Natural Birds

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The Helmeted Guineafowl is a large (53-58 cm) bird with a round body and small head. They weigh about 1.3 kg.The nest is a well-hidden, generally unlined scrape and a clutch is normally 6-12 eggs which the female incubates for 26-28 days. Nests containing larger numbers of eggs are generally believed to be the result of more than one hen using the nest; eggs are large and an incubating bird could not realistically cover significantly more than a normal clutch. Domestic birds at least, are notable for producing extremely thick-shelled eggs that are reduced to fragments as the chicks hatch, rather than leaving two large sections and small chips from where any chick has removed the end of the egg. The chicks are cryptically coloured and rapid wing growth enables them to flutter onto low branches barely a week after hatching. These guineafowl live as long as 12 years in the wild.

Photo graphas of anamil and birds

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The main avian activity witnessed though was nest building. First up is a pair of Secretary birds standing on top of their partially completed nest which in turn rests atop an acacia tree.

The birds would leave the nest at regular intervals to collect twigs and branches from the ground.

For me though, the world’s most extraordinary nest builder has to be the Weaver bird. In East Africa there are forty different types of Weavers but in the Mara, the most commonly encountered is the male Black-Headed Weaver with its distinctive yellow body, black head and red eyes.

You don’t need to be much of a “twitcher” to marvel at the nest building skills of the Weaver. We watched one start from scratch and within a few hours he had almost finished the intricate structure.  The birds tend to favour the hanging branches of Palm or Acacia trees as their anchor point, and these branches often overhang water, mainly because the banks of the water source usually contain the reeds that constitute the nesting material.
The birds fully live up to their name and their nest building technique involves the intricate weaving of these reeds. In the following image, the bird’s nest is at an early stage of completion. You can clearly see the elaborate weaving and knot tying that has been employed to secure the initial reeds onto the downward hanging palm.

Once a reed has been secured to the nest, the Weaver will dart off to procure another reed before quickly returning.


Photographing Weavers is challenging to say the least. Even at the nest, they are never still. Their heads are in constant motion and they twist and turn their bodies incessantly. It is physically impossible to follow them in flight with a long lens such is the acute speed at which they fly. The only feasible technique is to pre-focus on an object (eg the nest), switch the focusing mode to manual, lock-up the camera’s position, fight for as much shutter speed as possible by setting a high ISO (we’re talking at least 1/1,600^th of second), utilize a cable release and concentrate intently on the nest, hoping the bird flies roughly parallel to the plane of the camera. At any indication of movement, press the release. You will end up with lots of pictures showing just the nest and possibly bits of cut-off Weaver. But occasionally, you will get it right as the previous two images show.
When the nest is almost complete, the Weaver will often hang from the bottom of the nest seemingly to test its strength.


Another favorite avian species of mine is the Oxpecker. Oxpeckers share a symbiotic relationship with various grazing mammals especially Buffalo and Giraffes. The Oxpeckers are tolerated by their hosts due to their ability to remove ticks and other parasites from them.

Occasionally they can also been seen opportunistically attempting to catch the numerous attendant flies that swarm around the grazers.



The next picture shows a herd heading into the woodlands after a day in the swamps. A three stop graduated neutral density filter was used to balance the brighter sky area with the darker foreground. Note the size of the tusks on the elephant second from left.

The rest of park was not a total loss and there is some decent bird life including this Red-Knobbed Coot, taken while lying down on the edge of a small lake.

We also had an unusual encounter with a Spitting Cobra which we initially spotted in the grass in close proximity to an Egyptian Goose. At first it looked as if the Cobra would actually go for the Goose. But when the latter eventually spotted the snake it very bravely started to chase it. The Cobra briefly rose up and spread its hood but then quickly turned tail pursued by the squawking Goose. We got a real sense of how quickly a Cobra can move when it wants to and before we had reacted, it was almost up to our vehicle. For a fleeting moment it appeared that the snake might actually try to enter our vehicle. This was probably the quickest I’d ever seen Simon react as he gunned the engine leaving the snake sucking on a cloud of dust and burning rubber.

Sometimes when the game is scarce and photo opportunities scant, one has to be a little more creative and look beyond the obvious. While driving along the edge of one of the park’s lakes, I noticed a clump of reeds and their reflections in what was extremely flat light. I recognized the potential for a minimalist style image which I think turned out reasonably well.

Water birds

Related to water-level regulation

The management of dams and project construction and maintenance may necessitate modifications to water levels in reservoirs, ponds or other wetlands. For example, it may be required to remove beaver dams in order to regulate water-levels. Under such circumstances, project managers should determine whether waterfowl, waterbirds and/or other birds are nesting in or near the wetland, and avoid regulating water-levels that could result in flooding or drying out nests until the birds have raised their young. Water-level modifications may, for example, be scheduled prior to or after the breeding season.

Migratory birds

Risk factors for migratory birds

Depending on the location, the time of year and the type of activities, some operations could be subject to different risk factors associated with migratory birds.
The main sensitive periods to consider are the breeding season and the migration periods although for some migratory bird species, risks may also be associated with other times of the year, such as the post-breeding moult period and wintering stages.
The main sensitive locations include, for example, migratory bird breeding colonies and feeding areas around them as well as migration staging sites.
In the case of bird collisions with structures, generally the main risk factors are site sensitivity (areas of bird concentration, migratory pathways, surrounding landscaping and habitat type, particular meteorological conditions like fog, etc.) and structure design and size (reflectivity of glass panels, lighting used, use of guy wires, height, etc.).
Environment Canada provides information on the timing of migratory bird breeding in Canada and about other risk factors (see, for example, the Environment Canada publication: Wind Turbines and Birds: A Guidance Document for Environmental Assessment) in order to help individuals and companies assess their risk with regards to migratory birds and design relevant avoidance and mitigation measures.

The sparrows

There are several different types of birds, as well as a bushel of bunnies, that have been nesting in the tall grasses on our back hill. (I haven’t been able to capture their photos myself, so this one I nabbed from a blogger-friendly free photo website.) I was thinking about their busy lives, and of course that brought me around to compare them to mine. This was the result from my musings.

Type of Nests of Different Bird

Type of Nests of Different Bird 

There are several types of nests. These include mound, scrape, burrow, cavity, cup, pendant, sphere, saucer and platform.  Here are the different types of nest of animals (with photos).

Burrow

Many burrow-nesting birds excavate their own burrows while some use those excavated by other animals. Soil plays a different role in the burrow nest; here, the eggs and young—and in most cases the incubating parent bird—are sheltered under the earth.

Cup

Cup nest of a Common Blackbird

Cup nests are smoothly hemispherical inside, with deep depression to house the eggs. They are usually made of grass and a few are made of spider silk, mud and saliva. The spider silk is a lightweight material which is strong and extremely flexible, allowing the nest to mold to the adult during incubation (reducing heat loss), then to stretch to accommodate the growing nestlings; as it is sticky, it also helps to bind the nest to the branch or leaf to which it is attached

Popular species that build cup nest

Many Passerines, few non-passerines, some Hummingbirds, some Swifts, Kinglets, Crests, Tyrant Flycatchers, Several New World Warblers

Saucer or Plate

The saucer or plate nest, though superficially similar to a cup nest, has at most only a shallow depression to house the eggs.

Mound

Mallefowl mound

Some species of bird bury their eggs for incubation. This type of nest is called Mound. It is constructed using soil, branches, sticks, twigs and leaves. Birds lay their eggs within the rotting mass. The heat generated by these mounds, which are in effect giant compost heaps, warms and incubates the eggs.

A Coot Mound

Well-known Species that build Mound

Flamingo, Horned Coot, Mallefowl and Australian Bush Turkey

Platform

Platform nests are large structure, often many times the size of the bird which has built them. The platform built by eagles is called eyries. These large nests are often used for many years, with new material added each breeding season.

Well-known species that build Platforms

Ospreys, Eagles, Egrets

Pendant

Nesting colony of the Red-rumped Cacique (a single bird perched center-left).

Pendant nests are elongated sac woven of pliable materials such as grasses and plant fibers and suspended from a branch. There are several species that weave pendant nests.

Nesting colony of Montezuma Oropendolas

Popular species that build Pendant

Caciques, Orioles, Oropendolas, Sunbirds and Weavers

Scrape

American Golden Plover’s Scrape nest with four eggs

The simplest nest construction is the Scrape. It is merely a shallow depression in soil or vegetation. This type of nest typically has a rim deep enough to keep the eggs from rolling away. It is sometimes lined with bits of vegetation, small stones, shell fragments or feathers.

Popular species that build Scrape

Ostriches, most Tinamous, many Ducks, most Shorebirds, most Terns, some Falcons, Pheasants, Quail, Partridges, Bustards and Sandgrouse, Lesser Nighthawks and the Red-tailed Tropicbird, Marbled Godwits, Three-banded Courser and Egyptian Plover.

Sphere

The Sphere nest is a roundish structure; it is completely enclosed, except for a small opening which allows access. One notable maker of sphere nest is the Thick-billed Weaver.