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Fur and Fangs rather than Feathers and Beaks

10,000 Birds

Memorable encounters with Mammals: Part I Most birdwatchers enjoy seeing mammals, but the trouble with mammals is that they tend to be much more challenging to see than birds. I remember the guide on my first Kenyan birding safari remarking that “birding groups always see far more mammals than those who come just to see animals.

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Birding Dulan County, Qinghai

10,000 Birds

Good for animals, of course – particularly some shy mammals. Therefore, apologies in advance for the largish number of mammal photos in this post. Being a mammal myself, I am understandably much less fond of this animal class than I am of birds. A juvenile nearby. Blue Sheep. At least they are cute.

Sheep 238
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Nyala, Southern Africa’s Stunning Antelope

10,000 Birds

Anyway, while there are many species that I’m always pleased to see (I’m a particular fan of the aquatic kobs, lechwe and pukus) it was only on my last visit that I saw one of the more attractive species for the first time, the Nyala (pronounced Nnya-la, not Nye-al-ah).

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Ethiopia’s Endemics

10,000 Birds

There are also dry areas but this great diversity has resulted in an incredible bird list of over 900 species including Africa’s 2nd highest count of endemics (after South Africa). A two-week birding tour could expect around 400 species and up to 550 in 3 weeks, including sightings of most of Ethiopia’s endemic and near-endemic birds.

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Palin Now Going After Endangered Whales

Critter News

First wolves, then polar bears, now beluga whales. At issue is the population of {the Cook Inlet beluga) whales, which were put under the protections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act eight years ago, which scientists argue hasn't sped their recovery: Palin begs to differ. "I

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Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa

10,000 Birds

It is a good place for South African birders, as several species are found here and nowhere else in South Africa, and it holds a small number of endemics that it shares with the Mozambique lowlands. The park did have a pack of African Wild Dogs, or Painted Wolves, the species I had gone to Africa to see.

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Are there so many birds that cats don’t matter?

10,000 Birds

I had noted that if you took a quick look around you’d think there were a lot of birds and very few mammals. Of course, a lot of the mammals would be hiding. 1) The total percentage of a species that is killed by some force may have a very large evolutionary or adaptive effect even if the percentage is very small, like in the 0.5

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