10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2011

Since New Zealand is currently consumed by rugby fever and we haven’t the time to indulge in anything so tedious as birdwatching, I thought I’d dive back under the sea to introduce one of New Zealand’s most iconic aquatic organisms, the Australasian Snapper ( Pagrus auratus ).

New Zealand 152

New Zealand Goats Fish Protection 152

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Conservation was in the news again in the last few weeks here in New Zealand, and unfortunately not in a good way. As most people know cats, both feral and domestic, have a pretty big impact on wild birds and other wildlife, and the effect of mammals is particularly profound in New Zealand.

New Zealand 117

New Zealand Possums SPCA Cats 117

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Seals 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Petrel Paradise Petrel Paradise By Duncan • March 2, 2011 • 4 comments Tweet Share I’ve mentioned before that New Zealand is a great place for enjoying petrels.

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 174

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

If you love the idea of swimming with dolphins, New Zealand is a great place to do it. The village wouldn’t look out of place on the coats of New England, but in spite of being utterly charming and close to a major city on Easter Sunday, you could move about. Birding dolphins marine mammals New Zealand endemic'

Dolphins 155

Dolphins Sharks New Zealand Albatross 155

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Stalking a Kiwi Icon Stalking a Kiwi Icon By Duncan • March 16, 2011 • 1 comment Tweet Share Most people, if asked, would confidently name what they thought the National Bird of New Zealand was.

New Zealand 144

New Zealand 2011 Deer New York 144

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2018

When we were planning this trip, New Zealand, Australia, and most certainly South Africa got all my attention. This remarkable area is best know for its huge wall that was used for centuries to protect the city from invasion, but for me, the Conwy RSPB refuge was fantastic. US Species 101. Australia Species 242.

South Africa 100

South Africa New Zealand Costa Rica Qatar 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2012

I only saw a few species I could get in the small park near where I was staying, and not even as many as I could have gotten there. They are now protected by Taputeranga Marine Reserve , a marine reserve created in 2008 and to protect marine life around Wellington. A pretty place no question but not very bird.

Seals 157

Seals New Zealand Fur Marine Life 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

In July 2013, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources held a meeting in Bremerhaven in Germany, to decide whether to turn the Ross Sea into a marine protected area. There are 11 species of birds that breed in the Ross Sea region. Back to the Future – the Case for Protection. And the Mammals.

Russia 170

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2014

So, on seeing my lifer Bassian Thrush in Sydney, I was glad to have a) finally seen that species and b) finally glad to tick that arbitrary odometer up to a meaningless milestone. We seem to live in an age of splitting, only last week it was announced that another 460 odd species have been split. An armchair split, no less.

Tonga 174

Tonga Fiji Samoa Vanuatu 174

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

Not forever mind, I’ll still be living here in New Zealand and carrying on as its beat writer here (I may even write about New Zealand again some time). You may not get the species counts that the race delivers, but you’ll have memories burned into your skull.

Uganda 160

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 160

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

It is a fascinating book that teaches while it entertains, that offers research-informed arguments for bird protection and conservation in the guise of vibrant design. And so, I learn from this page that each bird’s scientific name is unique, a combination of its genus and species names. We are a BirdLife Species Champion!)

Albatross 195

Albatross Birds Campaign Protection 195

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

New Zealand had been good, Australia was incredible, and South Africa was almost life altering. In the end, I ended up with 9 species, 4 of which were new to the list, the Black-crowned Sparrow Lark, White-checked Bulbo, House Crow , and the Indian Silverbill. Scotland Species: 94. Where do you go from there?

Qatar 114

Qatar Sparrows South Africa Africa 114

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

In 1974, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect the delta and its diversity of fish and wildlife habitats. Over 200 species of birds can be found on the refuge, depending on the time of year. I better run, I have a little more gear to track down and a whole bunch of new birds to study up on!

Fox 124

Fox Washington Geese Sparrows 124

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2016

They manage a number of reserves around the UK to protect waterfowl, the most famous being Slimbridge (another iconic place I haven’t made it to yet). There were a number of volunteers in the hide that could help with identifications and even had scopes up on the more interesting species, and they found me some Common Snipe.

Geese 100

Geese New Zealand Germany Ducks 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2015

The previous set up made sure that you discounted 20 years of working in difficult jungle in remote countries to better understand and conserve rare and interesting species, and gets you ready to treat him like the truly arrogant monster he undoubtedly is. The unique behaviors this mysterious species might exhibit?

Collecting 158

Collecting Papua New Guinea Science Birds 158

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

As for introduced or reintroduced species it would only count if it was third generation reintroduced. This brings me, in a roundabout way (as is my want) to New Zealand birding and listing. One preoccupation I have already alluded to in listing is whether introduced species count. Which brings me back to the listers.

Species 178

Species New Zealand Zoos Chickens 178

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2013

It’s kind of an odd spot, a mix of protected wetland and mangroves mixed with some manicured lawns and parking. 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.

Thailand 102

Thailand New Zealand Family Bats 102

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, Pygmy leaf-folding frogs, Afrixalus brachycnemis, from Tanzania, tiny climbing frogs who lay their eggs in leaves and then fold the leaves over them for protection, sealing the nest with secretions. Thrity-seven species are probably already extinct. A book about all the frogs and toads of the world is an ambitious undertaking.

Reptiles 183

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 183

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 261

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 261

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

If you’re into family ticks, and into armchair ticks, well, I hope you’ve been to New Zealand, because the island just got another endemic bird family. That the three species of mohoua (genus Mohoua ) are New Zealand’s newest family is hardly a surprise. Say hello to the Mohouidae.

Family 178

Family New Zealand Birds Parrots 178

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2012

New Zealand has one of the direst records of extinction is modern times, second on really to Hawaii in terms of bird species lost. I’ve also touched on how New Zealanders have responded to these extinctions, but not in as much depth. Where does New Zealand go from here? Stewart island big.

New Zealand 173

New Zealand Rats Mammals Possums 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2018

Our trip thru the South Island of New Zealand, is coming to a close, and in finishing the trip, we complete a “figure 8” pattern. Our next stop, Havelock was one I had been looking forward to, as it has a huge estuary, with a large number of species that could be found here. Here is the shot of the Australasian Gannets.

New Zealand 100

New Zealand Opossums Charlotte South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2019

4%: Mexico, West Papua (Indonesia), New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya. 10%: Australia, Papua New Guinea. 15%: Colombia, New Guinea (irrespective of the part/country). Yet, the fact that tiny Panama is as popular as huge Brazil, with twice as many bird species, speaks volume for Brazil’s stage of ecotourism development.

Papua New Guinea 214

Papua New Guinea America Costa Rica Sri Lanka 214

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. You start hearing and catching glimpses of birds as soon as you land, particularly the fast moving Tui.

New Zealand 148

New Zealand 2011 Deer Cats 148

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2017

Like a lot of people I know, the body blows of the news the world at large were tempered by a year that was personally rather good. I saw Painted Wolves again, my favourite species ever. New Zealand: The Didn’t Bloody Even See It Award. A new duck! See, according to eBird, that isn’t a species.

United Arab Emirates 100

United Arab Emirates Ethiopia 2016 New Zealand 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2013

The reserve protects a stand of mahogany swamp that attracts large numbers of nectar feeding birds when they flower in the winter. Silver-eyes , the common species of white-eye, were common as well, and a Grey Fantail was swooping around in typical style. A White-cheeked Honeyeater; a species I had never seen away from coastal heath!

Albatross 151

Albatross Rats Belize New Zealand 151

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

Nice. ((** all names have been changed to protect identities and have been substituted with (almost) randomly chosen substitutes suitable for a family of Alpine Accentors.)) In the case of Acorn Woodpeckers, they are cooperative breeders (as with many other polygynandrous species), which seems to predispose species to polygynandry.

2011 208

2011 Breeders Breeding Deer 208

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2012

Royal National Park is one of the jewels of Sydney, a massive park that protects a huge swathe of coastal bush (bush in the Australian sense meaning anything from rainforest to coastal scrub) to the south of the city. And reach it I did earlier this year, after I got back from my jaunt up north to Cairns but before I returned to New Zealand.

New Zealand 181

New Zealand Cooking Species Collecting 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2011

So, inspired by a similar article on road birding in Thailand, I present road birding in New Zealand. As with any kind of road birding, birding as a car passenger in New Zealand generally restricts the kind of birds you’re going to see. 2) Masked Plover Masked Plover ( Vanellus miles ) by James Reed.

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Birds Thailand Falcons 174

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2011

Last Sunday marked the end of an era in New Zealand with the sad passing of the conservationist and ornithologist and all round inspiration Don Merton. Today the species is secure on a large number of islands and reserves. Kakapo were moved around New Zealand before all eventually being placed on one island off Stewart Island.

Species 223

Species New Zealand Rats Endangered Species 223

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2011

It didn’t take long to be set right though, as I managed to get my first native species, the Polynesian Starling , while drinking a Coke on the waterfront of Nuku’alofa, the small town on Tongatapu which is Tonga’s capital. Whereas Tongatapu was flat, ‘Eua was quite hilly and had a great deal more forest.

Tonga 161

Tonga Fiji New Zealand Parrots 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

These sorts of tests have been done in many species and it has always been assumed (hoped), that what they found in the little white cages at the back of the zoology department had some wonderful relevance to what happened in the real world. Or These Blasts From The Past Preening Juvenile Yellowthroat Welcome to New Zealand!

Cats 147

Cats 2011 Costa Rica Deer 147

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

This Lion should not be shot, as it is a protected reserve that forbids shooting. 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.

Lions 182

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 182