10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve observed nesting owls, fledgling owlets, owls eating small rodents, owls coughing up their pellets, a Great Horned Owl silently flying over me, a Great Gray Owl sitting regally still on a post as a boy walks up to him, a pair of Barking Owls duetting in early evening hours outside my northern Australian hut as I brushed my teeth.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2012

The quills of the “Saqu Ettair” Secretarybirds feed on small lizards, insects, rodents, birds eggs and, of course, snakes. Secretarybirds counter this by being very careful when killing snakes and ensuring that the prey is dead before eating it. Watching them hunt is fascinating.

Botswana 233

Botswana Eagles Porcupines Hunting 233

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2011

Turdus “Blacky&# Merula sat near the trunk of the small evergreen in the backyard that was his territory’s centre, hunkered down and head tucked in to shelter from the rain. It sheltered him, it haunted him, and it set his thoughts adrift, to the warmth of spring and the family he had. The darkness was all around him.

Blackbirds 154

Blackbirds Germany Shelters Rodents 154