DAY 291: THE BLESSING OF BIG FEET!

This AFRICAN JACANA CHICK is stepping it out across the lily pads like a boss!

I've never really seen big feet (of which I possess 2) as a blessing, but seeing this little guy in action makes me realise that for some, big feet are indeed a blessing!

However, when you have to schlep from shoe shop to shoe shop with great disappointment
when no one, but no one, keeps your size in shoes, its not so funny: the curse of DNA -
this family has always had big feet!   Live with it!

DAY 290: WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?

The eagle locates it's prey more often from a perch than during foraging flights. Once the fish is detected, the eagle flies over with the legs held forwards and the talons ready to grasp the victim. Then, it swoops down onto the fish when it is close to the surface. Only feet and legs are immersed. Once the fish is caught, the eagle rises in the air with its prey in the talons. It carries it to a drier place, on land or other perch, a mound of branches above the water or a tree, in order to consume it.

DAY 289: FEEEEEEEEED ME!

Here's a bird feeder story I found on the internet - but beware, it has a sting in the tail!

“I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbeque. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table …… simply everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And other birds were boisterous and loud: they sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanding that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn’t even sit on my own back porch anymore.

I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the backyard was like it used to be…. quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now let's see…our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free 
medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: your child’s 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn’t speak 
English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press “one” to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than “Old Glory” are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free 
liberties. 

Maybe it’s time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

DAY 288: PROWLING LIKE A DINOSAUR!

 JAMES OCHSE:

 PURPLE SWAMPHEN 








This chicken-sized bird is a common resident in reed beds, marshes and flooded grasslands. With its large red feet, bright blue plumage and red bill and frontal shield, it is easy to recognize and distinguish from any other birds in the field. 
 
According to Peter Hancock, the Australian Swamphen prowls like a dinosaur!

Striding like a miniature tyrannosaurus across wetland pastures, the purple swamphen with its heavy red beak and iridescent blue chest is a strikingly handsome bird. Known to the Noongar as "Mulal", the swamphen is larger than its cousins the coot and dusky moorhen and common in wetlands from Europe to Australia, including Africa.

In the metro area it congregates in flocks of up to 30 birds to patrol lakesides and riverbanks for its food, but while it enjoys a varied diet of herbs, seeds, fruit, eggs, insects, spiders, crustaceans and molluscs, its main sustenance is derived from the stems of young bulrushes and reeds. Watching a swamphen eat is a comical sight as it awkwardly clasps its food in long-fingered claws designed for walking on floating reeds.


Though tame in spots where people regularly feed waterbirds, in its natural state the swamphen is a shy and secretive bird, skulking in reed beds and only betraying its presence with its loud screeching cries. Swamphens often trample rushes into feeding platforms which can be identified by piles of food scraps, such as marron shells.

In the Perth area the swamphen breeds from mid-July to November – and it's a real family affair.
The entire flock builds a platform of rushes and grass with stems drawn over it to form a canopy, and in this single nest several females lay their sandy-coloured eggs, which are splotched with chestnut and grey.  The flock also constructs a nursery nest in which the chicks are brooded at night and from which they are led to forage by day, usually by adults at the lower end of the pecking order.

DAY 287: NATURE'S UNDERTAKERS

.

ANDY LOWE
WHITE BACKED VULTURE

 

The white-backed vulture has black eyes and a strong, slightly hooked black bill, contrasting with its pale crown and hind neck. As they age, the plumage of white-backed vultures becomes paler and plainer, especially that of the  female; conversely, juveniles are darker, with lighter brown streaks on their feathers.
 
Vultures have historically been grouped with other raptors on the basis of their overall appearance. Often seen soaring high in the sky, they are often mistaken for hawks or eagles.

However, it has recently been determined that the seven species of New World vultures are more closely related to storks than to the hawks and eagles with which they were originally grouped. Unlike all other raptors, vultures are not birds of prey. They feed solely on carrion, preferring animals that have been dead for two to four days. African White-Backed Vultures have no natural predators, except humans.

DAY 286: BLUE CRANE

CHRIS JONES - 
BLUE CRANE

The Blue Crane, South Africa's national bird, is very special to the amaXhosa, who call it indwe. 

When a man distinguished himself by deeds of valour, or any form of meritorious conduct, he was often decorated by a chief by being presented with the feathers of this bird. After a battle, the chief would organise a ceremony called ukundzabela – a ceremony for the heroes, at which feathers would be presented. 

Men so honoured – they wore the feathers sticking out of their hair – were known as men of ugaba (trouble) - the implication being that if trouble arose, these men would reinstate peace and order.

DAY 285: SOUTHERN MASKED WEAVER

MARIE LOUISE MYBURGH'S PHOTO
Southern Masked Weaver.



















Masked weavers are named for their elaborately woven nests built of papyrus, grass, and twigs. They are round structures built hanging from a branch, with the entrance near the bottom. They look like funny fruit hanging from a tree! 

The male builds a nest for a female. If the female does not like the nest, he will tear it down and start over. If she does like the nest, she will line it with grass and feathers, and start raising a family. The male will then try to build a nest for another female. These social birds live together in noisy colonies. 

DAY 284: AFRICAN JACANA CHICK

This little African Jacana chick is busy learning how to feed itself, copying its dad in pursuit of insects and larvae, worms, snails, molluscs and crustaceans, spiders and some seeds. It gleans its prey from the surface and will learn how to catch flying insects.

The African Jacana favours the freshwater wetlands with floating vegetation - here we see it walking on lilypads - it is able to move easily thanks to its long legs and very long toes. 

I know a few people with VERY long toes, but unfortunately they are too heavy to walk on lily pads....LOL!

DAY 283: WHAT RHYMES WITH BULBUL?

WILD BULBUL by LYNN STEYN


What rhymes with bulbul?
Lots:
armful, bagful, bellpull, brimful, cagefull, canfull, capfull, carfull, cheekfull, chestfull, chockfull, cupfull, drawerfull, earfull, eyefull, fistfull.........

It's a popular word, bulbul:

• It's a Danish watch brand
• It's a ladies clothing line
• Its the name of a singer born in 1897 in Khanbaghi, Shusha
• It's an online radio program in Nepal
• It's the surname of over 300 people on FaceBook
• It's maybe lots more, but that's enough to be doing with right now!

Most importantly, it's a beautiful songbird frequently mentioned in Persian poetry that is probably a nightingale, found in Asia and Africa.

DAY 282: PALE CHANTING GOSHAWK

PHOTO BY MARIUS VERSTER - 

PALE CHANTING GOSHAWK





This common but beautiful African species has an unusual common name that was suggested by a special reproductive behavior that many other birds in the family do not share:  the male makes a series of melodic whistles while perched at the top of a tree or pole during the breeding season.

DAY 281: THE PURPLE DUCKLING EATER

Photo by Brian Culver

The Purple Swamphen is a large rail. It is mainly dusky black above, with a broad dark blue collar, and dark blue to purple below. As it walks, it flicks its tail up and down, revealing its white undertail. The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. For such a bulky bird, the Swamphen is an accomplished flier and will readily take to the air to escape danger. In flight, the long legs and elongated toes trail behind or hang underneath the body. Purple Swamphens are proficient swimmers, but prefer to wander on the edges of the water, among reeds and on floating vegetation. They     are found around freshwater swamps, streams & marshes.

The Purple Swamphen eats the soft shoots of reeds and rushes and small animals, such as frogs and snails. However, it is a reputed egg stealer and will also eat ducklings when it can catch them. The Purple Swamphen uses its long toes to grasp food while eating.

Purple Swamphens are generally found in small groups and studies have shown that these consist of more males than females. More than one male will mate with a single female. All family members, and occasionally the young from a previous brood, share in incubation and care of the young. The nest consists of a platform of trampled reeds with the surrounding vegetation sometimes being used to form a shelter. Often two broods will be raised in a year.

DAY 280: BATELEUR - STREET PERFORMER

"Bateleur" is French for "street performer" - & those artists included performers such as acrobats & tight-rope walkers.  The name implies the bird’s characteristic habit of rocking its wings from side to side when gliding, as if catching its balance.  The scientific name for Bateleur: "Terathopius Ecaudatus" means pretty face without a tail!
 

Extremely large wingspan and a short tail give this eagle a unique flying style: it turns by banking like an aircraft, rather than using its tail as a steering rudder
• it hunts on the wing, soaring above the ground before spiraling down to strike its prey
• it indulges in dramatic courtship flights — the male makes spectacular 360° rolls in midair.

Whether hurtling down upon a live victim, descending to feed on carrion, or ambushing other scavengers and stealing their kill, the Bateleur is a master opportunist, attacking anything from grasshoppers to small species of antelope. Groups of up to 50 juveniles gather to feast on winged termites emerging from their nests, and adults hunt birds as big as guinea fowl.This eagle also takes carrion and even snatches carcasses from vultures and other scavengers in bold, piratical attacks.

Small mammals are probably the Bateleur’s favorite prey, which it hunts on the wing from a height. Gliding back and forth, it watches for any movement that could betray a grass rat, a Dik-dik or a gazelle fawn. On spotting a victim, it corkscrews down in a spiral, slamming into its target with its talons. It then tears the carcass with its sharp, powerful & murderously hooked bill.

The long wings and short tail of the Bateleur are an adaptation for soaring and gliding. Lacking an effective rudder, the Bateleur turns by banking from side to side. It stays aloft for most of the day, soaring in circles on thermals (warm, rising air currents) with its wingtips splayed to reduce air turbulence. Between thermals it glides fast and straight with its wingtips swept back. Adults usually remain in large territories, but nomadic juveniles wander more widely, often covering 180 miles or more a day.


 

DAY 279: THE SECRETARY BIRD

Do you know how the Secretary Bird got its name?

Long ago, secretaries wrote and copied letters by hand. They stuck quill pens behind their ears when they weren’t using them. The black plumes of this bird reminded people of quill pens. So they named the bird the secretary bird.

Secretary birds live on grassy plains in parts of Africa. These birds are tall, and have much longer legs than other birds of prey. They run through the grass, attacking prey with their feet and wings. Secretary-birds catch and eat large insects, snakes, small mammals, and lizards. They also eat the eggs of other birds. 

When it’s time to nest, secretary birds build unusual homes. They use sticks, leaves, and grass to make a kind of platform. Both parents incubate the eggs and share in feeding the chicks.

DAY 278: COMMON KESTREL FROM KENYA

The Kestrel is a type of Falcon - and this one has found breakfast and is
probably on its way back to its nest to feed its young.

                           This flight mode is interestingly known as 
                                                   "Holy Spirit"

DAY 277: JAVA SPARROW

These birds of Indonesia are found in meadows, fields and cultivated land on the islands of Java and Bali.


The striking plumage of the Java sparrow has resulted in this bird being introduced all over the world as a consequence of the cage-bird trade. 

The Java sparrow has largely pearly-grey plumage, turning pinkish on the belly and white towards the tail. The head is black, which contrasts with the sharply defined white cheeks and large, vivid pink bill. The rump and tail are also black. 

The song of the Java sparrow begins with single notes, somewhat like a bell, developing into a continuous trilling and clucking, interspersed with high-pitched and deeper notes.

DAY 276: SNOWY EGRET

The Snowy Egret is a middle-sized, white heron with a thin, black bill, legs of black and yellow feet. The upper part of their bill, in front of the eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season.

Extremely lovely plumes are present on the back during the breeding season. The Snowy Egret is much smaller than the Great Egret, but its plumage is lovely. 

Like other egrets, the Snowy Egret was once killed for its feathers. Its population was seriously damaged in the 1800's. It has made a recovery and is no longer hunted.

DAY 275: CRESTED HAWK EAGLE

The Crested Hawk Eagle (CHE) is a raptor that is a widespread resident of India; its a shy bird of prey and rarely sits in an open perch. It will allow humans as close as 30-50 feet, before getting spooked, except when it is hunting.

This is the experience of people travelling on a jeep safari into the Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, India:

We had this rare encounter with the CHE. It was during one of the morning safaris where we had a good sighting of Asiatic Elephants, the Indian Gaur, a couple of species of Woodpecker and a Crested Serpent Eagle. We had almost reached the end of the safari, and were on our way back, when suddenly this CHE came flying past our jeep and landed on a tree, by the side of the tracks, about 75 feet from us. As our jeep was getting closer to the CHE, it descended on the forest floor at the base of a tree. 

A CHE on the ground is not something seen very often and we took the opportunity to get to as close as within 20-25 feet (way inside the comfort zone of Raptors). All the cameras in the jeep were firing away. The CHE completely ignored us and was intently looking into a hollow at the base of the tree – laying in wait for its prey! We were sure that there was a small mammal in the tree hollow that had rushed there seconds before, trying to escape the claws of the CHE. We were fortunate to witness this hustling behavior of this majestic raptor. It kept alternating between sitting on a low-hanging branch of the tree intently looking into the tree hollow and then descending on it and trying to find a way to get into it. Then finally after 15 minutes into the routine, with no signs of the prey coming out, it gave up the hunt and flew away.

From www.walkthewilderness.net