Monday, December 5, 2011

Who Said Birds Are Nice

Hubby and I have been away, in search of photos.  Now I have around 400 to sort through!  These reminded me of an essay we once read.  A lady, who should have known better, said people should be more peaceful, like birds.
I saw avocets feeding in the tidelands north of San Pablo Bay.
The bird on the right obviously didn't like the other bird invading its feeding territory.
Nothing like kicking a guy when he's down!
Once he felt he'd made his point, he turned and walked away.
The interloper beat a hasty retreat.
Seeing the behavior of animals is, for me, the most interesting part of wildlife viewing.

See more of our wonderful world at Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia
and Sandy.
and Watery Wednesday (thought more muddy than watery)
View more of the birds in our amazing world at World Bird Wednesday, hosted for us by Springman.

Where did I find these birds?  Here.


at

31 comments:

  1. GaelynDecember 5, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    How funny. I didn't know birds mud wrestle. Great shots.

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  2. Sylvia KDecember 5, 2011 at 12:42 PM

    Oh, how fun! Those birds are more like us than I realized!! I didn't know they mud wrestle either! Terrific captures for the day, Martha!
    Enjoy!

    Sylvia

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  3. AnonymousDecember 5, 2011 at 1:01 PM

    That is an amazing series you captured. So fortunate for you to be at the right place at the right time. I hope you do link that to this week's WBW. Others for sure will find this fascinating.

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  4. theconstantwalkerDecember 5, 2011 at 1:02 PM

    Amazing images... many thanks for sharing this wonderful behaviour.

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  5. KatneyDecember 5, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    Fascinating! We watched gulls early this summer yelling yelling yelling. It was very noisy, and we decided that whoever invented "Angry Birds" had models.

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  6. eileeninmdDecember 5, 2011 at 2:52 PM

    Great captures, it does look like they are mud wrestling. The avocets are beautiful birds.

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  7. Yogi♪♪♪December 5, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    I've never seen a bird beat down before.

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  8. AnnaDecember 6, 2011 at 1:48 AM

    So loverly and what a fun!
    Thank you for sharing it...
    Greetings from Holland,
    Anna :-))

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  9. JudyDecember 6, 2011 at 4:50 AM

    That is a great series of shots! Funny how this sort of an incident never makes it into the nature shows on YV!!

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  10. LindyLouMacDecember 6, 2011 at 7:01 AM

    Lovely photos, you have so many to sort out now. Sounds familiar, too easy with digital photography to get carried away. :)

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  11. AnonymousDecember 6, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    What amazing shots! I've seen ducks attack each other as well as geese...

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  12. Nature RamblesDecember 6, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    Loved going through the sequence of shots! It's most fascinating to watch animal behaviour and these are amazing!

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  13. RamblingWoods2.comDecember 6, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    It's all about personal space..great shots of behavior....

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  14. AnonymousDecember 6, 2011 at 10:32 AM

    What an amazing sequence of shots showing this behavior!

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  15. mickDecember 6, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    Very interesting bird behavior and you have captured it perfectly. Great photos.

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  16. Carole M.December 6, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    hadn't heard that name before though similar to other wetlands birds. Interesting how the beak turns slightly isn't it? Funny little tale to tell in your photographs; thanksk for sharing

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  17. ArijaDecember 6, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    What a bossy-boots! Great interactive shots Martha.

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  18. AnonymousDecember 6, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    Great sequence Martha. Always nice when you can capture some interesting behaviour in action.

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  19. Kathie BrownDecember 6, 2011 at 7:01 PM

    Martha, it is so unusual for me to see Avocets without their cinnamon heads! What a bully that one bird was, he literally drove the other guy into the mud! Still, these are one of my very favorite shorebirds! I just love the long legs and those long curved beaks! Great pics! They certainly tell a story!

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  20. SpringmanDecember 6, 2011 at 8:29 PM

    Spectacular captures Martha! Your pictures tell a fascinating story, a comedy in a three Stooges sort of way. Thank you for sharing your magnificent pictures!

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  21. Stewart MDecember 7, 2011 at 12:02 AM

    Hi there - great behaviour shots. Nice to see some shots that show the "nature red in tooth and claw" part, as well as the beauty!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Australia

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  22. Latane BartonDecember 7, 2011 at 5:27 AM

    Great pictures.

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  23. Brian KingDecember 7, 2011 at 6:46 AM

    haha! Great photos, Martha! I guess even peaceful birds can be mean when they want to.

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  24. sunflowerkat December 7, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    Great photo essay! I know some shore birds can be very territorial. I've never seen one get knocked flat like that though. Wonderful behavior capture.

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  25. Kim, USADecember 7, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    Oh my this is a very awesome photos! I think recession also hits them, lol! Thanks for sharing.

    Mackinac Island

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  26. Sallie (FullTime-Life)December 7, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    Amazing sequence -- watching animal/bird behavior is definitely rewarding.

    I love avocets but I haven't seen one for years now.

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  27. LeoviDecember 9, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    Wow, beautiful sequence, and is that one must be careful not to invade the land of another.

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  28. ArtandArchitecture-SF.comDecember 9, 2011 at 5:52 PM

    What an amazing sequence. Who knew? Great job!

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  29. UnknownDecember 9, 2011 at 7:47 PM

    Oh, you caught Meanie in the act!

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  30. snowwhiteDecember 10, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    Oh, for wild animals it seems that jungles are everywhere. How interesting it is to view their lives closely. If I had not seen this photo catchingthe very moment, I would have believed birds are peaceful creatures. To be a wild bird is tough!! Great captures!!
    Best wishes,
    keiko

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  31. KayJanuary 1, 2012 at 12:34 AM

    Oh my goodness! A bird fight?

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