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Northern gannet-Morus bassanus
The Northern Gannet is one of three subspecies of Gannet Morus bassanus in the world: the other two occur along the south coast of Africa and in Tasmania and New Zealand.
Adult gannets have dazzling white plumage except for narrow grey spectacles and jet black, tapering wingtips. During the breeding season, the head and neck assume a delicate saffron yellow tinge. The eyes are an icy blue, and the bill is blue to grey-blue.
Young gannets in autumn plumage are brown, with many white flecks. With the passing of each season, they become progressively whiter, reaching the complete adult plumage in their fourth or fifth year.
The Northern Gannet is well equipped by nature for its spectacular plunges for fish from great heights. Unlike most birds, it has binocular vision—that is, its eyes are positioned such that it can see forward with both. This presumably gives it the ability to estimate how far the fish are from the surface of the water. Its strong, streamlined bill is 100 mm long. It has no nostril holes, and its upper and lower bills fit tightly together so that little if any water is forced into the mouth on impact with the surface. Its streamlined body has a system of air cells between the skin of its neck and shoulders and the muscle beneath. As the gannet prepares to dive, its air cells are inflated to cushion its body when it strikes the water.
A Northern Gannet in flight is supremely graceful. The wings of an adult bird may span almost 2 m and are narrow, tapered toward the ends, and swept back slightly, like those of a gull. Its long strong bill extends forward in flight, tapering smoothly into the small head, which merges with a thick neck that in turn joins the body in a clean, smooth contour. The legs are tucked well up under the smoothly tapering tail. The gannet’s shape appears to offer minimum resistance to air flow.
With its strong powerful flight, a gannet can travel far in almost any weather. Or it may glide for hours, just above the wave-tips, seldom moving its wings. Taking advantage of the updrafts of air caused by the upward deflection of the wind off the windward slope of the wave, it skims the wave-tips, rises on the updraft of a wave, and glides in a shallow dive to the updraft of the following wave. Thus it makes headway against a stiff breeze without flapping its wings. Gliding flight across the wind or downwind is also possible for this aerial mariner. This type of "wave-hopping" demands almost perfect control on the part of the flyer—a type of control impossible for even the best designed gliders.
Usually first breeds at age of 5-6 years, and may mate for life. Breeds in tightly packed colonies, with much competition for prime nest sites. Male claims nest territory and displays to attract mate, with exaggerated sideways shaking of head. Mated pairs greet each other by standing face to face, wings out, knocking bills together and bowing. Nest: Site is on ledge or flat ground, often within 2-3 feet of other nesting gannets. Nest (built mostly by male) is pile of grass, seaweed, dirt, feathers, compacted and held together by droppings, used by same pair for years and gradually building up to tall mound.
Gannets, similar to Puffins, are considered climate endangered, because of the disappearance of the arctic sea ice.
For more information, please visit www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-gannet
The purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) is a small sunbird. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perch at the base of flowers. The males appear all black except in some lighting when the purple iridescence becomes visible. Females are olive above and yellowish below.
Inca Doves nesting, the smallest of the southern Arizona doves. They use open areas with sparse shrub cover and scattered trees such as Palo Verde and Oak. They are year-round in the Southwest from SoCal across to E TX and down into Central America. Inca doves are named after the Incas but has nothing to do with the location of this species. Taken near Tucson, Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. More doves in PhotoStream and/or Birds album.
Not only do I love the guys especially when they are in breeding colors. Shooting them in flight is fun, they file flight plans. follow them and arent eratic.
During breeding season the Belted Kingfisher pair defends a territory against other kingfishers. A territory along a stream includes just the streambed and the vegetation along it, and averages 0.6 mile long. The nest burrow is usually in a dirt bank near water. The tunnel slopes upward from the entrance, perhaps to keep water from entering the nest. Tunnel length ranges from 1 to 8 feet
The Wood Storks were just arriving at Wakodahatchee to set up nests -- whereas the Anhinga and Great Blue Herons already had established nests and growing chicks. The trees were turned into bird condos and fortunately the storks seemed to like the penthouse.
Nesting boxes for birds and possums are fairly common features of Brisbane’s parks and the Council takes regular bookings from rainbow lorikeets for the birthing season!
This pair are making home in the park surrounding Dowse Lagoon at Sandgate.
It is like another world: limestone tufa towers rise like strange stalagmites out of the still, salty lake waters in California’s Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve.
The lake is a mecca for birds and bird watchers. Since the mid-1980s, osprey pairs have been nesting on tufa towers in Mono Lake. Although the raptors are fish-eaters – and therefore have to hunt for food further afield – the tufa-islands provide nesting sites that ground-based predators can’t access.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/evening-over-the-tufa...
Smith Oaks Rookery at High Island,Texas
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Once again, a breeding pair of Bald Eagles have taken over the nest above Robert Service Way in Whitehorse. This photo taken with the Canon 7D and EF 400mm on a monopod and cropped somewhat in post.
Kiskadees are one of my favorite birds in Costa Rica...it was nesting season when we were there this past spring so they were constantly busy.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, my American friends!
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Nesting Killdeer
I was out doing a little birding when it started to rain and looked like it was about to get worse so decided to check a couple of my Killdeer spots because I can do it from my car, immediately found 2 pairs of them sitting on nests, both nests were out in a field and I would have had to approach on foot which would cause the parents to get off the nest in order to use the broken wing trick to lead me away but that would mean the eggs or babies they were protecting from the rain would get wet, I went to another of my spots and spotted a Killdeer nest sitting in a garden right alongside the driveway of a local business where they have nested for several years, I knew these birds probably have over 100 cars and trucks a day stop 20 feet away from them all day long so I turned around in the parking lot so I could shoot out my drivers window, just rolled by slow and and this parent was completely oblivious to me being a paparazzi.
If I make it back to the 3 nests I may be rewarded with them still sitting and get a nest shot if it's not raining or maybe I'll find babies running around the field.
Do Not copy or use this image in any way without my explicit written permission.
All rights reserved G. R. Hensen
We didn't see this at first. But then we heard calling as a bird flew closer announcing itself. We watched until it landed next to its mate and then we saw the nest.. After a few moments, the mate rose. revealing two eggs it had been tending. It stepped off the nest and after a quick inspection to make sure all was well, the other one took its place.
More info: edrosack.com/2019/02/24/love-is-in-the-air/
I found this Killdeer nest today right off of a busy road in Taylors, SC. She's standing over 3 eggs trying to shade them on a particularly hot day.
Well, you can't see it from here but there was bunch of baby birds in that grass..
It's a bit weird as it's late summer already... maybe a second round.
Monitoring this nesting loon from a respectful distance - Nikon Z7II at 600mm, f6.3, iso 640, 1/800.
I've completely run out of pictures to edit, and am having a very relaxing, lethargic weekend, so naturally I've decided to go back through some old pictures and completely re do them . A lot of these pictures I had no idea how to create what I wanted before, and it's pretty awesome seeing my style change. Sorry for the impending influx of old pictures, but they'll be new edits, and that's always exciting!
You can see the first version of this photo here
at the end of a dock at the marina.
I thought it was interesting to see this on top of a marina piling; notice the wires to shelter the purple martins from larger predatory birds.
Quite cool, actually.
64,000 gannets are in their mate-finding and and nest building mode on Bonnaventure Island on the Gaspe peninsula of Canada.