DAY 230: JACKIE JACKDAW!

Much is known about how humans use their eyes to convey sentiments, but very little is known about how birds use this mode of communication. New research suggests JACKDAWS — a bird in the crow family found in Europe, western Asia and North Africa — use their peepers to deter competitors from approaching their nests.

This is the first time scientists have shown that animals besides primates use their eyes to communicate. 

Jackdaws are perching birds, or passerines. About 10 percent of passerines have colored irises, the circular structures in the eyes that control how much light gets in.

Unlike their dark-eyes relatives, rooks and crows, "jackdaw eyes are almost white, and their striking pale irises are very conspicuous against their dark feathers," Gabrielle Davidson, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

"But do jackdaws use their bright eyes for communication?" asked Davidson, an animal behavior researcher at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

The answer is "yes" - but you'll have to come back tomorrow to read more about THAT! 

DAY 229: BLACK SKIMMER

 
The Black Skimmer has an unusual way to fish. It has a huge lower bill that is not like other birds; it doesn’t move!  The Skimmer uses this lower bill to plow or “skim” through the water until it strikes a fish, then the head snaps down so that the upper bill can grasp the fish. The Skimmer then drags the fish from the water and swallows it head first while still in flight or takes it back to the nest.
The Skimmer rarely swims or dives, instead it uses its sense of touch to find its prey. It flies fast above the water with its lower beak open and just skimming the water (thus its name).  It skims along until it strikes a small fish or crustacean; the upper bill snaps shut and traps the prey. It forages for food at night, early in the morning, and towards dusk when more fish are near the surface of the water. It can only feed in calm waters such as lagoons, inshore waters, and rivers.  
The Skimmer is a social bird and hangs out with other Skimmers during the daytime. You will be able to hear them calling “auk” or a soft “keow, keow, keow”.  Skimmers are graceful flyers and sometimes synchronize their movements by twisting and turning and circling together in the air.  They show agressive behavior by “barking” like a dog and posturing.  Posturing includes head tossing , standing upright,  and sometimes opening the beak without making sounds.  They preen and clean themselves in fresh water.  When they sleep, they tuck their heads into the wing feathers on their backs.

DAY 228: RED-NECKED PHALAROPE

A Red-Necked Phalarope migrated 16,000 miles, breaking the record for longest European bird migration, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The epic round-trip journey, took the well-traveled bird across two oceans. The bird flew from the island of Fetlar in Shetland, Scotland, across the Atlantic, south down the eastern seaboard of the United States, across the Caribbean, and Mexico, ending up off the coast of Peru. After wintering in the Pacific, it returned to Fetlar following a similar route.  Amazingly, it's not the longest bird migration ever, but the feat is still a record-breaker for Europe.

Scientists tracked the red-necked phalarope's travels using a geolocator device that weighs less than a paperclip. Ten of the birds were outfitted with the device while on the Scottish isle.

The researchers couldn't believe how long and far the birds traveled. They conducted the study just trying to figure out where the birds spent the winter. Little did they know that these were world-class fliers.

"To think this bird, which is smaller than a starling, can undertake such an arduous journey and return safely to Shetland is truly extraordinary," Malcie Smith of the RSPB said in a press release. "This tiny tracker has provided a valuable piece of the puzzle when building a picture of where phalaropes go when they leave our shores. We hadn’t realized that some Scottish birds were traveling thousands of miles to join other wintering populations in the Pacific Ocean."

Info from www.livescience.com

DAY 227: DONT WORRY, OWL WAIT!

                                      

Have you noticed how often the word owl is used when the moment is right for

a play on words, eg:

'Owl’s about that’ 

‘Owl always love you’ 

'Don’t worry owl wait’ 

‘Owl see what I can do about that’ 

'Owl you need is love'

DAY 226: TALL CHICK

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders. The man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?" "I'll have the same," says the ostrich. A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $9.40 please." The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke." The ostrich says, "I'll have the same." Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change. 

This becomes routine until the two enter again. "The usual asks the waitress?" "No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad," says the man. "Same," says the ostrich. Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be $32.62." Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table. 

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?" 

 "Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there." "That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!" "That's right…Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.

The waitress asks, "What's with the ostrich?" The man sighs, pauses and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with long legs who agrees with everything I say......"

DAY 225: THE TAILORBIRD

This bird, called the Cambodian Tailorbird, has a very loud call.  Despite this, it has remained hidden in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, and has only recently been discovered. Sporting a red cap, gray-to-olive wings, and a black throat, it joins the Cambodian Laughing Thrush as the only bird species unique to Cambodia.

While the Laughing Thrush is only found in the remote Cardamom Mountains in the southwest part of the country, the Tailorbird prefers the city of 1.5 million. The noisy new species was found in the dense, humid lowland scrub in Phnom Penh. It was also documented in other locations just outside of the city, including a construction site and a dense conservation area where other bird species enjoy protection.

DAY 224: BEAUTIFUL BLUE CRANE

 
 

While driving down the West Coast road on Sunday morning, we saw a solitary Blue Crane in a big empty field.  As you undoubtedly know, this is our country's national bird.  It's a very classy looking bird - gunpowder blue plumage, that does the most elegant courtship dance. I would love to see that!

Blue Cranes are almost entirely restricted to South Africa, but there is a dwindling population in Namibia’s Etosha National Park and a few pairs in Botswana. Their numbers have dropped dramatically there, but seem to be  increasing in the southwestern Cape.