Critter News

DECEMBER 25, 2009

We recently posted about the University of Kansas which, in response to USDA-cited lab violations, is spending about $1 million on lab renovations (although now I'm hearing it's more like $700,000.) Tags: animal research Kansas PETA Now PETA is saying that the NIH (National Institutes of Health) should take back the grant money it gave the university. Sorry for the cynicism, but.HAH! Good luck with that argument! The NIH doesn't take back grant money.

Kansas 116

Kansas PETA 2009 Tagged Animal 116

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

The sun was setting fast as my mom and I left Council Grove, Kansas, after a delicious steak dinner and a three hour expedition across the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. We loved the undulating green of the Kansas Flint Hills, and the positive endorphins of the hike pumped through our veins. While we watched from the dam, the Kansas pelicans suddenly alighted, swirling up for a few seconds before settling on the stones once more, like ghostly apparitions.

Kansas 46

Kansas 2018 ALA Cattle 46

Critter News

DECEMBER 22, 2009

Kansas University Medical Center was nailed by USDA inspectors for violations including improper treatment for sick animals, aging facilities and failing to provide appropriate enrichment opportunities for animals who appear to be under psychological stress.

Kansas 109

Kansas Welfare 2009 Psychology 109

Critter News

MARCH 14, 2009

It's a two-week old kitten from Kansas. I am no fan of breeders, I'll admit it. I think there are many disreputable breeders, I think they are increasing a bloated supply of pets, and I think there are many purebreds already available from shelters. Are there good breeders out there that care for their animals and run their business out of pure love of their work and the animals? Sure, but I just don't think it helps the problem of pet overpopulation.

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Kansas Kittens 2009 Purebred 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

As bad as birders think photographers are and photographers think birders are neither is as bad as the jerk who took a pot shot at a Snowy Owl in Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, near Great Bend, Kansas. The bird was brought in to a veterinarian but it was too late and the owl died. Asides

Kansas 56

Kansas Owls 2012 Wildlife 56

Critter News

APRIL 22, 2010

An animal rights activist has offered $30,000 to anyone who facilitates the freeing of primates, or the end of vivisection, at the University of Kansas, a place cited for numerous animal welfare violations. Tags: University of Kansas animal research vivisection primates He does not condone violent or illegal acts. Good luck.

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Primates 2010 illegal Animal Welfare 118

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 2, 2013

Gulf Coast over Georgetown and LaSalle over Kansas St, proving that mayhem is everywhere making it difficult for even the most knowledgeable basketball analysts to predict what will happen. Seems that some dolphins are getting in on the March Madness! College basketball legend Dick Vitale has been going head-to-head in a bracket pick ‘em contest against the sports-predicting dolphins of Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium as part of the Allstate March Mayhem Challenge.

Dolphins 166

Dolphins 2013 Wichita Georgia 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2012

A Kansas Snowy Owl that was seen by hundreds of birders was struck and killed by a car. At death, it weighed 876 grams, about half what a healthy owl should weight. Asides

Kansas 58

Kansas Killing Owls 2012 58

Critter News

APRIL 24, 2012

Nationally, California ranks behind Texas, Kansas and Nebraska in total cattle numbers. Potentially bad news for California Agriculture. Read the full story here at the LA Times. The reemergence of mad cow disease, discovered in a California dairy cow, could have major implications for the state’s meat industry, even though officials have said that the human food supply is unaffected. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy hasn’t been found in U.S.

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Cows California 2012 Kansas 116

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 20, 2012

Tom Harvy, the holder of the Kansas Zoo, stated that Isabella managed to perform all her maternal duties: she did not notice the difference between species, feeding, cleaning and licking the cubs permanently. It turns out that people are not the only ones, who can adopt children – animals are good at this as well. Especially it is associated with dogs, which may raise kids of other species and even of scary and dangerous representatives of wildlife!

2012 122

2012 Tigers Badgers Ukraine 122

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2019

In addition to spotting exciting new species in Florida, including the rare Snail Kite, travel across the country brought me into contact with birds in Oregon, California, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alabama, and more. 2018 proved to be one of my best birding years ever.

2019 55

2019 Alabama Kansas Bald Eagle 55

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2013

Kansas Jayhawks. Greetings, 10,000 Birds readers! I’m thrilled to be contributing all the little tidbits I find to the Nature News beat. And there’s little that’s newsier (in the U.S., at least) at the moment than the NCAA men’s Division I basketball tournament! Birds have already begun making their presence known on the court. Among the “First Four” games, the LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds faced the squad from James Madison University.

Louisville 68

Louisville 2013 Bald Eagle Kansas 68

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2018

I would add new sightings to my current year list, which has stood at 250 since the Bell’s Vireo I spotted in Kansas on September 7th. Originally, I had big plans for the October Big Day. I would wake up in darkness, gather my camera and binoculars and drive to Alabama for a birding tour along a river. I would tick off migrating songbirds, from tanagers to vireos and everything in between.

2018 43

2018 Florida Alabama Kansas 43

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2012

Toucans tell you that you aren’t in Kansas anymore. There’s something about a toucan, isn’t there? They affirm that the tropics are true, not just myths manufactured to make those of us with winter jealous. Thanks to a childhood steeped in sugary cereal, I’ve always had a soft spot for Toucan Sam and his ilk. And while I’ve seen a number of different toucan species, every one is a thrill, even the toucanets!

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Kansas 2012 2010 South America 73

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 25, 2010

Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, David Berkowtiz (“The Son of Sam”), Albert DeSalvo (“The Boston Strangler”) and Dennis Rader (Kansas’ “BTK killer”) all abused animals before their other crimes, as did many of the teenagers who went on shooting rampages at their high schools: Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris (Columbine, CO), Luke Woodham (Pearl, MS) and Kip Kinkel (Springfield, OR). I recently got an email from the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

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Animal Legal Defense Fund 2010 ALDF Hoarding 122

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

I don’t think I have added any new species, but I did add Alaska, Kansas, and Oklahoma to the group state list. According to eBird , I have been an eBirder since December 23, 2009, so today is my 10th eBird anniversary. During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. and Canada.

2019 55

2019 Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Vermont 55

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2018

On eBird profile pages, size matters: tiny Delaware is barely noticeable whereas Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri are conspicuous. According to eBird , I have been entering checklists since December 23, 2009, and I find it an incredibly useful way to maintain my lists, plan birding travel, and keep up on my favorite hotspots. eBird automatically organizes my observations by country, state, and county, and keeps running totals for my life and year lists.

2018 46

2018 Puerto Rico District of Columbia Michigan 46

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2018

Quivira NWR (Kansas). There are more than 550 national wildlife refuges in the United States, with at least one in every state and one within an hour drive of almost every major American city. Many were specifically established for migratory birds and are strategically positioned along one of the four major North American migration flyways. Others were established to protect specific bird species or subspecies. But they primary protect land, an essential but dwindling avian resource.

2018 67

2018 Wildlife Las Vegas Minneapolis 67

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2020

A bird of prey showed up in the tiny park across the boulevard from me yesterday, setting himself down on a park bench and ignoring a crowd of socially-distanced smart phone wielding photographers. He became the social media hit of the day: “A Peregrine Falcon in Forest Hills!”

North America 83

North America 2020 America Hawaii 83

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2020

But before we get into new predictions, let’s take a look at what I predicted would be my next ten birds way back in 2015 when Barack Obama was still president, the Kansas City Royals were working their way to a World Series victory, and I was still on the young side of forty.

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2020 2018 2015 2019 56

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2011

Everything is coming to a head in Kansas. The Greater Prairie Chicken , once common throughout North America, has undergone rapid population decline, mostly due to habitat loss. The tallgrass prairie that once blanketed the Midwest has been almost completely converted to cropland, leaving Tympanuchus cupido painfully vulnerable. The Greater Prairie Chicken’s story seems to be a tragic one, but Timothy Barksdale sees something compelling in it.

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Kansas 2011 North America America 62

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

There is, however, an eBird hotspot for the Geographical Center of the Continental United States , so be sure to submit a checklist next time you’re in that part of Smith County, Kansas. In upstate New York (where I call I home and do most of my birding), Great Blue Herons serve as both augurs of spring and emblems of wintertime perseverance, depending on the year. In my last seven years living here, I’ve seen one on New Year’s Day counts twice.

2019 43

2019 Kansas Washington New York City 43

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

However, most states have less than 100 species, including: Missouri (98); Wyoming (97); Delaware (83); Massachusetts (81); Maine (76); Louisiana (73); Maryland (62); Idaho (57); Georgia (54); Nevada (53); South Carolina (49); Vermont (34); Alaska (34); New Hampshire (31); Indiana (27); Kansas (23); Tennessee (17); Ohio (16); South Dakota (14); Montana (11); Arkansas (8).

2018 45

2018 Rhode Island Puerto Rico Minnesota 45

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2014

A hero of the Rip Van Winkle Rod & Gun Club is – no doubt – Bob Aronsohn, who lives in Kansas and in December 2013 celebrated killing his 150,000th crow. I am not anti-hunting. I won’t pick a fight with hunters, as long as they eat what they shoot and don’t use lead ammunition. However, I will pick a fight with the Rip Van Winkle Rod and Gun Club in Palenville, New York, which is sponsoring their fourth annual “Crow Down” March 29-30, 2014.

2014 85

2014 Killing Slaughter Slaughtered 85

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2017

It only takes a few looks at some of the jays in Mexico to know that Kansas is definitely on the far side of some distant rainbow, and if we go birding in the Amazon, Borneo, or New Guinea, you might wonder if you are still on the same bird planet. Some birds are so familiar, even non-birders can’t help but know what they are, or at least what family they belong to.

Costa Rica 47

Costa Rica 2017 Dominican Republic Kansas 47

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

First, we were on a schedule that, while not tight, did involve being in Kansas City before nightfall. So, the good news is I defended my thesis successfully. The bad news is I then celebrated too hard, fell down, and broke my wrist.

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Sparrows 2013 St. Louis Kansas City 67

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2018

This is hardly unique, as several others also have more than 90% of their acreage purchased with MBCF funds, including: Bombay Hook NWR in Delaware (95.2%), Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico (99.2%), Horicon NWR in Wisconsin (98.7%), Lee Metcalf NWR in Montana (96.3%), Parker River NWR in Massachusetts (97.7%), Pea Island NWR in North Carolina (99.2%), and Quivira NWR in Kansas (99.1%). Quivira NWR (Kansas): 99.1%. In June, the 2018-2019 Federal Duck Stamp was released.

2018 67

2018 Ducks Wildlife Texas 67

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2018

Jason hoisted his colours in Kansas and claimed the state for 10,000 Birds. The nights are drawing in and the mornings are cooler and noticeably damper. It’s September and time for birds to start their southerly journeys. The beats have been out to line their route and cheer them along, wishing them bon voyage and a safe return next spring. At the far ends of the world, our southern beats are poised to welcome them back.

2018 43

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 43