Here's some curious bird news from a friend in Bavaria.
I welcome comments off-list.
"I saw the most interesting bird behavior this spring: A pair of green finches had five young in a nest, and we were observing them via camera Toni had mounted over the nest and connected to the TV in the living room. One day I noticed a black and white wagtail visiting the nest with a beak full of insects. It fed the baby birds the insects. At first the green finches tried chasing away the wagtail, but eventuallly they gave up and the birds then had three parents. Only that they didn't much appreciate the insects. After a while, they ceased opening their beaks for the wagtail and when they did, often spat out the insects. This seemed to be disconcerting to the wagtail but the bird didn't give up. Have you heard of this kind of behavior? I wonder what may have prompted it."
--Dave Nutter
PS: To make up for an otherwise totally irrelevant post,
if anyone re-finds the King Eider please spread the word.
Folks are still looking for it, and it would be good to track.
I welcome comments off-list.
"I saw the most interesting bird behavior this spring: A pair of green finches had five young in a nest, and we were observing them via camera Toni had mounted over the nest and connected to the TV in the living room. One day I noticed a black and white wagtail visiting the nest with a beak full of insects. It fed the baby birds the insects. At first the green finches tried chasing away the wagtail, but eventuallly they gave up and the birds then had three parents. Only that they didn't much appreciate the insects. After a while, they ceased opening their beaks for the wagtail and when they did, often spat out the insects. This seemed to be disconcerting to the wagtail but the bird didn't give up. Have you heard of this kind of behavior? I wonder what may have prompted it."
--Dave Nutter
PS: To make up for an otherwise totally irrelevant post,
if anyone re-finds the King Eider please spread the word.
Folks are still looking for it, and it would be good to track.
