Here's a milestone I didn't see coming -- I just added the 500th Extinction Blog story over at Plenty Magazine's web site.

A little over half of those stories are archives from the days when I was publishing the blog myself, but I have written 238 new stories since moving to Plenty last June.

Writing Extinction Blog is often challenging, always rewarding, and frequently depressing, but it remains the assignment I am most passionate about. I wish there was no need for it to exist at all, but I'll keep writing it for another 5,000 entries if I have to.

Oops! I actually fell for this news story about an "extinct bird" rediscovered in Japan after eight centuries. I even started writing it up for Extinction Blog before I found out it was a gag. Good thing I figured it out before it was too late!

On Monday, a Yamato hinotori (Latin name: Oyacou domburicus), believed to be the first to set foot in Japan in nearly eight centuries, was unveiled to the media at the government's Alien Wildlife Quarantine Shelter in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Long thought extinct, the bird is nevertheless a familiar sight to almost every Japanese, as its image, since November 2004, has appeared on the reverse side of the nation's ¥10,000 note.

It's a pretty darn convincing fake news story -- even going so far as to say the bird was smuggled out of secretive North Korea, and documenting an 1,100 year history for the species.

Turns out the Yamato hinotori is a pop-culture icon in Japan -- a figment of the imagination of Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka. I guess if I read more Japanese comics, I might have known that!

It's the end of the month, so here's another big batch of new "Extinction Blog" entries from the pages of Plenty Magazine.

Wind vs. Wings

There's Oil in Them Thar Polar Bear Habitats!

Biofuels' Potential Danger to Biodiversity

Chinese Scientists Save the "Floral Panda"

Polar Bears, Butterflies Get Lawyers

Endangered Species News Roundup

Endangered Japanese Crane Outgrowing Its Habitat

Endangered Turtles Bring Higher Profits for Pet Dealers

Six Foreign Birds Get Protection in U.S.

"Year of the Reef" Launches Today

A Bad Week for Endangered Species in the U.S.

Global Warming: Bad News for Pugs and Bulldogs

Save the World's "Weirdest" Amphibians

Common Cold Killing Chimps -- Researchers to Blame

Britain's Rarest Fish Gets Rarer

Kenya "Anarchy" Threatens Wildlife

Fear Dominates Wolf Delisting Debate

It's that time of the month again -- here are the latest "Extinction Blog" stories from the pages of Plenty magazine:

The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Endangered Species Poop

"Extinct" for 150 Years, the Petrel Returns

Can Two Lone Turtles Save Their Species?

Science and Coral: It's Alive! It's Alive!

At Last, Hope for Endangered Orangutans

Parasite Preying on Pandas

Another Rare Species, Another Disease Killing Them Off

Bad News for Birds

State Fish of Texas Breeding Its Way to Extinction

Genetics Redefining What Makes A Species

Rare Duck Now Rat-Free and Loving It

"Say No to Shahtoosh"

Panda-fu?

Another month, another few dozen species at risk. Here are this month's newest articles, written for Plenty Magazine's web site:

Kenya Aims to Quadruple Black Rhino Population in 25 Years

I'll Have the Fish and Chips (Hold the Fish)

Butterflies May Be the Canaries in the Environmental Coal Mine

Plant Extinctions Will Speed Up Global Warming

Natural Gas vs. Endangered Species

Endangered Species News Roundup

The Long, Sad Saga of a Tiny, Tiny Mouse

A Hybrid in Wolf's Clothing

162 Million Species Still to be Discovered?

Border Fence Threatens Endangered Species, Says Mexican Government

Rare Porpoise Faces Two-Year Window to Prevent Extinction

Congo Moves to Protect Endangered Bonobos

Post-Thanksgiving Endangered Species News Catch-up

Gray Wolves on the Rebound (But There's Bad News, Too)

Good News for Endangered Species

25% of U.S. Bird Species Risk Extinction

Wow. It's been three years since I started writing Extinction Blog. In that time, I have written more than 750 stories and covered more than 1,000 different species. And yet my work is far from done.

Year 4 starts today. I hope you'll stop by, read the latest news, and help take action.

Global Warming Puts Peary Caribou on Canadian Endangered Species List

"Devil's Bird" Owl Nearly Extinct

U.S. Returning Seeds of Extinct Plants to Korea

Endangered but Unprotected: The Florida Bonneted Bat

Hawaii: "The Endangered Species Capital of the United States"

Vancouver Island Marmot Starts Climb from Extinction

India Hopes to Save Rare Kashmir Red Deer

Monkey Theft Kills Chance for Breeding Program

Climate Change Puts New Zealand's Tuatara at Risk

Does the Wolverine Need Endangered Species Protection?

Extinct Catfish Rediscovered in Suriname

Tiger Population Decline is "Catastrophic", Says WWF Scientist

CITES Criticized for Decision on Ugandan Leopards

Trade Talks Fail to Protect Two Shark Species

Orangutans vs. Logging: Habitats Could be Gone in 10 Years

Should Ivory Trade Ban Be Relaxed?

Chinese Turtle May Be Extinct in Ten Years

Brrr... I just heard that the wind chill's supposed to get down to -15 tonight. Such exciting news!

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I drove down to Portland earlier this week to meet with a client. What a great city.

Except for the sidewalks. They could clean those better.

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Speaking of which, I need new shoes.

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I wish I'd brought my camera for the drive the other day. Man, this is a beautiful state.

Of course, I couldn't have actually used the camera while I was driving, so it's probably a good thing I didn't bring it with me. It just would have sat on the seat next to me, mocking me.

"Gee, John, that's a beautiful waterway. It sure would make a great photo. Too bad you're driving 65 miles an hour. Oh look, it's already behind you. Maybe next time."

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Earlier today, I attended my first meeting of a local writers' group. It's nothing like my beloved GSHW, but it was nice to hang around with a few other writers for a couple of hours.

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Readership at Extinction Blog has gone through the roof lately. I love looking at my visitor stats to see how people found the site. So far this week, readers have come from the UK, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Russia, Ireland, Japan, Vietnam, and a half-dozen other countries.

But strangely, no one ever leaves any comments!

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Speaking of which, I had a feeling that no one would comment on my last entry. And I was right!

So far, this entry about "sudden wetlands dieback" has received more hits than all other entries at Extinction Blog combined.