show me your best are you looking at me shots

avondale87 wrote in post #19438957
Bennett's wallaby

Hosted photo: posted by avondale87 in
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forum: Wildlife

That is such a cute face. Great picture.

hammer418 wrote in post #19441610
I kept an eye on one of the last sections of my burning bush (euonymus alatus) that still had some leaves. It was in hopes of taking a photo of a cardinal .... so that I could tease Charles. I was going to say something to the effect of "the cardinals stay red by rubbing against the red leaves".
But, a cardinal never came. I had to settle for a common sparrow .... but I thought it was still worth posting !

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …112%20copy-L.jpg&lb=1&s=A on Smugmug

Nice image. But that is the "before" shot, isn't it?

hammer418 wrote in post #19441610
I kept an eye on one of the last sections of my burning bush (euonymus alatus) that still had some leaves. It was in hopes of taking a photo of a cardinal .... so that I could tease Charles. I was going to say something to the effect of "the cardinals stay red by rubbing against the red leaves".
But, a cardinal never came. I had to settle for a common sparrow .... but I thought it was still worth posting !

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …112%20copy-L.jpg&lb=1&s=A on Smugmug

You do seem to enjoy "picking on me!"

Keep it up I do enjoy it!!

JackCharlton wrote in post #19441612
That is such a cute face. Great picture.

Thanks JC

avondale87 wrote in post #19441119
Grey Shrike-thrush

Hosted photo: posted by avondale87 in
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forum: Wildlife

Magnificent capture of the Grey Shrike-thrush, Richard! Nice sharp image, and I like the bird's pose.

fotoi wrote in post #19441171
Wood duck hen

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by fotoi originally in forum: Birds

Terrific hen wood duck shot, fotoi!

Tom in Arizona wrote in post #19441180
Gilded Flicker...

Hosted photo: posted by Tom in Arizona in
./showthread.php?p=194​41180&i=i84396500
forum: Wildlife

What a marvelous shot of the Gilded Flicker, Tom! Great light and a tack sharp image!

fotoi wrote in post #19441523
Wigeon

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by fotoi originally in forum: Birds

Nice hen wigeon shot, fotoi! Great color.

Lame-Duck wrote in post #19441690
Magnificent capture of the Grey Shrike-thrush, Richard! Nice sharp image, and I like the bird's pose.

Terrific hen wood duck shot, fotoi!

What a marvelous shot of the Gilded Flicker, Tom! Great light and a tack sharp image!

Nice hen wigeon shot, fotoi! Great color.

Many thanks Mike.

OhLook wrote in post #19441519
Thanks for all the explanation. I'm actually not sure that what we're calling fulfillment applies to these birds. In natural conditions, they don't seem so keen on mating, unlike many mammals. I can't know their state of mind, but suppose that a good crop of the special flowers simply triggers in a male an impulse to go to an elevated spot, carve out his bowls and tracks, and start booming. Then, if a female shows up, they mate because they're together and their hormones are right for it. The female, similarly, may be drawn to his booming without consciously seeking out a male. "I was just going to a concert, and you won't believe what happened!" You've noted that unmated females don't show signs of sexual deprivation. Maybe they don't feel deprived. Maybe males don't, either.

So here's the remaining question. How is booming hard on males? Maybe it's strenuous, maybe it keeps them too busy to find food. But do they boom longer if females don't appear? These males are promiscuous, meaning that they needn't stop booming after one mating. They could keep going and perhaps attract another female.

How do we know that a low frequency of mating makes either sex suffer?

Fulfilment in its true sense, where there is a conscious sense of something complete or satisfied, is hard to assign to these birds: again it is easy to see these things in a human context. It is instinct driven rather than an higher cognitive function, I would say. BTW, their alpine cousins the Kea, are highly intelligent, but they have to be to survive in the wilds of the NZ alps. It's another example of form follows function...

Booming is hard on males because they do put a lot of effort into that - it takes a lot of muscles to expand and contract the vocalization mechanism to create a very low frequency sound that carries for several km, and they keep it up for many hours a day - some do it almost continually. https://www.doc.govt.n​z …s/bird-song/kakapo-18.mp3

They seem to want to get some reaction at least, but I speculate that they do it for a combination of energy resource and the period of the 'season' - tied to temperate and the rolling Rimu blooms.

Both male and female are promiscuous it seems, and that may be one of the things that is keeping the species alive. Given that DoC are providing a sort of dating service, they may or may not mate with one, several, or no partners. The males have a strong mating instinct when it is initiated, as demonstrated by this clip from the BBC series 'Last Chance to See" with Stephen Fry.

https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=Jlk9u8MIv7o

shooz wrote in post #19441457

Great-horned owlets

shooz wrote in post #19441457


Great-horned owlets

Great shot!

Alligator (Juvenile)
Happy trails

sogs wrote in post #19442018
Great shot!

Thanks !

Wood duck hen

Photo from fotoi's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (1078602)

fotoi wrote in post #19442143
Wood duck hen

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by fotoi originally in forum: Birds

Great shot of the hen wood duck, fotoi...lots of great color!

Lame-Duck wrote in post #19442260
Gorgeous drake wood duck close-up, fotoi! Very lifelike.


Very sharp lifelike capture of this Savannah Sparrow, Steve! I find it very appealing.


Terrific capture, 4huskers!


Very nicely composed caracara shot, Bill!


Super nice capture of these two Mottled Ducks, Joe!


Very attractive shot, 4huskers!

Lame-Duck wrote in post #19442255
Great shot of the hen wood duck, fotoi...lots of great color!

Many Thanks, Mike!