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Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida, is an amazing destination to see a wide variety of wildlife including, of course, birds! And while I didn’t lead any field trips to the refuge this year during the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival I did visit the refuge on a couple of occasions.
What I don’t understand is why animal rights organizations almost completely ignore wildlife. It seems that these people, who purport to claim to care so much about animals, are completely ignorant of the existence of any animal life beyond horses, cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys. on a daily basis, both legally and otherwise.
Around thirty miles from Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley lies the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. My specific goal was to see Trumpeter Swans , which, let’s just say it’s lucky that they’re not my new nemesis species – we spotted a group of three from the parking lot as soon as we got out of our cars.
But our rainy season, while bad for wildlife photography, has encouraged some beautiful non-feathered life forms. And while this poisonous species is usually red and spotted, older examples can lose their spots and take on an orange hue. You could say that I don’t bird just for the birds. I won’t torture you with those.
I challenge that false notion and welcome those to visit Anhinga Trail in late winter and see one of the great wildlife spectacles of Florida. Hundreds of both Glossy and White Ibis commute overhead, along with Great and Snowy Egrets , Little Blue and Tricolored Herons , and Black and Turkey Vultures.
She enjoys seeing all species of birds, but her favorites are hummingbirds. I don’t like to encourage wildlife to beg for food and I decided to ignore it. We had an Osprey, Turkey, and Black Vultures , soaring overhead. She lives and birds in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with some trips farther afield.
But “Hawk”’s active ingredient, a deadly second-generation anticoagulant, bromadialone, has been implicated in the deaths of Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, and other raptors : American Kestrels, Barn Owls, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, and Turkey Vultures. Thanks for your concern for wildlife, Syngenta.).
This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.
It’s just that when summer is over and most wildlife rehabilitators are fried, this is the kind of thing that will make most of us fall to our knees, choking with laughter, tears spurting from our eyes. That’s what we call it when you try to get a hold of wildlife that the idiot in possession thinks they can take care of better than you.”.
Anhinga , otherwise known as Snakebird , Water Turkey , or American Darter * – and more formally as Anhinga anhinga – is a bird I have long wanted to see in New York State. I must of mistaken flying Anhingas for ten different species over the next few days and I never really adjusted to seeing a cormorant-like bird soaring.
This week offers the ideal opportunity to look back at your most recent wildlife watching adventures; next weekend, the game begins anew. I recently despaired of ending this calendar year without seeing a single Wild Turkey when that species used to be so reliable in my part of New York.
The story of the White-winged Guan , in some ways resembles the re-discovery of some species thought to be extinct. The decades of storage in a museum came after it was regarded as an extinct species. This came as rumor of a turkey-like bird occurs in the steep canyons on the foothill of the western Andes. Photo: Adam Castillo.
And, of course, the reputation of certain species of birds as troublemakers for humans is a problem in bird conservation, so this is worth watching. Close to 5% of turkeys being farmed in Minnesota have been or shortly will be destroyed , and the virus is also affecting chickens. This is the first finding in the Mississippi flyway.
Today’s blog was written by Kathy Hershey, co-founder of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators in Hope, Indiana. Parker was an adult Turkey Vulture who enjoyed playing with children. Guardians of human health, and a pretty awesome bird species as well … what a package! The voice on the other end of the phone was panicked.
However, the species sometimes referred to as the Barbary Duck appears very much out of place just about everywhere else. I love turkey vultures, too, so … make of that what you will!) Fish & Wildlife comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity. I’ve sent you some shots.
With forest on two sides and the expansive Eglin Air Force Base reservation just beyond, avian species have a host of hiding and eating opportunities. Ahab wasn’t fishing, and the guys in ‘The Big Year’ aren’t watching birds, they’re scouring North America in a ruthless bid to tick off more species than anyone else.
It’s a real shame, though, because these battlefields can be a real haven for wildlife and are often located in parts of the country that don’t otherwise have a lot of preserved land. Before the counts, I was hoping to break 100 species, but after 21 parks reported data back to me we’re up to 183 species!
However, as with many other places throughout the globe, this small country also has its fair share of urban wildlife. As is typical of urban birding in Costa Rica, we had small flocks of this species fly over and good looks at the White-crowned Parrot , the other most common parrot in the valley. Lesson’s Motmot.
ALWAYS assume there is some other bird species in there that you have not found yet. Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Here is a flock of endangered species. Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota. Turkey Vultures are also mixed in, and can form massive kettles that many birders never get to see.
Queens, the finest borough in New York City, as I may have mentioned before, is where I have now seen a whopping 279 species! What species will be the ten to get me to 289? Turkey Vulture – Wow! There must have been plenty of food up north because they pretty much stayed up there. Now that was a good day!
I briefly entertained the idea that I had found a rare species never before seen in New York but quickly came to my senses and realized that I was dealing with a leucistic individual. These Blasts From The Past Thrilling Turkey Facts What Makes You Stare So, Bufflehead? Central Park White-Throated Sparrow Slaty-backed Gull (?)
An accomplished popular science writer, Ackerman started out as a writer and researcher for National Geographic ‘s book division and has since written articles and books on such diverse scientific subjects as heredity, the common cold, dragonflies, and wildlife in Japan. It’s fascinating stuff.
Do you ever have those moments when you’re supposed to be paying attention to something serious, but you’re immeasurably distracted by the bird species around you? Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks remained the most common, while Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures sailed overhead on warm updrafts.
This 90 acre lake, managed by Arizona Fish and Wildlife is about a 45 mile drive from Tucson, and 9 miles from Mexico, as the Chihuahuan Raven flies. Certainly what I would consider to be an under birded area, eBird.com lists 232 species on 397 total check lists. One raft along had over 380 birds in it.
Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. I want to reach 500 birds in the ABA, get my Queens list to 295, see a total of at least 500 species, and get my World Life List to 1,100. But how did I see so many species this year?
They might eat it if they have to but it can sometimes keep those species away too. Fish & Wildlife Service expects sea levels to rise due to global warming, swamping beaches on which Snowy Plovers currently nest, it is good news that the number of beaches proposed for protection as Snowy Plover nesting habitat has doubled.
Wildlife photography, of course, was out of reach for us mere mortals, before the advent of digital cameras. But then I moved to Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, which has almost no opportunities to see interesting species (except for a good population of burrowing owls). east of Morelia. But it’s the best one I have.
We spent a day on the beach, a morning on Turkey Creek, and took walks around the neighborhood. The small, black-and-white booklet has over 500 species, with spaces for locations and dates. Second, they are usually organized by species groups, and thus point out holes in one’s birding strategy. ” I wondered.
They were still listed as Endangered, but wildlife management measures taken in this park were clearly working. We are entering the mixed colony of 11 species ( Grey , Squacco , Purple and Black-crowned Night Herons ; Great , Little and, recently, Cattle Egrets ; Eurasian Spoonbill (below) and Glossy Ibis ; Pygmy and Great Cormorant ).
We got off the ferry and, seeing as we only had about half-an-hour to drive before we were at our hotel, we decided to explore a bit at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. I think I’ve recorded Turkey Vultures like the one at the top of the post in most of the counties of the eastern seaboard at this point!
Turkeys, 3 or 4 species of woodpeckers, all kinds of song birds grace our view constantly. Jochen the swallows have arrived at NYC at Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge too. Fish & Wildlife comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity. As I said, we are blessed. A perfect shot.
When you find an area that has a year round water supply, especially at the surface, a huge commodity in any desert, you are sure to find an abundant amount of wildlife. This just happens to be the exact combination that provides for many species of birds, including the exceptional Acorn Woodpeckers , Melanerpes formicivorus, subspecies M.
We had already planned on at least one night in Eugene, and spending a day at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. This all netted me three new birds for the list, the Varied Thrush , some Wild Turkeys, and my BBOTW, a Pileated Woodpecker. There were nearly 25 Wild Turkeys hanging around the edge of the refuge property.
The west end of the lake has been designated as a Watchable Wildlife Reserve, with some nice walking trails and a couple of very nice hides built overlooking some varied waterways. We got to see several Bands of Wild Turkeys around the lake. The numbers are as follows: Little Big Year Species – 892. species – 224.
Sadly, four other teams did as well, and we finished fourth with our 123 species. Every bird counted as one so common and uncommon species were all appreciated. By the time we left Fort Tilden it was not yet 9AM and we already had almost seventy species checked off the list. Blackpoll Warbler. Least Flycatcher. Bald Eagle.
In wildlife refuges and reserves in many parts of the world, all you need is a scope, time, and the right overlook and you can walk away with easy, prolonged studies of ducks, herons, waders, grebes, and lots of other marsh birdies. This area is the only place where this species can be seen in Costa Rica. This one is an Anhinga.
beats have still managed to share 82 checklists and accounted for 737 species. Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Thus 100 species were missed by the time he woke up and noticed that eBird had reset the counters at midnight(do you guys have nothing better to do?). Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Currently he is the convenor for Birdlife Australia in his local area and, as that suggests, he loves sharing his passion for birds and all wildlife through outings and bird walks. Obviously the winner for each year has taken pictures of the greatest variety of bird species within the zone in the calendar year. First the listing part.
This shows the top birders, by species or checklists submitted. Curu Wildlife Reserve. Curu Wildlife Reserve. Curu Wildlife Reserve. Curu Wildlife Reserve. Curu Wildlife Reserve. Curu Wildlife Reserve. Lago de Cuitzeo. 01 Jan 2020. Plain-breasted Ground Dove – Columbina minuta. 11 Jan 2020.
I decided to go to KPBL after my first day in Cairns and use the place as my base with which to explore the Atherton Tableland, a high area to the west of Cairns famous for its wildlife. Frogmouths resemble the American potoos, and Australia has three species, of which the Papuan is restricted to the far north of the country.
Another nice find by the assembled birders was a Bar-shouldered Dove , a species I had only seen in Queensland before this point. I’ve seen the species here and there over the years, but today they were utterly ubiquitous, even our guide had never seen this many. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo. was a Powerful Owl.
The engaged and generous beats ( 10 of them) have shared 188 checklists during January and have accounted for 859 species from 8 countries (USA, Australia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, UK, New Zealand and Serbia. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. 03 Jan 2019.
By 6am we had our first Australian Brush-Turkey as shown in the above photograph and the list was soon started. You soon adapt to the early mornings and early nights to coincide with the wildlife! Laughing Kookaburras with Australian Brush-Turkey in the background at a campsite. One lovely campsite! Apostlebirds drying off.
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