10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

If you’re feeling fearful or ignorant, well, I can recommend vox.com’s coverage (as in most things), but you could also do worse that picking up Spillover – Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. The book is about zoonoses, diseases that jump from animals to people. This lake is close to the cave.

Humane 164

Humane Animal Africa Ukraine 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2014

Earlier this year a cyclone blew through New Zealand and uprooted a lot of native trees on government land on South Island. The focus of the Department of Conservation has seemingly been turned from conservation to extracting maximum economic benefit out of New Zealand’s large amount of conservation land.

Rhinos 173

Rhinos Hunting New Zealand Science 173

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2015

How it is being affected by human intrusions? Science doesn’t work that way! I used the collections in Australasia to examine how climate and isolation affected the sized and shape of birds across New Zealand. Science Schmience. Or how gracefully it flew? Where and how it gathered food? Its natural longevity?

Collecting 168

Collecting Papua New Guinea Science Birds 168

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2015

If you want to know why most scientists support collecting this piece in Science explains it better than I can. I can understand why some people are conflicted, but the value to science of the collections is immense. New Zealand Bitterns. This collection isn’t some ghastly memorial or symbol of human stupidity.

Collecting 237

Collecting Solomon Islands New Zealand Fiji 237

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

The magnificent history and diversity of birds on Earth came into sharper focus this month with the publication of 28 new scientific papers in Science and other journals. So do parrots, some songbirds, humans, and a few other mammals. American Flamingo photo by Dick Culbert). Where do these abilities come from?

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2011

Last Sunday marked the end of an era in New Zealand with the sad passing of the conservationist and ornithologist and all round inspiration Don Merton. Both species had undergone massive declines since the arrival of humans and where in a perilous position in the 1970s. It worked, and the translocated birds were soon breeding.

Species 241

Species New Zealand Rats Endangered Species 241

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

None fly, most are curious and social, which probably contributes to our cultural perception of penguins as one step away from human. Science and Conservation , the second section, presents two-page summaries of the diverse research being done around the world about penguins. Some are cute, some are dignified (and royal!).

Penguins 215

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 215