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Birding the Datang area, Yunnan

10,000 Birds

Somewhat strangely, the HBW calls it a “small grey to yellow babbler” – while the species indeed has some grey parts, that is not the color that sticks to mind when seeing or remembering the bird. Plus the sibia apparently plays an important role in the pollination of one endangered rhododendron species ( source ).

Eggs 232
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Avian squatters at the end of Europe

10,000 Birds

The Cuckoo Cuculus canorus has a bad reputation because of its habit of laying its eggs on the nests of other birds, who then raise their young. The White-rumped Swift Apus caffer , a tropical African breeding species, was only discovered breeding in Europe in the 1960s. The confusion was understandable. White-rumped Swift in flight.

Europe 291
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Invasive species in Australia

10,000 Birds

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
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Photo Essay: Green-rumped Parrotlets from Egg to Adult

10,000 Birds

Green-rumped Parrotlets: from egg to adult Text and photographs copyright Nick Sly (except Rae Okawa where indicated) and are used with his permission. Getting intimate with a species over the course of the breeding cycle is one of the more rewarding aspects of birding, and field research too.

Eggs 269
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Egg Dumping by the Seaside

10,000 Birds

13 different seabird species, chief among them Common Eider and (Eurasian) Oystercatcher , stand accused of egg dumping or laying their eggs in other birds’ nests. Actually, the act seems less nefarious than oblivious since most incidents place eggs in the nests of predators!

Eggs 157
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Seabird City Spectacular

10,000 Birds

They don’t nest until they are at least four or five years old, when they finally acquire full adult plumage, with the female laying just a single egg that takes 44 days to hatch. There were typically four teams of Climmers at Bempton, with each team taking 300-400 eggs a day. The Guillemots pack on to the ledges, shoulder to shoulder.

Puffins 190
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Banded Semipalmated Sandpipers at Big Egg Marsh, Queens, New York

10,000 Birds

One of my regular stops in late May and early June is Big Egg Marsh, a wonderful salt marsh just a short distance south of the much-more-famous Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. 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. Eh, Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Eggs 147