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.


31 comments:

Gaelyn said...

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

Sylvia K said...

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

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

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.

theconstantwalker said...

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

Katney said...

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

eileeninmd said...

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

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

I've never seen a bird beat down before.

Anna said...

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

Judy said...

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

LindyLouMac said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Nature Rambles said...

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

Rambling Woods said...

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

Anonymous said...

What an amazing sequence of shots showing this behavior!

mick said...

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

Carole M. said...

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

Arija said...

What a bossy-boots! Great interactive shots Martha.

Adam Tilt said...

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

Kathie Brown said...

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!

Springman said...

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!

Stewart M said...

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

Latane Barton said...

Great pictures.

Brian King said...

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

sunflowerkat said...

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.

Kim, USA said...

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

Mackinac Island

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

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

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

Leovi said...

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

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

What an amazing sequence. Who knew? Great job!

Unknown said...

Oh, you caught Meanie in the act!

snowwhite said...

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

Kay said...

Oh my goodness! A bird fight?