10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2020

You may need to bird with an open mind and watching eye but look close and even the pigeons flying through human-made canyons can be a source of inspiration, their swift flight transforming them into amazing creatures and taking us to other places. Like the Urban Birder says, “Look up! I can’t wait to see you here.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Panama Arizona Protection 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2022

Even so, in the short term, it can be hard to accept that hundreds of species are close to being extinguished from this irreplaceble tapestry of life, that hundreds more are headed for the same eventual abysmal stop. We would see how species that used to be common, even abundant, became remnants of their former, robust populations.

Costa Rica 251

Costa Rica Parrots Albatross Birds 251

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 177

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 177

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

I got to see a beautiful female and owlet on a trip to a secret nest location near Howard Prairie Lake (human-made nest structures have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites). The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY.

2014 184

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 184

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2020

This includes current research (up to about 2016, but mostly earlier) on how climate change and human change are affecting the birds’ ecology and behavior. There are too many buts, excepts, and maybe’s, a lot of research on some species and very little on others.

Research 166

Research Birds Hoarding Sweden 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

These sorts of tests have been done in many species and it has always been assumed (hoped), that what they found in the little white cages at the back of the zoology department had some wonderful relevance to what happened in the real world. Instead, those species that are neophobic tend to have either a naturally. Makes sense really.

Cats 147

Cats 2011 Costa Rica Deer 147