Critter News

MARCH 16, 2009

Native and sport polar bear hunters may be facing more restrictions due to increasing threats to bear populations. A limit on the hunting of polar bears by sportsmen and native Arctic people will top the agenda at an international summit in Norway tomorrow, seen as vital to the survival of the predator.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears Bears Hunters Norway 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2012

They both perch hunt and hover hunt and will even hop along the ground in pursuit of prey. Whatever they are doing – hunting, chasing other birds, or just flying around – Eastern Kingbirds are fun to watch. Eastern Kingbirds can pull off amazing aerial maneuvers but can also look very inefficient in flight.

Kittens 248

Kittens Hunting South America United States 248

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

While tracking brown bears in Greece some time ago, B. stood in a heraldic bear pose, on his hind legs, clawing the air and rrrroaring in his best Bearish. With hand signs, the Greek villager showed one large and two small bears nearby, that much I understood. After a drink, they went to see the bears.

San Jose 197

San Jose Bears Greece Costa Rica 197

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

The answer should be obvious to anyone familiar with wildfowl hunting in the US and the film Jerry McGuire – money. If you want to have the “thrill” of shooting a wild lion (not a canned hunt), well, you’re going to need a lot of land to sustain those lions. Managing areas for hunting does exactly that.

Lions 242

Lions Killing Hunting Hunters 242

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2012

The current header image of my own blog is another Barn Owl, this one a ringed individual I found daylight hunting, and unconcerned by the presence of my car as it hunted from posts presumably feeding young in early summer last year. The numbers we have wintering in Britain are certainly bearing that out.

Barn Owls 240

Barn Owls Finland Owls Portugal 240

Critter News

APRIL 20, 2012

King Juan Carlos of Spain, Honorary President of WWF Spain, is recovering in hospital after breaking his hip in Botswana where he was on an elephant hunt. Apparently it isn't the first time the King has been shooting big game in Africa, or elsewhere (Apparently he killed a bear in Russia a few years ago too).

Spain 100

Spain Elephants Hunting Botswana 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

Further down the road, we reach a derelict building with a large veranda hidden among the trees – an abandoned hunting lodge (if I were in a situation to invest, I would choose to upgrade this into a luxury wildlife lodge). These days, the species shares habitats with Tigers, Snow Leopard, Bears, etc. It is too early to show.

Tigers 252

Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 252

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

Activities such as hunting, fishing, and trapping are categorized as “consumptive” uses. In contrast, consumptive uses were minor: fishing accounted for 10 percent and hunting was just 4 percent. Bear River MBR (Utah): 158,000 visits generating $4.1 million in economic activity and 8 jobs. Billy Frank Jr. million; 111 jobs.

Wildlife 279

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 279

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

Being based on this island for the better part of this year has afforded me the opportunity (for the first time) to bear witness to the movement of bodies through these quarters – and it continues to be exhilarating. Fall migration is always exciting, but experiencing it in a different location is a whole new kind of feeling.

Trinidad 278

Trinidad Argentina South America Bears 278

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2011

As you read this, I am riding my trusty Grizzly Bear through the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park, helping my colleague Seagull Steve find some new birds. Birding by bear is by far the best way to view the park, although it seems to terrify the hoofed animals. Good day to you, my fine fellow birders. 3) Know stuff.

Grizzly Bear 224

Grizzly Bear North Dakota Downers Bears 224

Critter News

JANUARY 15, 2010

From the Seattle P-I: A Japanese psychiatrist with a home in Seattle is facing poaching and gun-possession charges following allegations that he poached several black bears and tried to smuggle gallbladders back to Japan. Tags: wildlife trafficking gall bladders bears.

Trafficking 100

Trafficking Seattle Bears Washington 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

While photographing the Brown Bears in the Russian Far East, a friend of mine, Jovan “Lucky” Lakatos, was with Michio Hoshino, Japanese-born nature photographer specialized in Alaskan wildlife and experienced in how to behave facing this apex predator. At some stage, a salmon-hunting bear at a shingle beach came too close, mere 9 steps.

Animal 138

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 138

Critter News

MARCH 22, 2010

Dr Scott Roberton, head of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), said that hunting wild animals for meat and trafficking had been happening in many countries, especially developing ones. In Viet Nam, hunting and trade in wild animals had been alarming, he said. But the problem is the high demand for these products. From Vietnam News.

Vietnam 100

Vietnam Trafficking Meat Porcupines 100

Critter News

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Both groups will be protesting the seal hunt using the Olympic torch ceremony as the backdrop. PETA and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) are holding a joint news conference this week, and I would like to offer you an exclusive advance scoop on it.

IFAW 100

IFAW International Fund For Animal Welfare PETA Canada 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2016

At 3-4 inches long , they rival those of the great Grizzly Bear, and allow the Harpy Eagles to go after prey unavailable to many other birds. Because they like to hunt in the tree canopy , they will also eat “iguanas, parrots, porcupines, coatimundis, and raccoons.” Like Woods, I can’t get over their talons.

Panama 113

Panama Grizzly Bear Porcupines Monkeys 113

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

Accordingly, FWS manages with conservation as its primary priority and compatible wildlife-dependent recreation (hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and interpretation) as a secondary priority. Other activities are only permitted if compatible and, in practice, most are prohibited.

Wildlife 190

Wildlife Grizzly Bear Puerto Rico United States 190

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Many friends and guests enjoyed seeing this particular bird soar, hunt, or even sit for hours in the valley. Here, a considerable amount of the forest has been removed for the first hundred or two metres into the road, including several fruit-bearing trees that used to attract a myriad of higher altitude specialists.

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Eagles Bears Litter 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2019

And because of the resemblance they bear to their New World cousins in the family Phasianidae , they even look the part of an “authentic” wild bird in North America. The same can’t really be said of a confusing Orange Bishop or gaudy Mandarin Duck loose in a city park.

North America 113

North America Vermont America Farmed Animals 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2017

Now bear in mind, I have never seen a Wood Stork , nor was it ever on my radar, as they have never been in any of the areas that I have birded. This all started like most of these stories do, with the report of a rare bird, in this case, a vagrant Wood Stork , spotted in some place it certainly should not be.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Guatemala Bears Hunting 100

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 9, 2008

To the Editor: Re “ Bearing Up ” (Op-Ed, Jan. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the scientific literature is very clear that polar bear survival is highly threatened in the wild. Because polar bears are at the top of the marine food chain, their bodies accumulate persistent organic pollutants that disrupt their reproductive systems.

New York Times 40

New York Times Polar Bears New York Bears 40

Animal Ethics

MAY 25, 2008

"The Puritan," Macaulay once wrote with condemnatory intent, "hated bear-baiting , not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators." Controversies no doubt remain.

Morals 40

Morals 2004 Animal Suffering Vivisection 40

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 20, 2007

It’s more accurate to say that it’s an imposition—one that we willingly and happily bear for the sake of our companions. We know that he hunts and kills them for pleasure and entertainment; but has he lived with one? Scruton makes it seem as though living with animals is an indulgence—or worse, a symptom of psychopathy.

Animal 40

Animal Apes Morals Animal Rights Movement 40

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2014

Developed in the post-frontier era, the NAMWC helped put a stop to wanton wildlife destruction in an era where many species were being hunted and trapped ruthlessly to the brink of extinction. George Wuerthner, an ecologist and former hunting guide with a degree in wildlife biology, takes the debate a step further.

Wildlife 255

Wildlife Coyotes Wolves Hunters 255

Critter News

AUGUST 8, 2009

Now that the species is listed in the US as "threatened," hunters can't import the dead body parts (aka hunting "trophies") in from Canada. Supposedly, environmentalists and animal rights activists have "unfairly made the polar bear into 'the panda bear of North America.'" insert crying baby picture here.)

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears Bears Hunting Pandas 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2016

It’s the boar hunting season. The WBW remained elusive like a bear (for me at least – a month ago, Georgos met a mother with two cubs, took a few photos, then dropped down and played dead). One Grey-headed Woodpecker flies across the road – a promising start. We started from the village at, perhaps 50 m a.s.l.

Greece 259

Greece Boars Woodpeckers Eagles 259

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

Well, the answer is that the moniker Red-headed Barbet was first given to the South American species that still bears and thus it had precedence to retain the name. Its nickname of “Fruit-salad” bears witness to its rather random pattern of red, yellow, black and white. Image from Kakamega Forest, Kenya.

Ethiopia 252

Ethiopia Tanzania Uganda Africa 252

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

In North America, you’ve got Bears at the large end, Cats in the middle, and at the smaller end, the Mustilids. When you throw the feral Cat in there, not only do they push out the indigenous wild carnivores, but they are hunting animals that are not quite adapted to avoiding them as well as they may be to avoiding other animals.

Feral Cats 257

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 257

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2024

So, like a football stadium named after an insurance company, the broadbill ended up bearing a name celebrating a sponsor. eBird gives the Indigo Flycatcher a very positive review, calling it a “beautiful little gem of a flycatcher” Apparently, Indigo Flycatchers mainly hunt in groups, as described here.

Indonesia 246

Indonesia Birds Charlotte Breeding 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2021

We were also lucky enough to see a beautiful pair of Sacred Kingfishers hunting along the coastal edge. Sadly the swan is uncommon on the river that bears its name… Luckily it can be seen nearby though. This bird should not be identified by habitat alone as occasionally you see Grey tailed Tattlers on rocky headlands as well.

Australia 264

Australia Cooking North America Fish 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

There’s a Sloth Bear in tall, dry grass, barely 50 metres from us, but all we can see is a dark, shape-shifting shadow that eventually becomes all but invisible. The Osprey tries another hunt, finally a successful one, while Telia goes deeper into the water and lies down. The Telia Lake.

Tigers 259

Tigers India Killing 2006 259

4 The Love Of Animals

JUNE 7, 2012

In a rarely filmed event, see newly awakened black bears go on the hunt for newborn elk calves. We are very excited to be able to share some preview footage with you! Untamed Americas: Mountains. Premieres Sunday, June 10, 9 p.m. Clip – Big Horn Bash: A young male big horned sheep challenges an older male to a fight.

America 100

America Sheep Penguins South America 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

Instead, the entry asks us to “Please bear with us while this update takes place” A few months ago, I wrote an email to my bank asking them a specific question. One would think that for a species as common in Europe as the Grey-headed Woodpecker , the HBW would spend some effort to update the species entry. A worrying trend.

Myanmar 147

Myanmar Birds China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

It bears an iconic name associated with insanity and betrayal, but also with time and seasonality. Common Cuckoo is a fascinating bird, an obligate parasitic breeder that employs numerous strategies, including fraud and murder, to survive. I saw the Cuckoo the second day of its visit.

2020 264

2020 Birds Costa Rica Germany 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2012

The oft-told tale of its start in 1900 as an alternative to the “side-hunt” which was itself a long tradition in many families warms many a birder’s heart. Bear with me, keyboard commandos of the 101 Chairborn Patriot Squad. But maybe it needs a name change?

Saudi Arabia 200

Saudi Arabia Pakistan Abandon Abandoning 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2014

The area also boasts a Rainforest Discovery Centre with several canopy walkways and towers, and a newer rehabilitation centre for bears. One of the most popular tourism locations in Borneo, this is where people go to see Bornean Orangutans at the world-famous rehabilitation centre. The entrance to hell has a walkway. Danum Valley.

Bats 243

Bats Birds Elephants Badgers 243

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. This was not a very successful prank, especially since we had just encountered a large cinnamon-colored black bear which was much more interesting, even to a birder.

Rattlesnake 187

Rattlesnake Mules Bald Eagle Mammals 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2019

While the hunting of game with trained birds of prey can be a controversial topic among birders , falconry was a valuable early source of information on birds, and its history, culture, and imagery continue to fascinate bird lovers, as we shall see. Good birding and happy drinking! San Martino Siir (2015) – Aglianico del Vulture DOC.

2015 113

2015 Italy Falcons Europe 113