#birds behaviour

[trevelukb]

Dancing and Singing Birds

[parus-caeruleus]

Crag martins live here:

Caves they use (these manmade are among them) are usually cold. Nevertheless, birds insulate their nests with down and feathers to keep warm. 

Rocks are above and around crag martins. Rocks are old and wrinkled.

In another caves we saw ceilings nests. We don’t know weather they belong to crag martins or other Hirundinidae but we were excited to discover that birds that had built them used cracks in caves’ ceilings. Yes, ceilings. Those cracks couldn’t have accommodated eggs without the latter constantly falling down if birds hadn’t been choosing cracks with such shapes that actually form something similar to caves inside caves’ walls. Cracks’ openings are only small doors to bigger holes inside ceilings. Those “houses” protect eggs and young birds. Youngsters should only stick to each other and cozy together. 

Birds returning to their chicks (we heard them squeaking from the inside):

In flight crag martins are astonishing:

It is easy to distinguish them from other Hirundinidae because of those visible whitish spots on their tails once spread:

This bird has an unusual spot on its throat:

Crag martins are clearly visible against the sky, but once placed onto rocks background, these quite modestly coloured birds melt into it:

There are many and many species of birds living around. I’m happy to discover new. They make me feel bewildered and touched at the same time. Crag martins seem to be mysterious creatures. They build their nests inside billion-year old rocks, have big, appearing as half-closed eyes, and fly quickly. But it’s a real pleasure to stay near of rufous caves and see them flitting around. Because they are alive, because they fly so graciously and effortlessly, because they are able to raise their chicks in such tough conditions, because they are beautiful - I admire them.

[parus-caeruleus]

I read an article somewhere some time ago where the author suddenly understood that most of her adult life she spent planning, implementing plans, completing scenarios and being not busy, but rather not concentrating on something important which her toddler daughter for example was concentrated on, even when the author was resting. She (the author it is) found herself seeing her daughter off to kindergarten having the aim to finally reach it, while they had to make a lot of stops at their way during which the baby girl was sniffing flowers, looking at birds, touching leaves and not thinking about aims but rather fully being now. Yes, the mother is excusable - she has a lot of to do before and after that kindergarten route - many points of plan to tick out. But all of a sudden she realized that she’d stopped noticing a lot of things around and was sort of in a rut even though it was a usual example of average adult life - not that psychology case at all. She felt she was loosing something, still the same kind of life was performed by too many around of her without complains - not a psychology case at all, as I said.

Some time ago I also realized that I stopped touching things, for example - a habit from my childhood that allowed me to understand and remember them better. I spent hours playing and tinkering with old broken tiles, poles, rubber tubes, rusty pots and everything that could catch my eye and always caught my hands as a consequence. Maybe, this is one of the reasons I remember things from my childhood so vividly and much better than today’s ones - that yellow doll and that metal car. I knew what they were made of and which details they had.

Nowadays I only take a quick look at things (often bored) because, obviously, there are always much more awaiting to look at while it’s not easy to concentrate at every each thing and also because time is scarce and I probably think subconsciously that I’ve seen enough of paper cups before. It’s partially true, but I believe that in that struggle to keep time we only lose it more and more. Instead of keeping energy, we drop it here and there trying not to notice too many things around. It often turns out that in that “other things” basket appear things which actually are opposite to being tired and lacking time, which restore us and are the best helpers in energy keeping - long views over nature landscapes and sniffing flowers as to start with.

Also although It was simmering to turn into something for some time, it hasn’t been until just recently when I fully realized that after I die, it will be no spring for me at all. There will be the new spring starting but no me to see all its wonderful invigorating green shadows, breath with its fresh air, feel its sudden winds and become soaking wet under its rains. No winter for me, no rain, no autumn, no summer, forever.

A few days ago a character in a film I was watching, said: “You’re alive. Live!”

Here are some photos of pigeons bathing. I know that it seems like nothing interesting - birds do bathing regularly. But as all of us, they are and they movements are unique and will never repeat here and in the same way again - it’s not mentioning the pure fun one can have giving just ten minutes to them, the very same ten minutes we use for passing streets trying to not look into shops windows, thinking about summer plans, work puzzles, and that rude woman from the subway.

They started quietly. But while on pigeons’ subject one can’t be sure about just how long that silence is going to be silent. Because, as you can see, helping forces are coming from the right.

At last! It arrives!

I hope you can see the movement of that arrogant legs of newer one!

And they started!

I suppose, you’re familiar with how birds bath - crouching to have some water on their backs, puffing their plumage until every feather sticks out, flapping wings and looking absolutely out of place, funny and yet too haughty to admit they’re having fun with those highly-concentrated expressions on their faces!

The guy on the left seems to be unable to stand it anymore. But it’s just a trick to get some water all over it!

Fresh water runs all the time so pigeons are completely in heaven, wet and happy.

“Do it like me!” I’m pretty sure I could have joined them barefoot if it hadn’t been a bit cold.

My granny used to say” “Sit and relax. You work will always be with you”, which is true. Whatever we do, we continue doing that. To keep going, we need those minutes of taking long looks at what’s around of us, or we’ll be dead with no memories to bring with us about many springs we had had.

[parus-caeruleus]

Paul Dinning shares such wonderful videos, they can be watched as therapy films:

[parus-caeruleus]

My beloved dancing black redstart ultimate collection. When black redstarts jump in a windy weather, they actually synchronize with the wind and “ride a wave”. Black redstarts’ movements, which can be easily found uncoordinated, are actually perfectly balanced and just enough for them to not being blown from where they sit. Birds not only jump, but lean to surfaces, squat, bend their legs, showing their “burning” tails every time and so on. So when observed black redstarts, outstandingly beautiful birds by themselves, also often look dancing.

[parus-caeruleus]

An early morning with kingfisher.

Kingfishers often use boats as watching locations for their fish catching routine.

From those different spots they dive and grab fish under the water.

They are extremely cautious and vigilant and never tolerate photographers / observers. They notice them quickly and though it’s still possible to make a few shots of these birds, they usually fly away after that. That’s why I like watching them without approaching closely when possible.

When a disturbance is noticed, they often try to change their position in order to make the distance between the danger and them bigger before leaving the place.

I really like kingfishers and try not to photograph them as they obviously don’t like it and unlike other birds, who live closer to people (great tits for example), aren’t used to human attention.

[parus-caeruleus]

Female great spotted woodpecker while looking for food:

Colour, colour!

Its shape, its voice, its flight are incredible, it actually dives through the air:

[parus-caeruleus]

Pied wagtail and pedestrian crossing's unexpected meeting:

Pied wagtail decides to take few more steps (colours of that flat thing are so familiar). One:

Two:

Three:

Believe it or not, it looks so familiar!

Hmm... It really reminds of something, but further examination is needed:

It's essential to stop and inspect an object from the short distance:

Done it!

Closer examination on the spot:

Examination which is undoubtedly meticulous:

Well, the investigation is finished and the examiner arrogantly leaves the place of it.