10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Ethiopia , a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Only twenty years ago it was an out-of-bounds, desperately impoverished and war-torn ex-Marxist state. Tourism infrastructure didn’t exist then and development has been slow. Tours groups that I guided to Ethiopia ten years ago had to endure very basic accommodation, almost no surfaced roads and low levels of service.

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Eritrea Ethiopia Africa Mammals 270

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Taste of the Wild now offers their two most popular adult formulas in a puppy food. High Prairie Puppy and Pacific Stream Puppy are the newest additions to the Taste of the Wild family and were developed specifically to be more nutritionally beneficial for dogs under the age of 18 months. Taste of the Wild is a grain free, natural pet food that uses high quality ingredients for the benefit of your dog or cat.

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Puppies Dogs Cats Pets 172

Critter News

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

What was this idiot thinking? The full story is below and it comes from kcra.com. Outcry is growing against one of California’s top wildlife officials after a photo of him holding a dead mountain lion surfaced online last week. Dan Richards, president of the California Fish and Game Commission, is shown in the photo, holding a mountain lion he reportedly hunted and killed in Idaho, according to Western Outdoor Press, which published the photo.

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Mountain Lions Lions Humane Society Of The United States Idaho 122

Sales and Marketing Management

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

Listening is far more important than talking and schmoozing when you want to earn the respect and trust of your prospects – especially in the first meeting and the early stages of the business relationship. Even if you’re responding to a prospect’s inquiry, it’s important to remember that prospects must first respect and trust you and your company before they’ll be comfortable buying from you.

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Animal Ethics

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

The problem of the unjust use of farm animals is large, growing, historical, institutionalized, governmentally encouraged, and fundamentally unregulated at either the state or federal level. Farm animals are treated essentially as raw materials. Their ethological needs and direct interests are neglected to the extent that their needs are not as congruent with higher productivity and profit.

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Farmed Animals Farm Animal Farming Factory Farm 55

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Torrent Ducks are the thrill-seekers of the avian world. Very few birds – or animals for that matter – would plunge head-first into the churning cauldrons of some of South America’s most treacherous rivers. But Torrent Ducks are fearless and to witness some of their daredevil feats ranks pretty high in the book “1000 Avian Spectacles to See Before You Die” A book that I have not yet written.

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Ducks Colombia South America Squirrels 246

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Snowy Owls are iconic birds. You rarely find a person – birder or non – who doesn’t want to take a good long look at a bright white owl. And, of course, you rarely meet a photographer who doesn’t want to take a good close picture of a bright white owl. On Saturday, as has already been mentioned on this blog , a couple of us went out to Breezy Point, the southwestern extremity of Queens, and were pleased to see a Snowy Owl in the dunes there.

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Owls New York illegal Protection 206

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

If you know only a little bit about Charles Darwin, you know that he figured out Evolution via his study of the finches (and other birds) of the Galapagos. If you know a bit more than that about Darwin, you know that he totally messed up his collection of birds from the Galapagos Islands, and didn’t really think up Evolution until much later in time.

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Tortoises Panama South America Culling 203

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

I’ve just finished reading THE PLUME HUNTER (Torrey House Press, December 2011) by Renée Thompson. In this captivating book, Thompson explores the motivation behind hunters who shot birds to sell feathers for women’s hats at the turn of the nineteenth century. Set in the marshes of the Malheur and Lower Klamath regions of 1890’s Oregon, Thompson has crafted a story featuring Fin McFaddin, a plume hunter and the novel’s dark hero, and his best friend Aiden Elliott, a man stalwartly opposed

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Hunters Oregon San Francisco Portland 198

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

It’s my fantasy and it’s yours: Quit the job, say good-bye to the family, and bird. Just bird. It’s what I dream of every Monday morning. British birder Chris Gooddie, my new birding hero, not only dreamed the fantasy, he lived it. And, to give his dream year a little more oomph, he created a grand once-in-a-lifetime goal: to track down and see every pitta species in the world in one year.

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Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 196

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

You may remember the awesome encounter Doug and I had with Red-cockaded Woodpeckers at the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area from this post. If you are some kind of idiot savant you might even remember that the last image of a Red-cockaded Woodpecker that I shared was of the bird holding a grub in its bill. What you didn’t know unless you are some kind of a psychic is that Doug managed to shoot some slow-motion video of the woodpecker getting that grub, video that he was kind enough to

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Woodpeckers Wildlife Birds 192

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

While Blue Jays , Northern Cardinals , and American Goldfinches will all show up at bird feeders here in the northeast and share their brilliant blue, red, and yellow visages, we have no bird at our feeders to compare to the Painted Bunting. While I have mentioned their technicolor dreamcoats before it never hurts to mention again that a bird made of blue, yellow, red, and green is absurd and proof that nature is awesome.

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Florida Birds New York Wildlife 191

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Why would I call these beautiful woodpeckers the “clowns of the avian world?” Besides the facial features of the Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus ) appearing somewhat clown-like, they are a joy to watch and some of their antics are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. Both the male and female of the species have a bright red crown.

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Woodpeckers Breeders North America Groups 185

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

A team of researchers has found that the populations of common birds around the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan has plummeted. Most disturbingly, the populations of species that the area has in common with Chernobyl has fallen more in Fukushima than they did in the site of worst nuclear disaster in world history. a.

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Japan Birds Research Species 180

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Experience

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

Purple Gallinules are awesome. And I am in the enviable position of having a surfeit of images of Porphyrio martinica to share. Such is the burden that a digiscoping bird blogger bears when he visits the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida in January. Grant McCreary of The Birder’s Library , who shared the experience with me, probably has pretty much the same problem.

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United States Florida South America Europe 183

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Tanzania has an enormous variety of exquisite birds but unfortunately it has an equal number of distractions that can interrupt your birding experience. Take these pesky Lions for instance. While seeking out tiny brown birds in the drizzle, we came upon this amorous duo and for some reason everyone in the car decided that the birds could wait. The Lioness sat regal in the rain and the chatterboxes who thought nothing of telling raucous tales while we crept up on a Tawny Eagle or a Variable Sunbi

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Tanzania Lions Birds Cats 179

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

If you are getting ready to adopt a furry friend, or you know someone who is, you just have to see these adorable printables from Chickabug! Available in pink and blue, they have everything you can think of to help make your new addition welcome. If you are looking for inspiration on how to use it, just check out this amazing puppy adoption party ! Seriously, so cute!

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Dog Adoption Adoptable Puppy Adoption Dogs 149

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

WONDERFUL WEAVERS There are many different Weavers in the world and as far as I can tell they share the skill of masterful nest building… unlike the shabby unstable creations of, say, Mourning Doves. By the way, I’ve tried to ID everyone appropriately but if you have any corrections please say so in the comments. Above a Speke’s Weaver displays below the nest in an effort to attract a female.

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Tanzania Africa Hunting Sparrows 176

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

During my time in Florida I only saw two birds on nests, which is not terribly surprising considering that I was there at the end of January. Most birds, after all, wait until spring. But when you see the two birds on nests that I spotted you will understand why I thought that two was more than enough. Birding at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is really pretty darn cool… Great Horned Owl on nest Bald Eagle on nest Sorry for such a short post – the next one will be lo

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Bald Eagle Florida Birds Eagles 173

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

The Green-winged Teal ( Anas crecca carolinensis ) is North America’s smallest dabbling duck and taken by hunters second only to the Mallard. Click on photos for full sized images. Luckily for them, even though they nest on the ground, they usually breed far from human habitation, under heavy vegetative cover. It appears that most of the Green-winged Teal have already paired up in California.

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Ducks North America Hunters California 174

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2012

In between moments of staring at and trying to photograph distant Snail Kites at Kaliga Park on East Lake Toho in St. Cloud, Florida, Doug, with whom I had been birding all day long, found a Yellow-throated Warbler foraging behind us. And while Snail Kites are awesome, especially when you are adding them to your ABA list , a close and confiding Yellow-throated Warbler is almost irresistible, especially for a New Yorker.

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Florida New York City Dominica United States 174

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

When Jahnna moved to Los Angeles to go after her dream of becoming an actress, she never guessed that it would be her long hair Chihuahua, Gizmo, that would be a star! Gizmo stole the limelight and started getting work! He even has his own web series where the camera follows him around to showcase his life, being on set, and the bond between him and his owner!

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Los Angeles Pets Animal 146

Speaker: Steve Romanco

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

It is finally winter in New York! This year it was only a couple of months late – not that I am complaining. But, as all good things must, our warm and nearly snow-less season had to come to an end and this weekend it finally did with a blast of arctic air and small quantities of the cold white stuff. Of course, we New York birders don’t let a little winter stop us from birding and over the weekend I saw a bunch of what I would call snow birds.

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Kazakhstan New York City New York Birds 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2012

This weeks post is driven by a glut of pictures and the need to clear the air with a small confession. Yellow Bitterns ( Ixobrychus sinensis ) showed strongly during a recent trip to Singapore and on occasion it would have been impossible to pose them any better than they were already doing themselves. It is possible however that I may have done them a disservice by telling all and sundry that they were Cinnamon Bitterns , so I would like to set that error straight here.

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Singapore Indonesia Asia Guinea 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

We New Yorkers get excited about single American Avocets showing up in our state and when more than one avocet is around we can’t help but go take a look. Theoretically, we understand that sometimes Recurvirostra americana show s up in larger groups than that but we have a hard time visualizing such an occurrence. Having now visited Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in January this New Yorker will never have that problem again.

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Wildlife Florida 2012 Groups 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

I imagine so. What do you think? And if anyone wants to provide a caption for the picture below please have at it in the comments. This is a Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica and a Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida. Can you tell which is which? (Click image for larger version.) … a.

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Florida Birds 171

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10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2012

Photography is a great tool to improve bird ID accuracy as explored in my previous post Photography and Birding. Now I am ready to share with you what lens I consider ideal regarding cost, weight, portability, and quality. My experience is only with Canon equipment which I have used for five years, of course there is also Nikon and others but these will not be considered here.

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Birds Experience Experiments Protection 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Southern Florida offers many unique wintering birds, but perhaps none more so then the sparrows that call different parts of Florida their winter homes. Tom Dunkerton tipped me off to an area on the Black Merritt National Wildlife Refuge where some of my target birds can be seen. Tom spends most of his daylight hours scouring the refuge for goodies, so I was ultra happy to have him as my knowledgeable local guide.

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South Dakota Florida Sparrows Wildlife 169

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

Maybe Staten Island isn’t all bad. After all, I recently tracked down my first-for-New York State White-winged Dove in the forgotten borough of New York City. The bird has been coming to a private feeder – where a young birder named Anthony Ciancimino happens to live – for well over a week now. White-winged Doves , usually denizens of the southwestern United States.

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New York City New York United States Mexico 168

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

The more data about bird migration we gather from professional and citizen science efforts, the more each one of us can learn about the comings and goings of our favorite species. Obviously, when Audubon and Cornell Lab of Ornithology collaborate on a Bird Migration Forecast tool, the result is going to be pretty spectacular. But information wants to be free, so it reaches out to us through a variety of channels.

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North America America Science Birds 166

Speaker: Gabriel Wagner

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