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Amazing survival story of Woodpecker vs. Sparrowhawk June 9, 2010

Posted by Andrew in : News,Wild Birds , add a comment...please?

This amazing photo showed up in my inbox today!   Below is the full story from MailOnline.

Close call: A woodpecker clings on to a wooden pole as it hides from a preying sparrowhawk.

Desperate to avoid the hawk-eyed gaze of his enemy, the woodpecker clings to a fence post, absolutely motionless.

The smaller bird has already had one rather too close encounter with the claws of the sparrowhawk, and now just one involuntary flutter of a wing would be enough to give the game away and turn him into dinner.

Astonishingly, however, while the predator perched on the post swivelling its head from side to side, it never looked down.

nd after more than a minute of failing to spot its prey, it lost interest and flew off.

The drama was caught on film by wildlife photographer Robert Fuller in his garden at Thixendale, near York.

He had seen the sparrowhawk with the woodpecker in its claws and waved his arm to frighten off the bird of prey. That allowed the woodpecker to fly to the sanctuary of the fence post, but ten minutes later the sparrowhawk returned.

Mr Fuller, 37, said: ‘It landed on top of the very post where the woodpecker was.

‘I know that sparrowhawks hunt by movement so as long as the woodpecker remained absolutely still he would be safe.

‘In the end the sparrowhawk moved off and the woodpecker lived to see another day.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1283205/Now-DID-woodpecker-Sparrowhawk-fails-spot-prey-nervous-bird-hides-below.html#ixzz0qNiQSnF6

Proud Parents Feed Their Chick at SeaWorld Orlando May 27, 2010

Posted by Andrew in : News,Wild Birds , 1 comment so far

ORLANDO, FL (May 26, 2010)

A tawny frogmouth chick, hatched April 11, gets fed by its mother, while the father looks on. In less than a year, six chicks have been hatched at SeaWorld and all are now thriving.

Until recently, the population of tawny frogmouths in North American zoos was facing extinction — and breeding programs were largely unsuccessful. SeaWorld worked with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums  (AZA) to develop a program to sustain the species’ growth.

SeaWorld aviculturists have bred an unprecedented  24  chicks over the past 10 years. Typically as a part of this program, chicks are hand-reared by aviculturists to ensure they receive the best care during their first few fragile weeks. Through years of research, SeaWorld has made it possible for this chick to be raised by its parents.

Tawny frogmouths are native to the forested savannas and open woodlands of Australia. When fully grown, the insect-eating birds will be between 9 and 21 inches tall.  To discover more, visit SeaWorld.org.

European Bee-eater [pic] February 21, 2010

Posted by Andrew in : Wild Birds , 3 comments

This photo is beautiful.  I had to share.

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster

European Bee-eater - Merops Apiaster

[From photo.net]

The Most Amazing Birds November 29, 2009

Posted by Andrew in : Wild Birds , 1 comment so far

This being the end of the year, I would like to ask you to consider giving something to Bird A Day to help keep the site going because hosting does add up and cost alot.  So please consider.  Even a penny would help.

To donate, click the button below, type an amount and click “Update Total”.


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This is a neat article with photos about various birds and what they are known for. For example, the Southen-Masked Weaver is the Most Skilled Builder, and the Red-Billed Quelea is the single type of bird that is the most abundant, with an estimated population of over 1.5 billion!

Red-Billed Quelea

Red-Billed Quelea

Definitely worth checking out.

Article at Scienceray

Video – Birds Injured in Storm August 2, 2009

Posted by Andrew in : Video,Wild Birds , add a comment...please?

Video from weather.com, talking about birds that have been injured in recent storms…

Link below:

Weather.com Video

Various Birds Eating Orange February 24, 2008

Posted by Andrew in : Video,Wild Birds , 4 comments

An innovative bird feeder.  Just a half an orange on a stick.  ^_^    Many beautiful birds to enjoy.