Steller’s Jay

In the predawn light of New Year’s Day, 2014, this Steller’s Jay looked strikingly blue, reflecting the blue sky above Summerhaven, Arizona.

Summerhaven is at 8200 feet of elevation, so it gets cold. Cold enough to snow, even in Arizona, but this was a clear blue-sky morning.

The Steller’s Jay is comfortable at the snow line. This is where he finds his food.  If he finds more than he can eat, he slyly stashes some under the snow when out of sight of the other birds.  He uses great care to conceal this tactic.  Fortunately for him, he has the remarkable ability to remember his hundreds of food caches.

Despite squabbles and a mistrusting nature, they are social birds. Traveling in small groups, they keep an eye on one another while foraging.  They watch to partake in the other's bounty…unwelcomed as that may be.

Stealing is fair play for jays. 

They steal a lot of things.  Jays are notorious nest-robbers, stealing eggs and nestlings alike.  Regarded as a bit of a bully, they’ll steal items from your picnic table or campsite if the opportunity presents.

I was at my brother’s cabin on Mt. Lemmon watching these Steller’s Jays interact. 

Peanuts scattered on the deck railing attracted the first Steller’s Jay. Soon afterwards, a half-dozen more joined in. 

A peanut tossed in one jay’s direction was quickly snatched up, but a peanut tossed between jays prompted a scramble. 

Jays are smart and they understand if they’re going to be first, second or third to a peanut.  They seldom waste energy on a fruitless chase…remaining perched when outmaneuvered.

A lucky jay got away with the peanut prize this time, but a short chase informed the winner…it was not an uncontested nut.



(click on any picture to enlarge)

The Acorn Woodpecker shares the same mountain habitat with the Steller’s Jay.  Too small to compete for peanuts with the Steller’s Jays, this one only observed from above.

Not shy of humans, Steller’s Jays will visit a feeder for suet, seeds or peanuts.  They’re enjoyable to watch for their stealthy tactics and sneaky antics.

Feeding wildlife is a questionable practice. I don’t feed other wildlife, but bird feeding is widely practiced with a long history. I doubt it affects the birds negatively and may be an important food source in winter when natural food sources are hard to find.

I would suggest bird feeding promotes awareness of birds and that may be of much greater benefit.

Allan

Credits:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/feeding_birds.html

Lion (Africa Series)

(continuing a hopefully interesting, non-bird series of animals…see below for a fuller explanation)

                               Resting in the saddle of a rock outcropping, a female lion drifts in and out of sleep.

 It’s about nine o’clock on a November morning in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. She looks sleepy…she probably hunted all night.

She’s alone now, but not really by herself.  Her pride is likely somewhere close by, also resting.  She just happened to be the only one in sight when we drove up.

Zebra and wildebeest were grazing on the short grass nearby.  Lions, when hunting together, are capable of bringing down a fully-grown zebra or wildebeest. However, with no grass for cover and in broad daylight, the lions' chances of getting close enough are slim.  Only sick or injured animals need worry today.

Lions spend a good portion of their time just sleeping. Just like house cats, twenty hours a day has been noted.  

These two young bachelor males were satisfied with the spot they chose to rest.  Anyplace is a good place to nap when you are at the top of the food chain. 

They slept peacefully.

Even a shy lion is easy to spot. They are big, strong, golden and not easily camouflaged.  

It makes little difference where they chose to rest though…few would bother them anywhere.

                                           Ears forward and eyes wide-open, lions study their prey carefully.

Two lionesses watch for signs of weakness in a line of passing zebras, looking to maximize their chances in a chase. They decide to let them all pass.

The zebras migrate through calmly, giving no indication they knew the lionesses were watching.

This zebra was fortunate and got away when attacked. Injured and bleeding on her belly and back, she’s likely to attract extra attention from now on.

This young male lion was lost and alone…seriously lost, separated from his pride.  He was upset with his predicament too. 

Walking and resting and walking again, he calls out a low mournful announcement of his whereabouts.  

He was likely separated during a night hunt and became disoriented in the dark.

The Maasai Mara is a vast place. Wandering in the early morning sunshine the young male moans into the wind, but hears no reply.   Is he walking in the right direction?

Satellite tracking works for humans when following a roaming lioness, but it’s just extra baggage to her, when she prowls in the rain. 

A big male rests in the sunshine suffering only the ever-present
flies…a constant annoyance. Photo Credit: Antonio Marangabassa

When the time comes to mate, lions mate a lot...  every ten minutes or so, all day long for a day or two.  When ready, the female initiates mating by lying down beside the male.  

He obliges.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

When a driver discovers a mating pair of lions, the location is quickly spread via two-way radios.  Tourists want to see lions mating, so the drivers share animal sightings frequently on the radios…the language is Swahili. 

Soon the trucks converge.  

The lions seem unfazed with the trucks and tourists arriving and departing.  To them the trucks are just another non-edible item in their environment…of no real value.

Conversely, lions generate a lot of value for Kenya, drawing thousands of tourists.  

Many come to see the Big Five; lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros.

To the Kenyan economy, ecotourism is huge. 

Kenya, as a country, realized the value of their animal assets a long time ago and developed its ecotourism resources over the decades…valued now at over $800M a year.

African lion populations in the wild have declined dramatically in the last fifty years...100,000 down to 32,000 now.  

That is largely because of lost habitat due to human encroachment.  

Lions reproduce well in captivity, so losing the species entirely is not likely.  It’s the loss of the wild lion and the natural diversity that a wild lion brings to the species that’s threatened.

They seem capable of taking care of themselves quite well in all matters except loss of habitat... 
all the while still getting 15-20 hours of sleep a day.

Allan

(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. 

Credits:

http://lionalert.org/page/Lion_Population_2012
wikipedia

A Collection of Birds (Africa Series)

Red-billed Hornbills

The Red-billed Hornbills shared a tree in Kenya’s Maasai Mara.  Hornbills are monogamous birds and this pair may be looking for a suitable cavity to serve as a nest site when that time comes.

The female will seal herself into a nest cavity with a mixture of mud, fruit pulp and droppings in what seems to be a protective strategy.  Protected inside, within 4-5 days she’ll lay her eggs and start a complete molt...losing all her feathers.

Cocooned inside with only a small opening for food deliveries, she’ll incubate the eggs alone.  As it gets crowded inside with growing chicks, she’ll chip her way out.  Now fully feathered, she reseals the entrance again, leaving only a small hole to allow for feeding the chicks. 

    

(Click any picture to enlarge)

An oversized bill with a unique casqued projection (a raised hollow projection on the upper mandible) makes ID’ing a hornbill easy.  Some hornbill species sport an enormous, almost grotesque, casque, but the Red-billed Hornbill’s bill is nicely understated, yet still rather impressive. (female left, male above)

Bee-eaters

I was hoping to see more of Africa’s brightly colored bee- eaters, but it never happened.  This single Little Bee-eater was my only encounter.  Bee-eaters are common in Africa with the Little Bee-eater being the most widespread and most common of all. 

Perching on prominent branches with good sightlines in all directions, the bee-eater darts directly at a bee or wasp.  The bee could easily be 200 feet away (two-thirds of a football field), so good eyesight is essential.  Good vision is a common trait in bee-eaters. 

While not immune to the stings of bees and wasps, young bee-eaters learn quickly how to dispatch an angry bee by whacking it on a branch several times to make it give up its venom.  Discarding the stinger…a quick flip and a catch in the air…the meal is served.

Oddly, bee-eaters don’t recognize bees or wasps once they’ve land on the ground.  They only take them out of the air.

Bustard

  

The Black-bellied Bustard is a bird of the tall grasses in 

Sub-Saharan Africa. Patrolling with his head held high, he swivels  it constantly as he walks, both to detect prey items like grasshoppers and lizards and to guard his own personal safety. 

Threats can come from any direction and one must be flexible to remain secure.  

An impressive bird in neutral shades, this Kori Bustard was either showing off or projecting a threat in our direction. 

We meant him no harm, for we only wanted to take his picture.  He reacted with some bluster at first, but settled down shortly.  

Goliath Heron

Aptly named, the Goliath Heron is the world’s largest heron. Rather shy and preferring to be alone or only with his mate, the Goliath Heron values privacy dearly.  

He’s reluctant to fly over large tracts of dry land, instead preferring to follow rivers and waterways with adequate cover.  

This one hid in a tree on the far side of the Mara River.  He suffered our presence only briefly.  

A brief glimpse was all he’d allow before receding on lumbering wingbeats. 

Mousebirds

The Mousebird get its name from its resemblance to a mouse scampering in a tree. Mousebirds move along tree branches with mouse-like ease. 

There may be a dozen or more Mousebirds hanging together in this tree.  They were too huddled to count.  

They are social birds and hang together…upside down, spread-eagle or vertical, whichever pleases them. This allows for foraging on delicate fruits and berry bushes…their favorite food.

The White-backed Mousebird’s

hair-like feathers encourage a comparison to the rodent even more.    

Fruit growers and home gardeners don’t particularly care for the Mousebird for the crop damage they inflict.   

They have a place in the pet trade though...for better or worse.

Black-chested Snake Eagle

Lucky for me, this Black-chested Snake Eagle was gracious.  

I was preoccupied photographing a Short-toed Snake Eagle and a Tawny Eagle nearby when our driver, Lucus, spotted him. 

I was hoping the Black-chested Snake Eagle would remain on his perch until we got there and he did. 

(If this were golf that would be 

a three-eagle day!)

 He was perched on a snag of a tall tree, but the tree was at the bottom of a ravine, so that put us eye-to-eye. He twisted backwards to see where the flashes of light were coming from, as it was now getting dark and I needed a fill-in flash.

He saw everything from his vantage point. He knew we were there and he wasn’t bothered by the truck’s slow approach…not enough to leave anyway.

Now that was gracious!

Allan    

Ostrich (Africa Series)

Not all birds can fly.  The Ostrich is one bird that never leaves the ground, but he sure can run. Towering nine feet tall over the sparse, open savanna, the Ostrich has an advantage when it comes to avoiding predators. He’s tall and he’s a sprinter.

He can reach 43 MPH at top speed, so, avoiding a fight is the Ostrich’s preferred defense.

Although quick to flee, he is not defenseless. With powerful legs, he can stop a lion with a hard forward kick when running away is not an option.  

That same swift kick could kill a man, but such encounters are rare.

African Dog

African Dogs and Spotted Hyenas hunt as packs, so they're able to overwhelm this largest of birds. 

A Cheetah can outrun an Ostrich, so it poses a major threat, too.


An Ostrich herd, lead by one male, may number a dozen birds.  He mates with the dominant hen and occasionally with subordinates.

Subordinate hens also lay eggs, but all their eggs are moved into the alpha female’s nest where she and the male take turns incubating them.

They are big, heavy birds. An adult male could weigh 250 pounds…female 220.
One Ostrich egg weighs the equivalent  of two-dozen chicken eggs.  

The myth that Ostriches hide their head in the sand when frightened probably originated from observing the Ostrich sitting on a nest, not wanting to be discovered. 

Likely witnessed in the daytime and from a distance, the smallish head of the Ostrich would appear to be buried in the sand when, in fact, it was just avoiding detection.   

The female Ostrich is sand-colored.  Sitting on the nest in the daytime she blends well into the sunlit grassland.

Conversely, the male Ostrich is black and becomes nearly invisible at night when it’s his turn to incubate the eggs.  

Although not able to fly, Ostrich wings are not useless.  In a race for his life the Ostrich uses his wings rudder-like to stabilize himself at high speed. 

During courtship, the male will alternately flap his wings to impress the female and violently flap both wings at once to symbolically clear out a nest in the soil. If she is sufficiently impressed, the pair could incubate up to 20 eggs.

 

With a high predation rate, only a few chicks will make it through the first year. The wild population has dramatically reduced in the last 200 years.With a top lifespan in captivity of 62 years, 7 months, they are maintaining a viable population. Nature preserves and farms are stabilizing their numbers for now.

Allan 

Bat-eared Foxes (Africa Series)

(continuing a hopefully interesting, non-bird series of animals…see below for a fuller explanation)

When we drove up to the Bat-eared Foxes’ den, the adults ran away.  That left the young ones alone, wondering what to do.  

One of the young kits was torn between going with his parents and hiding in the den. He hesitated as he made moves in both directions.

(Click on any picture to enlarge.)

One finally decided his chances were better with his parents and bounded away.  Now his brother faced the dilemma alone, but decided to stay.

He really didn’t have anything to fear from a truckload of camera-wielding tourists, but he didn’t know that. 

Sitting at the den’s door he watched us cautiously for this was still a run or hide problem for him.

The adults hadn’t really abandoned the kits.  They ran away to draw a threat, us, away from the den and onto themselves.

They lingered in plain sight, fifty feet away, making sure we could see them.  It was all an act they’ve probably played out dozens of times already and was likely perfected over millions of years before that.

 

Bat-eared Foxes are omnivores with a taste for termites. When enormous ears are placed inches from the earth, they are able to hear insects gnawing and chewing underground.  Digging is all that’s required to procure a meal.

Bat-eared Foxes use their remarkable ability to run and dodge to avoid predators.  They are not fighters.  Jackals, hyenas and eagles are a constant threat, especially for the young.  Able to make a 90-degree turn without losing speed, the foxes present a challenging target to pursue.

With the immediate scare of us passing, another kit emerged from the den to accept us as just a non-threatening oddity.   They resumed a relaxed posture again…relaxed and now curious.

Allan

Credits:

University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

San Diego Zoo Animals

Wikipedia

Map:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=kenya+africa&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#q=masai+mara&rls=en&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDgzEHsxCnfq6-gaFlUbqpEgeIaWpSlqwl5ZxfmldSVBmSH5JfWpRZXOJYUlKUmFySmZ_Xt3zxdFv3DxeiWLkM_0ZJzclgChcCACdr5LNQAAAA

(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.