10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

This year we have continued to monitor the breeding of several pairs of Pied Oystercatchers along the coast in Broome from Gantheaume Point to Willie Creek on the south side. The first eggs were laid in the first week of July, which is the case each year. Pied Oystercatcher sitting on eggs in the nudist area of Cable Beach.

Breeding 158

Breeding Eggs Camels Shelters 158

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022

Every year we observe both egg and chick loss amongst our Pied Oystercatcher pairs along Cable Beach and also in Roebuck Bay during their breeding season. The breeding season starts around the end of June and there are still eggs being laid and chicks hatching, but now these are the second clutches of eggs.

Breeding 147

Breeding Eggs Protection Family 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2013

Now that passerine migration has largely wound down the attention of this New York birder has shifted to seabirds, shorebirds, and the occasional trip looking for breeding birds. It is a great spot for Horseshoe Crabs to spawn and lay eggs so it is no wonder that shorebirds congregate to eat those eggs.

Eggs 144

Eggs New York Wounded Jamaica 144

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. The population of Australia is concentrated mainly around the city areas along the coast and many invasive species have been able to spread with ease.

Australia 157

Australia Species Feral Cats Feral 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2016

It’s a bang-up breeding year for super-endangered birds! The species, which migrates from the Russian Arctic to Southeast Asia, is down to about 200 breeding pairs in the wild, due to habitat loss and poaching. For the past several years, getting the birds to breed has been an exercise in futility.

Louisiana 190

Louisiana Eggs Breeding Asia 190

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2024

But now, it’s time to go for many species. They breed early and now it’s time to move out into the Atlantic. It’s only with the return of the low pressure systems in October that the Balearic Shearwaters come back and get ready to make the most of the winter and early spring productivity to breed.

Morocco 268

Morocco Dolphins Africa Fish 268

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

The obvious choice was the Mallard , that plucky familiar northern hemisphere species that is the father of the even more familiar domesticated duck. In fact, as the species was quickly identified as as creating hybrids with Grey Ducks, the opinion was by the 1920s that the species shouldn’t be released further.

Species 165

Species New Zealand Ducks Game 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2013

The birdlife in the Cape is nothing short of spectacular, with a healthy dose of charismatic endemic species. Over 40 species of South African endemics can be found in the Cape – Cape Sugarbirds, Cape Rockjumpers, Orange-breasted Sunbirds to name but a few. White Sharks, especially young ones, will prey on African Penguins.

Penguins 206

Penguins South Africa Sharks Leopards 206

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2018

This year is the eighteenth year since we discovered our first Pied Oystercatcher nest on Cable Beach in Broome and it didn’t take us long to realise that they are not at all successful at raising young due to egg and chick predation. Each year we hope for anther success, but so far it has not happened. Pied Oystercatcher nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding 2018 Eggs 2008 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2013

Twenty two species are distributed among six genera, depending on what happens to be extinct, and for the most part one grebe is like another. This makes Grebes vulnerable to climate change and the predation of invasive species. It is easy to see how Minks set lose in a welcoming habitat could eat an entire species.

2010 197

2010 South America 2011 Argentina 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2017

Over the past few months there have been a lot of birds breeding around Broome with the excellent rain events that we have been having and the vegetation is at long last revived. The grass is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and now we have numerous species of dragonfly to enjoy as the season starts to change.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Protection Cows 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2024

But no, my story today is about the birds that come in to breed on the heather moorland which dominates the high ground. So is that of the Common Redshank Tringa totanus , another breeding species of these moors. Never a better time to see them in full breeding dress. And with good reason.

Puffins 215

Puffins Raised Breeding Africa 215

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

The official definition of CR status says the species could be gone within ten years, or could lose 80 per cent of its population within three generations – whichever comes first. Sociable Lapwings breed in several areas along the Kazakhstani – Russian border and overwinter in Iraq, Sudan and northwest India. Gujarat, December 2010.

Sudan 239

Sudan India Ukraine Camels 239

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

All New World Quail are highly gregarious, typically found in coveys or flocks except during breeding season. In California, coveys break up and pairs begin forming in February or March, followed by nest building and egg laying in May or June. She will usually lay 12 to 17 eggs, averaging five per week 1 , before beginning incubation.

California 211

California Gophers Rattlesnake Eggs 211

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 277

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2011

The name wasn’t proposed to settle a trans-Atlantic dispute like the previous two names, but instead merely in an effort to give this little species a suitably noble name. The name didn’t stick and the species went back to being the White Tern, but it’s a change I liked and would have been happy to see remain.

Eggs 171

Eggs Fish Hunting Breeding 171

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Decades of land transformation and hydrological changes resulted in the decline of the only species of apple snail native to Florida and the kite population followed suit. While the native apple snail continued declining, another species of apple snail native to South America began to appear in canals and ponds in South Florida.

Florida 210

Florida South America Bolivia Eggs 210

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2024

There are 154 species of cuckoos in the world, and they’re all a fascinating bunch. It’s not a species you are likely to overlook, either, as it is extremely noisy, its cackling call carrying great distances. I wonder whether birds that breed in Europe ever meet up with those nest in southern Africa?

Cyprus 205

Cyprus Africa Europe Asia 205

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

While these birds are very much liked by Chinese birders, the species could unfortunately not be named the National Bird of China as the Latin species name of the bird is Grus Japonicus. It is not quite clear why they do this as it apparently does not affect breeding success. A nice example of gender equality of sorts.

Eggs 191

Eggs Bald Eagle Birds Owls 191

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2017

Early in the Wet Season we had noticed the arrival of unusually high numbers of Magpie Geese and they are a species that don’t always make it to the Broome area if it is not a wet year. It did seem highly probable that the Magpie Geese would breed in the area this year. Ten young Magpie Geese with parents.

Geese 100

Geese Breeding Eggs 2014 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

When you monitor a species of birds over many years you learn a lot from your observations and you soon become aware of the fact that some birds are just better at parenting than others. There is egg predation, chick loss and sometimes possibly just some “bad parenting”! Three eggs in the nest.

Eggs 165

Eggs Raised Breeding Family 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2012

There are thousands of shorebirds that visit Broome each year and the majority of them are now in the northern hemisphere hopefully sitting on eggs. Not all of our shorebird species migrate and those that reside here are also currently sitting on eggs, or thinking about laying eggs in the upcoming weeks.

Eggs 204

Eggs Raised Breeding Species 204

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2024

Taking inspiration from Matthiessen’s 1967 book (long out of print), which combined his natural history essays with species accounts by Ralph S. Species Profile, Black-necked Stilt, p. 57; © 2024 by Pete Dunne and Kevin T.

North America 255

North America America 2006 Delaware 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2013

Once again Pied Oystercatcher breeding season is fast approaching in Broome and we can expect the first batch of eggs to be laid within the next few weeks. We have also discovered that they are very rarely successful with the first eggs laid due to predation of either the eggs or the chicks. Flock of Pied Oystercatchers.

Eggs 169

Eggs Breeding Australia Raised 169

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2020

Large and round-headed, smartly-striped, with a gentle gaze of mysterious black eyes, in the European south of its range this species chooses preserved mountain forests, preferably mixed deciduous and conifers. Egg-laying starts in late March to early April and they remain in the vicinity till early June.

Serbia 243

Serbia Owls Slovakia Croatia 243

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

After a very good Wet Season with substantially more rain than normal over the first few months of 2017 the land was flooded and a huge variety of birds arrived in the Broome area to take advantage of the ideal conditions for breeding. Australian Painted Snipe nest with four eggs. Four eggs in the Australian Painted Snipe nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

Egg harvesting to sell as food was intensive then, with thousands taken annually from the breeding colonies in Chile. Egg collection for local consumption still continues at lower scale. The Andean Flamingo is now protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Photo: Marcio Cabral de Mora – Flickr).

Chile 154

Chile Endangered Species Eggs Argentina 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2014

Less than 1% of all species exhibit role some type of role reversal where males do what females typically do. Male Phalaropes, Jacanas, Tinamous, and Rheas build nests, incubate the eggs and take care of the chicks. Females then begin to lay eggs in the nest the male prepared. Some of the eggs will be lost to the elements.

South America 152

South America Eggs Raised America 152

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2011

The birds are not allowed to breed on the runway, but many loaf around on it. The most dominant tern species on Tern Island is the Sooty Tern. Around 100,000 of these terns breed on almost every available space on the island, and walking through groups of them is a deafening and quite painful experience. Click to enbiggen.

Hawaii 171

Hawaii Breeding Wildlife Eggs 171

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2015

Since discovering our first Pied Oystercatcher nest on Cable Beach in July 2000 we have observed the breeding of these local shorebirds along the coast between Gantheaume Point in the south and Willie Creek in the north, which is a distance of 23 kilometres.

Feral Cats 158

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Cats 158

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

A few families have a small number of eggs in the clutches, like gulls or cormorants. Others, like the petrels and some of the auks, will lay a single egg per breeding attempt. The investment placed in each clutch bur seabirds is so great that only one breeding attempt can be seen to completion each year.

Eggs 163

Eggs Puffins Breeding Albatross 163

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 256

Animal Rights Rights Animal New Zealand 256

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

Heermann’s Gulls form large breeding colonies on arid islands in the Gulf of California, Mexico, from March through July. The largest colony exists on Isla Raza, where an estimated 90–95% of the total world population breeds 1. This photo by Basar from Wikipedia Commons shows the adult in breeding plumage.

San Francisco 158

San Francisco North America Seals Sanctuary 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2014

The featured image above shows a female incubating eggs from my first resident breeding pair back in 2007. Violet-green Swallows will nest solitarily or in colonies and in my experience seem much more mellow than other swallow species. The four to six eggs are white and unmarked. Click on photos for full sized images.

Eggs 162

Eggs North America 2007 Woodpeckers 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2023

The Latin species name alphonsiana refers to Prof. Of course, the Red-billed Leiothrix is a species native to Sichuan – in Britain, it is now discussed whether to regard it as an invasive species ( source ). While the Buffy Laughingthrush is a nice-looking bird, its Latin species name berthemyi is quite unfortunate.

Italy 179

Italy China France Eggs 179

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

For mankind to snatch away a species’ very existence is wrong on so many levels that I can’t begin to explain them. However, despite our best efforts to wipe them off the face of the earth, some of the more vulnerable species have managed to hang on. this species breeds. this species breeds.

Albatross 197

Albatross Endangered Species Bald Eagle Alaska 197

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Adopted as the state bird in 1948 , the Carolina Wren actually superseded another species: the Northern Mockingbird. Still, it’s important to note that when you hear the loud song of a wren, you are hearing the male; unlike other wren species, only males sing with high volume.

South Carolina 168

South Carolina Legislation United States Birds 168