GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,523 
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Post by GaliWalker on May 23, 2023 4:32:46 GMT -8
From yesterday:  |
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,376 
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Post by rebeccad on May 23, 2023 6:28:13 GMT -8
Gorgeous shot, Gali!
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GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,523
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Post by GaliWalker on May 23, 2023 6:54:34 GMT -8
Thanks! It's been a bit of a struggle for me getting a nice crisp photo of a heron in western Pennsylvania. The ones I've seen elsewhere, e.g. New Jersey, are more used to people and let you get closer, but the ones here are extremely skittish. For this photo I had to approach carefully, using some trees and brush for cover. After I got a couple of 'in-the-bag' photos I tried to move a little closer, but it caught sight of me and took off squawking in annoyance (which made me feel bad that I'd caused it to leave its primo fishing spot).
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Post by Coolkat on May 23, 2023 7:10:54 GMT -8
For this photo I had to approach carefully, using some trees and brush for cover. Ever consider using a ghillie suit?  |
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GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,523
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Post by GaliWalker on May 23, 2023 7:19:54 GMT -8
Not yet. The first thing I need to do is get a cover/sleeve for my white Canon 400mm lens. I think all that white scares the birds.
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Birds!
May 23, 2023 14:31:49 GMT -8
Post by downriver on May 23, 2023 14:31:49 GMT -8
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walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 6,762
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Post by walkswithblackflies on May 30, 2023 8:24:09 GMT -8
LONG story short, yesterday evening I felled a large spruce tree in a friend's yard. Two minutes later, several vultures circled overhead. We thought that was interesting. Makes a lot of sense though... could be dead birds, squirrels, etc.
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Birds!
May 30, 2023 20:45:53 GMT -8
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Post by High Sierra Fan on May 30, 2023 20:45:53 GMT -8
So reacting to visual cues? That’s interesting.
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Birds!
May 31, 2023 3:47:40 GMT -8
Post by Coolkat on May 31, 2023 3:47:40 GMT -8
Visual, and probably audio.
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walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 6,762
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Post by walkswithblackflies on May 31, 2023 4:53:12 GMT -8
Visual, and probably audio. That's what I was thinking. Lots of other trees around would make visual a bit difficult (though I'm sure vulture eyes are better than ours*). It sure make a helluva noise though. I wonder if they were even responding to the sound of the chainsaw? *My Google-fu skills revealed: Vulture eyesight ranges from 2-10x better than humans Vultures use hearing, not just vision, when looking for foodpartner.sciencenorway.no/birds-nature-nina/vultures-use-hearing-not-just-vision-when-looking-for-food/1687273I also came across this interesting tidbit: Mantis shrimps probably have the most sophisticated vision in the animal kingdom. Their compound eyes move independently and they have 12 to 16 visual pigments (compared to our three) including six types of polarization: horizontal, vertical, two diagonals, and two types of circular polarization, in which a light wave spirals clockwise or counterclockwise. They are the only animals known to be able to see circular polarized light. |
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Birds!
May 31, 2023 6:23:28 GMT -8
via mobile
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Post by High Sierra Fan on May 31, 2023 6:23:28 GMT -8
That certainly makes sense. I’ve commented before how I find that close to 100% of my telephoto (500mm+) soaring bird photos that when I enlarge in on the still small image the bird is staring directly into the lens. Raptors such as Ospreys but for a carrion seeker good eyesight would make even more sense as their “prey” is likely not moving. Somehow I had gotten smell stuck as their primary tool Ah, not entirely without cause. www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/turkey-vultures-have-keen-sense-smell-and-now-we-know-why-180967599/“Turkey vultures have evolved to have the most finely-attuned sense of smell among nearly all birds, which has also allowed them to be the most ubiquitous of all the 23 vulture species in the world—that’s according to an important new study co-authored by Smithsonian Institution researcher and vulture expert Gary Graves. The study is the first to definitively prove—through difficult-to-conduct comparative anatomical studies and histology—what has long been surmised by bird watchers: that the high-flying turkey vulture has no match when it comes to navigating to a meal via smell alone. ” Range characteristics formed? Open plain vultures, tundra etc. have good sight lines, birds in places with extensive ground cover get selected for alternatives. |
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GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,523
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Post by GaliWalker on Jun 2, 2023 19:18:27 GMT -8
From this afternoon:  Great Blue Heron Downy Woodpecker |
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GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,523
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Post by GaliWalker on Jun 3, 2023 12:53:56 GMT -8
And now from this morning:  |
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walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 6,762
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Jun 5, 2023 12:41:25 GMT -8
Visual, and probably audio. That's what I was thinking. Lots of other trees around would make visual a bit difficult (though I'm sure vulture eyes are better than ours*). It sure make a helluva noise though. I wonder if they were even responding to the sound of the chainsaw? UPDATE: Over the weekend, my friend removed the branches from the felled tree. He said that within 2 minutes of starting his chainsaw, vultures were circling overhead. |
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walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 6,762
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Birds!
Jun 15, 2023 5:22:55 GMT -8
Post by walkswithblackflies on Jun 15, 2023 5:22:55 GMT -8
I've become a big fan of catbirds. They started coming around when I put jelly out for the orioles. Now there are a couple nests in our yard, so they're consistently around. Very curious. Not shy. Full of personality. And they'll carry on a conversation with you. It's as if they enjoy my company. You can tell they're thinking as they're watching you (kinda like jays, etc.). They have a funny "mew" and a "Jerry", but also a long rambling song that reminds me of a wood thrush ( www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gray_Catbird/photo-gallery/465797 ). Oh, and they do a great job of keeping bugs off my lettuce! ETA: Apparently, they mimic, so maybe that's the familiarity. I'm going to start whistling a specific tune whenever I see them, to see if they'll mimic.Not my photo:  |
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Image Credit / Coolkat
