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The Oriental Darter is like all other anhingas, a cormorant-like species that has a very long neck. The structure of the neck is as in other species of darter with strongly developed muscles about a kink in the neck that allows it to be flexed and darted forward with rapid force to stab fish underwater. The Oriental Darter is found mainly in freshwater lakes and streams. They usually forage singly, with the entire body submerged, swimming slowly forward using their webbed feet while the head and neck is moved jerkily above the water. It darts its neck to impale fish and then brings them out of water, tossing them into the air before swallowing the fish head first. They may sometimes be found along with cormorants which share the habit of spreading out their wings to dry when perched on a waterside rock or tree.
Walking back down the upper Dart River valley in 30+ deg C heat from Cascade Saddle. It was tough going as there wasn't a speck of shade. Mt Aspiring National Park, New Zealand.
Many thanks to you ALL for the views, faves and comments you make on my shots it is very appreciated.
This was taken in our garden last year, the Common Darter Dragonfly with a macro lens even with my own technique to take these sort of images it took me about a dozen attempts to take this but it was worth it in the end I love this the detail on the body is excellent! what do you lot think?
The Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company’s flagship 'The Dart Explorer' is a wonderfully appointed vessel. The 300 seater luxury Catamaran can accommodate up to 100 guests for informal dining and up to 80 guests for formal dining. The Dart Explorer has a fully stocked bar and small dance floor and is regularly used as a wedding reception, corporate or party venue.
Heading away from Dún Laoghaire station, and running beside the harbour, is a 'DART' (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) service heading towards Dublin city centre.
The train is formed of CIÉ class 8100 stock which dates back to 1983.
DART treinstellen 83/8138, 83/8121 en 83/8127 als 14.32 Malahide-Greystones service. Dublin Pearse, 26 oktober 2018
DART units 83/8138, 83/8121 and 83/8127 with the 1432hrs Malahide to Greystones service. Dublin Pearse, October 26, 2018
On a visit to Plaxtons in the early part of 1995 I was given a sneak preview of the prototype Pointer body on the new Dart SLF.
At the time I was allowed to take some pictures providing I didn't show them to anyone before the official launch.
Now 17 years later I think publication may be allowed.
Popped up to the buses this afternoon (well these two), seen here together are Dennis Dart 455 and Volvo B10BLE 228.
This family is very closely related to the other families in the suborder Sulae, i.e. the Phalacrocoracidae (cormorants and shags) and the Sulidae (gannets and boobies). Cormorants and anhingas are extremely similar as regards their body and leg skeletons and may be sister taxa. In fact, several anhinga fossils were initially believed to be cormorants or shags (see below). Some earlier authors included the darters in the Phalacrocoracidae as subfamily Anhinginae, but this is nowadays generally considered overlumping. However, as this agrees quite well with the fossil evidence[14] some unite the Anhingidae and Phalacrocoracidae in a superfamily Phalacrocoracoidea.[15]
The Sulae are also united by their characteristic display behavior, which agrees with the phylogeny as laid out by anatomical and DNA sequence data. While the darters' lack of many display behaviors is shared with gannets (and that of a few with cormorants), these are all symplesiomorphies that are absent in frigatebirds, tropicbirds and pelicans also. Like cormorants but unlike other birds, darters use their hyoid bone to stretch the gular sac in display. Whether the pointing display of mates is another synapomorphy of darters and cormorants that was dropped again in some of the latter, or whether it evolved independently in darters and those cormorants that do it, is not clear. The male raised-wing display seems to be a synapomorphy of the Sulae; like almost all cormorants and shags but unlike almost all gannets and boobies, darters keep their wrists bent as they lift the wings in display, but their alternating wing-waving, which they also show before take-off, is unique. That they often balance with their outstretched wings during walking is probably an autapomorphy of darters, necessitated by their being plumper than the other Sulae.[16]
The Sulae were traditionally included in the Pelecaniformes, then a paraphyletic group of "higher waterbirds". The supposed traits uniting them, like all-webbed toes and a bare gular sac, are now known to be convergent, and pelicans are apparently closer relatives of storks than of the Sulae. Hence, the Sulae and the frigatebirds – and some prehistoric relatives – are increasingly separated as the Suliformes, which is sometimes dubbed "Phalacrocoraciformes
This poor bird dropped the fish when I came up on her. Here she has made a valliant return to retrieve the fish, she unfortunately dropped it in the water when she ran into a few pelicans sitting in the water waiting. The fish then swam away. Poor Darter she doesn't look happy here
Loads of these on all the woodwork at Strumpshaw.
Easy time of the year to shoot them at close range.
Resting the lens on the Gate for best quality ;-)
Black Darter having a look at who it is with the camera.
It is the same as the other photo I moved round for a head shot, thanks Jay-Bie for pointing me in the right direction
Thank you very much for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Australasian Darter - love a good darter pose!
Anhinga novaehollandiae
Anhingidae
Description: The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill, and long, rounded tail. Male birds are dark brownish black with glossy black upperwings, streaked and spotted white, silver-grey and brown. The strongly kinked neck has a white or pale brown stripe from the bill to where the neck kinks and the breast is chestnut brown. Females and immatures are grey-brown above, pale grey to white below, with a white neck stripe that is less distinct in young birds. The Darter is often seen swimming with only the snake-like neck visible above the water, or drying its wings while perched on a tree or stump over water. While its gait is clumsy on land, it can soar gracefully to great heights on thermals, gliding from updraft to updraft. It has a cross-shaped silhouette when flying.
Distribution: In Australia, the Darter is found from Adelaide, South Australia, to Tennant Creek, Northern Territory and then to Broome, Western Australia. it is also found in south-western Australia, from Perth to Esperance. Worldwide, it has been thought of as one of two mainAnhinga species (the other, A. anhinga, is found in North America), found in the southern half of Africa, Madagascar, Iraq, Pakistan, India, south-east Asia, Indonesia and New Guinea. However, A. melanogaster is now considered to be further divided into three species, with rufa being found in Africa, melanogaster in south Asia and novaehollandiae in New Guinea and Australia (the Australasian Darter).
Habitat: The Darter is found in wetlands and sheltered coastal waters, mainly in the Tropics and Subtropics. It prefers smooth, open waters, for feeding, with tree trunks, branches, stumps or posts fringing the water, for resting and drying its wings. Most often seen inland, around permanent and temporary water bodies at least half a metre deep, but may be seen in calm seas near shore, fishing. The Darter is not affected by salinity or murky waters, but does require waters with sparse vegetation that allow it to swim and dive easily. It builds its nests in trees standing in water, and will move to deeper waters if the waters begin to dry up.
Feeding: The Darter catches fish with its sharp bill partly open while diving in water deeper than 60 cm. The fish is pierced from underneath, flicked onto the water's surface and then swallowed head first. Smaller items are eaten underwater and large items may be carried to a convenient perch and then swallowed. Insects and other aquatic animals, including tortoises, may also be eaten, as well as some vegetable matter. In hot weather, adult birds may pour water from their bills into the gullets of their young chicks when they are still in the nest.
Breeding: The Darter is usually a solitary bird, forming pairs only while breeding. Breeding is erratic, happening whenever water levels and food supplies are suitable, but most often occurs in spring and summer. Nests are usually solitary, but Darters may nest within loose colonies with other water birds that nest in trees, such as cormorants, spoonbills and ibis. The male decorates a nest-site with green leafy twigs and displays to attract a mate, with elaborate wing-waving and twig-grasping movements. The male carries most of the nest material to the nest-site, which is normally in the fork of a tree standing in water, usually about 3.5 m above the water's surface. Both sexes complete the nest, incubate the eggs and raise the young. Chicks are kept warm by brooding continously (or cooled down by shading with spread wings) for up to a week after hatching and both adults stay in the nest with the chicks overnight. In hot weather, the adults will even shake water over the chicks after a swim. Chicks can swim after about four weeks in the nest and start to fly at about 50 days.
(Source: www.birdlife.org.au)
© Chris Burns 2017
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Recently acquired the one closest to the camera is formerly ADT Travel Group/Zoes of Banchory nd joins two of her sister vehicles which have been here for a number of years.
Australasian Darter (female)
Anhinga novaehollandiae
July 21st, 2018
Yarrawonga, Victoria, Australia
Canon EOS 1D X Mark II
Canon EF 600mm f4L IS II USM lens
Canon EF 1.4x III Extender
Canon 600EX II-RT flash
This rather accommodating Darter, perched above the mighty Murray River, posed for a few frames before taking flight. Easy to see why they are also known as snakebird!