10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2013

Also known as the Flyeater, this tiny bird is the only representative of the Australasian warbler family found in mainland Asia, and very similar to my own Grey Warblers in New Zealand, even their songs. If you have some time to kill, or better yet a tour of Thailand planned, be sure to include it!

Thailand 103

Thailand New Zealand Family Bats 103

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, one of the 145 species of Glass frogs living in the Cental and South American rainforests, I could look through the transparent skin on their undersides and see their internal organs. All species of frogs and toads share the fact that they are amphibian creatures, they have two types of skin gland, four legs, and, well, they jump.

Reptiles 190

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 190

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

Wildlife conservation is concerned with protecting wildlife at the level of species or perhaps population. With the exception of species that number in the hundreds, conservation biologists are not as concerned with the fates of individual animals, it is only when such fates of many individuals are added up do they begin to worry.

Animal Rights 267

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 267

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2011

On the islands that make their home, they are rock stars compared to parakeets that dig up storm-petrels to eat ( Antipodes Parakeet ), parrots that kill sheep in order to eat (the incomparable Kea ) and parrots that chew my guttering in the hope that it has turned edible since the last time they tried ( Kaka ). At any rate Kakapo matter.

New Zealand 189

New Zealand Parrots Sanctuary Family 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2015

The species was in the news because some scientists had finally managed (or bothered – it’s much the same thing) to locate the population high in the mountains of the Solomon Islands, and catch and photograph one. Unsurprisingly the ones that most stick in the mind were the lost species. New Zealand Bitterns.

Collecting 231

Collecting Solomon Islands New Zealand Fiji 231

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

What’s even more frustrating is when animal rights people learn of plans to cull nonnative species. The birds had evolved without a predator like this, and with the new snake having no predators, it had no problem decimating the island’s birdlife. The logic of this is ridiculous.

Animal Rights Movement 218

Animal Rights Movement Animal Rights Rights Wildlife 218

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2013

I often like to poke fun at how dangerous the wildlife of Australia is, as ever since the giant man-eating Haast’s Eagle went extinct the land life on New Zealand has been mostly harmless. But the thing is, while the animals may not want to kill you, it sometimes feels as if the land itself does. Only time will tell.

New Zealand 170

New Zealand Vanuatu Australia Hawaii 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

We nature lovers, celebrants of life in all its exquisite multiformity, feel more keenly than most the loss of even the most undifferentiated species. Enjoy these eloquent Extinction Week eulogies and regret those species we have lost, if only so we needn’t lose any more. Australia’s extinct and threatened bird species.

Marsupials 173

Marsupials Costa Rica Elephants Cuba 173

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

I also watched a red fox bury her mate after a cougar had killed him. Stories about animals rescuing members of their own and other species, including humans, abound. They show how individuals of different species display compassion and empathy for those in need. They all stood vigil for a time, nodded their heads, and flew off.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

processed the entire genomes of 48 bird species and compared nearly 42 million base pairs of DNA (Hackett et al. The new 48-genome analysis included only ostrich and tinamou DNA, so it doesn’t shed further light on paleognath interrelationships, but it does reinforce their distinctiveness from all other living birds. This is why.

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

We’ll also keep our eyes open for several members of the New Zealand wren family. One of the oldest families of songbirds, which broke off before the oscines and sub-oscines split – and before New Zealand and Antarctica did! New Zealand Bittern. It certainly has no known relatives.

New Zealand 211

New Zealand Ducks Australia Mountain Goats 211

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2018

Tom’s odyssey continued through New Zealand and passes on to Australia. April’s number are below; 11 countries were visited by 9 beats; Australia, USA, UK, India, Serbia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Brazil, New Zealand and Argentina. Their 185 checklists contained 951 species during April!

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

In reverse order, the medals were awarded for “most species seen in a country”, to Australia with 420, USA got the silver, scoring 556 while the runaway winner was Costa Rica with 646 species. New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

During October, 7 countries (Costa Rica, Australia, USA, India, Hong Kong, UK, Serbia) were birded by 11 beats who shared 135 checklists and noted 697 species. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. 301 N Virginia Dare Trl, Kill Devil Hills US-NC (36.0166,-75.6573). Alphabetic Taxonomic. 15 Apr 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2018

They noted 598 species as a team, bringing the year total to 2118 and pushing the life list to 3555. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. 301 N Virginia Dare Trl, Kill Devil Hills US-NC (36.0166,-75.6573). 301 N Virginia Dare Trl, Kill Devil Hills US-NC (36.0166,-75.6573). 15 Apr 2018. Lake Ngatu.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2018

10 countries were birded by 9 beats and 892 species were noted from 144 checklists. New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. New Zealand King Shag – Phalacrocorax carunculatus. New Delhi City. Who is going to tell the clans?

2018 100

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2018

8 beats shared 126 checklists accounting for 704 species. New Zealand Scaup – Aythya novaeseelandiae. New Zealand Grebe – Poliocephalus rufopectus. New Zealand Pigeon – Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae. 301 N Virginia Dare Trl, Kill Devil Hills US-NC (36.0166,-75.6573). 01 Jan 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

There are times when acting in the conservation interest of a species or ecosystem means that the welfare of specific animals is compromised, which is a fancy way of saying that conservationists sometimes have to kill animals for the greater good. There is no solidarity among the big cats.

Lions 188

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 188

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

Every section is excellent, Going from back to front, the Species Natural History section is where to go for answers to all your questions about penguins and then some. The introductory Penguin Who’s Who introduces each species visually. And that’s just the top section!

Penguins 209

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2013

There has been a great deal of talk these days about “reviving” extinct species. It seems as though every week brings a new plan to bring back something that has been lost. Although they aren’t as prominent there are people working on plans to bring back extinct species of birds. Is extinction forever?

Feral Cats 205

Feral Cats Eggs Cats Feral 205