10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There are the endemics, which are odd in their own way, and then there introduced species, which are so varied in their type and origin that you get the feeling you’ve arrived at the aftermath of a small zoo that escaped. What is surprising is quite how many species did end up here, and how economically unimportant they were.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2014

With about 110 recorded species, the Kozara becomes truly magical place when the Danube swells and reclaims what is rightfully his. Hence, I had the be equally grumpy to explain to them that I had an equal right to be there (equal right? armed with binoculars only?), Kozara backwaters. All dabbling ducks can dive, but rarely do.

Serbia 240

Serbia Stray Dog Protection Botswana 240

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

Thanks to fortunate foresight, a lot of land was set aside in Costa Rica as national parks and protected areas (and some of these are easily accessed) but the best forest still happens to be at the terminus of the road and en route, you will be treated to species deficit birding in plenty of pastures. Lots of monkeys there too.

Costa Rica 244

Costa Rica San Jose Sharks Monkeys 244

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Lovely Cotinga is the flagship species at Pico Bonito, where it is perhaps easier to see than anywhere else within its range. More than 400 species have been recorded at the lodge to date. Central American Pygmy-Owl is another key species at the lodge. However, for me, there were birds to be seen. Photo by James Adams.

Honduras 163

Honduras Monkeys Birds America 163

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2018

In the first full day, we have seen dozens each of giraffes, zebra, warthogs, elephants, 12 rhinos, 30 hippos, 3 Cape Buffalo, crocodiles, jackals, monkeys, baboons, literally a thousand impala, and at least 10 different antelope type animals. In the same first day plus a couple of hours, my Africa bird count is at 66 species.

South Africa 112

South Africa Africa Rhinos Mongoose 112

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2017

Birds with white on them are much more likely to take the form of goodies like the Snowy Cotinga , or two species of tityras. The Caribbean slope of Costa Rica also differs from the islands in having a lot more bird species. White-crowned Pigeon might be on the list, but that rare prize for Costa Rica is far from regular.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica San Jose Bats Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2014

For one, they are remarkably diverse with a little over 380 species spread over every continent except Europe (only introduced) and Antarctica. Brazil, in particular, is the country with the largest number of parrot species in the world with approximately 84 species. Parrots captivate me more than any other bird family.

Parrots 167

Parrots Brazil Mauritius Dominica 167

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2018

I’ll get right down to it. Great Kiskadees , White-winged Doves , and, above all, Great-tailed Grackles were the species that couldn’t be missed. The one notable bird I did find was Orange Oriole , an endemic species and one I was really hoping to spot during my trip. No, you want to hear about the birds!

Family 100

Family Monkeys Deer Pelicans 100

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). Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 240

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2019

We were met by several Cattle Egret in beautiful breeding plumage feeding on the grass right next to the train station. We had found thirty four bird species so far in Singapore and had to admit defeat due to lack of sleep and returned to the hotel. There was something “not right” about it.

Singapore 114

Singapore Transported Boars Malaysia 114

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2013

This was the local name meaning “ugly” used for these primates by the people of the Gonder area in northern Ethiopia when the German naturalist Rüppell “discovered” this species for science in the 1830’s. This has resulted in their populations returning to natural levels and their fear of humans being curtailed. Photo by Adam Riley.

Ethiopia 160

Ethiopia Primates Mammals Fur 160

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2012

Plan B was to hit some of the parks that KL has, and by a happy coincidence a huge park is right next to the central station. Now to my mind no bird called a flameback should be saddled with the name common, but I cared not, it was lovely to see woodpeckers anyway, and these are a particularly lovely species of woodpecker.

New Zealand 141

New Zealand Fur Malaysia Woodpeckers 141

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

In particular the South Island destination of Kaikoura is world-renowned for the flocks of albatrosses and giant petrels floating right off the pelagic boat, and the ease of the trip makes it a must-visit for any visiting birder. The final large petrel species is another gadfly petrel, albeit a much larger one than the Cook’s Petrel.

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 174

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

He quickly starts pointing our different species that are all around us, with exceptional and obvious knowledge. The house we were staying in was surrounded by Howler Monkeys all night, who really work as a great 5:30 alarm, if that happens to be the time you want to get up! Costa Rica species – 273.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica Falcons Mexico Groups 113

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 180

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 180

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

My personal favorites are the images that show the relationships that are at the heart of this book–a Linneated Woodpecker perched opposite a bromeliad on an exposed tree, Azteca ants on a cecropia tree whose decaying parts provide food, and, a little distressingly, two Capuchin Monkeys feeding on a Toucan (thanks to James Adams).

South America 150

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2011

A dirt road lead off to the right, past a sign for a gun club. I mumble the species’ name over and over something like this: that’s a *&$#^ Great Gray Owl! I gazed at the bird, its eyes looking right through me. I found the narrowest point and made a leap, remembering in mid-air my bad right ankle.

Connecticut 171

Connecticut North Dakota Ohio Owls 171

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! Later, we would be seeing dolphins every day.

Dolphins 260

Dolphins Colombia Otters Birds 260

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Even among our primate relatives, whoa are generally very smart, “Theory of Mind” is found in only a few species. Capuchin monkeys, macaques, Cotton Top Tamarins, Chimpanzees, and many other animals, including various birds, have been investigated and found to be unable to make inferences about HCAs.

Abandon 227

Abandon Abandoning Abandonment Research 227

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

There are are presently thought to be five species of kiwi with a possible sixth extinct species, all of which have suffered varying degrees of range contraction since the arrival of humans. Both these tours are for the Little Spotted Kiwi , the smallest species and one now one mainly confined to offshore islands. Wicked, right?

New Zealand 145

New Zealand 2011 Deer New York 145

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 ). Dusky-capped Flycatcher (lower right) and a Rufous-tailed Jacamar. Turquoise Tanager.

Trinidad 244

Trinidad Birds Tigers Groups 244

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2017

The site is famous for a place called Monkey Mia, where dolphins have learnt to come up to the beach a few times a day to get snacks. Shark Bay is an enormous feature, a huge bay surrounded by deserty-scrub right on the edge of the tropics. That’s fine, and I like dolphins, but I usually prefer them away from a circus.

Sharks 100

Sharks Monkeys Dolphins Turtles 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Knowing that there are reserves with long lists of 600 or more species, I set my threshold at more than 600 birds… and found only a few such hotspots. In early November 2020, there were 15 countries with more than 1000 species eBirded so far. Other than that, there are barely a few hotspots with over 500 species.

Asia 271

Asia Malaysia Papua New Guinea Thailand 271

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. Therefore, humans are fish with feet, right?

Monkeys 136

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 136

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

The title of the one just mentioned starts with “Intimacy across species boundaries” … The Spot-necked Babbler is “shy and social”, according to eBird, which sounds a bit like a contradiction to me. ”, in which the Red-whiskered Bulbul is named as one of the two most heavily targeted bird species.

China 147

China Vietnam Birds Monkeys 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2013

If you can parse the subtle differences in his photo below, you’ll see the bird on the left is a dark morph Oriental Honey Buzzard, but the bird on the right is a pale morph Changeable Hawk-Eagle. Anyone considering a visit to Panti Forest should be enticed by the five different species that might be seen there.

Malaysia 174

Malaysia Singapore Monkeys Birds 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

There are three species of crow-like cotingas with odd hairdos known as umbrellabirds, the Bare-necked Umbrellabird is the one that lives in Costa Rica. The bird foraged on fruit in the upper understory, moving the vegetation almost as much as a monkey does. These are some of mine: The umbrellabird. Three days, three hawk-eagles.

Costa Rica 187

Costa Rica 2019 San Jose Eagles 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2014

Mai Po Nature Reserve : world famous locale for shorebirds, waterfowl, waders, and wetland birds; wintering grounds for certain endangered species. What is a day of birding without scanning malodorous mud, right? SPECIES LIST. I’m chagrined to note that this is one of the rarest species I saw during my trip.

2014 213

2014 Eagles Asia Groups 213

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2017

In fact, we saw two species of monkey, our only sloths, lots of coatis, and my rarest ever mammal sighting—a Jaguarundi —right on site. Yes, that’s Panama City to the right. Plus, we never stopped finding new and better species, which suggests that this place could compile a highly respectable site list.

Panama 100

Panama 2017 Monkeys Family 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 101

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 101

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2011

A single large spider monkey, which might be out of view, equals a large number of lightly built and small birds which may be scattered across the landscape. The largest bird, forming the short bar on the right of the bird histogram, is a swan. This is also because mammals are large. A little bit of bird biomass goes a long way.

Mammals 174

Mammals Rodents Birds Reptiles 174

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. One species I really hoped to find on the trip was the Kokako. Wicked, right? Saddleback ( Philesturnus carunculatus ) on the beach. Hat-tip to Stella.

New Zealand 148

New Zealand 2011 Deer Cats 148

Animal Ethics

MAY 6, 2009

The Argument from Speciesism If there is some doubt whether the arguments from monkeys and from glass walls should be considered moral arguments, there can be no doubt about the moral import of the argument from speciesism. KBJ: Martin is right that this is a moral argument. Animal species per se is not a morally relevant distinction.

Morals 40

Morals Vegetarian Speciesism Killing 40

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

We already had South Africa, Zambia and Uganda under our belts, but my clients’ request for the next year came right out of the blue: Ghana! Blue-moustached Bee-eater is rainforest species occurring in just a few scattered sites in Ghana, it was previously considered a subspecies of Blue-headed Bee-eater.

Ghana 191

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 191

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2014

Open from dawn to dusk 7 days a week, it has an eBird hotspot list of 79 species from 16 submissions. It has an eBird score of 197 species from 25 checklists. Look out for the Howler Monkeys too. The eBird list for PE Tiete contains only 123 species from 11 checklists submitted. Timings are 08.00 ‘til 17.00.

Brazil 160

Brazil Birds Transported Game 160

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2012

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher , sometimes seen from the canopy walkway Woodland Kingfisher – A very common species, but always a pleasure! Ghana has recorded around 725 different species of bird of which around 490 are thought to be resident. Truly fantastic.

Ghana 175

Ghana Guinea Birds Eagles 175