10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

These two islands are about halfway between the tip of South Africa and Antarctica in the Subantarctic Indian Ocean, have had relatively few human visitors, and are primarily inhabited with some of the rarest seabirds in the world and a smaller number of mammals.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

The only mammals of the day were feral Nutrias (Coypus), aquatic rodents originally from southern South America released from the bankrupt fur-farms and well established here. I am checking for darker heads and necks, but the sunset is taking over… “How do you manage to tell them apart,” I ask him. Watch for the dark beaks.”

Geese 179

Geese Boars Hunting Serbia 179

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2013

They strut about flicking their luxurious fur capes, roaring, displaying their massive canines, chasing off rival males and generally just releasing their built-up testosterone, but back at the ranch, it’s the females that actually call the shots. Mammals Ethiopia Gelada' they are the most terrestrial primate after humans.

Ethiopia 160

Ethiopia Primates Mammals Fur 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

It’s not fecal material, but parts that are not digestible like fur, bones and the exoskeletons of insects. For example, since eagles and hawks tend to rip their prey apart and have stronger digestive acids, their pellets look like wads of fur. There was also a mammal jawbone in the pellet too. Was that a cardinal beak?

Dissection 208

Dissection Bats Minnesota Owls 208

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

It covers seabirds and marine mammals and miscellaneous living things–creatures likely to be found on day trips from the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. That’s 22 Marine Mammal species and 43 Seabirds. And, at 5 by 8 inches it may be small enough to fit into some people’s pockets.) Howell and Brian L.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Porpoises Whales Whaling 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2012

Somewhere around the Platte River one of the Audubon boys received a black-footed hide from a fur trader. John Bachmann headed west to gather material for Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. Audubon painted this new creature and wrote up a brief description, which went into his posthumous book and so out into the world.

Ferrets 188

Ferrets South Dakota Wyoming Captive Animal 188

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it.

Georgia 173

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whaling 173

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

As I have explained before these islands are the best place for a lot of the birding here because they are more easily protected from introduced mammals which wreck such havoc on the wildlife here. Red-crowned Parakeet foraging near a New Zealand Fur Seal. I’ll work on that.

Penguins 165

Penguins New Zealand Parrots Fur 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There were no mammals, little game, and not many birds either. Brush-tailed Possums were brought from Australia to help start a fur industry. Part of the world they wanted to transport was natural. To Victorian eyes the fauna and flora of New Zealand was strange, both in appearance and in its apparent paucity.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

North of Dunedin is Orokonui , a wildlife Sanctuary modeled on Karori with a fence to keep introduced mammals out. Abel Tasman is popular for its easy hiking trail along the coast and kayaking, keep an eye out for New Zealand Fur Seals and Spotted Shags. And to the south are The Catlins, mentioned above. You really are spoiled here.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Fur 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2011

In nature, you’ve got your leathery skin (like elephants or crocodiles), you’ve got your fur (like beavers and red deer), you’ve got your scales (like fish and pangolins) and you’ve got your feathers (like many theropod dinosaurs … oh, and birds). Bipedalism is somewhat rare these days in the animal world.

Birds 270

Birds Marsupials Primates Whales 270

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

In the mid 1700s, fur-traders began introducing foxes up and down the Aleutian chain, in order to generate some more raw material work with. However, they were refound on Buldir Island, a remote island that never had any introduced mammals.

Albatross 209

Albatross Endangered Species Bald Eagle Alaska 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Here one is close to the scenically impressive Cape of Good Hope National Park as well as the Boulder’s Coastal Park, home to hundreds of breeding African Penguins.

Albatross 184

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 184

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2012

Mike’s squirrels were described in one of the comments as “blond” I prefer this as there is definitely colour in the squirrels’ fur, it is just very pale. Without the light-blocking property of a coloured iris, light is permitted to enter into the eyeball and is reflected back from the blood vessels in the retina.

Squirrels 229

Squirrels North Carolina Missouri Fur 229

Animal Person

MARCH 29, 2009

I do think that in my lifetime greyhound racing will end, circuses will be animal-free, elephants and marine mammals won't be in zoos, and fur might even be banned. The whole development of society must be slow and continuous, the changes incremental. ( None of these things will happen without targeted campaigns.

Psychology 100

Psychology Animal Rights Movement Campaign Vegan 100

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

It’s not surprising that animals—especially, but not only, mammals—share many emotions with us because we also share brain structures—located in the limbic system—that are the seat of our emotions. After publishing my stories I got emails from people all over the world who had seen similar behavior in various birds and mammals.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whaling Whales 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2012

A gang of four Calgarians (if that is what you call people from Calgary) are doing a combined mammal and bird big year across Canada , hoping to hit 400 bird species and 50 mammals, though it seems that they really want to hit a combined 500 species (with the catchy moniker “Fur and Feathers 500″).

South Dakota 204

South Dakota Houston Mammals Fur 204

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2012

I never knew, until my ill-fated encounter , that these are among the most birdie of the North American flying mammals. Hoary Bats roost in trees, not caves.

Bats 177

Bats Iceland Stray Fur 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2012

I’ve been a fan of this particular peculiar Australian mammal my entire life, and more than any bird I wanted to see it here. As it got darker we found a Bush Thick-knee foraging in the grounds (their calls at night were quite something), and then began to find mammals.

Possums 172

Possums Guinea Marsupials Rats 172

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2013

A gang of four in Calgary did a combined mammal and bird big year across Canada , hoping to hit 400 bird species and 50 mammals, though it seems that they really want to hit a combined 500 species (with the catchy moniker “Fur and Feathers 500?). At 76 mammals and 431 birds they reached every single one of their goals!

2012 158

2012 South Dakota Costa Rica Houston 158