10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2014

A bit alarming, given the events of the last few weeks in Missoula, but after years of close encounters with chipmunks and ground squirrels I have finally gotten to have a pretty good idea of a rodent when I hear one. But global climate change is by no means the only way that humans can throw a wrench into those gears.

Woodchucks 230

Woodchucks Chipmunks Rodents Seals 230

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

A few spots manage to persist and welcome them in this human-dominated landscape. Keep birding and you might see a White-tailed Kite hovering as it hunts rodents and one of the few Bat Falcons in the Valley might dash into view. It’s exodus for survival or wilt and starve in the concrete.

Costa Rica 251

Costa Rica Sparrows Rodents Rats 251

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Consider this: ninety percent of birds treated at wildlife centers are admitted as a result of human interactions that have nothing to do with “nature.” Our world has changed, and humans have created that change. Wildlife no longer exists in the same way it did before humans came on the scene. The difference seems obvious.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 189

Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle Rescue Wildlife 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2021

Almost completely without human infrastructure, this reserve has the largest complexes of steppe habitats in the country, making it a uniquely preserved typical Pannonian landscape. In the Jaros section of the reserve, warden Miodrag Zavisic awaits us with a Lada 4×4, always “ready for action”. Nutria) flew by us (this time, it was Q.

Serbia 234

Serbia Romania Eagles Falcons 234

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2012

Not only is Spain a stronghold for these birds, but they are hard to miss — huge, bright white, social, and not in the least shy of humans and human dwelling-places. But the White Stork in Europe is a big, pretty bird that nests in plain view of humans, often in the middle of town on top of an important, prominent building.

Spain 170

Spain Europe Rodents France 170

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

If there are human fishing activities then all the better – Marabous will gather in numbers around fishermen’s docks and fish markets, in fact anywhere where fish are cleaned and scraps disposed of, allowing these intelligent birds to obtain a free meal. They are also attracted by fires and can gather in thousands.

Africa 237

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

This is where the fact that German birders are humans comes into play (and they sure aren’t the only ones ). They might have a negative impact on local flora, invertebrates and small rodents, either directly or indirectly through competition for food. Clearly, the birds had to be removed, the sooner the better.

Germany 243

Germany 2000 South America Birds 243

4 The Love Of Animals

OCTOBER 29, 2009

As the name suggests, they rescue rabbits, but they also rescue other small animals like ferrets, and other small rodents. To accommodate the sanctuary rabbits, our adoption center and our compassionate human visitors, Rabbit Meadows plans to build a series of small cottage-like structures among the picturesque fir trees on its grounds.

Rabbits 100

Rabbits Rescue Rabbit Rescue Ferrets 100

Critter News

MARCH 25, 2009

Weird, but I give them credit for doing the humane thing. Forestry officials are leaving pills by the gerbils' burrows to try to cut back the rodents' exploding numbers. And I don't give the Chinese much credit in this blog. The gerbils, officials say, are threatening the fragile desert ecosystem in the vast Xinjiang region.

Rodents 100

Rodents China Humane Tagged 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2021

Giant anteaters, giant otters, giant armadillos, giant river turtles, giant termites and giant waterlilies that can sustain the weight of a human baby! Giant waterlilies at Karanambu Ranch.

Guyana 278

Guyana Otters South America Colombia 278

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

They have now evolved to survive mostly on rodents of high elevation moorlands in Ethiopia’s mountains. They have a complex social structure, the study of which has been of great relevance in analyzing the evolution of human social behavior.

Eritrea 266

Eritrea Ethiopia Africa Mammals 266

Critter News

DECEMBER 27, 2010

Scientific advances over the last three years have now made it feasible to easily tinker with rat genes, creating the possibility of far better models of certain human diseases, and potentially shortening the time it takes to develop medications. While both rats and mice have similarities to humans, rats win out in key areas.

Rats 100

Rats Mice Boston Rodents 100

Critter News

MARCH 6, 2010

It will house rodents for use in experiments. The laboratory will be used to study human diseases and treatments. It is the largest grant thus far under the stimulus package. Why would this West Virginia University project be the recipient of federal stimulus money? Because it will create JOBS! From West Virginia Metro News.

West Virginia 100

West Virginia Virginia Animal Research Biomedical Research 100

Critter News

DECEMBER 7, 2010

"Today we are at a new biological milestone, where we could, with sufficient international and political support, produce the means and the technology to test and assess the human and environmental risk of tens of thousands of chemicals per year without using animals," the report says.

Animal 100

Animal Rodents Animal Research Europe 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2014

So, for example, humans are apes. Fortunately for we humans, placing primates properly phylogenetically in relation to the other mammals requires an act or two of faith at the deeper ends of the family tree, but it is probably true that primates and rodents share a common stock to the exclusion of others, so maybe we are all mice.

Camels 197

Camels Whales Whaling Apes 197

Critter News

DECEMBER 12, 2009

The Calgary Zoo is again under scrutiny as details emerged Friday about how a capybara, a species of giant South American rodent, died after becoming caught in a hydraulic door last weekend as it was being moved from one area to another. I don't track zoos, but this seems like an unusually high number of casualties.

Zoos 100

Zoos Animal Welfare Elephants Welfare 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2012

If cats displace ferrets, then that probably means that birds are getting hit harder than rodents, and among birds, adult birds are getting hit harder than eggs or hatchlings. One of the projects I did was related to the famous Big Dig in Boston, the largest public works project ever carried out by human beings.

Cats 180

Cats Boston Ferrets Killing 180

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2020

I should add that the Big Owls taking over NYC social and even hard print media, dominating conversations with my nonbirder friends and family, are not the only owls in the five boroughs, but like a musical, the closer you are to Broadway, the closer you are to fame and fortune (and maybe even a higher quality rodent for dinner, who knows?).

New York City 184

New York City Fox Owls California Condor 184

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

They are harmless to humans and their horns are used for wrestling other males for mating rights. Their stealth allows them to exist in close-proximity to humans and their hunting prowess means they still survive on small prey even when other larger mammals have been exterminated. to the far reaches of freezing Siberia.

Buffalo 199

Buffalo Rhinoceros Leopards Elephants 199

Animal Person

JUNE 8, 2009

For Engber, who dispassionately describes procedures most of the time, the "advances" in the medical care of humans are all well worth what he and other vivisectionists do to dogs and other sentient nonhumans. By the end of my time as researcher, I was performing behavioral experiments on humans. It "guarantees humane treatment?"

Animal Welfare 100

Animal Welfare Monkeys Animal Welfare Act Vivisection 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2016

In humans, adults (probably mainly mothers) do this thing called “motherese” which is talking in a way one would normally not talk to another adult, to a baby. Jon Sakata, a professor of neurobiology at McGill, says that songbirds learn vocalizations like humans learn speech. Salmón, J. Nilsson, A. Nord, and S.

Zebras 109

Zebras Mammals Primates Birds 109

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2018

Invasive species , particularly rodents, have long been a problem on the Hawaiian archipelago. Many of these islands are part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge and one of the most important areas is Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

Mice 102

Mice Albatross Honolulu Rats 102

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. In many ways, human emotions are the gifts of our animal ancestors. Dogs can differentiate dilutions of 1 part per billion, follow faint odor trails, and are 10,000 times more sensitive than humans to certain odors.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The Hawaiian Crows face much more destructive threats–extreme loss of habitat; malaria, the scourge of so many Hawaiian species; predators–rodents, cats and the ‘Io, the Hawaiian Hawk. This is the most intense, tragic section.

California Condor 134

California Condor Falcons California Coyotes 134

Animal Ethics

APRIL 16, 2009

The Argument from Glass-Walled Slaughter Houses Mel Morse, former president of the Humane Society of the United States, once remarked: “If every one of our slaughter houses were constructed of glass this would be a nation of vegetarians.” For an explanation of this feature, click on “Moral Vegetarianism” at the bottom of this post.

Vegetarian 40

Vegetarian Morals Humane Society Of The United States Slaughter 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

But in the case of Harris Hawks , this mentality jumps the species barrier and they form a strong bond with their human partners, readily accepting their non-avian hunting companions as members of their pack. I catch a glimpse of a small rodent disappearing into a burrow. There are many examples in the animal world of pack behavior.

League Against Cruel Sports 270

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

Critter News

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

While I'm not a fan of using animal hearts for transplants, I'm far more sympathetic to that than to simply using their parts for human vanity consumption. But the seal industry doesn't care. They'll exploit anything to try to save their barbaric trade and, if they can use guilt, even better. Excerpted from the Chronicle-Herald.

Seals 100

Seals Medical Research Industry Research 100

Critter News

JUNE 20, 2010

It reported that human error surrounded more deaths than at any other zoo and forced immediate plans be taken to make sure of the animals’ safety. The audit was requested after a capybara, a giant central American rodent, was pounded to death when a staff member shut a hydraulic door.

Zoos 100

Zoos Animal Abuse Bats Goats 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve observed nesting owls, fledgling owlets, owls eating small rodents, owls coughing up their pellets, a Great Horned Owl silently flying over me, a Great Gray Owl sitting regally still on a post as a boy walks up to him, a pair of Barking Owls duetting in early evening hours outside my northern Australian hut as I brushed my teeth.

Owls 207

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 207