Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
Help Asia Help Wildlife Before It Is All Gone
A friend of mine, like so many others, has been fighting tirelessly to save wildlife. This man used to be a banker, and one day, he realized that that is not what he wanted on his epitaph. What he wants is for future generations to see and continue to help wildlife proliferate. Help Mirza Naim Beg and so many others, save our world, one step at a time. If our birds disappear, we will, too, because one ecosystem supports another.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1324421#comments
https://www.dawn.com/news/1324421#comments
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Saturday, October 28, 2017
The Mysterious Oilbird of Central and Northern South America
What bird in the world provides oil for torches and is also a food source? What single bird species lives in the darkness, regurgitates its food when it returns home, and finds its way thro echolocation like a bat AND belongs to the nightjar family?
Welcome to the world of highly remarkable and unusual birds brought to you strictly by natural selection.
These nocturnal fruit eaters, like bats, emit clicking sounds that can be heard by the human ear in
the range of 2 kHz. This bird is mostly red-brown, black barring with white spots, and fossils have been found in France in Europe and Wyoming in the United States, making it much more widely distributed. The species also clings to vertical surfaces, making it also similar to swallows, who also are considered to have nearly non-utile feet, since they spend most of their time in flight. Light bothers their eyes, since they live in darkness within caves, and they will emit loud screams if they are so disturbed. The Spanish name that they inherited is guacharo, which translates to "wailer." They have been known to go as far as 75 miles in search of fruit, which includes figs, tropical laurels, nuts of oil palm, camphor, and incense.
Fruit is regurgitated for the young, which can weigh in the neighborhood of fifty percent more than their parents. The chicks are the desired birds in view of their fat content regarding oil by natives and the original settlers in their native locales.
These common birds, or birds of least concern, are some of the most unusual examples to be encountered in the world.
Welcome to the world of highly remarkable and unusual birds brought to you strictly by natural selection.
These nocturnal fruit eaters, like bats, emit clicking sounds that can be heard by the human ear in
the range of 2 kHz. This bird is mostly red-brown, black barring with white spots, and fossils have been found in France in Europe and Wyoming in the United States, making it much more widely distributed. The species also clings to vertical surfaces, making it also similar to swallows, who also are considered to have nearly non-utile feet, since they spend most of their time in flight. Light bothers their eyes, since they live in darkness within caves, and they will emit loud screams if they are so disturbed. The Spanish name that they inherited is guacharo, which translates to "wailer." They have been known to go as far as 75 miles in search of fruit, which includes figs, tropical laurels, nuts of oil palm, camphor, and incense.
Fruit is regurgitated for the young, which can weigh in the neighborhood of fifty percent more than their parents. The chicks are the desired birds in view of their fat content regarding oil by natives and the original settlers in their native locales.
These common birds, or birds of least concern, are some of the most unusual examples to be encountered in the world.
New Caledonia's Kagu, A Critically Endangered Species
The Kagu of Grande Terre Island, New Caledonia (between Australia and Fiji) is critically endangered and is a prime example of a nearly flightless modern day bird, just like the Emu and the Ostrich. It never developed the power of flight, because it was unnecessary, yet it has the ability to glide, as its feathers are full sized.
This unusual bird began to meet its demise due to domestic animals like dogs, pigs, and cats. Each of the approximately 160 birds each wears a radio collar, each attuned to different frequencies.
Appearing to resemble a heron or rail, this gorgeous, unusual bird is known as "the white ghost," or "ghost of the forest," which is its natural habitat. Having light coloring such as this in the forest sets this bird apart from other normal forest dwellers, which are normally much more subdued. Even though DNA analysis has been done, it clearly must be in its own family, but it is debatable as to whether or not its classification will hold.
The species is strictly a protein eater, going through leaf litter to feed on worms, lizards, insects and similar. Sexual maturity is reached at the age of three, and one egg is laid. The young of each pair can remain in the same territory for a decade, and there is evidence of assisting with nest defense. At this time, it is unknown if co-operative parenting is done by the former young.
Populations are stable, though 2016 was an excellent year for new birds. It is holding between 1,500 and 3,000 birds.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Monday, October 23, 2017
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Friday, October 20, 2017
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Monday, October 2, 2017
September's Stars and Top Quality Hunting Birds
Grasshopper
Bald Eagle
Cattle Egrets
Juvenile Prairie Falcon
Adult Bonelli's Eagle
Ditto
Juvenile Mississippi Kite
Harris's Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Franklin's Gull
Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Ditto
Juvenile Turkey Vulture
Snowy Egret
American White Pelican
Snowy Egret
Juvenile Little Blue Heron
American White Pelican
Ditto, View 2
Peregrine Falcon
Red-tailed Hawk
Female American Kestrel
Great Egret
Green Heron
Juvenile Male Red-winged Blackbird
Great Egret (L), Snowy Egret (C), Cattle Egret (R)
September 2017
The summer has been relatively quiet for the numbers of birds that we used to see. By the same token, our numbers for wading birds have increased dramatically, especially migratory Cattle Egrets
and semi-resident Great Egrets.
We have gotten a slight trickle, especially at the end of the month for migratory songbirds, and our Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are still hanging on, perhaps until the end of the month.
We had several late nesting birds, which included woodpeckers and songbirds, but our Green Heron colony lost fledglings, as well as nestlings. That could have been due to a Cooper's Hawk that was found in the area a couple of times, but that is inconclusive.
A couple of unusual birds that normally reside south of here managed to visit southwest Oklahoma. The Groove-billed Ani hasn't been seen in in our fair state since 1979 and it appears that Mexico's Masked Duck spent a couple of weeks in US waters. The ani was around for a much shorter period.
Also photographed above are a number of raptors that we don't get to see at such close range. One of them is the Bonelli's Eagle, which is a raptor from Africa and Eurasia. This beautiful female beat the odds. She was picked up in the Middle East where she was for sale. She was the victim of a shooting, and a terrible disease. It took three solid years of the best care to get her back into the falconry circuit, and I wish to commend the gentleman for the best care that she could have received.
Also, the above young Mississippi Kite was born much later than normal, and he or she was fortunately found by a caring individual shortly after a rain storm. He is being cared for by an area rehabilitator and was taken in on August 15, possibly at the age of 32-35 days. He weighed in at 288 grams and had a setback that dropped his weight to 200 grams. In this photo, he was approximately 69 days of age. There is no question that without human intervention, he would have died.
There are also numerous shots of wading birds from Great Salt Plains in the spillway area. Note the egret with a grasshopper in its mouth. We also noticed large numbers of dead carp there, too.
The rest of the birds pictured above are identified and are some of the best specimens. They are all very healthy birds that got a new lease on life. First and second year raptors have an 85% mortality rate their first two years of life. With proper human intervention, they can be trained to hunt to the best of their ability. Healthy adults will be released into the wild with their new skill set and will make their handlers proud of their newfound keen and confident hunting prowess.
Please enjoy the photos. Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding!
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