Skate-Wear Central

Bird Prey

Water Birds – Parts 3

The Emperor Goose Anser canegieus has rarely been seen in the wild by ornithologists because its breeding grounds are confined to a small area in the far west of Alaska and the far east of Siberia. The photograph shows a nest site on the flat open wastes of the Alaskan tundra, and it also nests on coastal marshes and islands. Although birdwatchers have rarely seen the Emperor Goose, it is well known to the local Eskimos. During August the geese moult their flight feathers and the Eskimos take the opportunity to round up large numbers of the grounded birds for food.

One of the remarkable features of most species of ducklings and goslings is that when they hatch they become ‘imprinted’ with their mother and follow her in a little troop. The family of young Pochard Aytha ferina will follow their mother, but had they been reared by another species they would follow that bird instead. The Anhinga Anhinga anhinga is also often known as the snake-bird or darter. Both these names are derived from its long, snake-like neck which it thrusts forward in order to spear its prey. This fishing technique is unusual among birds; most fish-eating waterfowl grasp the fish in the bill, but the Anhinga impales the fish, comes to the surface and then stuns or kills its prey by hitting it against a rock or branch before swallowing it whole, head first.

Anhingas are found in tropical and sub-tropical regions throughout the world, and fossils have been discovered which suggest that its ancestry can be traced back some 80 million years to the Eocene period.

In general appearance, the Anhinga resembles a long-necked Cormorant, and in fact it shares several characteristics with the Cormorant. It is relatively heavy, lacking the air sacs which give many birds their buoyancy; this enables it to dive and stay submerged under water, but makes taking off from the water rather difficult. Also, unlike many other sorts of waterbirds, Anhingas (and Cormorants) lack an oil gland with which to keep their plumage greased and watertight. After a few swims the plumage is liable to become waterlogged and the Anhinga must climb out of the water. The photograph shows it in a characteristic pose with its wings outstretched in the sun to dry.

The jacanas are a small family of birds related to the waders, and are found in approximately the same regions as the Anhinga; they are also often found in the same habitat. They are popularly known as ‘lily-trotters’ or ‘lotus birds’ because of their ability to walk on floating plants. They do this by spreading their weight across several lily pads on their enormously elongated toes. Jacanas vary in size from the Lesser Jacana Micnoparra capensis of southern and eastern Africa, which is less than 6 ½ inches (170 mm) long, to the Pheasant-tailed Jacana of India and the Far East, which is over 20 inches (500 mm) long, including its tail.

Jacanas are so well adapted to a life on floating vegetation that even the nest is built among the lilies. The eggs have a waxy coating on the surface to protect them if the nest is ever flooded. An unusual feature of the breeding of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana is that the female is polyandrous and has several mates; she lays anything up to ten clutches of eggs a year and the various males are left to incubate the eggs and bring up the young while the female goes off in search of another mate. Grebes are superbly adapted for a life in and under water. The feet are set well to the back of the sleek, streamlined body, which is insulated from the water by a dense downy plumage covered with watertight feathers. Instead of webbed feet, grebes have lobes of skin extending round each toe which increase the surface area of the feet and help propel the bird through the water.

The courtship displays of grebes are elaborate and beautiful to watch. Great-crested Grebes Podiceps cristatus approach each other, fanning their beautiful head feathers and, after bobbing and bowing in a variety of ‘dances’, often present each other with bits of pondweed, a symbol of nest-building.

As you can see in the photographs, grebes build floating nests which they anchor among the reeds. The young are quite unlike the parents in appearance; they are little striped chicks which the mother carries on her back for the first few days after hatching. You can see the chicks in the photograph of a Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena.

The Eastern Swamphen Porphyrio melanotus is found in most of Australia, except the west. Related to the familiar coots and moorhens (gallinules) it occurs in similar habitats around the margins of lakes and rivers, usually fairly close to cover. Swamphens sometimes gather in large numbers, although they are more usually seen in pairs or small flocks. The relatively long toes enable them to pick their way across floating vegetation and, as they search for the insects, mollusks and plants on which they feed, they bob their tails continuously. The nest is a rather untidy heap of reeds and other vegetation built on a tussock or small island, usually at the edge of the water.

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Fatboy Slim – Sunset (Bird Of Prey) – Short Edit Version

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