10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2021

It was an unexpected bird tour, without too much planning and aimed at a few target species, of which we saw most, but the main one eluded us… Early morning, leaving the last houses behind… and a Little Owl awaits us on a traffic sign.

Serbia 231

Serbia Birds Romania Eagles 231

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

Just about anywhere a birder ventures, the miniscule members of the latter family can be seen, and in most tropical locales, it’s not just one species. Unlike much of the eastern United States, a dozen or even two dozen species of hummingbirds can be present in habitats south of of the Tropic of Cancer. The female.

Costa Rica 209

Costa Rica Nicaragua Panama Honduras 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2015

By this I mean applying the term antelope to cover all of the family Bovidae, which would include the sheep, goats and ox. It isn’t just tourists and game hunters that like them though; Painted Wolves are also big fans, as they are easier to bring down than the larger species but have more meat to eat than a small duiker.

Africa 163

Africa Hunters Goats Wolves 163

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

In addition to the hundred or so species of birds I regularly find here, there are Desert Foxes, Bobcats, Mountain Lions, Desert Bighorn Sheep and Mule Deer. Despite the eyesore that is this mine, the wildlife continues to thrive in this harsh environment. Here are a few of the birds we spotted last weekend.

Mountain Lions 100

Mountain Lions Mules Sheep Lions 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

The other remarkable success story of Hart Mountain is the return of the Desert Bighorn Sheep. In 1954, with stringent controls on the grazing of domestic animals, a herd of 20 Desert Bighorn Sheep were re-introduced and have flourished. As you can see, this time of year, the mature rams are all off by themselves.

Sheep 112

Sheep Oregon Mules Livestock 112

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2014

It’s bad enough to be an invasive species — the term shows a major fall in public esteem from the days when acclimatization was the rage. But as a descriptor, ‘invasive species’ doesn’t have a patch on ‘noxious weed’ Call something a noxious weed and there’s no doubt where you stand on it.

Montana 164

Montana Goats Sheep Species 164

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? Conservation black-backed woodpecker endangered species fire olive-sided flycatcher'

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species South Dakota Woodpeckers Sheep 160

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 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 125

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 125

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 31, 2018

Today, with assistance from the Tucson Audubon Society, this world-famous destination is “The Place” to go for not only rare hummingbirds, but dozens of other species as well. By the time we left there four hours later, I checked off, seven total hummingbird species. US species – 257. eBird.org submissions – 320.

Tucson 113

Tucson Costa Rica Arizona Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2012

My only wish, a tasty fish … Anyway, the spectacular scenery of New Zealand’s South Island does more than provide stunning wide angle shots for Peter Jackson to use in his films, it provides a home for many great species of bird (not to mention also provide some of the finest walking country in the world).

New Zealand 155

New Zealand Parrots Sheep Investigation 155

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

ForestPuffin was targeting this species as it is very habitat dependent and, unbeknownst to me, such habitat exists within a big stone’s throw of my house. During this time the chrysalis is constantly attended by the ants and it is thought unlikely that the species would be able to survive without the ants’ ministration.

Rabbits 155

Rabbits Ireland 2002 Sheep 155

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2020

A silhouetted Golden Eagle in flight appears on all current bottlings by Ardmore, and over the years, the same species has occasionally appeared on various products by Scottish distilleries like Glenfarclas and Mortlach. Eagle and Lamb by John James Audubon (1785-1851).

Eagles 158

Eagles Lions Hunting Lamb 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2013

Hundreds of birds all huddled closely together, dangling from the jagged ledges, seemingly separated by species in separate levels along the cliff. Thankfully the Puffins and Razorbills (arguably the most photogenic species) perch on the uppermost ledges, making them readily available for close-ups. Total Species: 37.

Iceland 184

Iceland Puffins Europe Birds 184

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2015

But, passing numerous Red-backed Shrikes , Western Yellow Wagtails and a herd of sheep among tussocks of long grasses, I remember those egrets. This species is still uncommon in the Balkans and despite the recent spread, Kalamas is the most reliable site for it in Greece (and this made my only second ever observation of them in Europe).

Greece 228

Greece Dogs Pelicans Fish 228

Critter News

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Animals killed also include threatened and endangered species, a number which has steadily increased since 2005. Carnivores killed less than 1% of cattle (0.18%) and approximately 3% of sheep produced in the U.S.; • Out of Step with American Values - Americans value wildlife and abhor animal cruelty.

Killing 100

Killing Wildlife Groups Endangered Species 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2020

Admiring Nature in her wildest grace, These northern scenes with weary feet I trace; O’er many a winding dale and painful steep, Th’ abodes of covey’d grouse and timid sheep…. Sheep may timidly graze but these Black Grouse are another matter altogether.

Sheep 191

Sheep Branding Ireland Fowl 191

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

AUGUST 4, 2016

These are overgrown in steppe grasses and local sheep herders are subsidised by the authorities to bring their animals here to keep the grass short, prevent succession by bushes and manage the habitat for vulnerable Sousliks , or European ground squirrels. Yet, despite the grassland habitat looking good, the sheep numbers are low.

Sheep 120

Sheep Turtles Squirrels Europe 120

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Greater Rheas, a species the Germans call Nandu, are very popular in Germany and frequently kept in zoos as well as private enclosures. It is not unusual to drive by a farm building and see a bunch of Greater Rheas on the farm’s fenced-in pasture next to sheep or goats. Birding Birds Germany Invasive Species Week South America'

Germany 240

Germany Birds 2000 South America 240

Animal Ethics

MARCH 8, 2009

Suppose there was a breed of sheep that became very ill when the sheep’s fleece was removed; they did not function normally. Or suppose that by genetic engineering we could develop a milk-producing animal that became sick when it had the milk removed by members of other species, e.g., human beings.

Vegetarian 40

Vegetarian Morals Suffering Vegan 40

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. The hardest image to get is always the Bighorn Sheep, so I am pretty happy with this shot! Little Big Year species – 888. Here are the rest of the animals that we did see.

Wyoming 104

Wyoming Wolves Grizzly Bear Mountain Goats 104

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2014

In my native Serbia, I’ve observed this species in winter only once, while here in East Anglia every site held one. Next were the wet meadows of Tunstall Marshes (cover photo), where grazing sheep awaited us and, among them, Mute Swans. Still, the tide was not nearly as high as we hoped for and all the birds were quite far away.

Geese 201

Geese Barn Owls Serbia Sheep 201

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2020

Each activity builds on these basics–observation, documentation and action–introducing concepts like migration, nesting, and conservation, and also teaching specific ways bird behavior may be different for different species. The chapters on native and exotic species, migration, L.A. The sections complement each other.

Los Angeles 263

Los Angeles 2019 Birds 2014 263

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 259

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 259

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 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2011

On the islands that make their home, they are rock stars compared to parakeets that dig up storm-petrels to eat ( Antipodes Parakeet ), parrots that kill sheep in order to eat (the incomparable Kea ) and parrots that chew my guttering in the hope that it has turned edible since the last time they tried ( Kaka ).

New Zealand 178

New Zealand Parrots Sanctuary Family 178

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.”

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?

Morals 40

Morals Vegetarian Meat Killing 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2011

Besides the American bison that the refuge was founded to protect, there are pronghorns, elk, bighorn sheep, mule and white-tailed deer, and black bears. To my disappointment the biggest and most visible species I saw was the introduced Common (Ring-necked) Pheasant , and my first lifer was the equally introduced Gray Partridge.

Rattlesnake 164

Rattlesnake Bald Eagle Mules Mammals 164