10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). They are traditionally pastoral people, but have from necessity accepted agriculture, fishing and crocodile hunting as means of survival. Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 247

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Game 247

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

If this was America, we might not be concerned because starlings are an invasive species, at least in North America. But in Iraq, and more exactly, Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan, they are supposed to be there (and are regularly hunted and eaten) and the fighting is not supposed to be there. BBC has the story as a video.

Science 152

Science Iraq Research Birds 152

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. millions years ago.

California Condor 188

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 188

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2011

I got out of the car, climbed a small hill where the shooting benches were and realized I was looking at a fabulous patch of habitat for a great gray owl to hunt. The day shift, hunting the meadow. I mumble the species’ name over and over something like this: that’s a *&$#^ Great Gray Owl! My God what a creature!

Connecticut 175

Connecticut North Dakota Ohio Owls 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2021

From there, we entered a side tributary full of Ringed and Amazon Kingfishers , with Chestnut-fronted and Scarlet Macaws in flight… and then the noise: groans, croaks and grunts… and the smell… of this 65 million years old species, so old that the last dinosaurs must have fed on them! Photo by Juan Carlos.

Dolphins 263

Dolphins Colombia Otters Birds 263

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

There’s an unofficial series of posts on species of birds that occur in threes in T&T (see: bitterns , trogons , antshrikes , spinetails , manakins , hermits , honeycreepers , and resident warblers ). We also saw a small group of Guianan Red Howler Monkeys feeding nearby. Broad-winged Hawk. Slowly, we continued.

Trinidad 254

Trinidad Birds Tigers Groups 254

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2016

In her book, “ On a Wing and a Prayer, “ Sarah Woods describes the bird that captured her interest when she first visited Panama: “At more than one metre tall and able to kill a monkey with a single swipe of its powerful, knife-like talons, [H]arpy [E]agles are incredibly hard to find.” A Harpy Eagle.

Panama 100

Panama Grizzly Bear Porcupines Eagles 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

Basically, this species is so dimwitted, it doesn’t know how to survive. Because, Pink Pigeons are not capable of doing the tasks required to create and bring up children of the species. Don’t these birds care about propagating their species? What happened to Thelma and Louise? I know, that’s harsh.

Mauritius 102

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 102

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

Like Kapiti the island is an offshore refuge for many species extinct on the mainland, with a lot of the work being done by the voluntary Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi. On my first visit to the island a few years ago I even found one hunting for sandhoppers and other assorted treats in the washed up seaweed on the beach.

New Zealand 149

New Zealand 2011 Deer Cats 149

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

To be honest, both the robin and the flycatchers shown above remind me of the easter eggs I hunted for as a child – the same strong colors in front of a green background, same time of the year (feel free to insert your own Proust Madeleine reference here) … Bluethroats apparently are good at imitating other birds.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2022

Logging roads have opened up vast areas to commercial hunting, leading to industrial-scale poaching and a more than 60 per cent drop in the region’s Forest Elephant population in less than a decade. Other primates include Chimpanzee and Putty-nosed Monkey, several duiker antelope species, etc.

Central African Republic 299

Central African Republic Congo Gabon Gorillas 299

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

Nineteen days later we had racked up an amazing list of 436 species, including some of Africa’s least known birds such as Congo Serpent Eagle , Yellow-footed Honeyguide , Tessmann’s Flycatcher , Yellow-bearded Greenbul , Black-collared Lovebird and much besides. We also knew we had discovered Africa’s next hot birding destination.

Ghana 197

Ghana Hunters Gambia Guinea 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2014

Between the 22 of December and the 31st I managed to see 171 species of bird, this had climbed to 219 by the time I had left of the 11th of January. This included 5 days without family, but I didn’t get more than 35 extra species without them. And the birds? I saw plenty. Think of the Jungle Ride at Disney.

Birds 188

Birds Bats Elephants Family 188