Look! A bird!

[apl68]

On the way to the PT appointment--long drive, three lanes most of the way--I saw what looked like three large vultures. On the way back, sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, a great egret flew majestically over the roadway, neck stretched out in front, and feet stretched back. Made my day! Later, an osprey soared above, flying rather low. There were other birds, but it's never a good idea to try to identify birds when driving.

When large egrets or other herons beat their wings to take off, it's almost like watching a slow levitation.  Fascinating to see such a large bird rise into the air.

[Langue_doc]

The goose family is down to four goslings. They're all grown up now, and have the same coloring and feathers as the parents.

I saw the egret alongside a pond. He flew off to the other pond when he saw me. Soon, another egret circled the trees alongside the pond and was about to settle down, but Egret-already-in-possession-of-territory decided to show the interloper who was in charge wouldn't let him alight, but instead tried to chase him off. They flew around for a short time, and then one of them flew away. The other one flew to the first pond and walked around trying to spear fish. The water was relatively low, so it was hit or miss for the egret--he got a couple, but there were instances when he couldn't bend down that low, or just couldn't reach the fish. Unlike herons, egrets are rather skittish, so you have to keep your distance.

[FishProf]

At a coffee shop this morning, Smolt was feeding croissant to the local beggar-birds.  A myna would get the food, then fledgling house sparrows would come to it begging (wings flapping, moths open, pathetic cheeping) and the myna would look at them like "go away, this is mine", then would feed the babies.  It was a great example of the convergence of begging behavior.  This is what allows brood parasites (cuckoos and cowbirds, for example) to exploit parents of other species.

[AmLitHist]

A new brood of 4 hungry baby robins has hatched by our window AC! Mom and Dad Robin are actively fussing and dive-bombing anyone who even looks toward that end of the house.

[Langue_doc]

The goose family was quite happily swimming in the pond. Goslings are the spitting image of their parents, albeit slightly smaller. The egret was looking for morsels--didn't seem to be hungry as he took his time deciding whether to spear a tidbit with his beak or just saunter on.

I often have interesting conversations with people I encounter here. This morning, it was a man with an East European accent who pointed to the egret, and then asked me what it was called. After asking me to repeat the name twice, he told me that this was his second bird (name) as earlier someone else had told him the name of the red-winged blackbird. When I showed him the Merlin app on my phone and how to install it on his phone, he looked quite happy. Later I encountered someone I know who asked me what birds I'd seen this morning.

Yesterday, on my way home, just past the exit ramp, there was an egret flying overhead.

[ciao_yall]

The goose family was quite happily swimming in the pond. Goslings are the spitting image of their parents, albeit slightly smaller. The egret was looking for morsels--didn't seem to be hungry as he took his time deciding whether to spear a tidbit with his beak or just saunter on.

I often have interesting conversations with people I encounter here. This morning, it was a man with an East European accent who pointed to the egret, and then asked me what it was called. After asking me to repeat the name twice, he told me that this was his second bird (name) as earlier someone else had told him the name of the red-winged blackbird. When I showed him the Merlin app on my phone and how to install it on his phone, he looked quite happy. Later I encountered someone I know who asked me what birds I'd seen this morning.

Yesterday, on my way home, just past the exit ramp, there was an egret flying overhead.

You need to submit this to the Metro Diary or whatever it's called in the NY Times!

[Langue_doc]

You need to submit this to the Metro Diary or whatever it's called in the NY Times!

I go to this place for peace and quiet, so posting my experiences and encounters anywhere (other than the anonymous Fora) would defeat the purpose.

[ciao_yall]

You need to submit this to the Metro Diary or whatever it's called in the NY Times!

I go to this place for peace and quiet, so posting my experiences and encounters anywhere (other than the anonymous Fora) would defeat the purpose.

This morning's Metropolitan Diary had a birdwatching story. Thought of you, Langue_doc.

[FishProf]

The myna birds here on the Big Island (Hawai'i) sing the twitter notification tone.  How much do they have to hear that for all of them to sing it?

[Langue_doc]

You need to submit this to the Metro Diary or whatever it's called in the NY Times!

I go to this place for peace and quiet, so posting my experiences and encounters anywhere (other than the anonymous Fora) would defeat the purpose.

This morning's Metropolitan Diary had a birdwatching story. Thought of you, Langue_doc.

Thanks, ciao_yall!

[Puget]

Saw a pair of great horned owls when I was out walking around dusk. There was a very plentiful bunny population in the area, so I doubt they had to go far for dinner.

[sinenomine]

This morning I stopped my car for a large group of turkeys: about a dozen youngsters with four adults monitoring their road crossing. While the deer, foxes, and bobcats I regularly encounter scamper out of the way and bears tend to stop, look, and then scamper, turkeys are always very aware of cars and watch their young, blocking traffic to do so. It always impresses me.

[apl68]

Our little geese at the city park are growing up.  They still don't quite seem to have their adult voices yet.

[Langue_doc]

Our oystercatchers are reclaiming their territory.

Angry Birds Take on Drones at New York City Beach
American Oystercatchers are attacking drones that have been deployed to scan for sharks and swimmers in distress.

The first few paragraphs:

One is a distinctive shorebird, slightly smaller than an average sea gull, with a bright orange bill that pries open clams, oysters and other shellfish. The other is a remote-controlled gadget with rotating blades.

In the skies above Rockaway Beach in Queens, bird and drone are not, it seems, coexisting in harmony.

Just as New Yorkers flock to the beach to escape the sweltering summer heat, American Oystercatchers have taken to attacking a fleet of drones deployed by city officials to scan for sharks and swimmers in distress.

The aerial conflict between animal and machine is raising concerns about the safety of the shorebirds, as they aggressively pursue the buzzing drones in defense of their nests, city officials and bird experts said.

"They fly toward the drone, they'll vocalize, and they might even try to swoop at it," said Katrina Toal, deputy director of the wildlife unit at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. "The danger is to the birds, of course. They could strike the drone, injuring themselves."

Rockaway Beach has long been a summer haven for overheated New Yorkers, a place where anyone can unwind on the sand and take a dip in the ocean. But the beach is also an important nesting area for many types of vulnerable birds, including Piping Plovers, Black Skimmers and Common and Least Terns.

The American Oystercatcher, however, seems to be the most zealous in pursuit of the drones, officials said.

When an Oystercatcher spots a drone, it will typically fly alongside the machine and emit a loud, shrill call or try to strike the drone with its feet, said Shiloh Schulte, an ornithologist and coordinator of the American Oystercatcher Recovery Program at Manomet, a bird conservation organization.

Such encounters raise the possibility that the drone's blades could injure the bird, a problem reported by The Associated Press.

"Oystercatchers, in particular, are very defensive of their young, and they see drones as real predators for themselves or their chicks," Dr. Schulte said. "They think the drones are some form of raptor, so that's why they're attacking them. They see them as some sort of threat."

All along the East Coast, he said, the use of drones on beaches is "becoming an increasing problem for shorebirds."

Every time a shorebird leaves its nest to pursue a drone, he said, the bird is not feeding its young and is leaving its nest vulnerable to actual predators like cats, dogs and crabs.

Dr. Schulte said that drones should either be flown at higher altitudes or be replaced by lifeguards or people in boats scanning for sharks and struggling swimmers.

[Puget]

Seen from the train between BOS and WAS and back: lots and lots (and lots!) of egrets (specious undetermined), a few GB herons (don't know if there are actually more egrets than herons or if the egrets are just much more visible since white), some ospreys on a nest platform, hawks I wasn't able to identify on the move, cormorants, ducks, geese and other assorted waterfowl.

I love trains, and the amount of wildlife you can see when the tracks are away from roads is one of the reasons.