10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

We get to see a lot of them around here, and familiarity breeds, not contempt certainly, but perhaps apathy. Also in the Palm sort-of-flock, were a couple of these fantastic “Yellow” Pam Warblers, the eastern subspecies hypochrysea , definitely the less common of the two around here.

North America 225

North America North Carolina Tennessee South America 225

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2019

In fact we often don’t have any chicks within two weeks of the eggs hatching and other pairs along the coast have not been successful yet this season. More eggs have been laid and hopefully other pairs of Pied Oystercatchers will soon have young to care for. Female on the left and two chicks next to the male Pied Oystercatcher.

Feral Cats 137

Feral Cats Eggs Shelters Feral 137

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Lake Kerkini National Park in the north of Greece is the very best birding area in the Balkan Peninsula and definitely among the top ten hotspots of Europe. However, during a storm the chains that kept it anchored broke off and the raft is now stranded on the shore, accessible to stray dogs and not used for breeding.

Greece 246

Greece Pelicans Stray Dog Tortoises 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

The park is home to not one, not two, but large three colonies of breeding seabirds: the Brown Noddy , Magnificent Frigatebird , and Sooty Tern. As we looked closer, we saw the Sooty Terns nesting right on the ground itself, calling back and forth to each other as they sat on their speckled eggs. Lots and lots of birds.

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Florida Birds Groups North Carolina 201

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2024

Birders flock to this haven, as it is a sanctuary for over 150,000 breeding Northern Gannets , making it the world’s largest colony. The island is teeming with so many birds that their eggs and young chicks were once harvested for food. This was definitely a trip to remember, and we have others to thank for mentioning it.

Puffins 198

Puffins Sanctuary Lamb Investigation 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2023

As I sit at my desk writing this post about the latest attempt at breeding for one of our pairs of Pied Oystercatchers I realise I have written 677 posts now for this website. The photo below shows the actual nest with the eggs in, but that may not be initially clear to you, so I have underlined them in a copy of the photo below.

Eggs 130

Eggs Australia Protection 2000 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

Oil begins to wash up on the beaches throughout May and June of 2010 May 6, 2010 Oil washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, an important nesting and breeding area for many bird species. The babies that hatched from these eggs were released on Florida’s east coast. In my eyes, the future is crystal clear.

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2010 Louisiana 2012 2011 261

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2014

In Australia we definitely have our fair share of invasive species and the main problem is that we are such a huge land mass with such a small population. We have seen them on remote beaches hunting shorebirds and taking their eggs and they have been responsible for much of the egg loss in breeding Pied Oystercatchers along the Broome coast.

Australia 157

Australia Species Feral Cats Feral 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The Marabu Stork definitely has a face that only a mother could love. Studies on improving ostrich egg hatchability. Also, I learned that in the US , ostrich eggs are priced at $40-$75. Each fresh egg weighs 4 pounds and is the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs. . And sadly, it is listed as Endangered.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Eggs Africa 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2023

Fortunately, there are a few more such breeding species than most Shanghainese are aware of. While the HBW states that it breeds at 300 – 2450 meters, in Shanghai – where such elevations are not available outside of the upper floors of a few highrises – it makes to with an altitude of about 0 meters as well.

Birds 130

Birds Eggs Breeders McDonalds 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

Another puzzling thing to me, as for me, the ideal number of people to live with would be somewhere between zero and one but definitely not above 1. According to the HBW, when breeding, male birds do most of the incubation and parenting while females often leave the nest up to one week before the eggs hatch. End of side note.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

A lovely looking and distinctive sounding bird (so they say, I sadly have not seen one…yet), the Kirtland’s Warbler can only be found during its breeding season in Jack Pine forests 5 to 20 years old in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Michigan 254

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2017

We have had a very poor breeding season for our resident shorebirds and in particular none of the 16 pairs of Pied Oystercatchers along the 23 kilometre/14 miles stretch of coast that we keep an eye on have successfully bred. All of the migratory shorebirds had started to leave Broome and it appeared it had also gone north.

Eggs 103

Eggs Whales Whaling Breeding 103

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

Scientists were largely limited to studies birds in breeding colonies, at least those we knew about and that were accessible (and, if you think that’s a complete list, you haven’t read the news that came out this week about a new colony of Adélie penguins found in the Danger Islands, Antarctica). Technology to the rescue!

Albatross 115

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 115

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

The first two questions were never definitely answered. Even during the breeding season the birds appear to be quite unwary of humans. Of course, you then miss out on all the natural history, the nesting data, descriptions of eggs, mating rituals, and ffrench’s personal, affectionate observations of his birds.

Trinidad 225

Trinidad South America Birds 2011 225

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

There are 160 to 200 species of marine birds here, depending on your definition of “marine bird” (Fox defines it as “species traditionally considered coastal,” including birds like Sandhill Cranes with the more traditional tubenoses, gulls, and ducks).

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

Animal Ethics

MARCH 8, 2009

If a genetically engineered animal’s legs periodically fell off, would not its legs be more like a product of an animal (analogous to eggs) than a part of the animal? These people abstain from eggs and dairy products the production of which involves suffering for the animals. Would the blood be analogous to milk or eggs?

Vegetarian 40

Vegetarian Morals Suffering Vegan 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

There are sections, ranging in length from a paragraph to two pages, on taxonomy, bird names, habitat, ranges, migration, courtship and breeding, flight, bird intelligence, bird communication; identification; finding birds, life lists; optics and photography; ethics; bird feeding; and conservation. These are all informative and current.

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North America America California Condor Birds 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2013

About three billion birds fly north to the Boreal Forest each spring to build nests and lay eggs. About 3 billion of North America’s landbirds, 26 million of its waterfowl, and 7 million of its shorebirds breed here. There are nearly 100 species of which 50% or more of the entire population breeds in the Boreal Forest.

Obama 262

Obama 2008 United States North America 262

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Sadly, they no longer breed in Algeria, while in Turkey no free-flying birds remain. (In Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World states that “disturbance by local people, tourists, and egg and zoo collectors has similarly reduced the colonies, and more protection is vital”. In 1890 an estimated 3,000 pairs nested in Birecik.)

Morocco 245

Morocco Algeria Austria Germany 245

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

It didn’t occur to me till I started reading The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird that there was also a possible threat to the eagle herself: poachers, who steal raptor eggs and chicks. McWilliam realizes he’s dealing someone special, a career falcon egg-thief.

Falcons 248

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 248

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2022

Once the egg has been laid, the female is chased away and the males hatch it.” A juvenile, if I am correct – and a rather rare bird in Shanghai, this being rather at the southern end of the wintering breeding range. No wonder species definitions are so problematic. Not sure about his/her sexual orientation.

China 246

China Birds Pythons Breeding 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2012

During the breeding season when hormones are flowing the cloaca swells and birds can get a cloacal protuberance. Here’s a high definition, high speed video of a Muscovy penis popping out: So, why would a male duck need such a crazy appendage that works at lightning speed to mate with a female? Let’s look at the equipment.

Buffalo 279

Buffalo Birds Ducks Eggs 279

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

When these birds breed, this can lead to highly cringeworthy announcements, for example from Adelaide Zoo : “We have egg-citing news!” If I ever have a used car I need to sell, I will definitely ask for their help. Breeding pairs form exclusive social bonds, yet each partner will still mate with other individuals.”

Australia 259

Australia Birds Mountain Goats Ducks 259

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

Let us for once judge a book by its cover, and take a thorough look at a Black-headed Gull in breeding plumage. How do I know of their Gothic moods when they have hidden them so well in an egg-white shell of conformity? And definitely take a look at gulls. It is the claws that give them away, their black nail polish.

2011 181

2011 Birds Deer Europe 181

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

Unfortunately, the Ashy Drongos did not exactly do what he predicted that they would do – mob potential predators more frequently during the breeding season and mob the more dangerous predator (in this case, the Black Eagle) more intensely. If you do not know what USP means, you are definitely not a marketing person yourself.

China 216

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 216

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

Definitely one of the highlights of my birding career! Red Junglefowl by Mike Bergin Clare Kines chose an egg as his Best Bird of the Year. Secretive, silent and undetectable outside of its breeding season, found only in the U.S. On occasion, they even incubate their eggs (they are non-parasitic cuckoos) in a communal nest.

2012 173

2012 Guatemala Birds Florida 173

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

To be honest, both the robin and the flycatchers shown above remind me of the easter eggs I hunted for as a child – the same strong colors in front of a green background, same time of the year (feel free to insert your own Proust Madeleine reference here) … Bluethroats apparently are good at imitating other birds.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

So, I was very excited when I heard that Rick Wright was writing a book about sparrows, the first treatment of North American sparrows since 2001, possibly the first book about sparrows of North America, depending on your definition of that geographic area. Range and Geographic Variation.

North America 177

North America Sparrows America United States 177

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Hopefully, the winter time in Shanghai gives the Black-faced Buntings some time to relax from the challenges of the breeding season. Fortunately for the buntings, they seem to detect most cuckoo eggs smuggled in (75% in one study). Maybe there is some justice in this world after all. Better safe than sorry.

Eggs 246

Eggs Birds Bangladesh China 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

This may have been partly a leftover from the Victorian fascination with egg collecting (the infamous passion known as oology), but probably more from people’s burgeoning interest in the nests and eggs found in their gardens and fields, gateway artifacts to a newer hobby called birdwatching. Baicich and Colin J.

Eggs 260

Eggs United States Sparrows Birds 260

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat). Apparently, after a male first mates with a female, he throws out the first one or two eggs she lays in their nest.

China 147

China Birds Eggs Breeding 147