Oxpeckers (Africa Series)

Preferring their meals on the go, oxpeckers ride the back of a Cape Buffalo.  Travelling at a slow, lumbering pace, the Red-billed Oxpeckers are secure in their own safety, while providing a measure of security for the buffalo as well.  In exchange for a free ride, a lofty perch and a buffet of ticks, they alert their host to predators with loud hissing calls.

Yellow-billed Oxpeckers are gregarious, curious birds, entertaining to watch as they watch you back.

Comical in their habit of clinging to large mammals while gleaning their favorite food…ticks, they have a mutually beneficial relationship with large mammals like this eland.

Large mammals and even domesticated cattle often carry ticks on their hide.  Some of those ticks are difficult for the animal to remove by scratching, biting or licking.  The oxpecker benefits his host by eating ticks and is most likely why they put up with this interloper. 

 (Click on any picture to enlarge)

The oxpecker’s benevolence has been questioned though. Oxpeckers favor blood-gorged ticks that have already fed on their host, thereby only slightly benefiting the host animal.  They eat smaller ticks, lice and other parasites, too, but the question is; is the oxpecker after the tick or the blood?

Oxpeckers are known to lap up blood from open wounds and even enlarge old wounds in search of blood. For all the tick-cleaning benefit the oxpecker provides, does that make the oxpecker a blood sucking parasite in the process?  A fresh wound on this hippo’s back offers an oxpecker a small amount of blood at the hippo’s expense.

Since the bird is at least welcomed to search for insects on the mammal, it would stand to reason that the animal benefits by the oxpecker’s foraging. For example, this Red-billed Oxpecker scoured a giraffe’s neck in places where it’s doubtful the giraffe could reach alone.  

Elephants are one of the few mammals that discourage oxpeckers landing on them and will shoo them away.

It’s a gritty, pest-ridden world and some clean-up needs to be done. The bird and beast share an unusual relationship that's gone on uninterrupted for millions of years.   The question remains though, is it a relationship base on mutualism or parasitism?

In the vast savanna, where a hippopotamus is the tallest perch, a small group of oxpeckers gather to rest at sunset.  The oxpeckers will soon find shelter for the night in the trees. The hippo will forage on grasses throughout the night. He's quite likely to attract more biting ticks by morning, too.

Allan

African Starlings (Africa Series)

Starlings largely go unnoticed by the local people in Africa. They are a common, ground-dwelling bird…although superbly colorful they’re apparently easy to ignore.  They even named this one the Superb Starling, but few people will give him a second look…they’re that common.  It makes me wonder, how spectacular must a bird be to get noticed in Africa?

Collectively grouped as glossy starlings, it’s essential you see him in the right light.  His radiance comes from refracted light…not a true color pigment. Without sunlight highlighting his feathers he’s a rather dull black bird…much like a hummingbird in the shade.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

Urbanized enough to accept people, this Greater Blue-eared Starling patrolled a dew-laden lawn looking for his morning meal. While taking notice of who was watching him he gave no sign of being disturbed by the amazed onlookers.

America’s starlings don’t get much respect. It’s probably because our starling, the European Starling is a messy, raspy-voiced alien. 

Intentionally introduced into New York City’s Central Park by the American Acclimatization Society a century ago, they have exploded in population to 150 million nationwide. Considered an agricultural pest, a risk to aviation and a competitor to native birds, our alien starling doesn’t score high in popularity. It’s a matter of image. I doubt many bird lovers intentionally feed starlings. To the contrary, they discourage them. If our European Starlings looked like the African starlings would our reaction be different? (see link below)

While not suggesting repeating a bad idea, what would we think if the American Acclimatization Society had released one of these beautiful African starlings into America a hundred years ago in place of the European Starling?  It didn’t happen and shouldn’t happen ever again, but there are a whole lot prettier African starlings they could have picked. 

Allan

Credits:

Wildlife of East Africa, Martin Withers & David Hosking

Feather Tailed Stories, European Starling)

 http://feathertailedstories.blogspot.com/2012/11/european-starling.html

Lilac-breasted Roller (Africa Series)

(Africa Series)

I recently traveled to Africa, with the intent of finding new birds to photograph. I found over fifty 'new' bird species, but not just birds.

I went with my good friends Barbara and Don Gilmore.  Barb is a tour organizer and owns Many Hats Travel. She led eighteen women and four men through Sweetwater Tented Camp, Lake Nakuru National Park and the Maasai Mara in Kenya’s Rift Valley. The experience was enlightening, eye opening and exhausting all at the same time. There was little downtime, chiefly self-inflicted because you don’t want to miss anything.  Missing a game drive could mean not seeing an animal others saw.  As our African host, Atonio Marangabassa stated, "If you want a vacation, go to Hawaii…you’re here to see animals!"

But Feather Tailed Stories is not a travel blog…it’s about birds and I will keep it as such.  Nevertheless, there were many interesting animals stories in Africa and to NOT tell them would be unfortunate. My focus here is still on birds, but for this series I will include four-legged animals, too. I hope you agree with this major deviation, but I will start with birds. 

Lilac-breasted Rollers are common in Kenya and not hard to find throughout East Africa.  Conspicuously colorful, the Lilac-breasted Roller holds little hope of going unnoticed. Prominently perching in the open, his sightlines are long, both for finding prey and avoiding being preyed upon. He is the National Bird of Kenya.

The only North American bird I’ve seen that approaches the spectacular color palette of the Lilac-breasted Roller is the Painted Bunting. The Painted Bunting (referenced below) lives in South Carolina. They mainly reside in the United States’ southern tier.

Monogamous and highly territorial, rollers get their name from their acrobatic courting displays of rocking and rolling, culminating with actually mating in the air.  This pair looks to be guarding something inside this tree. They made several trips into the hole, entering briefly only to leave again quickly.

Whether snatching an insect out of the air or pouncing on a grasshopper on the ground, Lilac-breasted Rollers have proven to be beautiful, although not necessarily delicate. They are hardy and capable of surviving in a sometimes harsh environment. They are listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN*

Sub-Saharan Africa is a tough place to live when I compare it to rural Wisconsin. Kenya is on the equator and the heat can be brutal in the Maassi Mara. We were there in November, though, and at higher elevations it was quite pleasant. 

Countless thousands of animals make this place home.  A lot of what I encountered there either had thorns to keep you away or could eat you.  I avoided both.

Fires, started by lightening, can rage through the dry grasses of the Mara, but the Lilac-breasted Roller has learned the leading edge of the flames is a good place to find fleeing insects.  That adaptation, maybe a few million years in the making, points out there is a brain in that pretty green head, too.  Males and females look alike. 

Allan

Click on any picture to enlarge.

Credits: 

Wildlife of East Africa: Martin B. Withers, David Hosking

National Audubon Society: Field Guide to African Wildlife, Knoff

Birds of Kenya: Zimmerman, Turner, Pearson

* IUCN: International Union for the Conservation of Nature

http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_lilac_breasted_roller.html

http://feathertailedstories.blogspot.com/2012/08/painted-bunting.html

Eastern Bluebird, Havenwoods State Forest

Coming in for a landing, it's a great day for flying. 

There is not much this young Eastern Bluebird needed to do today, except maybe eat, as he practiced flying. 

Food is plentiful right now for the seed and fruit-eating birds. It seems every other tree or weed has something ripe to eat. The only thing that might make his life easier would be someone to feed him.  

These two juveniles are likely from a second brood for 2013. Their parents probably raised a first brood earlier this spring. They can fly, but felt no need as I approached.  It’s likely they will remain together as a family group for this winter.  There is plenty of food in October, but leaner days are ahead.

Looking skyward inquisitively, this pair was quite content to laze on the rooftop and wait to be fed.   

Probably born in this box, it's the only home they know. This box is one of many boxes placed at Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee and likewise throughout rural Wisconsin.  The Eastern Bluebird has benefited greatly from the nest box campaigns of the 1960-70's, designed to provide bluebirds with nest sites.

Before the boxes were introduced, bluebird populations decreased markedly as European Starlings and House Sparrows out-competed the bluebirds.   Oddly shaped boxes with bluebird-sized holes gradually sprang up along bluebird trails. The shape of the boxes and the hole size discouraged competitors and helped reestablish a thriving population of Eastern Bluebirds. The campaign worked well. Eastern Bluebirds are now listed as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Content with the comforts of home, they playfully jostle for ownership of the entrance because that is where the food is delivered.

Appropriately named, the Eastern Bluebird wears his namesake from the color wheel well. 

Looking adult-like already, it's unclear just how long food deliveries will continue.

Perhaps it's time for this one to feed himself? 

Click on any picture to enlarge

Practice flying on an awesome autumn day is fun, if one gets bored with eating berries.

Picking the low-hanging fruit is not just a metaphor today.  

It’s anybody’s guess where this Eastern Bluebird family will spend the winter...just not here. More likely it will be in the southeastern United States or as far away as Nicaragua in Central America. 

Wherever they choose, these birds will need fuel for the trip. October is a good time and Wisconsin is a good place to stock up on berries, bugs and seeds. 

Watch for them again on the return trip early next spring.

Allan

Credit: 
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds. 
International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The Sibley Guide to Birds.

Dark-eyed Junco

You may have noticed, if you feed the seed-eating birds, that the Dark-eyed Juncos have returned to southern Wisconsin.  That is good evidence winter is coming, if you need more evidence.

Dark-eyed Juncos are ground feeders. They travel in small bands with other bird species mostly for protection, as more eyes offer more protection from predators.  But traveling with friends is beneficial for other reasons, too.  

Many birds like nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches aren’t comfortable foraging on the ground and prefer to remain elevated for better sight lines and escape routes.  As they peck around seed feeders looking for just the right seed, many are rejected and tossed to the ground.

Enter the Dark-eyed Junco.   Below the feeder is where the Dark-eyed Junco finds his food…on the ground.  Lucky for you! What could be better than a dutiful bird cleaning up that mess? Seeds rarely go to waste when the juncos are on duty.  

Juncos come in many color variations. They are in the sparrow family, although they barely resemble the common sparrow.

They prefer the cooler side of the thermometer, too, and leave for Canada as Wisconsin warms in the early spring.  They don’t return until October. 

Foraging in the company of others served this band of junco well, when an alert-call came from a trio of crows landing in the treetops above.

Crow

The  crows' alarm calls scattered the foraging group in all directions.  Seconds later a young Cooper’s Hawk appeared, spring-boarding from limb to limb, only to disappear as quickly as he arrived. Leaving foiled and empty-handed, the hawk was closely followed by the crows, still annoyed by his presence.

Slowly emerging from dense cover…the area was deemed safe again.

Dark-eyed Juncos seem to prefer millet.  Never saving a seed for later, they eat what they find where they find it. 

Whatever signals they share between them when it is time to depart, they all know it and leave in a group. 

Click any picture to enlarge

Starting now and continuing throughout winter you can have Dark-eyed Juncos at your window for the miniscule cost of millet in your seed mixture.

Allan

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 

               All About Birds

Credit: The Sibley Guide to Birds

Peregrine Falcon (Indy & Ives?)

When I arrived, Indy and her friend were chilling out and warming up in an orange October sunrise. 

Click on any picture to enlarge.

October in Wisconsin means cool nights, warm days and brightly colored leaves.

Enjoying these conditions, while relaxing 200’ high…if  a Peregrine Falcon…you got it made! 

I was fairly sure this was Indy Foorna and her mate, Ives.  She is the resident falcon at the Port Washington Generating Station, Port Washington, WI.  At this distance though, I’m wasn't sure which bird was which. I couldn’t see their leg bands.

 According to the We Energies Peregrine Falcon 2013 Nesting Season Report, the male in Indy’s life is named Ives and wears black and green bands on his right leg.

Ives has been Indy’s mate for a couple of years and is probably the father of the chicks hatched this April 29-30. The four youngsters have been named Gasco, Bucky, Griff and Lightning.  You can see pictures of them and read the We Energies report at the link below. 

Indy Froona was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2009 and has been making the Port Washington Generating Station her home for the last three years.  She seems to have quite a fan base still following her in Indiana.  According to Gigi Caito, who responded to a previous Feather Tailed Stories post on Indy Froona in September, they were glad to hear she was doing well.  You can read Gigi’s reply on Indy at the link below. 

When one of the pair suddenly departed from their sunny perch, it seemed to have a goal in mind.  There could have been a tasty target out there somewhere worth investigating, but it was only visible from the 200’ foot balcony.  The mate quickly followed on the same course.  My chances of getting the hunt on camera were near zero, considering I never saw what they saw in the first place and both were out of sight over Lake Michigan in seconds.

If these few pictures were all I was going to get this day…so be it…there is always tomorrow, but I wasn’t ready to quit quite yet.  I lingered and it wasn’t long before I saw one of the pair return with prey-on-board.  That made both of us happy.

NOTE: Depictions of predation follow.

I didn’t know which bird got lucky, Indy or Ives. Typically the female Peregrine Falcon is larger (2-3lb vs. 1.6lb for the biggest male). That’s common in raptors, but sexing them is difficult when you can’t see the birds in a side-by-side comparison.  They look alike.  Nor could I read their leg bands.

 The feather plucking began quickly after the streetlight landing…interrupted only to keep one eye on me.  Now I could see the prey was a Northern Flicker, a medium sized bird slightly larger than the American Robin (thrush).

Peregrine Falcons take a huge variety of birds as prey from hummingbirds to Sandhill Cranes and even small mammals.  But they prefer medium sized birds…pigeon, doves, and gulls…meaty birds like the Northern Flicker. 

What happened to the other Peregrine Falcon?   It hadn’t returned while I was there…little concern…there wasn’t going to be any flicker sharing anyway.  

I discovered this is Indy Froona when I downloaded the pictures later and enlarged her leg bands on the computer.

She looks fit and healthy.

Now I’m wondering about Gasco, Bucky, Griff and Lightning, her four offspring.  I couldn’t find a status report on them, just that they were banded before fledging.  

It would be good to know they survived and are doing well. Are they enjoying the warm October sunshine and blue skies of Wisconsin or did they fly to Indiana?

Allan

Credit: We Energies Peregrine Falcon 2013 Nesting Season Report by Greg Septon

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Credit: Wikipedia

http://www.we-energies.com/environmental/2013PEFA_finalrpt.pdf

http://feathertailedstories.blogspot.com/2013/09/peregrine-falcon-seagull.html#gpluscomments

Northern Flicker, Havenwoods State Forest

                                  Facing east with the wind at his back this Northern Flicker is watching the sunrise. 

He chose this spot to warm up. The temperature was in the mid-fifties...barely up from  the overnight low.   The mid-fifties are not a problem for the Northern Flicker.  He could remain in Wisconsin all winter long if he chose.  

He looked off balanced though and bothered by the stiff wind that ruffled his feathers.  He twisted, turned and repositioned himself to maximize the sunlight while avoiding the chilly wind on his neck. Eventually, he just gave up and sought out a cozier spot.

A female Northern Flicker was nearby, too.  She was a half-mile away, across a treeless expanse, resting on a wire.  I couldn’t say whether these two enjoyed a relationship or not, but a half-mile is only seconds away for a flicker. 

Northern Flickers are in the woodpecker family. Males and females  look alike with the exception of a ‘moustache’…black malar…a stripe below the eye, which only the males sport. This is an eastern variant of the Northern Flicker called, yellow-shafted.

There is also a western variety of the Northern Flicker…red-shafted.  The two birds look similar, but are easily recognized as different, if you see them up-close.  

The western Northern Flicker displays red under its wings and tail where the eastern Northern Flicker shows yellow.  This Northern Flicker flashed her colors at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, near Roswell, New Mexico last March. Launching from a snag, she headed towards the setting sun. 

Northern Flickers eat ants and beetles  by foraging on the ground,  unlike other woodpecker species that search through trees for their prey.  You're likely to find those woodpeckers on vertical limbs bracing themselves with their stiff tails.  To the contrary, Northern Flickers prefer horizontal limbs to perch upon. 

Elegantly feathered in buff colors accented with dots, crescent and even Valentine hearts the Northern Flicker would be a nice find on your walk in the woods.  Most encounters will be one-way enjoyable though.  The Northern Flicker is very skittish and will disappear in a flash, if he spots you first. The flash being the bright white rump he shows you as he darts away. 

Invite a Northern Flicker to your window this winter.  It only takes some nut-filled suet and a little patience.  It’ll be good for both of you.

Allan



Reminder: Click on any picture to enlarge.

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Credit: Sibley Guide to Birds