August....nesting season is over....

This nice little gift we found under a tree....

Grey Crows, Black swifts' Nests Raiders

Foraging behaviour

Type of animal

Corvus cornix (Hooded Crow)

The head, throat, wings, tail and thigh feathers are black and glossy, the plumage is ash-grey.

Habitat and foraging area

The overflown land along the River Desna, Bryansk Region, Central Russia, Eastern Europe

Diet

a constant scavenger – insects, molluscs, low-water small fish, eggs and small chicks

Who it is foraging with

other conspecifics

As observed, usually the crows are wandering along the river bank in low water in the group of 2 – 5 species, 1 starts its foraging tactics while the rest continue wandering about

Time of the year, season

Late spring (May) – summer (July, August)

Mornings and evenings

No human disturbance

Observation time

10-30 min daily

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During our regular daily walks with my dog Rey while staying on the sandy river bank I observed in one particular place a group of several crows, from 2 – 5 species, wandering in the low water foraging for water insects and small fish.

The other side of the river is cliffy, about 3 meter high, on the whole length of it there are black swifts’ nests (burrows). A couple of meters away from the cliffy bank’s edge there is a high-voltage network, to which the crows fly from time to time to sit on the wires.

I was curious if their behaviour – the repetition of actions: foraging in low waters, then flying to the high position – has something to do with the black swifts.

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It is known that crows can feed on eggs and chicks of black swifts ruining their nests in the cliffs.

My observation made me guess if their actions - foraging in low waters opposite the black swifts’ nests location then flying to high posts from which the black swifts’ nests can be well observed  - are a foraging strategy: observation and waiting tactics, side-tracking attention.

If the crows attack the nests all of a sudden without the side-tracking attention tactics the black swifts are quick in starting harassing them by mobbing.

As I observed especially during their nesting time a couple of black swifts were always on the alert acting like guards to inform others about the possible danger and also to warm the animals and people who appear close to their nests that they see them and trying to drive them away.

I saw this tactics on myself and my dog – as soon as we appeared on the bank opposite the cliff a couple of black swifts  started flying over my head and over my dog chirping and they flew away only when we starting moving off the bank.

Thus, the crows should use some strategy which can allow them to side-track the attention of the black swifts or they should always observe the nests waiting for grown-up black swifts to fly away for some time – for example, for food foraging, for them to ruin their nests.

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I have been doing regular observation on a daily basis, in the same place, in the evening and morning time.

I use the watch to see if the crows repeat their strategy regularly.

Possible confounds can be: weather conditions (rain, heat), human disturbance.

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Thus,

1. In foraging for black swifts’ eggs and chicks the crows use the following strategy:

-          Observation from different places and angles

-          Side-tracking attention: walking in low waters,climbing the cliff as if pecking insects in the grass , not in a straightforward manner but in circles until they reach the nests as if they didn’t intend to do it – “I was walking and suddenly I saw it”.

-          One works, the rest make a crowd diverting attention: usually 1 crow moves to the nests while the rest of the group stay below continuing doing their things as if nothing is happening.

2. As soon as the crow is near the nest it acts quickly in checking the nest. In case black swifts are quick to notice it and start mobbing the crow flies away, then returns to the group. One foraging act takes about 10 min, so they can repeat these raids regularly every 10 min.
3. There is a difference in how quickly the crows can come to the nests on which the success of their foraging can depend: if the crow flows to the nest straightforward it is sooner to be harassed away by mobbing black swifts than if it moves to the nest stealthily.
4. The crow can use the time when black swifts fly away from the nests for food foraging.
5. There is a difference in how successful the crows can be depending on the season: during the nesting time the black swifts seem to be more on alert and do mobbing in large numbers than at the time of fledgelings when the young birds are away from the nests practicing flying and there is nothing in the nests for the crows and fewer black swifts take part in mobbing.

A Tale about a Wagtail

This is a wagtail observed bathing  by the riverside....
Some fotos of this ritual and a video...

Stepping into the water....

Head down into the water.....

 Flopping the wings....

 Standing upright again, ready for another round....

 ...stepping back onto the sand and cleaning the feathers, under one wing....

 ...shaking the water off....

 ...under the other wing - shaking the water off....
...airing the tail....

 ...shaking the body again...

 ...now cleaning the upper side of one wing....

 ...shaking the body, the wings and the tails....

  ...now cleaning the upper side of the other wing....

...then shaking and flying away....

My questions:
Does it do it regularly?
To keep the feathers in good condition?
Does it like it?
An interesting fact: after bathing some birds protect their feathers using special waterproof oil that comes out of a gland under their tail. 

Frogs

The Grey Cardinal.....
This is one of the frog species we found a couple of days ago..

I nearly stepped onto it as it was sitting completely motionless on the path matching the it in colour.
I was waiting until it moved. It didn't. It seemed not to notice our presence to jump away as fast as possible.
I was tired to wait long and first started to throw little pieces of branches to it - it can be seen in the video.

 It didn't move.

Then I started to push it gently with a little stick. I touched the paw, it withdrew it, I touched another one, it withdrew it too, and thus all the four ones. I touched it on the back, it moved closer to the ground, I did another one - much closer as if it wanted to become flat and absolutely merge with the ground.

I didn't know what to do, was afraid smth had happened to it and it was dying.

I stamped my food. The vibration seemed to waken it up and it jumped. I did again - another jump.

And so we did it with the frog in unison until it jumped up from the path into the high grass.

I signed relieved as I didn't want anybody to set foot on it and kill it.

My questions:

What is the name of this frog species?

What sort of behavioural strategy is it? Had it been hunting (sit-and-wait predator) before we approached? And as soon as it noticed us did it use the behavioural strategy of sitting motionless and merging with the ground?

The Green Queen

This is another frog - again I don't know its name. And thus looks the area where it lives - her habitat.

When we came up to the river it jumped actively but as soon as my husband focused his camera on it it became motionless.

He was taking pictures of it for about 10 minutes (or more) and it was sitting still.

He called me to come up and have a look at it and again this "frozen" sitting made me ask him if he thought it was alright..."yes, it is, it was jumping merrily some minutes ago before I started the camera...".:)

I suggested it was attracted by the blinking of the camera lenses and was"enchanted" by it...though I immediately swept this idea off...seemed hardly possible it could be so...

Besides, our dog was actively busy swimming and running in the water, very close to the Frog creating storms in the water.

Not a hint of a movement. Frozen. Whatever we did - bending towards it, speaking loud, throwing sticks in the water...

We were leaving. This adamant Green Lady remained still, motionless, with her staunchest belief we couldn't see her:)

My questions:

What is the name of this frog species?

What sort of behavioural strategy is it? Again - sitting motionless and merging with the surrounding water and greens?

Black Swifts

Anti-predator behaviour
Where the Desna River makes a turn the bank is steep and inhabited by swifts who dig holes in it (Avoid contact with predator strategy).

Yesterday we observed their anti-predator behaviour: a crow was ruining their holes for eggs, and their strategy was MOBBING - all of them were making it fly away.
It always surprises me that whenever we come up to the river with Rey, my dog, the swifts start flying quickly just over us - I guess this is a making-us-go-away strategy.

INTRODUCTION

This Blog is going to be a collection of my notes devoted to the birds and animals and their behaviour and wonderful things I come across everyday in the riverside of the Desna River, Bryansk region, the Central part of Russia.
These observations are only possible thanks to my friend and companion Rey, our dog who is always accompanying me (or I him) in our everyday walks along the riverside; and to the brilliant camera-work of my husband when we go for walks all three, then my eyes are free for observations of the Nature and my hands - for playing with our dog and picking up interesting stuff like multicoloured stones, shells, sticks, leaves.....little pieces of Nature's riches...

Foto 2014

We do not have big species here, however, though I can't yet see many of them with my inexperienced eye, but can hear the presence of many, birds especially singing in different voices and tones I would say we have an abundance of little species like birds, frogs, insects, common water snakes, etc

And to each we encounter I will devote a separate page.
So...I am going to be a Gerald Durrell, thanks to the Animal Behaviour Coursera Course:)

Foto 2016

Note: after finishing the Animal Behaviour Course I decided not to drop this Blog and continue posting here all my observations of animals wherever I get them, with our passionate companion Rey.;):)

Foto 2016