⭕️Norway birds II

 
 White Wagtail (白鶺鴒)
Norway (2015)
3rd October, 2015. Oslo

King Eider (王絨鴨)
Norway (2015)
3rd October, 2015. Oslo

 
Common Eider (歐絨鴨)
Norway (2015)
3rd October, 2015. Oslo

 
Northern Wheatear (穗䳭)
Norway (2015)
3rd October, 2015. Oslo

King Eider is species of the duck family is a little smaller than the common eider, but is more colourful.

It mainly keeps to the polar areas of North America and Russia but also breeds in the northernmost areas of Norway. Even though the majority of the king eider population spends the winter in the Barents Sea, up to 100,000 individuals winter on the windswept edges of the islands off the coast of Northern Norway. The king eider is a capable diver that brings up molluscs , cray­fish and sea urchins from depths of 40 to 60 metres.

Common eider is the largest of our diving ducks and can weigh up to three kilos. The eggs hatch after almost a month of brooding, and after two to three months the young are able to fly. The common eider is a powerful diver who can bring up mussels and seafood from depths of 50-60 metres. It is first and foremost a coastal bird, and many along the coast used to make a nice extra income from harvesting eiderdown. It takes the down from 60-70 nests to produce one kilo of cleaned down, so it’s no surprise that duvets and pillows filled with eiderdown became so exclusive!

For most people the White Wagtail is a sure sign that spring has arrived. This is not just because it is happy and optimistic, but also because it is faithful - the same pair often return year after year. Countless stories tell of white wagtail couples who come back in the spring and «greet»f amilies in the neighbourhood. The white wagtail is equally content on the coast as high in the mountains. Its nest is often found under rocks or other places with a «roof». The eggs hatch after two weeks, and fourteen days later the young leave the nest.

The Northern Wheatear is most comfortable on the ground, where it often builds its nest in walls or on rocky scree. It is found both in the mountains and far north in the country - a few nesting pairs have even made their way as far as Svalbard. It is estimated that between one-half and one million pairs of northern wheatears have their breeding grounds in Norway. The northern wheatear winters in Africa. Southerly migration begins as early as August/September, but by March/April it is back on its rocky scree.

⭕️Albatrosses

70p : Black-browed Albatross (黑眉信天翁) ; 80p : Grey-headed Albatross (灰頭信天翁)
£1,00 : Light-mantled Albatross (淡額黑信天翁) ; £1,25 : Wandering Albatross (漂泊信天翁)
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (2015)
10th January, 2015. King Edward Point

As a group, albatrosses are the most endangered family of birds in the world with 15 of the 22 species listed by IUCN as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered. South Georgia supports internationally important populations of four species of albatross, including the world’s largest populations of grey-headed and, probably, light-mantled albatross, the second largest population of wandering albatross and the third largest population of black-browed albatross.

On South Georgia, the majority of albatross breeding sites are found on offshore islands at the northern and southern extremes of mainland South Georgia (and Annenkov Island); the exception being the light-mantled albatross, which are scattered across the entire Island. Bird Island, off the northern tip of South Georgia, is the most significant breeding site for albatrosses in the archipelago and home to one of the two British Antarctic Survey bases on the islands.

Since the 1970s, annual counts of all wandering albatross nests and selected study colonies of black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses have shown a steady decline in the populations of all these birds. Island wide censuses in the 1980s were repeated in 2003/04 and confirmed the declining trend throughout the Islands. It is believed that the major threats to these species are encountered at-sea, many birds are known to be killed in longline and trawl fisheries throughout the southern hemisphere. Although there are fisheries within the SGSSI Marine Protected Area, strict mitigation measures are used to reduce seabird mortality to minimal levels. However, albatrosses travel vast distances to feed or overwinter in other regions, where they are exposed to numerous fisheries that are not so strictly regulated.

Birds of Moldova

From left to right :
Bohemian Waxwing (太平鳥) ; Blue Tit (藍山雀)
Moldova (2015)
28th September, 2015. Chişinău

Bohemian Waxwing is a starling-sized passerine bird that breeds in the northern forests of Eurasia and North America. It has mainly buff-grey plumage, black face markings and a pointed crest. Its wings are patterned with white and bright yellow, and some feather tips have the red waxy appearance that give this species its English name. The three subspecies show only minor differences in appearance. Females are similar to males, although young birds are less well-marked and have few or no waxy wingtips. Although the Bohemian waxwing's range overlaps those of the cedar and Japanese waxwings, it is easily distinguished from them by size and plumage differences.

Blue Tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The bird is easily recognisable by its blue and yellow plumage, but various authorities dispute their scientific classification. It usually resident and non-migratory birds, are widespread and a common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands with a high proportion of oak. They usually nest in tree holes, although they easily adapt to nest boxes where necessary. Their main rival for nests and in the search for food is the larger great tit.

Blue Tit prefers insects and spiders for its diet. Outside the breeding season, they also eat seeds and other vegetable-based foods. The birds are famed for their skill, as they can cling to the outermost branches and hang upside down when looking for food.

Golden Pheasant

Golden Pheasant (紅腹錦雞)
Taiwan (2015)
10th October, 2015. National Palace Museum

Golden Pheasant is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China, but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Falkland Islands, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. In England they may be found in East Anglia in the dense forest landscape of the Breckland as well as Tresco on the Isles of Scilly.

The adult male is 90–105 cm in length, its tail accounting for two-thirds of the total length. It is unmistakable with its golden crest and rump and bright red body. The deep orange "cape" can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers all of the face except its bright yellow eye with a pinpoint black pupil.

Males have a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan. The wattles and orbital skin are both yellow in colour, and the ruff or cape is light orange. The upper back is green and the rest of the back and rump is golden-yellow. The tertiaries are blue whereas the scapulars are dark red. Other characteristics of the male plumage are the central tail feathers, black spotted with cinnamon, as well as the tip of the tail being a cinnamon buff. The upper tail coverts are the same colour as the central tail feathers. The male also has a scarlet breast, and scarlet and light chestnut flanks and underparts. Lower legs and feet are a dull yellow.

Golden Pheasant (紅腹錦雞)
Taiwan (2015)
8th October, 2015. National Palace Museum

Greater Flamingo

Greater Flamingo (大紅鶴)
Montenegro (2015)
14th October, 2015. Podgorica

This is the largest species of flamingo, averaging 110–150 cm tall and weighing 2–4 kg. The largest male flamingos have been recorded at up to 187 cm tall and 4.5 kg. It is closely related to the American flamingo and Chilean flamingo, with which it has sometimes been considered conspecific.

Like all flamingos, this species lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound. Most of the plumage is pinkish-white, but the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink with a restricted black tip, and the legs are entirely pink. The call is a goose-like honking. Sub-adult flamingos are whitish-grey and only attain the pink coloration several years into their adult life. The coloration comes from the carotenoid pigments in the organisms that live in their feeding grounds.

The bird resides in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water. Using its feet, the bird stirs up the mud, then sucks water through its bill and filters out small shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms and mollusks. The greater flamingo feeds with its head down and its upper jaw is movable and not rigidly fixed to its skull.

Bird of the year : Northern Goshawk

 

Northern Goshawk (蒼鷹)
Germany (2015)
8th November, 2015. Gaildorf

Northern Goshawk is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. As a species in the Accipiter genus, the goshawk is often considered a true "hawk".

It is a widespread species that inhabits the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only species in the Accipiter genus found in both Eurasia and North America. With the exception of Asia, it is the only species of "goshawk" in its range and it is thus often referred to, both officially and unofficially, as simply the "goshawk". It is mainly resident, but birds from colder regions migrate south for the winter. In North America, migratory goshawks are often seen migrating south along mountain ridge tops in September and October.

Northern Goshawk (蒼鷹)
Germany (2015)
28th November, 2015. Rhönblick

⭕️Animal poaching awareness

From left to right :

Cape Parrot (海角鸚鵡) ; Grey Crowned-Crane (灰冠鶴)
Transkei
Wattled Crane (肉垂鶴) ; Grey Crowned-Crane (灰冠鶴)
South Africa (2015), Transkei (1991)
10th March, 2015. Menlyh

The Endangered Wildlife Trust has been engaged to train staff at South Africa’s international mail centres so that X-ray machine operators know how to identify animals and animal parts in parcels to foreign countries. The contents of all outgoing international mail items are checked by means of X-ray machines.

The elegant grey crowned crane graces many of Africa's wetlands. Threats to their populations include illegal capture for the pet trade and the loss or degradation of suitable wetland habitat, due to an increasing human population and demand for agricultural land and freshwater sources. These birds are listed as endangered.

The Cape parrot is South Africa’s only endemic parrot species and is found in the fragmented southern mistbelt forests. Over the past 150 years, illegal capture for the wild-caught bird trade has reduced the numbers of the global wild population to less than 1600 individuals.

⭕️Baby wildlife

Burrowing Owl (穴鴞) ; Atlantic Puffin (北極海鸚)

Canada (2014)
27th August, 2015. Witless Bay, Newfoundland

Happy New Year !

Witless Bay is a fishing community, first established because of its closeness to the rich fishing grounds on the Grand Banks. Tourism is an important part of the community as well, since the community is home to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, which contains North America´s largest Atlantic Puffin colony and the world's second-largest colony of Leach's Storm-petrels. The presence of these bird colonies has given birth to the Witless Bay Puffin and Petrel Patrol, a volunteer organization aiming to save stranded chick and return them safely to the ocean. Bed-and-breakfast establishments, coffee shops, a whale and puffin tour operator, several craftspeople, and the Witless Bay and Area Puffin and Petrel Patrol attract visitors from all over the world.

Atlantic Puffin (北極海鸚)

Canada (2014)
27th August, 2015. Witless Bay, Newfoundland

⭕️Christmas

25c : Western Meadowlark (西草地鷚) ; $5,00 : Yellow-rumped Cacique (黃腰酋長鳥)
50c : American Yellow Warbler (北美黃林鶯) ; $1,00 : American Goldfinch (美洲金翅雀)
$1,60 : Northern Mockingbird (小嘲鶇)

Nevis (1996)
28th August, 2015. Charlestown, Nevis

Nevis, like most small Caribbean islands, has a wealth of events and festivals scattered throughout the year. The two main holidays on Nevis are Christmas and Easter. On Nevis people celebrate Christmas the day before, in Charlestown, until midnight, when everyone goes home to spend Christmas day with their families, and then everyone parties again on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day). Easter celebrations stretch from Good Friday, with kite contests, until Easter Monday, with beach parties).

⭕️Penguins, Predators and Prey

Magellanic Penguin (麥哲倫企鵝) ; Falkland Skua (福克蘭賊鷗)

Falkland Islands (2015)
21st August, 2015. Stanley

Magellanic penguins are opportunistic feeders, taking roughly equal proportions of fish, squid and crustaceans. During chick-rearing, foraging trips take place on a daily basis during daylight hours. Birds generally hunt at depths of less than 50m, but may dive up to 100m. One of the more common prey species is the Falkland Sprat or Fuegian Sardine Sprattus fuegensis. This a small fish about 150mm in length which breeds in spring and early summer in the coastal shelf waters around the Falkland Islands and feeds on copepods, euphausiids, mysids, pelagic amphipods, chaetognaths, eggs and fish larvae. Large numbers appear close inshore during the summer making them ideal prey for penguins. The maximum recorded age is five years. The Falkland Sprat also lives along the Patagonian coast between 43° 30'N and 55° S.

Magellanic penguins encounter a number of predators at sea such as sea lions, leopard seals and orcas. They also face predation of chicks and eggs by avian predators such as caracaras, gulls and skuas although, by nesting in burrows, such predation is greatly reduced. The Falkland Skua is amongst the fastest and most skilled of all the flying birds. Add to that power and strength, high intelligence and longevity and the penguins have a formidable foe. Skuas are quick to spot any weak or infirm “Jackasses” and often attack them in mobs. Being without the claws and hooked beaks of hawks, skuas have to rely on each other to take hold of different parts of their prey in order to tear it apart. Falkland Skuas are entirely pelagic during the southern winter and come ashore in the Falklands only between October and April. The illustration shows part of their distinctive “courtship walk”. They nest in loose colonies, often close to their prey which, in addition to Magellanic Penguins, also includes other penguins and prions. They also specialize in harrying and forcing shags to re-gorge their food in flight over the ocean.