Thursday 26 March 2015

The Colour Collaborative: March: Bird

grey chested buzzard eagle

barn owl

mallards and coot

grey chested buzzard eagle

robin

Ural owl

juvenile mute swan

northern white faced scops owl

lanner falcon

lanner falcon


Indian tawny eagle

goldcrests

Indian tawny eagle

pintails

American sea eagle

long tailed tit

Ural owl

American sea eagle

Bewick's swans

American sea eagle
In the past few years I've really started to discover birds.  What started as a few trips to our local wildfowl and wetlands place turned into a passion for my eldest son, and now we're regular visitors.  We talk to the wardens and other birdwatchers and spend hours watching and learning.  We make occasional visits to bird of prey centres as well, anywhere with birds in fact.  And little by little I've started to understand exactly what it is that enchants so many people.

There are so many amazing feats in the bird world.  The peregrine falcon who reaches 200mph in a dive.  Two hundred miles per hour.  The children are far better at knowing all of the facts than me, they give me little pieces of information about how it has special eyelids that close and how it protects its lungs from the incredible pressure.  Two hundred miles per hour.

Then there's the tiny firecrest that winters in the Mediterranean and north African regions and flies hundreds and hundreds of miles north to breed in spring.  It weighs less than a quarter of an ounce and along with the goldcrest it is the smallest bird you're like to see in Britain.

And the emperor penguin who breeds in the Antarctic winter where the temperature is -40C (-40F) with wind speeds of up to 90mph.  They make a trek of between 30 and 75 miles to the nesting site.  The female lays an egg, then the male pops it on his feet, under his warm belly roll and stands in a huddle with the other dads while the female, who is exhausted, treks back to the sea to feed.  The males shuffle round in their huddle, giving each other a turn in the warmer middle.  They keep doing that, without ever feeding, until the egg hatches.  64 days later.  When the chick hatches, the male feeds it with a little meal that it is able to regurgitate.  Then hopefully the female returns from sea to take over the feeding.  By the time the egg hatches, the male has fasted in these incredibly harsh conditions, for 115 days.

These incredible tales are maybe part of what fascinates the children about birds.  For me, that is only part of it.  I like the way they form a part of our seasons and countryside.  I find it soothing to watch them when life is all going wrong.  They carry on with their lives as they always do, a reminder to me of what is important.  So long as the birds are still singing and building nests, everything will turn out alright in the end.  Life goes on regardless.

So many different birds share our planet, of every colour and size imaginable.  Many have the most incredible colours, and of course I find them beautiful, mesmerising in their iridescent and bright rainbow plumage.  But most of all I like the more subtle colours of the birds I see around me.  Browns of every shade, and delicately patterned feathers with little striations and speckles.  A splash of orange red on the robin who watches me at the allotment, that touch of purple on a mallard's wing, the hint of pink about a long tailed tit.  When we have to hunt for the colour it becomes all the more precious.  When it blends so beautifully with nature it is soothing to the eye.

Birdwatching really is a rewarding pastime, it took me a while to understand that, but I'm happy to have got there in the end.  I have much to learn, but it's thoroughly enjoyable, if you get the chance, do give it a try.  The best way to discover how amazing these creatures are is by finding someone knowledgeable to point things out for you.  You'll probably find just such a person lurking in a hide somewhere.  In my experience, birdwatchers are both helpful and friendly.  It's a good world to join.

      Bird of prey photographs taken at the International Centre for Birds of Prey

      Other photographs taken locally

To visit the other Colour Collaborative blogs for more of this month's posts, just click on the links below:

                       Annie at Annie Cholewa                  Gillian at Tales from a Happy House

                       Sandra at Cherry Heart                    Jennifer at Thistlebear

What is The Colour Collaborative?

All creative bloggers make stuff, gather stuff, shape stuff, and share stuff. Mostly they work on their own, but what happens when a group of them work together? Is a creative collaboration greater than the sum of its parts? We think so and we hope you will too. We'll each be offering our own monthly take on a colour related theme, and hoping that in combination our ideas will encourage us, and perhaps you, to think about colour in new ways.

29 comments:

  1. Wow, your photographs are amazing! And so are those bird facts.
    I love garden birds and the ones we see each day. Exotic to me would be a sighting of a kingfisher, a woodpecker or even a jay... Years ago I saw two baby owls huddled together on a low branch and it was lovely.
    Great post, great pictures :)
    S x

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  2. Beautiful photos. Of course, the eagles are my favorites.

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  3. Fabulous photos. Has the eldest boy ever had turn at flying one of the birds of prey he'd love it? Martyn and I had a turn at flying a barn owl once and it was amazing how light it was. Birds are really fascinating creatures.

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    1. Yes, he went on a hawk walk once for his birthday and flew a Harris hawk, it was a brilliant experience. He's had one or two others on his hand as well, and took part in a display where he was chased by an eagle owl. Needless to say it "caught" him very easily.

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  4. Incredible pictures! I am glad that you are enjoying learning more and watching the birds! xx

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  5. Wow, that's amazing and you know I've never thought of it that way, the amazing feats of birds I mean. It might make me look at birds in a whole new light I think.

    S x

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  6. Fabulous photos. I'm always sad when people say we only get the boring brown birds in our garden because those boring brown birds, sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, thrushes, are really beautiful if you look at them properly.

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  7. Your photographs are amazing! I totally agree that watching birds can be soothing when life goes a bit awry. I get such great pleasure from our bird feeders and I love the fact that you can enjoy such a brilliant pastime with your son. Wishing you a bird-filled weekend. x

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  8. Wonderful images. I too am fascinated by birds, although I'm no birder. My kids think I'm really gruesome because I collect bird skulls. And empty nests, although those are rare finds ... I know better than to assume an empty nest won't be reused so only have nests that have been blown down or taken from shrubs and trees that were about to be pruned. Bird architecture and bird anatomy, and lately bird song and calls ... I'm trying to learn what I can but there's so much to absorb.

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  9. I'm very interested in birds too, maybe because I lived with pet birds most of my life. I enjoy watching bird behavior, it's very interesting. Birds are so smart. I love all of your photos, especially the owls. There is just something about an owl's face that I love, maybe it's the heart shape or the piercing eyes. It feels like an owl never takes its eyes off you, which is unnerving in a way but also shows how very alert they are.

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  10. A lovely post, and wonderful pictures. My mum loved watching the birds in her garden so it's not surprising that I've always been fascinated by them, especially owls. Flighty xx

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  11. Lovely photos, I particularly like seeing the birds in flight & seeing them land in the garden to feed. It always entertains me. x

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  12. A beautiful, serene post - birds induce a sense of calm in me. They are graceful and light, but purposeful too. I agree that our native birds really are very special in their muted shades with the odd, surprising flash of colour. Last winter a chattering flock of long-tailed tits flew into the cherry tree in our garden, looking like a mass of fluffy black, white and pink pom-poms. It was magical :)
    Cathy x
    Cathy x

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  13. Good grief CJ, your photos!! Do you have a secret career as a wildlife photographer on the side?! They're incredibly good, and so clear. It sounds like this is something that's rewarding both you and your son.

    Two hundred miles per hour, you say? Bloody hell. xx

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  14. You sure have a nice collection of birds in this post. We call those eagles "Bald Eagles".. but they really aren't bald so that's kind of nuts. I enjoyed all your photos and that you're learning and teaching the kids about them. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  15. those photos are absolutely breathtaking!! of course, it helps to have such spectacular models....;)

    i've only recently discovered the world of birds myself...last summer we cared for an orphaned starling {long story but we ended up picking up where a misinformed but well-intentioned person left off} and it was quite simply the most incredible experience. to be so close to a wild thing, to have her share our lives for a short while, and then to have her leave us....well, truly amazing experience.

    i was recently gifted a book -- Callanish by William Horwood -- i wonder, has your eldest boy read it? i think it might be something he'd like.....;)

    xo

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  16. What an amazing collection of photos and birds! I like them all, but especially the owls. They're fascinating to look at.

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  17. You knocked me over with these shots CJ! My goodness.....I can't even speak right now! Just gorgeous!!!! You have yourself a new job my friend! Happy weekend to you!!! Nicole xoxo

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  18. Amazing photos CJ, that Ural Owl is beautiful, his plumage is incredible - excellent camouflage no doubt. I haven't seen one of those before. I have very little knowledge of birds, I can identify a few garden birds but that's about it. I would really like to be able to identify them by their song - I hear all sorts of things while out with the dog, it would be lovely to know who's singing! Have a great weekend. Jane xx

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  19. I have looked at your photos several times this morning, absolutely amazing! Thank you for this most uplifting post! I have only recently started to appreciate the variety of bird species, particularly those I see on my bike commute every day. Have a lovely weekend. x

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  20. Beautiful photos and some fearsome looking claws and beaks.

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  21. Stunning photographs, the colour and detail is perfect. Birds are a fascinating group which I have never paid too much attention too, now I have my bird table that may change!

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  22. You have captured so many amazing patterns and colors and species of birds in the photos of this post, CJ. Thanks so much for sharing them and your growing interest in birds in as well. I was reared on research poultry farms in New England, then the Midwest in the USA, and I am a bit fearful of beaks and claws, but I appreciate learning [200mph...WOW!!!] more about birds now than I did as a child :-) Progress! xx

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  23. Hey Cj,
    I think it's wonderful that your son is so fascinated by birds. It will stay with him for life, and he will pass on his love and knowledge to his children someday. I think that's the best bit of it all; the passing on of love and knowledge.
    Wonderful post, Cj.
    Leanne xx

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  24. Wonderful photos CJ.. lovely to see your son taking a real interest. I love watching the birds in the garden.. well watching birds any where :o) xx

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  25. Wow those pictures are amazing it is so good to see and appreciate the beauty and the huge variety of birds. Sarah x

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  26. Fantastic photos CJ. The feather and claw photos especially, such detail!
    Long tailed tits are one of my favourites, so cute! I saw pintails up on the Norfolk coast at Cley in December, first time in years (I don't get out as much as I'd like!), they are beautiful ducks.
    Our Norwich peregrines have been laying eggs so hopefully we'll get some chicks soon.

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