10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2011

But, as with so many other species, these birds have been left to do their own whistle blowing. West Indian Whistling Ducks are the largest of the eight different whistling duck species. The whistling duck call carries with it the crimes of big business, the failures of governments and the ignorance of irresponsible hunters.

Antigua and Barbuda 247

Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico Dominican Republic Jamaica 247

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2014

I am not anti-hunting. The “Crow Down” is a “hunting contest” where both adults and children slaughter as many crows as they possibly can in two days. Obviously killing contests have nothing to do with traditional hunting, and “animal abuse” is normally used when describing domestic animals.

Killing 272

Killing Animal Abuse Slaughtered Slaughter 272

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Originally a hunting term, the Big Five were the most dangerous and prized targets of the great white hunters on safari. Elephant The big – two species of elephant are now recognized as occuring in Africa, the smaller and more secretive Forest Elephant and the larger, more familiar African or Bush Elephant.

Buffalo 243

Buffalo Rhinoceros Leopards Elephants 243

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2024

Although I once saw a group of Barn Swallows pass overhead a few weeks earlier, these birds were clearly on passage only as there was no sign of this species since. Eventually however, a large group was hunting insects over the pond in the nearby park, showing off their shimmering metal-blue backs.

Birds 246

Birds Collecting Canada Hunting 246

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2012

Many of these refuges and associated Conservation Areas, which have the potential to protect more than 1 million acres of vital wildlife habitat, have been forged through creative partnerships with sportsmen, conservation groups and private landowners. She says, “there’s just a cultural bias against anything related to hunting.”

Wildlife 237

Wildlife Hunters Ducks Hunting 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2024

The Gulf of Cadiz, from Cadiz itself, right along the coasts of Huelva and the Algarve to Cape St Vincent in Portugal, is a favourite hunting ground of mine and the operators willing to take you out have been on the increase in recent years. Wilson’s Storm Petrel Oceanodroma oceani cus seems to be everyone’s target species.

Portugal 289

Portugal Breeding Hunting Species 289

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2015

This is what we need for birds, whose rights as government-protected species are violated every day by free-roaming cats. Thanks to groups like Alley Cat Allies, outdoor and feral cats have become above the law. They would be made up of people who are sick and tired of government-protected species being slaughtered by domestic cats.

Feral Cats 259

Feral Cats Feral Cats Wildlife Rehabilitation 259

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad.

Woodpeckers 264

Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

Further down the road, we reach a derelict building with a large veranda hidden among the trees – an abandoned hunting lodge (if I were in a situation to invest, I would choose to upgrade this into a luxury wildlife lodge). Birds included common species such as Black Drongos , Jungle Babblers and a Hoopoe.

Tigers 252

Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 252

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2021

We are too far into the year for many FOY sightings, but not quite far enough for most migratory species to make their return appearances. Still, in any given three-week period (which is the period I have dedicated to this latest group of thematic posts), dedicated birding will produce some sort of news. Does one ever?)

Louisiana 264

Louisiana 2000 Mexico Hunting 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

It has also found its way to Japan where it is considered to be an invasive species. Now and then individual catfish of various species hunt nearer the surface and larger catfish such as the American Channel Cat will take a duck or other water bird. Or, it could just be some weird thing one group of catfish do.

Fish 243

Fish Whales Whaling France 243

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

It may be as sick as deliberately targeting an endangered species for death. With the proposed hunting seasons on sandhill cranes being discussed in Tennessee, Kentucky and Wisconsin, we must not forget the whooping crane, which travels and winters in the big sandhill crane flocks. Speculation is useless in acts of vandalism.

2011 244

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 244

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Our group, led by world-renowned guide Herbert Byaruhanga, piled into canoes ostensibly to search for a variety of papyrus and wetland specialties, but really we were just looking for the shoebill. Nor is the Shoebill the national bird of Uganda.

Uganda 298

Uganda Africa Penguins 2019 298

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

In front of us, the river is two miles wide… and it is paved with birds: smaller groups of Greater White-fronted and Greylag Geese , numerous Mute Swans and Mallards , plus Eurasian Teals , Gadwalls , Common Pochards , a few Ferruginous and Tufted Ducks , Common Goldeneyes and several Smews. A goose hunt sounds like a WWII battle.

Geese 189

Geese Boars Hunting Serbia 189

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

The various national versions of Ducks Unlimited are mostly an outgrowth of sports hunting. I was very pleased to see several Brewer’s Blackbirds mixed in with a large group of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. This is only my second sighting of the species on Lake Cuitzeo.

Pelicans 262

Pelicans Blackbirds Ducks Hunting 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2024

I did not have good views at all, although after a long time observing I had managed to pick up all the ID features, and enjoyed watching its different hunting behaviour compared to the plentiful Great Cormorants. I was very happy about this lifer as I had been hoping to see this species in autumn during my stay on Heligoland.

Netherlands 246

Netherlands Birds Ducks Hunting 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2015

APRIL 12: Second flight of a b h and then she hunts. ” Falcons do hunt pigeons, we all know that, but what is a Kamikaze pigeon? Take the Saker for example: with 52 to 64 breeding pairs ten years ago, Serbia held 13 per cent of the European population of this Globally Threatened species ( source ).

Switzerland 235

Switzerland Serbia Feral Falcons 235

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 270

Animal Rights Rights Animal New Zealand 270

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2014

The serpent-eagles of the genus Spilornis are an Asian group, not to be confused with two different genera found in Africa or, for that matter, the snake-eagles, a mostly African but also European and Asian genus (simple, right?). This species ranges from India to Japan and south down Borneo.

Eagles 198

Eagles Japan India Africa 198

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2024

The refuge has more than 10,000 eBird checklists and 286 species have been observed by approximately 1,100 eBirders. The most popular of the ten eBird hotspots is McNary NWR–Headquarters/Quail Trail , which does indeed feature California Quail , as well as Yellow-Headed Blackbirds and numerous other species.

Washington 246

Washington Oregon Wildlife United States 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2021

In the Orinoco, the largest observed groups number 30, but average is just above five. We sailed right into a group of more than a dozen Hoatzins (cover photo, by Tyler Ficker) with their orange mohawks and blue facial skin. At first one, then two more, then one more, and altogether some 6 or 7 dolphins were coming to the surface.

Dolphins 264

Dolphins Colombia Otters Monkeys 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

That was the first thing we–our New Jersey Audubon group of 11 birders, led by Scott Barnes–noted as we exited the airport. My cabin was located in a separate area from most of my group, so I didn’t know about the Tinamou till I arrived at the bar for our pre-dinner drink and checklist. There was no snow. And, no snow.

Honduras 263

Honduras Birds Costa Rica South Africa 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. When I reached the levee earlier that morning, I met an elderly hunter from whom I learned that there was an ongoing duck and pheasant hunt, but no one was shooting from, nor towards the embankment, hence I should be safe there.

Serbia 246

Serbia Otters Boars Hunters 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2013

You may not realize it when you look at those bizarre looking waders with the massive bills and the vacant expression, but you’re looking at a group of birds that has inspired humankind for literal centuries. The group has a worldwide distribution; 28 species living and two additional extinct.

North America 248

North America Charlotte Birds Miami 248

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2011

They like to fly in pairs or groups and in the evening they come together in big groups to roost in a favorite ‘dormitory’ tree. Such cavities are hard to find and are sometimes disputed by more than one species. To be more specific, this vast tropical savanna is home to some 800 bird species.

Protection 223

Protection Brazil Parrots Paraguay 223

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. Back to Gipsy and toward a distant group of farmers working their fields. Trips endangered species India lapwings Sociable Lapwing'

Sudan 252

Sudan India Ukraine Camels 252

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2012

It has recently been reclassified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List; this category is reserved for only the most threatened species in the world. If this bird did become extinct, it would be the first pheasant species to have been lost in the 400 years since proper records began.

Vietnam 167

Vietnam 2000 Germany Asia 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

By Martin Garwood Martin has been interested in birds from an early age and has traveled extensively in pursuit of different species. He recently set up a charity, High Weald Swifts, to promote conservation in the UK of this now “red-listed” species. He has a particular passion for Swifts.

Shelters 246

Shelters Cattle Wildlife Hunting 246

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Babita Tours has many years of experience organizing tailor-made wildlife tours for private groups in this wonderful country. On a recent visit I threw my bags in the hotel room and went straight there, and got over 60 species of birds in a few hours and fantastic views of Nilgai , the largest antelope in India.

India 244

India Wildlife Tigers Rhinoceros 244

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Just under a fortnight ago, I saw a report on the local bird alert of a sighting of a group of approximately 20 Nacunda Nighthawks at a wetland not more than 20 minutes from where I live. Scores of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circled overhead, these vocal ducks are often hunted illegally here so it was refreshing to see so many.

Livestock 261

Livestock ALA Ducks illegal 261

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2022

While preparing an article this week for a local newspaper on the nighttime denizens of Tobago, it crossed my mind that I never considered owls as a group, far less target species for any particular outing (except for a select few, upon which I shall expound here). This resulted in my only photograph of this species to date.

Trinidad 279

Trinidad Owls Barn Owls Abandoning 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2021

Still, how many birders visit this region and could be seen as the target group for this, already a second edition? Just last year, 5 new bird species and 5 new subspecies were discovered in a few short weeks of fieldwork on the islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka. The rest of the region remains fairly undervisited.

Indonesia 264

Indonesia Timor Brunei Guinea 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2012

Birders in Northern California have been treated to rare sightings of several species, sending avid twitchers from all over the west in our direction. One of the cool things about this species is that they are year round residents in their territory. They also can be easily attracted to nest boxes (plans available here ).

Owls 213

Owls California Jordan Sparrows 213

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2022

I’ve been leading a small but faithful group on Trinidad for several years to count birds within a livestock farm that is generally restricted to the public (you can read about some of those shenanigans here ); this was the first time I was to embark on a CBC on the smaller island of Tobago. Anyway, I digress. Mangrove Cuckoo.

Falcons 264

Falcons Trinidad Ducks Livestock 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

There’s an unofficial series of posts on species of birds that occur in threes in T&T (see: bitterns , trogons , antshrikes , spinetails , manakins , hermits , honeycreepers , and resident warblers ). We also saw a small group of Guianan Red Howler Monkeys feeding nearby. Broad-winged Hawk. Slowly, we continued.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Birds Tigers Monkeys 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2023

On the slow crawl into the farm, the first sighting was a small group of Green Ibis – a new species for me. Endemic to the Guianan shield, this species has captivated me since I first laid eyes on a photograph of it. Most notably of which was a pair of Blood-colored Woodpeckers. I had never before seen a Limpkin do this.

Farming 246

Farming Guyana Birds South America 246

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2021

For example, hunting is not permitted in most NPS wilderness areas, but it is often allowed in wilderness areas managed by the other agencies. It is the only federal research group dedicated to studies needed to manage the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Puerto Rico 297

Puerto Rico Alaska Protection Montana 297