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Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-21--643141645 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all, The aerial contests Tree Swallows have over feathers are indeed really neat to watch. An undergrad at Cornell did a really nice study of the behaviour, available here. Previous work had shown that nests with more feathers do better, probably mainly because they keep the eggs and nestlings warmer. Feathers are hard to come by (albeit not for the swallows in the valley near all those poultry farms), so competition for them can be intense. This undergrad's study showed that swallows with more feathers in their nests did more of the drop-and-catch maneuver than others, which he suggests is a way of showing off to other birds, and so a way to get and keep a good mate (who's good at getting feathers and/or just good at flying around in general). Or they might just be goofing around. Cheers, Andy Horn Halifax On 9-Jun-10, at 5:55 PM, Anne Woolaver wrote: > Hi Marg, > > I saw a similar swallow+feather behaviour years ago, but no one > could ever tell me what it signified. In that case, it was a single > bird and a single white feather; the swallow would catch the feather > in flight, make a loop back around to roughly where it started, > release the feather, loop back around and catch it again as it > drifted. Eventually the feather came to earth and the "game"(?) > ended. If memory serves, it was early in the season, so likely not > a juvenile practising, and I thought if it was some sort of > selection process for nesting material it went on rather a long time. > > Cheers, > > A. Woolaver > > > From: mmillard@eastlink.ca > > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > Subject: [NatureNS] White Point birds > > Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 15:03:08 -0300 > > > > It was a spectacular morning but the cloud is moving in more > heavily, the > > sunny rays less easily enjoyed. > > I had to run to town for a few thing and was scouting out a place > across the > > inlet from the mill, at the Marina Park in Brooklyn to try some > painting. > > There are geese and ducks in there that I was hoping might be > still paddling > > about with their young. It was pretty quiet with only a couple > Cormorants as > > well as a couple male Mallards, mostly with their bottoms up! out > and about. > > The tide was out and the mud flats were being checked over by a > few gulls. I > > was watching the mill equipment turn upside down a truck to get > the chips > > when I noticed a few swallows. I was just pondering what type they > were when > > more appeared and the neatest thing happened. (well I think it was > neat) A > > swallow swooped in front of my vehicle and down onto the mud flat > and up it > > came with a white feather which it seemed to loose control off > almost > > immediately, and as the feather wafted away (very little breeze) > others > > swooped in to try to capture it. It was almost as if they were > playing with > > it, when another feather and a third appeared and the trying to > catch/steal > > the feathers began in earnest. At one point there were 9 birds I > could see > > winging in and swooping away. Suddenly it was all over and several > birds > > left trying to manage flying their awkward prizes away. > > Here on the property, we still have swallows either sitting on > eggs or very > > fresh hatches. The Grackles (oh my the grackle numbers are > increasing daily > > now) have tried as have the starlings to get the house contents > but these > > birds have been very protective so far. Lots of blackflies and > other winged > > thingies out and about so hopefully they will have plenty to eat > this year. > > With so many nests producing young all the squawking and cheeping > is almost > > deafening at times. Lovely to enjoy morning tea by. > > Have a number of hummingbirds and lots of feather screams are > happening. > > Steve thinks I should wear his wood cutting head gear out there. I > have > > already been hit a couple times by birds intent on running someone > else off. > > Today I had what I think was a sparrow. Quite different. Very > pretty, mainly > > shades of pewtery gray, sort of a lacey pattern on wings, heavier, > dark > > beak, (not like a finch) clean buff underbody, just away from > cream toward > > white but with a very, very soft yellow, lightly streaked down > each side > > over laid with light short gray/brown streaks. I get a flash of > yellow > > somewhere and oh the head was a different shape, rather blunt but > not to the > > point of some flat heads. It has an interesting call if it is the > same bird > > I have been starling when we come in and go out. I went out this > am to see > > could I see it and It does seem to be getting used to me being > there so > > maybe I can get a photo. I would like to know what this one is. It > has been > > here on and off since mid May I would say, or one like it. > > Northern Flicker is digging away at the crack in the back platform > and is > > making headway. It seems to be pulling out small stones now so I > may have to > > fill it back in. The ants are everywhere so it should find plenty > elsewhere. > > Oh Sunday evening we had a window strike by a Northern Parula. > What a > > beautiful bird!!Poor little bird hit the window twice and headed > down into > > wet grass. I knew it would be predated very quickly so went and > picked it > > up, its eyes were responsive and then put it in on a bough of the > fir tree > > out front. It was able to sit although seemed somewhat stunned. It > > eventually moved itself in a bit further and when the heavens > opened and the > > thunder rolled through, it was in further yet. By then it was > pretty dark so > > I can only hope it survived. > > As I said earlier it is pretty quiet here right now, well in a > matter of > > speaking.....traffic wise; it is comparative I guess. > > Marg Millard, White Point, Queens > > http://MargMillard.ca > > > > > > Enter for a chance to get your town photo on Bing.ca! Submit a Photo > Now! --Apple-Mail-21--643141645 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi all,<div>&