10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2013

I wondered, last August, how animals endure it — the tiny ever-pumping lungs of hummingbirds, the lungs of bighorn sheep shouldering their way up mountains, they must get filled with smoke too, right? And I think this is a good move, the right move, even though part of me still welcomes the rain.

Endangered Species 162

Endangered Species South Dakota Woodpeckers Sheep 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2016

One raft of 20+ Mallards swims by the bank, right in front of jackals, careless like if they were just two sheep! They are sitting in the wet grass at the edge of the water, observing the bird movements around them. I am thrilled: this is more than just birding, this is a full-scale safari!

Serbia 138

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 138

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 162

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

But when taken as a whole, the impact of the Refuge System is truly profound, supporting population-level numbers of numerous bird species. The System also protects bison , bighorn sheep , panthers , elk , grizzly bears , manatees , and ocelots , among others. It’s not just for the birds.

Wildlife 189

Wildlife Grizzly Bear Puerto Rico United States 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2015

Driving north along the Ionian seacoast through the city of Igoumenitsa, there is a place where the main artery takes you right, further away from the sea – follow it for 150 metres (500 ft) and then turn left just before a small stadium. The rest of the road follows the sea for some 3.5 Could they possibly be…?

Greece 237

Greece Dogs Pelicans Fish 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

In responding to Suzie’s post defending wildlife rehabilitation I began to think again about the areas in which animal rights and animal welfare overlap with the field of conservation, and the ways in which they don’t. Animal rights is concerned with preventing the suffering or even use of animals by humans.

Animal Rights 267

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 267

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 24, 2009

Cows, domestic sheep, chickens and many others would not survive if they were not raised for human consumption, protected from malnutrition, disease and predators. Wolves eat sheep. Such an obligation would make us the protectors of all species, and the destroyers of every ecosystem on earth. Tuna eat mackerel.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Vegan Vegetarian 40

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Nestled right in the middle of Europe, we have a little bit of everything, a nice cross section of Europe’s avifauna. Greater Rheas, a species the Germans call Nandu, are very popular in Germany and frequently kept in zoos as well as private enclosures. Nonetheless, this week will be chock full of invasive species.

Germany 254

Germany Birds 2000 South America 254

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2018

In talking to the local guides, and Rangers, they all agreed that they had not been seeing too many species around in the last couple of weeks. We had Elk right in our camp with us every day. The hardest image to get is always the Bighorn Sheep, so I am pretty happy with this shot! Little Big Year species – 888.

Wyoming 107

Wyoming Wolves Grizzly Bear Mountain Goats 107

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

My best bird of the year is based on the sighting rather than the species. Obviously my best bird of the year is going to come during this trip, what with several species of endemic pitta and broadbill possible, not to mention 8 species of hornbill and numerous babblers, storks, kingfishers, trogons and even the endemic Bornean Bristlehead.

2013 168

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 168

Animal Ethics

FEBRUARY 25, 2008

What we do to animals shows how we feel about other species. Peters Paso Robles, Calif., And it is not just at the slaughterhouses but at the factory farms where these animals are tortured from the very beginning of their lives to the horrible end. Indeed, we have not come far from Upton Sinclair’s “ Jungle.” Bertha Rogers Delhi, N.Y.,

New York Times 40

New York Times New York 2008 Factory Farm 40

Animal Ethics

FEBRUARY 15, 2009

One might first ask, “Why does higher intelligence mean that one species is more valuable than other species?” Second, there are other species besides human beings that have high intelligence, e.g., chimpanzees and dolphins. What should our moral attitude be toward eating members of these species? KBJ: Ditto.

Morals 40

Morals Vegetarian Meat Killing 40