Favourite bird behaviour (1 Viewer)

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AnnieW

Well-known member

• Feb 13, 2004

• #21

Mine is courtesy of Kenneth Grahame (Wind in the Willows) and never fails to take me back to my childhood when life was simpler !!! For my indulgence .....

All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!

Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim--
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes!
WE like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call--
WE are down a-dabbling
Up tails all

I can watch ducks dabbling until the cows come home & it never fails to raise a smile !!!!

Annie

 

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Angie

Well-known member

• Feb 13, 2004

• #22

Mandarin ducks chasing and snapping at each other around the garden.

A jay cocking its head.

Circular birds running round you as you paddle along the sea-shore. - Ok, now I know they are sanderlings.

The intriguing behaviour of blue and great tits when they peck at the ground then peck under their wings nearly falling over in the process! Can anyone explain why they do this. The first time I saw this, I thought maybe they were on an ants nest.

 

Andrew

wibble wibble

• Feb 14, 2004

• #23

Today a friend and I saw hundreds of Red-breatsed Mergansers and the males had an amazing courtship ritual. Hard to describe bu the climax is sharply pointing it's head up at a straight angle.

 

Nerine

Well-known member

• Feb 14, 2004

• #24

I love to watch Terns diving, Gulls from a height dropping limpets etc on to rocks (over and over), also Gulls stamping their feet to catch the worm!
Nerine

 

Andrew

wibble wibble

• Feb 14, 2004

• #25

On a recent cruise up the River Exe the commentator said the optimum height for cockles to be dropped by the crows was 27 feet!!!

 

christineredgate

Winner of the Copeland Wildlife Photographer of th

• Feb 14, 2004

• #26

Thrushes bashing the poor snail on a stone ,Great Crested Grebes courting ,mating and carrying their young around on thier backs,Starlings taking a water bath,Sparrows taking a mud bath.The Blackbird throwing all the seed out of the feeder tray to get to his sultanas,which I sometimes hide at the bottom.The mother seagull,elbowing away her offpsring whil'st she breaks the shell of a mussel ready for junior to partake.The list is endless.

 

B

Beverlybaynes

Mod Squad

• Feb 15, 2004

• #27

something I've never seen for myself, but the Western Grebe has a wonderful courtship ritual of running atop the water! When you see "Winged Migration", you'll know what I mean.

And the courtship dances of the Sandhill Crane is spectaular! Break-dancing in feathered form!

 

Edward

Umimmak

• Feb 15, 2004

• #28

Great Bustards doing the full "foam-bath" display is the most remarkable thing I've seen.

Locally, the spinning of hundreds of Red-necked Phalaropes on a pool and Ravens picking up, dropping and then catching objects such as plastic cups in flight is always entertaining.

E

 

2sillycats

Member

• Feb 20, 2004

• #29

I love the simple things...

Dabbling ducks with their hind ends in the air! Too cute!

The display of a painted redstart. Flying up and down, up and down from the ground to a branch or branch to branch. Each time fluttering his wings and opening his tail to display his magnificient white bands.

 

D

David Sercel

Active member

• Feb 21, 2004

• #30

Mine would have to be Nuthatches.

The way they scamper up and down trees and then pull their heads up to look around.

 

Motmot

Eduardo Amengual

• Feb 21, 2004

• #31

All woodpeckers at work are amazing. Once I watched one of the scarce Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers that reach Monteverde during the northern winter. It was drilling horizontal rows of holes on a tree behind our house. Two Hoffman's Woodpeckers were watching him from a nearby tree. Once the Sapsucker had left the tree, the two Hoffman's went to inspect his job, without touching anything, and went back to their original tree, as if not interested. Bugs began getting stuck in the sap and soon the Sapsucker was back for them. Then the two Hoff. defended the holes like crazy, chasing the Sapsucker!! Why don't they make their own holes these lazy birds!

 

H

HH75

Well-known member

• Feb 21, 2004

• #32

Hi all,
Many of my favourite 'bits' of bird behaviour are not only interesting in their own right,but serve to help one in identifying the bird,particularly at long range.Examples include:
-the tail-shivering of Black Redstart(and Redstart,but the former seems to do this more often?Bear in mind that I've seen FAR more Black Reds than Commons!)
-a Chiffchaff's tail-dipping(or that of an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler...memories of Cape '99!)
-the way a Hobby lifts an insect up to its bill in flight
-the almost manic hovering of a fishing Little Tern
-the way that a Red or Black Kite twists and turns its tail in flight
-the way that a Sanderling runs along the tideline
and many more!
Harry H

 

tracker

Tom

• Feb 21, 2004

• #33

I also love the delicate, gliding, hover flight of Blue Tits when they are pairing up and getting all amorous and fresh. I was watching a pair recently, and thought it looked so endearing.

tracker

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Mar 5, 2004

• #34

A little thread resurrection for a Friday evening. Something that always amuses me is the crash landing technique of Long-tailed Ducks (N.Am: Old Squaws). They belt along over the waves and then as they approach where they want to land they just stop flying and unceremoniously crash into the water. Actually quite a useful ID feature if they're a very long way off.