Birds Show Birds

Another thread I haven't posted to, cool. I was riding the bike along the bayou a few days ago and came across this group of Ibis with a lone Heron and since the trusty LX5 fits easily into the seat bag I stopped and tried to get a shot, but at a max of 90mm, birds are tough, so heavy crop and a little PP.

View attachment 39838
 
This is a Masked Lapwing. If you look closely at her right foot you can see that its been broken, and twisted, so she limps along on it as it healed really twisted. I would have taken her to the vet were it not for the fact that she was nesting at the time... and these birds are quite large and vicious at the best of times, never mind when they are nesting. They also pair for life, and the boy would not have known what to do if this girl had been removed (they take it in turns to sit on the eggs). So, the neighbours and I all protected her as best we could. The reason she had a broken leg is the utterly FERAL children who would come from another street and throw rocks and sticks at her... just to get her (and him) angry enough to fly at them and screech loudly. They thought it was fun. I don't get kids these days. Not a bit. The good news is that this happened 3 years ago and she has survived. So did the chicks from that year. I don't know where her "husband" is... he was not with her today. I hope he's OK.

 
Gull

DSCF0601.JPG
 
kyteflyer said:
This is a Masked Lapwing. If you look closely at her left foot you can see that its been broken, and twisted, so she limps along on it as it healed really twisted. I wold have taken her to the vet were it not for the fact that she was nesting at the time... and these birds are quite large and vicious at the best of times, never mind when they are nesting. They also pair for life, and the boy would not have known what to do if this girl had been removed (they take it in turns to sit on the eggs). So, the neighbours and I all protected her as best we could. The reason she had a broken leg is the utterly FERAL children who would come from another street and throw rocks and sticks at her... just to get her (and him) angry enough to fly at them and screech loudly. They thought it was fun. I don't get kids these days. Not a bit. The good news is that this happened 3 years ago and she has survived. So did the chicks from that year. I don't know where her "husband" is... he was not with her today. I hope he's OK.

Click to expand...


Great shot and a great story to go with it.
 
I am not very good at birds. This is the best I can do.

6119990768_7e3dcd53ec_b.jpg

Duck in the Bathroom_2 by peterb666, on Flickr

Actually, I received my fog machine today. I was supposed to be doing a bathroom portrait shoot on Thursday but it fell thought. Now I needed to try out my new toy so I talked my rubber duckie into posing for me in my bathroom. Taken with an Olympus E-P3 and Olympus 12mm f/2 lens.
 
Chiffchaff

Unusually, I've seen a few of these beauties in the garden in the past week or so (I'm presuming they are in transit ) , and not just one or two; they've been flitting about outside my window almost close enough to touch. However, they flit so quick that catching them with my slow-focus 70-300 has been frustrating ... this was a lucky capture through a partially open window ...

6198037268_7687af1f5a_b.jpg

chief by _loupe, on Flickr


E-P2, 70-300ED, 1/640s, f/5.6, 263mm, ISO200
 
A visitor from Siberia

This little guy has flown a long way off course to end up here. It's a Yellow-browed Warbler that breeds in Siberia and right across Russia to the Pacific coast. It should have been heading for India, Burma and south-east Asia.
An intervening branch has obscured the yellow eyebrow that gives it it's name, but thankfully there are enough remaining diagnostic features in shot to make this a useful photograph to submit with the record.
Taken today in Pig's Nose Valley, south Devon, Panasonic G1 with 100-300 mm Panasonic zoom lens, some cropping.

1010912.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Barrie
 
How exciting to find this little bird...blown way off course, it seems. I hope he'll be able to find his way to his intended destination. Barrie, how does that work... I used to hang around with a lot of serious birders and we'd often go out to see a rare bird or one that had been knocked off course due to a storm... Will this yellow browed warbler find his way to India?
 
BB,
I'm afraid it won't find it's way to where it was meant to go. One theory is that some young birds are pre-programmed to fly the wrong way as a means of attempting to increase the range of the species. Almost all such vagrants are juvenile birds. If adults get blown off course they have some inbuilt mechanism, having done the journey at least once, to be able to course correct themselves.
We have had Yellow-browed Warbler spend and survive the winter hear in the south west of England, indeed one year I watched one from February until the end of April. It was a male since it began singing before it left, although goodness knows where it went.

Barrie
 
Oh, I am sorry but glad you've seen them survive. I wonder how they feel or if they're consumed with eating and singing and flying and surviving. I don't really know what sort of community a warbler has, if they do... I appreciate your explanation, Barrie. Interesting about them being juveniles.
 
We regularly get wintering Chiffchaffs that should be spending the winter around the Mediterranean. They are often alone, although they do sometimes team up with a flock of Tits, your Chickadees when hunting for food, many eyes help to find food sources, not easy in the winter since Warblers are insectivorous. It's usually mild enough for midges in the winter, although diligent searching is often needed.
 

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