Feathers~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Wild Life

Mother cormorant with her hungry chick.

Australian tawny frogmouth sleeps while keeping one eye on me.

Bush stone curlew looks to the sky for inspiration,

and leads me away from the nest.

Great blue heron,

with fishing line snared on his foot,

walks by me warily.

Cheers to you from our feathered friends~

Note: I thought this was a great blue heron, but my clever blogging friend Eliza Waters, informs me it is a white faced heron. I am so lucky to have blogging friends like Eliza, and you. Many thanks to all of you. It is wonderful to be a part of all of you. Keep on blogging~

175 thoughts on “Feathers~”

    2. Dear Cindy,

      I concur with Lavinia Ross. Thank you for featuring my avian colleagues in such good light.

      Indeed, one of the nocturnal ground-dwelling and probably flightless birds in Australia is the curlew. It is very rare now.

      In fact, my back street is called Curlew St, and I used to be able to hear a few calls at night, but in the last decade, there seems to be no more calls.

      How I miss the cute and odd looking Bush Stone Curlew on my back street! The traffic, dogs, cats and rodents have really decimated them. Sigh . . . . .

      Australia’s curlew can sound like a banshee too. I would like to inform you that you can see some photos of curlews on the first and second pages of my multi-page post published at one of my other websites:

      https://queenslandorchid.wordpress.com/2016/07/23/charlie-robino-loving-orchids-in-far-north-queensland/

      May you and Lavinia have a lovely week ahead!

      Yours sincerely,
      SoundEagle🦅

      Reply

      1. It is so tragic to have wild animals disappear from our environs. This has happened to wild creatures I used to play with and watch as a child. Some are on the brink of extinction. We are a foolish species. These wild creatures are our friends. I am so sorry the curlews are gone from your street. I understand how sorely you miss them.
        Your blog photos are gorgeous დ

        Reply

        1. Dear Cindy,

          I am delighted to hear from you, and you are very welcome to submit comments to Queensland Orchid International as you peruse the posts and pages there.

          I can’t agree with you more about the plights of animals. I have many reasons to be interested in animals and defending them, as can be guaged in my multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary post entitled “SoundEagle in Debating Animal Artistry and Musicality” at http://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/soundeagle-in-debating-animal-artistry-and-musicality/, which is simultaneously witty and serious about a number of outstanding issues. You will find those reasons very compelling as well as fascinating and thought-provoking.

          There is even a poll in my said post where I ask readers to choose between the Elephant and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

          Reply

  10. Pingback: Feathers~ — (Cindy works her magic with our feathered friends) | Rethinking Life

  11. Beautiful birds! Great shots, Cindy!
    So sad to see the Blue Heron with fishing line tangling its foot.
    Just another way humans waste our beautiful birds: beaks get stuck in plastic mesh bags, beaks get effed up in drink can tabs, they swallow garbage (usually plastics) that fill their bellies, but not their bones!
    I am ashamed!

    Reply

      1. Shots like this, of yours… there are some in the “What are we doing to our animals” genre
        should be catalogued. National Geographic, PETA, or others would want them! დ

        Reply

    1. Yes. This bugged me so much. I know sport fisherman well, catch and release, torture the fish, release it with a hook imbedded (he will be fine) and no thought for the sea birds that might go for the dying fish. I spent a long time looking at what happened to this gorgeous bird. The line wrapped around his ankle and foot. He pulled on it to get rid of it, causing it to more tightly wrap around his toe, cutting into to it more. I do think, it had been there for awhile with the line getting tighter gradually. I think it is possible the toe will fall off, and the bird will be free. At least I hope so. I have seen so many sea birds missing entire feet who live. I just have no understanding, and never have, of the joy of killing beautiful wild creatures. My father and brother are both sport fisherman. I was taught how to do it. Obviously it didn’t take. I remember my father scaling a live fish, telling me it didn’t hurt the fish. I was around six, I knew he was lying. დ

      Reply

    1. I want to go back to Australia yet again, if the madness in this country ever subsides, and any country is willing to welcome us back again. I wouldn’t blame them one bit if they didn’t დ

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  27. Were these all in Australia? Amazing photos. You have such a gift and we are lucky you share it with us. The cormorant photo was particularly interesting to me, because I’d never seen one up that close or seen a chick. Thanks.

    Reply

    1. I love cormorants. They were always around where I grew up, but I really learned to love them at sea, watching them best the winds and waves, dive, fly under water for the longest time, and emerge with a fish in their beak. Such skillful birds. Yes, these are all Aussies. Love to you Eileen დ

      Reply

    1. I think he has spent time tugging on it, causing the line to get tauter and cut into the flesh of one toe. He’s functioning, and I hope eventually the toe falls off and sets him free. Poor bird. Sad story. Just a bit of lost fishing line, no big deal, except to this beautiful bird დ

      Reply

  29. The birds certainly have personality in these shots! The blue heron’s feathers look like a cape from the 1920s. I’ve never seen a picture of one that close-up with as much detail.

    Reply

    1. Thank you smart lady! Women have worn feather capes that emulated birds like herons exactly. Fashionistas throughout history have emulated birds by stealing their feathers. It is easy to see why. დ

      Reply

    1. I love to watch cormorants, especially at sea, or nesting with chicks. They are such skillful ocean hunting birds and such diligent parents. They fly just a wing tip from the waves, and then dive, and fly underwater დ

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  37. Mother and chick – lovely. And I so love the expression of the frogmouth – what a special bird. Hopefully the fishing line will fall off. Beautiful images as always – uplifting and love of nature.

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  46. That second photo, giving you the side-eye, is my favorite today, Cindy! I find myself feeling sorry for the poor thing with fishing line around his foot. No wonder he looks so wary … and miffed!

    Reply

  51. The pictures make me feel like you were doing “street shots” of these birds. They were carrying their own business like folks on streets. Oh, another thing this might just be me. For some reason, I just glued to look at the these feather friends’ eyes.

    Reply

    1. I love your comment and it is true. If you are quiet and still for long enough, birds do go about their business with you around, keeping you one eye on you at all times! 😉 And I agree. Bird eyes are mesmerizing დ

      Reply

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