10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2013

When you move on to Montana, you discover that there are worse things that one species of tiny screaming mammal tricking you each year as you try to cope with an influx of songbirds and a winterized memory bank that contains only Black-capped Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos (and only about half their calls at that.) You sigh and move on.

Chipmunks 186

Chipmunks Squirrels Rodents Montana 186

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

APRIL 2, 2024

The Hawaiian Crows face much more destructive threats–extreme loss of habitat; malaria, the scourge of so many Hawaiian species; predators–rodents, cats and the ‘Io, the Hawaiian Hawk. This is the most intense, tragic section.

California Condor 190

California Condor Falcons California Birds 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2012

As we headed back outside and picked out the quail and American Tree and Song Sparrows around the parking lot area, I discovered a new, mammalian focus of my interest — the Columbian ground squirrel, a charismatic little rodent with white eyeliner, a red nose, and a surprising degree of self-confidence for prey.

Wildlife 171

Wildlife Montana Geese Bald Eagle 171

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2012

My travelling companion, also from the University of Montana creative writing program, was not a nature girl at all, but she could relate to birds that played a role in stories. The White Storks were also among the few birds that I reliably found other people interested in.

Spain 176

Spain Europe Industry Rodents 176