article thumbnail

Hawking for Nighthawks

10,000 Birds

Scores of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circled overhead, these vocal ducks are often hunted illegally here so it was refreshing to see so many. Farmers keep their livestock in this wetland also. Arriving before sunrise, we could already see the thick clouds on the horizon.

Livestock 215
article thumbnail

A Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington: Senator George P. McLean, Birdman of the Senate

10,000 Birds

Plume hunting raged supreme 150 years ago, when egret feathers were part of a worldwide trade in feathers and other bird parts, used for women’s hats and other articles of clothing (but mostly hats), delighting the upper classes and practically wiping out bird species. It has become the cornerstone of U.S.