

10,000 Birds

What put this once small fishing town on the map was not birds but mammals, specifically whales and dolphins. Being a convenient stop between the ferry town of Picton and the city of Christchurch didn’t hurt, but it was the chance to get up close and personal with marine mammals that turned the place into a popular tourist destination.

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