behavior

Thumbnail image for No Frozen Hummingbirds, Please

No Frozen Hummingbirds, Please

January 6, 2012 Birds

In the winter of 2011, my hummingbird nectar froze into a giant lifesaver of an ice cube. I’m a Californian which means I’m used to nectar that ferments into birdie moonshine after a few days in the sun. But last year we migrated north to Seattle … at the same time Anna’s Hummingbirds decide not [...]

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You Thinking What I’m Thinking?

December 2, 2011 Animal Behavior

I saw a huge group of crows scrounging for grubs and snacks in a vacant field near the Seattle waterfront. Since it was raining when I left home, I packed nothing but my rain gear and a point-and-shoot … just in case. I guess I’m hard-headed because I should have learned by now that Seattle [...]

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The Turns of Terns

June 6, 2011 Animal Behavior

I’ve described terns, with their distinct calls, as aerial barflies with too much whiskey and smoke on the voice box. Each tern is raspy in its own way, and Caspian Terns have a sharp croak that pierces the air over my balcony. They’re huddled on a warehouse rooftop one minute, hundreds of them, blurred by [...]

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Thumbnail image for Anatomy of a Cormorant Landing

Anatomy of a Cormorant Landing

March 25, 2011 Animal Behavior

Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus. Photographed with my Olympus E-3 and Zuiko 70-300mm. The birds were silhouetted in late afternoon light, high ISO 1000, some post-processing NR to compensate for the darker conditions.. I shot this series along the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle. If you’ve watched Double-crested Cormorants [literally] coming home to roost, [...]

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Thumbnail image for Dating, Bufflehead Style

Dating, Bufflehead Style

March 7, 2011 Animal Behavior

I wish I’d been closer than the far reach of my lens, struggling for focus in the thick of weather. I snapped these from the shore, capturing the distant dynamics of a Bufflehead courtship ritual. Two males were vying for the one female pictured here.

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I Preen, Therefore I Am

March 5, 2011 Animal Behavior

If you know birds, you know that preening isn’t cosmetic fluff. It’s a meticulous cleaning and placement of the bird’s survival gear: feathers. Feathers need to be pristine for flight and for insulation. During oil spills, the analogy used about feathers is that a spot of oil on a bird’s plumage is like a hole [...]

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Goose + Water

December 1, 2010 Animal Behavior

Feathers are such critical components of a bird’s flight, insulation and general survival, it’s no surprise they have meticulous spa routines. The bathing helps remove dirt and parasites, the preening helps reset the feather barbs. Most birds also coat the feathers with protective oil from the uropygial gland. We came upon a small family of [...]

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Thumbnail image for Fast Food [Gull] Nation

Fast Food [Gull] Nation

June 1, 2010 Animal Behavior

Part of what makes gulls both amusing and exasperating to humans is their cleverness and opportunism when it comes to food. Across the gull universe, the diet is omnivorous. They’ll eat crustaceans, fish, insects and other marine organisms. They will also prey on the nests of other bird species for food. A number of researchers [...]

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Bird Bath Bliss

February 18, 2010 Animal Behavior

I’ll never forget the experience of Mikiko and his bath. He was a hospital rescue, a Japanese Quail with no verifiable background. Most likely, he was being raised for food, for eggs, for hunting or for dog training, and the lucky little guy escaped into the arms of a good samaritan. Dust Baths I had [...]

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Kids Playing in a Puddle

November 22, 2009 Animal Behavior

I just came upon some great footage on You Tube, from David Neils. It shows three elk playing in a forest puddle. Embedding is disabled on that particular clip — but you can link to it here: Three Elk Calves in a Puddle. This companion video below, also from Neils, shows what most people would [...]

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Tussle on Mountain Lake

November 21, 2009 Animal Behavior

This was a first for me . . . witnessing a down and dirty fight between American Coots intent on keeping each other off coveted turf. Neither bird was hurt. Well, maybe emotionally. The loser scrambled across the water to escape the victor. American Coots can drown in territorial battles, although it’s not common. They [...]

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A Bird Gets the Freddie Mercury Beat

November 17, 2009 Animal Behavior

My friend Sheila posted this vid on Facebook. If you watch the first minute, you’ll get the gist of Snowball’s interpretation. There is, however, a notable bow at the end. Snowball comes by way of Bird Lovers Rescue. They have a blog and website — dedicated to avian rescue and education.

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Shorebird Nation Rises Again

October 22, 2009 Animal Behavior

Ever since I picked up a telephoto lens and aimed it at my first non-human earthling, my seasons have morphed into migration schedules. Winter = Ducks. Spring= Babies. Fall (best time of all) = Shorebirds. I used to be an urban-girl-night-person — before I knew what I was. Autumn was: early darkness, early cocktails. (Okay, [...]

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The Case of the Fledgling Gull

August 21, 2009 Animal Behavior

A short photo series, as I encountered it. A young gull waits for its parent. Parent arrives, gull follows behind and calls out for minutes on end. Juvenile gets more aggressive, tries for some food from a familiar source. The end. Gulls do wean their young but may continue feeding even older juveniles if the [...]

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Swoops the Blackbird – Exhibit A in “Mobbing” Behavior

June 8, 2009 Animal Behavior

I snapped this on the weekend before national t.v. crews showed up to fuel the celebrity of Swoops the Blackbird. (Click on the image for the larger Flickr version.) ©ingridtaylar Swoops, a Brewer’s Blackbird with a nest of young to protect, perches on the awnings overlooking his brood and buzzes pedestrians who venture too close [...]

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