[texbirds] Among the thieves during last, so nice weekend

From: MBB22222@xxxxxxx
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2013 03:30:55 -0500 (EST)

It was an incredibly good weekend on the shore. Birds were pushing the
flight limits to the max and thieves were quite active. I hope many of us were
enjoying this beautiful weekend. Perfect weather and light plus
interesting birds - what more one might want to have wonderful time.

One needed to work little harder than usual as most of the beaches were
empty but if one kept finding places were birds roosted or foraged those were
gold mines. Some of my highlights from this weekend were: 2-3 dozens
Caspian Terns in one spot; some actively fishing, some roosting (at one moment
21
on the ground + few aloft and probably another dozen or so nearby as some
were leaving and some coming back all the time). Up to 11 Ospreys seen
hunting together above one lagoon (yes, Quintana is still an Osprey place so I
spent many hours there just watching these great fishermen getting
fishes). But perhaps most interesting were Forsterâs Terns. I spent a few
hours
photographing nonstop their maneuvers from very close distance (in fact I had
to stepped back as I was cutting off to many body parts in photos). I do
not even want to say how many photos I took because now I will have many
more hours of work to edit even part of them. But I have to admit that I felt
exhausted and terns were as fresh as when we started. So what is a big
deal. Well, the maneuver repertoire that these` little fellows have is
incredible. I am going to work on taken photos, it might take a while, but
right
now I want to show some thieves that were joining so called commensal feeding
associations. Well, not all foraging associations are mutually
beneficial. One of the more common commensal associations involves "beaters,"
which
stir up prey, and "attendants," which simply follow beaters and taking
whatever comes their way. Here I watched one of very typical feeding
association
when egrets are following cormorants. Although egrets can try, sometimes
successfully, steal food from cormorants often the feeding flock of mixed
species works together in harmony - especially when there is plenty of food.
On that day terns sometimes joined the feeding group also and plunge-dive
in front or between foraging birds. As we know from everyday life there
are plenty of these who rather will steal than work. And as we have now
many White Pelicans spending winter here those are like organize criminals who
carefully watch every feeding bird and are always ready to come and
demand the payment for protection. When they see plenty of food they will
follow
beaters and try to get a free share. Cormorants usually will swallow small
fish fast enough to avoid robbers but practically they have no chance to
keep and eat a large prey so these lucky ones who catch large fish from time
to time are under attack almost instantly when pelicans are nearby. Even
if pelicans were far away but saw a cormorant who caught a large fish they
would take flight an usually came before the cormorant could swallow it. It
was funny to watch how quickly the cormorant can drop its prey and run
for life - not literally as pelicans have no interest in cormorant but only
in its catch but when several of these large birds are trying to get dropped
fish the last place the cormorant wants to be at that moment is between
charging pelicans.

Just look at these few photos:

_http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467677_
(http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467677)
_http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467679_
(http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467679)
And close-ups:
_http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467678_
(http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467678)
_http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467680_
(http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/148467680)

here are a few more photos from this day action:

_http://www.pbase.com/mbb/american_white_pelican_stealing_fish_from_doublecr
ested_cormora_
(http://www.pbase.com/mbb/american_white_pelican_stealing_fish_from_doublecrested_cormora)

Mark B Bartosik
Houston, Texas
_http://www.pbase.com/mbb/from_the_field_
(http://www.pbase.com/mbb/from_the_field)
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[texbirds] Among the thieves during last, so nice weekend

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