The Start of the Breeding Season

Apologies for this week’s late posting. Adult Bearded Vulture I woke up in the middle of the night with a Blackbird (Turdus merula) persistently singing from a tree outside. It was five in the morning and sunrise was still three hours away. The noticeably increasing daylength after 21st December soon gets local birds into the […]

Staff Support From a Therapy Cat

I had a quiet therapy cat day at the big hospital, as far as patients went. My first stop was Pediatrics but all the patients were either infants or in isolation. So on our way out, we stopped by the Residents Workroom to see if anyone wanted to spend some time with me. It turned […]

A Big Year in Rotterdam

New Year’s resolutions are my Achilles’ heel: I have no vices to quit. I don’t drink much on Tuesdays, I don’t smoke, and I recycle. For the coming year, I can promise to take better pictures or I can go for a Big Year 2025 in Rotterdam. Since the latter seems more doable than the […]

It’s Crunch Time, Cyril: A Weight Loss Journey (Part 1)

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research. Learn more » Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles. I have to stop making excuses. Calling him squishy and cuddly does not change […]

Species Spotlight: The Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus

Ask any British birdwatcher to name their least favourite birds and the chances are high that the Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, will top the list. Here in Britain we never use the affix Ring-necked, as many of our Pheasants don’t have rings on their necks, but I am talking about the same bird that is […]

New Year’s Day Visit With the Peach Kitty

I got to have a visit with the peach kitty on New Year’s Day! My human usually goes outside by herself before taking me out to make sure everything is safe. He must have seen her because as soon as she went back inside to get me, he showed up. My human brought my New […]

Bird Guides of the World: Asherita Viajera, Colombia

What is your favorite bird species?  The Yellow-eared Parrot, an endemic treasure of Colombia, has to be my favorite! What is your name, and where do you live?  I’m Leyden Heredia, but most people know me as Asherita Viajera. I call Cali, Colombia, my home, although I’m rarely there since I’m always traveling, birding, guiding, […]

All in a day’s work

In my last article I highlighted some of the birds that I associate with this time of the year. Two of them, Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) and Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) are species that are now wintering along the coasts of Gibraltar. We have had a spell of strong easterly winds and this pushed many […]

Last Ones, Best Ones? Final Funny Photos of 2024

It’s time for my final outtakes of 2024! And I had so many that I shared them on TikTok and Instagram too, and actually had a couple different ones there than what you see here. This one is more of a candid than an actual outtake from my terrible holiday hat session. But it’s clear […]

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