Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow
Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.
An Italian Proverb
Northern (hen) Harrier: Have you seen this bird?
Hen Harrier or Northern Harrier
(in North America)
The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) or Northern Harrier (in North America) is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia.
It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Europe and southern temperate Asia, and American breeders to the southernmost USA, Mexico and Central America.
Identification Tips:
• Length: 16.5 inches Wingspan: 42 inches
• Medium-sized, long-winged, long-tailed hawk
• Rounded wings, can appear pointed while gliding
• White rump
• Short, dark, hooked beak
• Often courses low over marshes and fields on wings held in a strong dihedral
• Flat face with owl-like facial disk
Adult male:
• Pale gray body plumage, paler on underparts
• Darker gray head
• Black tips to flight feathers, especially noticeable on the outer primaries
• Narrow dark bars on tail
Adult female:
• Buff underparts with darker streaks on breast, belly, and underwing coverts
• Dark barring on flight feathers most visible from below
• Dark patch on inner wing created by dark secondaries and dark secondary covert
• Dark brown above
• Narrow barring on tail
Similar species:
The harrier is easily recognized by the low, coursing flight, white rump, and wings held at an angle. Rough-legged Hawks occupy similar habitat but have broader wings and a black subterminal tail band. When migrating, harriers can fly at great heights where many of their features become less obvious. The white rump cannot be seen, the wings may not appear held at an angle and the tail may be fanned. The pale underwings with black primary tips of the male make it distinctive.
The Northern Harrier, breeds in North America and is sometimes considered a distinct species.
Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.
An Italian Proverb
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Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.
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Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg…
Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg or a goose egg depends a heap on the kind of chick he married.
Author unknown
Magpie Goose: Have you seen this bird?
Magpie-goose
The Magpie-goose, Anseranas semipalmata, is a waterbird species found in coastal northern Australia and savannah in southern New Guinea.
It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes, and arranged in a family and genus distinct from all other living waterfowl. It may merit recognition as a separate family in order Anseriformes on account of its primitive characteristics.
The magpie goose typically weighs 3 kg (6.5 pounds) and is 75–90 cm (30–35 inches) long. The sexes are alike in having a black-and-white body, long neck and legs. They have virtually unwebbed toes. Their long hooked bill and bare face give the bird the look of a vulture.
This bird’s feet are only partially webbed. Feet aside, the Magpie-goose will feed on vegetable matter in the water as well as on land. Males are larger than females.
The Magpie-goose is found in a variety of open wetland areas such as floodplains and swamps. It is fairly sedentary apart from some movement during the dry season.
Its nest is on the ground, and a typical clutch is 5-14 eggs.
This species is plentiful across its range. For Australia as a whole, it is not threatened and has a controlled hunting season when numbers are large.
Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg or a goose egg depends a heap on the kind of chick he married.
Graffiti at Bury St. Edmunds
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Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg or a goose egg depends a heap on the kind of chick he married.
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Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg…
Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience. A rustling in the leaves drives him away.
A Walter Benjamin quotation
Bobolink: Have you seen this bird?
Bobolink
The Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, is a small New World blackbird. The collective name for a group of bobolinks is a chain.
These birds migrate to Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. They often migrate in flocks, feeding on cultivated grains and rice, which leads to them being considered a pest by farmers in some areas.
Identification Tips:
• Length: 6 inches
• Short, conical bill
• Frequents open habitats
• Often found in large flocks in migration
Adult male alternate:
• Black head, underparts, back, wings and tail
• Yellow nape
• White scapulars and rump
• Plumage held in Spring and Summer
Female and basic:
• Buff and black head stripes
• Buff underparts with black streaking on flanks
• Buff upperparts with black streaks on back
• Dark wings and tail with pale edging
• Juvenile similar to basic
Similar species:
The male Bobolink is similar to the male Lark Bunting but has a yellow nape, white rump, and lacks a white wing patch. The female Bobolink is similar to the Grasshopper Sparrow but is larger and has streaked flanks. Female Red-winged Blackbird has a streaked breast.
Bobolinks forage on, or near the ground, and mainly eat seeds and insects. Females lay 5 to 6 eggs in a cup-shaped nest, which is always situated on the ground and is usually well-hidden in dense vegetation. Both parents feed the young.
The numbers of these birds are declining due to loss of habitat. Originally, they were found in tall grass prairie and other open areas with dense grass.
Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience. A rustling in the leaves drives him away.
A Walter Benjamin quotation
Bird Quotation Popularity Poll
(4 answers max)
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Add any comments below and/or indicate if you spotted this bird.
Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience. A rustling in the leaves drives him away.
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- “Workshop examines how to save bobolinks (Bennington Banner)” BloodyFlix.com » Blog Archive
- Workshop examines how to save bobolinks « Pets
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