bird watching (part 2)

[Tomsk]

Beautiful colours...

[kg]

Blue Jays are also rather prolific in this area, though I haven't seen one of those in a while:

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Both of these birds are very aggressive, and will fight at the drop of a hat, which is why they are used as mascots for so many sports teams over here.

[Ice.Maiden]

Wow - fantastic!

[Tomsk]

there's so much beauty around...

[Ice.Maiden]

Nature provides us with the best beauty around.

[Tomsk]

IN THE CITY IT'S easy to forget...

[Ice.Maiden]

In a way, yes, although it's not just in watching birds that you can find beauty. Sunsets (over the rooftops, even), the buzzing of weird insects as you sit in the park with an ice cream .... pesky things!!

Then - you get city-dwelling birds, such as pigeons. When we had all the last lot of snow, I was in the car watching some huddling up above the doorway of a building whilst I was waiting for someone. It fascinated me how they managed to survive the night. Not beautiful, but wonderful.

[imhotep the 2nd]

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[Ice.Maiden]

LOl!!!!! Love that lower owl's expression!!!

[imhotep the 2nd]

Glad you liked that Icey!! ;)
Here are a couple more for you.....

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and....hope this one is okay.

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[imhotep the 2nd]

I'm sure everyone knows about this bird below......... :grin:

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[Ice.Maiden]

Aww, fab. You've certainly bounced back to us in a very jolly mood imhotep!

[Pet]

Just a brief interlude here ...

I grew up in the small town of Mojave (pronounced mo-HAH-vee) in the Mojave desert in California, and it was always a thrill to see a roadrunner:

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[Ice.Maiden]

Only ever seen one on nature programmes Pet. Not being funny when I say this - but do people eat them? They remind me of a cross between a chicken and a pheasant - and their claws are unusual.

[Pet]

I've never heard of anyone eating them. They'd be too hard to catch. They run very fast (hence the name "roadrunner") ... up to 20 miles per hour. And even if a person were to catch one, there's hardly any meat on them, even tho' they're the size of a crow.

Do you know that they catch snakes and eat them? Also lizards, bugs, rodents, even other birds. But they like snake the best. Yum!

[Ice.Maiden]

A snake on the ground is worth more in the tum, eh? : )

I know they can run fast, but they just look edible to me. At the end of the day, look at quail ....

http://www.mountain7.co.uk/uploads/photo_quail.jpg

Once they're plucked and ready, they aren't very big at all - but a popular dish over here.

[Pet]

California's state bird is the California Quail.

California Quail - Also known as valley quail, California quail are the most popular of the five species of western quail. They range in the north and southwestern part of the United States and have been successfully introduced into western Canada. California quail tend to roost in trees and can form large coveys with hundreds of birds. Foothills, valleys with grassland, moist chaparral and scattered trees are the preferred habitat of this species of quail.

I don't know why the writer says " ... have been successfully introduced into western Canada ..." Why were they put there at all? For sportsmen to shoot? Well, whatever the reason ... I was under the impression that we humans should stop moving species all over creation and leave them alone in their native habitat.

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[Ice.Maiden]

I only agree to moving them if it's for their own protection, but in the main I agree with you.

[Tomsk]

thank you pet...lovely picture..

[Ice.Maiden]

So's this, but he looks a bit grumpy doesn't he?

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