Birds

[knowledge_of_self]

Bewildered,

That was a very touching story! I don't think I could have done the crushing bugs thing... well maybe I could, knowing what was at stake. But it would be VERY difficult. I was sad about the little bird that died, but happy that one of them made it. It must have been amazing when you were teaching it to fly and how it would sit on your finger. So cool!

Thank you so much for sharing your story!

 

[Voyageur]

Your very welcome :), such fascinating little birds that are so difficult to capture in such focus.

I’ve been feeding them annually and they arrive like clockwork; May 5th +/-and depart late August. If there are a lot of wasps they leave earlier. This year the wasp cycle had waned and so they stayed until the 10th of September; their leaving is bitter sweet, saying goodbye to friends and thanking them for their presents and I kept thinking that their migratory trip home, flying over the gulf, could be precarious :(.

The pictures you picked Gandalf are indeed sweet and both your early youth stories Vulcan and Bewildered, the memories and reflecting were both enjoyable to read - thanks :)

 

[Bewildered]

I meant to thank you for those photos, parallax. I work at a zoo and I always enjoy going through a certain area of the grounds...I call it "hummingbird hill." I can stand there and watch them fly all around me. As long as I move slowly and stand still, I'm rewarded by watching them go about their business all around. It's enchanting. :)

 

[Voyageur]

...I call it "hummingbird hill."

Sounds great

 

[Voyageur]

This past weekend under the hot morning sun, made an observation while watching the various birds at our place. In the garden there is a birdbath in which it was occupied by a Robin, splashing in and drinking of the cool waters. The other birds on the adjacent shrubs and branches were Black Caped Chickadees, Rennes and such who were also intent on drinking and splashing, however, the Robin had other ideas and would have nothing of the sort entering its domain. Every time a small bird approached the Robin became aggressive and defensive. What next drew my attention was a Hummingbird at a distance of about .5 meters above and 2 meters away from the Robin, hovering and watching the goings-on. The Hummingbird then did the most remarkable thing; it swooped down directly at the Robin coming to about one foot away and then backed off. The Hummingbird did this three times and finally, the now seemingly agitated Robin, flew off not to return. Then the Hummingbird retreated and watched hovering as the other small birds flew into the bath to share the waters. It seemed that only until the Hummingbird was satisfied that the Robin would not return did it finally depart.

 

[Bewildered]

I no longer work at that zoo. Leaving there was a painful experience. I'll miss many people I had to leave behind there...and out of the many different species of animals who live there, I think I'll miss the birds most of all. As I shared in a previous post, there were hummingbirds who descended upon an area I named "hummingbird hill" in great numbers with regularity. There were stately African Pelicans gliding magically across a lagoon made for them (what a sight they were to see; their huge webbed feet never seemed to move under the water). I could watch them endlessly and spent more than one lunch doing just that. There were even a pair of African Spoonbills hanging out nearby. They would stand perfectly still, almost like statues...and maintain that illusion until they turned their head ever so slightly. It's also impossible to forget the geese who marched around the lagoon like a feathered gang.

All of the birds there were fascinating in their own right, but one was always at forefront of my thoughts whenever I started my day: a Hyacinth Macaw. I made it a point to walk by his perch and say hello as I passed by in the morning. Despite being reared by another parrot, this fellow was amazingly social and liked humans. I was surprised to learn from the Bird Keepers that he was only 7 years old...a child amongst his kind. Nevertheless, not only is this fellow very intelligent, but he is a ham and loves a crowd around his perch. He is a favorite of regular members and employees alike, and it wasn't unusual for groups of photographers to flock around his perch and set up their tripods (he was a magnificent bird, famously beautiful as Hyacinths are) so they could steal photos of him.

One day I encountered a professional photographer standing on the path at his perch who seemed frustrated. I walked up and asked him what was wrong. "I just can't get him to come around from behind his perch!" the photographer exclaimed. His perch, you see, resembled a small tree, with many branches all around that he could perch on. I saw that he was on the side facing away from the path, playing around with some leafy branches that the keepers had given him that morning. You could see his long tail feathers poking through the branches. :D

All you have to do to get his attention is call his name, I explained. I demonstrated...and as soon as I said his name, his head popped out from behind the perch to look at me. I waved at him, saying his name again...and he clambered around the front so he could eye me in his usual curious fashion. The photographer, laughing, took his shots. As I walked away I said "bye bye!" to the big fellow, and in his typical fashion he sat up straight on the perch and lifted up one of his feet towards me, his way of waving back. The most amazing moment of all was when, once after I said "bye bye" and waved, he lifted up a claw and said "bye bye" himself. He is a talker...he just does it when he feels like it. :)

 

[Bewildered]

This past weekend under the hot morning sun, made an observation while watching the various birds at our place. In the garden there is a birdbath in which it was occupied by a Robin, splashing in and drinking of the cool waters. The other birds on the adjacent shrubs and branches were Black Caped Chickadees, Rennes and such who were also intent on drinking and splashing, however, the Robin had other ideas and would have nothing of the sort entering its domain. Every time a small bird approached the Robin became aggressive and defensive. What next drew my attention was a Hummingbird at a distance of about .5 meters above and 2 meters away from the Robin, hovering and watching the goings-on. The Hummingbird then did the most remarkable thing; it swooped down directly at the Robin coming to about one foot away and then backed off. The Hummingbird did this three times and finally, the now seemingly agitated Robin, flew off not to return. Then the Hummingbird retreated and watched hovering as the other small birds flew into the bath to share the waters. It seemed that only until the Hummingbird was satisfied that the Robin would not return did it finally depart.

Birds are so fascinating to watch! Hummingbirds in particular seem much "larger" than their tiny frame seems to suggest. What an amazing thing to see, Parallax. No matter how long you watch them, they seem to be full of surprises. :)

 

[Voyageur]

I no longer work at that zoo. Leaving there was a painful experience. I'll miss many people I had to leave behind there...and out of the many different species of animals who live there, I think I'll miss the birds most of all...

It is always painful leaving familiar places and friends; they will miss you, too, by the sounds of it.

[...]

...The most amazing moment of all was when, once after I said "bye bye" and waved, he lifted up a claw and said "bye bye" himself. He is a talker...he just does it when he feels like it. :)

Nice helping out the photographer here, and your so right, birds are full of surprises and seem to have such good memories and recognition qualities, amongst others.

Your memories and experiences at the zoo will likely be well lasting and bring many smiles on. :)

 

[Bim]

I've loved reading everyone's experiences with bird here, such beautiful creatures!

My own experience with them started when i bought some bird food at the supermarket and decided to take it upon myself to feed some of the birds that nested in the front yard. Needless to say i have a party of at least 30 that wait diligently for me every single morning (i also put some water for them). I've counted at least 4 different types (dunno their names in english though), from really tiny to big ones, including a type of woodpecker.

It might sound silly, but i amuse myself for long periods of time watching them eat, chase each other around and some even bathe and splatter water all around lol. Too cute. I dunno which kind they are, but they bring me joy every morning, so i just keep on feeding them and even chatting to them at times

This little one was the smallest one i've ever seen, and it's sitting on it's tiny nest looking at me as if saying "What the heck are u looking at?"lol. It was smaller than my index finger, had to be a kind of hummingbird or something liket that

I have pics of a few other somewhere; i'll try and find them so i can share them here :)

 

[Voyageur]

[quote author=Bim ]
It might sound silly, but i amuse myself for long periods of time watching them eat, chase each other around and some even bathe and splatter water all around lol. Too cute. I dunno which kind they are, but they bring me joy every morning, so i just keep on feeding them and even chatting to them at times [/quote]

Does not sound silly at all, sometimes taking the time observing the antics of nature much can be learned, osit.

I have pics of a few other somewhere; i'll try and find them so i can share them here :)

Your photo was great - thanks. :)

 

[treesparrow]

[quote author=Bim ]
It might sound silly, but i amuse myself for long periods of time watching them eat, chase each other around and some even bathe and splatter water all around lol. Too cute. I dunno which kind they are, but they bring me joy every morning, so i just keep on feeding them and even chatting to them at times

Does not sound silly at all, sometimes taking the time observing the antics of nature much can be learned, osit.

[/quote]

During the very cold winter of 2 years ago, up to 8 jays were attracted to my garden feeders. Normally the local woodland jays are quite shy, but as they got used to seeing me put out food every morning they become more and more confiding. They eventually came so close that I could hear what wonderful mimics of other birds they are - the calls of buzzards, crows and owls perfectly imitated. I somewhat formed the impression that all these impersonations were the birds 'letting off steam' because of a long frustrating wait in the cold morning air before I delivered the goodies.

Here's a pic of one that came close to the window.

 

[Voyageur]

[quote author=treesparrow ]
During the very cold winter of 2 years ago, up to 8 jays were attracted to my garden feeders. Normally the local woodland jays are quite shy, but as they got used to seeing me put out food every morning they become more and more confiding. They eventually came so close that I could hear what wonderful mimics of other birds they are - the calls of buzzards, crows and owls perfectly imitated. I somewhat formed the impression that all these impersonations were the birds 'letting off steam' because of a long frustrating wait in the cold morning air before I delivered the goodies.[/quote]

That's really neat, the mimicking - "letting off steam".

This one was email received and there is no photographer to attribute this to unfortunately. Looked it up and it was posted in an article here:

by Daniela Caride, Publisher on July 21, 2011 = _http://www.thedailytail.com/pictures/momma-bird-and-two-babies/

 

[Bewildered]

I'm very grateful for this thread. It's a reminder I need right now. There's something about birds and the experience of being near them and watching/listening to them that is spiritual and very meaningful on a personal level for me. It leads me to reflect on things, and realize just how self-inflicted my own struggles are. Perhaps it's how amazing they are. You have to pay attention and observe them in order to reap the rewards of the surprises they have to offer. They are intelligent, complex creatures...some of them small in physical size, but all very large in their feathered impact on the world and me. In a way, birds say something to me as I watch them in action: life is a treasure, and there is much that I miss because I don't pay attention to both the world around and inside of me.

Here's a picture of those stately African Pelicans I took some time ago as I passed by their lagoon at work. It's not the greatest quality as I took the picture on my cell phone, but I hope enough of their beauty shines through so that others may see it.

They are quite beautiful, and I will never forget the times I spent watching them cruise around that lagoon. :)

 

[treesparrow]

Thought I'd throw in another captivating pic, this time showing a nest with egg,young chick and adult bird in attendance.

In fact, this is a still taken from a film that was produced locally for a BBC tv wildlife programme. I was engaged in finding and monitoring the eggs and nests of this particular species - Little Ringed Plover - which breed on local river shingle shoals. Just before the eggs were due to hatch we set up a hide and film camera about 3 metres away from the nest ( which is basically a scrape in the ground) and managed to get some really enchanting footage. The chick was less than 24 hours old but was already very assured on its feet. The remaining egg hatched a short while later.
The female adult totally ignored the hide, once the disturbance of 2 people setting it up in place was over and she had observed at least one human leaving the area.

Anyway, cute chick, no?

 

[anart]

Anyway, cute chick, no?

That's a fantastic shot.