Bird Behaviour in Action
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the horbills are quite large birds used to feed on fruit and mainly insects,arachnids and small vertebrates.
but they are not used to kill aduld birds.
in this case an African Grey Hornbill (tockus nasutus) has cought and killed a social weaver.
"a strange behaviour"
Etosha National Park ,Namibia
original 3K file here:
an african marsh harrier (circus ranivorus) patrolling the chobe riverbanks.
general behaviour and habits similar to european marsh harrier.still locally common in some areas is considered vulnerable in south africa due habitat destruction.
"on patrol"
chobe riverbanks ,botswana
original 3K file here:
A black Swan attacking a Muscovy duck.
Hope you will enjoy this shot.
Many thanks to everyone who chooses to leave a comment or add this image to their favorites, it is much appreciated.
©Elsie van der Walt, all rights reserved. Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. If you are interested in using one of my images, please send me an E-mail (elsie.vdwalt@gmail.com).
This tiny Wren appeared on the top of the bird feeder outside my window and immediately started singing in a huge voice. It had only just fledged and perhaps had not yet learned all the secretive behaviour typical of a Wren, which is usually heard rather than seen.
It stayed all morning and then came back in the evening.
Perhaps this was its first song? Regardless, it made my day.
This photo shows it larger than life-size - for comparison, look at the screwhead in the feeder.
Eurasian Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.
In Explore
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I was observing a group of sea gulls next to the Yarra River when I took this shot.
I am sure you would have seen these postures and calls before.
I was also curious about these postures and their meanings.
Here you can see two common postures.
The gull in the front is showing the Forward Posture.
As the name implies, this posture is all about displaying a forward motion by holding the body roughly horizontal or slightly diagonally with the neck kinked characteristically.
The tail can sometimes be spread; the bill is either slightly opened or closed.
The Forward posture is used in the following situations:
1) hostile encounters
2) pair formation sequences
3) as a response to a bird approaching in flight
When used in hostile encounters on land, it often includes running towards an opponent, whereas in a pair formation sequence both gulls move parallel to each other
The Gull behind is doing the Mew Call
The Mew call is accompanied by a characteristic Arch-posture in which the head is held down and the wings are held slightly away from the body.
It is usually performed while walking but can be performed while standing, flying, or swimming as well.
The Mew call is used in both aggressive and non-aggressive situations:
Aggressive
1) In defense of food or territory, aimed at an opponent
2 )To attract a mate for support in territory defense
Non-aggressive
1) To attract a partner (also for courtship)
2) To call chicks that have wandered too far from the nest
3) To gather chicks for feeding or after they have been hiding after a disturbance
4) As a nest-relief invitation
5) As a call performed upon landing.
Many thanks for your visit, comments, invites and faves...it is always appreciated...
Peaceful Sunday
Dove and Red-headed Finch.
Many thanks to everyone who chooses to leave a comment or add this image to their favorites, it is much appreciated.
©Elsie van der Walt, all rights reserved. Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. If you are interested in using one of my images, please send me an E-mail (elsie.vdwalt@gmail.com).
A pair of Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) raising young on an urban wetland in the suburbs of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. One adult cars for the youngster while the other searches for food to feed it.
It was interesting behaviour to observe over the hours, to the point where they became quite accustomed to my presence and totally ignored me.
13 July, 2012.
Slide # GWB_20120713_1706.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
From the "senses" series: Vision
If someone sees something, they react. Cause-effect. According to Pavlov, reflexes could be conditioned. If you don't see, you don't react. But if vision is deprived from you and you know and watch that you don't see because someone doesn't want you to see, you react. Cause-effect.
A very beautiful and colorful nuthatch found in many parts of the country, but hard to sight unless one knows where to look.
They are typical nuthatches in behaviour and defy gravity looking for insects, larvae and grub on the tree trunks and branches. The colors are quite amazing - velvet / purple colored and quite small, maybe 10-13 cms long. These are also resident in the country and found in deciduous forests often sighted on the trunk walking around. In the last trip, we sighted them on the lower part once in a while.
Also, we sighted several of them much to our delight, but shooting them was very challenging due to their size and in the thick canopy.
Thank you so much in advance for your views, feedback and faves.
RKO_9069.
Copyright: Robert Kok. All rights reserved! Watermark protected.
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Dipper
1300.12.10.21
In this series (except for the first 'slow shutter' image), all the dippers pictured were from my second dipper site which is between Bury and Ramsbottom. This image is from the first dipper site which is not far from Bury town centre. The river near the breeding spot is very wide so the opportunity for getting close shots is reduced. It is also a location that is used by dog walkers who throw sticks in the river for their dogs to retrieve. This behaviour whilst understandable does not encourage the birds to come close. The stretch of river is also used by weed smokers and folk whom I would regard as untrustworthy miscreants. So when photographing I took a little risk and so chose my moments before draping camo about my person and lens.
The birds at this site had four chicks that fledged successfully and none got predated. On my last visit, the river was deserted, it was chucking down rain and one of the chicks flew towards my feet and then the whole family of juvs followed waiting to get fed. Both the male and female came in together to feed the chicks...what a joy to have a family of dippers literally around your feet!
The lens is dirty because the Dragon always comes running towards me when I want to take a photo and touches the lens with his nose. We are still working on perfect photo model behaviour. :)
Courtship behaviour of the great crested grebe.
great crested grebe
Haubentaucher
[Podiceps cristatus]
The breeding season for the North American Elk (Cervus canadensis) is in September and at this time, bulls fight to establish supremacy and breeding rights of the harems they establish. This bull is checking the receptive condition of the female for mating. There is a large population of these majestic animals in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.
18 September, 2016.
Slide # GWB_20160918_4170.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
The dark blue Tiger is a Danaid butterfly found in Indian Sub- Continent and South East Asia. This butterfly shows gregarious migratory behaviour in Southern India.
The Blue tiger is a delight to the eye. They have a wingspan of 75 to 105 mm. The head, antennae, and thorax is brownish-black in colour, with white dots on the head and neck. The Blue Tiger Butterflies have brownish-black upper parts, with bluish-white semi-hyaline spots and streaks. They have two pairs of filaments.
The male and female according to a butterfly site are different. The male has a small brown flap on the hind wing and the female has continued blue colour instead of the flap. They have many irregular spots on their wings and the pattern of spots is important in distinguishing this species from other Tiger butterflies and their mimics.
American Robin adapted to winter. Worms in the summer and minnows in the winter for the ones that stick around. Interesting but not such a rare behaviour as we might think.
about Orang-Utans:
The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia. Like the other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent, displaying tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild. Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans.
The Bornean orangutan is a critically endangered species, with deforestation, palm oil plantations, and hunting posing a serious threat to its continued existence.
The Bornean orangutan lives in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest in the Bornean lowlands, as well as mountainous areas up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level. This species lives throughout the canopy of primary and secondary forest, and moves large distances to find trees bearing fruit. Orangutans are loners.
The Bornean orangutan is the second-largest ape after the gorilla, and the largest truly arboreal (or tree-dwelling) animal alive today. By comparison, the Sumatran orangutan is similar in size but, on average, is marginally lighter in weight.
about Apenheul:
Apenheul is a beautiful, green zoo. At the park, you can get acquainted with about 35 different species of primate (almost 300 individual animals in total), about half of which roam freely among the visitors. The primates live in large, natural habitats which stimulate their natural behaviour and it means that you get to see the primates at their very best.
Stag frantically digging up mud at the edge of a lake to cover its antlers before dressing them in vegetation. Not sure if this is to impress the ladies or threaten other males in the rut.
One of the first local bird species to engage in mating behaviours is the Downy Woodpecker, though the Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers are also pretty active at the same time. Chasing, calling, and scrapping (between competing males or females) is a behavioural backdrop in the woods around Ottawa.
I am not often lucky with opportunities for photography with Woodpeckers during this time. They move quickly, and often are chased higher up. It was fun to come across this male, busily digging into the bark, early one morning. He noticed me, but returned to his business pretty quickly. A few minutes later a female flew in and off they went.
His business was at the junction of the trunk and the branch coming off to the left. He was about six feet off the ground, and I was able to stay behind a tree nearby to leave him in peace while I secured an image.
I made a quick trip to the nature reserve after work and met this beautiful and friendly girl. After moving to a very photogenic spot on the grass she spent several minutes turning, preening and generally showing off all her best sides for the camera! It was hard to pick a shot in the end :)
Not sure what,s going on here.At first i thought the ants were moving their larvae to another location,but the first larvae is clearly a plant hopper nymph! So moving plant hopper larvae for security,or food?
Thanks for your comments and faves,they are truly appreciated.
Plant and they will come!
This is just a record shot (I'd have liked to have gotten more of the wing in focus), as she wasn't for staying still, of the first common blue butterfly to visit my garden last year, after I planted bird's foot trefoil for my 'resident' leafcutter bees, and to attract common blue butterflies.
I was thrilled to watch her lay lots of eggs, which you can see her doing in this photo, all over the bird's foot trefoil ... and what amazing little structures the eggs are too---that's tomorrow's upload!
These birds were nesting and this one was showing off to a female. The straw he picked up was too big for the nest, but then size matters here!
This is the typical courting behaviour of the Silverbills - carry a supersized straw and dangle in front the female with some kind of special moves to woo her. There were several suitors, but the large straw gives him a better chance of wooing the female. Once accepted, the male brings nesting materials to the female, while the female builds the nest - a small cup in the bushes.
These are resident birds - around 10-14 cms - found throughout the country easily in the countryside. The birds are always seen in flocks and found together around other munias like Scaly Breasted and Tri-colored.
Thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.
Certainly interesting and exciting to view the interaction of these owls as one would do close flyovers upsetting the other. It didn't last long and other than a few pulled feathers no damage was done.
Thank you for viewing.
I am sorry, but I had to post this photo. Those young beavers are so much fun to watch. Their behaviour is always full of surprises...
Beaver / Bóbr Kanadyjski (Castor canadensis)
In our area the first time I saw this behaviour was in '14 towards the end of a brutal winter that saw our Great Lakes frozen at 97% of all surface area. Many birds were starving and I was going to the river almost every day and one day I observed this Swan checking out a dead fish floating. To my surprise it began to eat it. Within a week others were including the Mallards and Geese. Some just kept doing it.
This beautifully bright songbird looks a lot like the Baltimore and Bullock's orioles that are familiar to North American birders. However, this Central American native, the streak-backed oriole, seldom makes forays into the southern US.
A couple of individuals occasionally visited the grounds of the lodge I stayed at. The one pictured here was gleaning insects from the branches and leaves of the trees, including the one it is perched on and in a nearby palm.
Streak-backed orioles are considered a medium sized bird, being about 19 - 23 cm (7 1/2 - 9") in length. In local Costa Rican Spanish, these birds are called chorcha. Chorcha is colloquial for a lively, informal get-together, chat, or party among friends. That sounds like an oriole!
Description in English, Dutch and German
Mr. Monster, the famous adventurous traveler from Rotterdam with Indian roots, had fled his house due to a conflict with his former Dutch neighbours. Were his neighbors really that bad or was he slowly becoming psychotic and was their violent behaviour only in his mind? He needed a break. On a cloudy summer day in August he was walking next to an impressive bridge in Regensburg. The bridge, known as the Stone Bridge of Regensburg, was built in the year 1135 and is considered one of the oldest bridges in the world still standing. This bridge was built with a mixture of limestone and sandstone and was supported by several large arches. It originally had two towers at the end, but only one remains today. The bridge connected the two banks of the Danube and was a crucial part of the old Imperial Road. Mr. Monster stopped and admired the view of the old bridge. He could see the colourful houses on the opposite bank, and the special cloud formation made him dream away. He continued walking, and the old bridge was a reminder of the tumultuous history of the city. Regensburg, known as the oldest city in Germany, had been founded by the Romans in 179 and had been under the rule of the Hapsburgs and the Bavarians. He stopped at the end of the bridge and looked at the river, reflecting on his journey. He had experienced so much since he had left his home in Rotterdam, and he was ready to continue his adventures. As he walked away, Mr. Monster was filled with a sense of excitement. His journey had only just begun, and he was eager to see what else the world had to offer. Suddenly his face turns pale and he looks back. Mr. Monster hears a deep male voice talking. He recognizes it immediately. It is the voice of his violent neighbor from the Netherlands. He grabs his head with both hands and...... To be continued.
Nederlands
Mr. Monster, de beroemde avontuurlijke Nederlander van Indiase afkomst, was zijn huis tijdelijk ontvlucht vanwege een langslepend conflict met zijn Nederlandse buren. Waren de buren echt zo slecht of was hij psychotisch geworden. Het was goed om er even tussenuit te gaan. Hij had inmiddels al veel mooie steden en dorpen gezien in het land van bier, braadworst en schlagermuziek tot hij op deze zomerdag aan kwam in Regensburg in het Duitse Beieren. Al snel naderde hij een imposante brug in het centrum van de stad. De brug, bekend als de oude stenen brug van Regensburg, werd gebouwd in het jaar 1135 en wordt beschouwd als een van de oudste nog bestaande bruggen ter wereld. Deze brug is gebouwd met een mengsel van kalksteen en zandsteen. Het wordt ondersteund door verschillende grote bogen. Het had oorspronkelijk twee torens aan het einde, maar er is er nog maar één over. De brug verbond de twee oevers van de Donau en was een cruciaal onderdeel van de oude keizerlijke weg. Mr. Monster stopte en bewonderde het uitzicht op de oude brug. Hij zag de kleurrijke huizen aan de overkant en de bijzondere wolkenformatie in de lucht deed hem wegdromen. Hij liep verder en het werd hem duidelijk dat de oude brug een herinnering was aan de tumultueuze geschiedenis van de stad. Regensburg, bekend als de oudste stad van Duitsland, was in 179 gesticht door de Romeinen en stond later onder de heerschappij van de Habsburgers en ook nog enkele Beierse heersers. Hij stopte aan het einde van de brug en keek naar de rivier, nadenkend over zijn reis. Hij had zoveel meegemaakt sinds hij zijn huis in Rotterdam had verlaten en was vastberaden om zijn avonturen voort te zetten. Terwijl hij wegliep, werd hij vervuld van opwinding. Zijn reis was nog maar net begonnen en hij wilde graag zien wat europa nog meer te bieden had.
Deutsch
Herr. Monster, der berühmt-berüchtigte abenteuerlustige Niederländer von indischer Herkunft, war aufgrund eines langanhaltenden Konflikts mit seinen niederländischen Nachbarn vorübergehend aus seiner Heimat geflohen. Waren die Nachbarn wirklich so schlimm oder war er psychotisch geworden? Es tat gut, dem Alltag zu entfliehen. Er hatte bereits viele schöne Städte und Dörfer im Land des Bieres, der Bratwurst und der Schlagermusik gesehen, bis er an diesem Sommertag im bayerischen Regensburg ankam. Bald näherte er sich einer imposanten Brücke im Zentrum der Stadt. Die als Alte Steinerne Brücke von Regensburg bekannte Brücke wurde im Jahr 1135 erbaut und gilt als eine der ältesten erhaltenen Brücken der Welt. Diese Brücke besteht aus einer Mischung aus Kalkstein und Sandstein. Es wird von mehreren großen Bögen getragen. Ursprünglich hatte es am Ende zwei Türme, von denen jedoch nur noch einer übrig ist. Die Brücke verband die beiden Donauufer und war ein wichtiger Teil der alten Reichsstraße. Herr. Monster blieb stehen und bewunderte die Aussicht auf die alte Brücke. Er sah die bunten Häuser auf der anderen Seite und die besondere Wolkenformation am Himmel ließ ihn träumen. Als er weiterging, wurde ihm klar, dass die alte Brücke eine Erinnerung an die turbulente Geschichte der Stadt war. Regensburg, bekannt als die älteste Stadt Deutschlands, wurde 179 von den Römern gegründet und kam später unter die Herrschaft der Habsburger und auch einiger bayerischer Herrscher. Am Ende der Brücke blieb er stehen, schaute auf den Fluss und dachte über seine Reise nach. Seit er sein Zuhause in Rotterdam verlassen hatte, hatte er so viel durchgemacht und war entschlossen, seine Abenteuer fortzusetzen. Als er wegging, war er voller Aufregung. Seine Reise hatte gerade erst begonnen und er war gespannt, was Europa sonst noch zu bieten hatte.