Wildlife February 2010

[Armin]

an amazing behaviour 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuVgXJ55G6Y&feature=youtube_gdata

[mark smyth]

unbelievable. Thanks for the link

[Arykana]

catched a bird, but I was slow:-(

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/Winter%20Garden/rhtra.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/Winter%20Garden/rnz.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/Winter%20Garden/VERB.jpg

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/Winter%20Garden/szapk.jpg
[IMG]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/Winter%20Garden/tengelick.jpg[/IMG

[Michael J Campbell]

Did anyone see this bird on the telly, he is very good and gets better near the end. You need to watch it all.

[mark smyth]

yes Michael. Good but not as good as dolphins blowing bubble rings and playing with them. I cant imagine a smoker blowing smoke rings and playing with them

[mark smyth]

Arykana what hawk is it? It's colour is much darker than our female sparrowhawks

[mark smyth]

Looking here I see females are very variable http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=search&sp=30129&rty=0&r=1&v=0

[Lesley Cox]

I loved the dolphins but the lyrebird too. I've heard him in the Blue Mountains but not seen him unfortunately. What an amazing mimic he is. But then, Attenborough himself mimics superbly, John Watson mimicing David Attenborough.

[Armin]

Michael,
amazing to listen to the voice variety of lyrebirds and their imitation skills, even a chain saw close to the end.

Arykana,
I know this visitor from my feeding station... great pictures.

[Maggi Young]

The dolphins are just extraordinary.... clever and beautiful!

I remember seeing the Lyre Bird clip on the TV.... fun to be able to catch it again....his mimicry is just perfect isn't it?
Makes Auntie Nellie's parrot look a bit dull with his vocabulary of curse words for the vicar!


 Our daily visits from our sparrow hawks have reduced greatly with the dramatic fall in the local bird populations. We used to have so many greenfinches here but they all got that pneumonia bug and there are hardly any left and the sparrow numbers are way down too. 
I do not ascribe this falls in numbers to the predation of the sparrowhawks.... that would be counterproductive from the hawks perspective to wipe out his food source and so unnatural so I don't think that is what is happening.

[Arykana]

Arykana what hawk is it? It's colour is much darker than our female sparrowhawks

karvaly - Accipiter nisus

[Ragged Robin]

An amazing experience -  just now, high up in the forest on a walk, we met a large male Ibex with magnificent horns curving over its back, a thick brown winter coat and muscular thighs.

It stood its ground in the snow unafraid and ready to challenge the dogs - we put them on the leash but still it came forward to within 3 metres, head lowered ready to butt    We retreated, backing away, and it stood still watching us and looking up the mountain where we imagine a female must have been hidden amongst the rocks.

From a safe distance we watched in silence as the sun set on the mountains behind it - the image is imprinted on my mind

[Lesley Cox]

At present in the Dunedin Royal Albatross Colony, there's a new chick being raised by two females. There was a pic in the local paper a couple of days ago. This situation is apparently unheard of previously and has caused great interest around the world, according to the paper. Especially there is much excitement among Australia's gay community.

[Olga Bondareva]

[Olga Bondareva]