One more STORK to add to the storks already here - I don't think I saw this one.
I identified yet another of my Berlin Zoo photos, thanks to help from Aafke!!! (that is to say, Aafke identified the beast for me)

MARABOU STORK
a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips. It is sometimes called the "undertaker bird," due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes, a large white mass of "hair."  (wikipedia)


I like the second shot, which, like my swan photos below, shows the bird all twisted up

dale

I found this among my Berlin Zoo photos of birds and for the life of me couldn't remember what it was. I asked Aafke and I think she has it figured out - she said Secretary Bird!  As far as I can tell she's right.   dale

Dale - Thanks for reminding me about them.  Should I post the Kaver and the TV pic now?  You know me, I have a hard time waiting.   

why one earth should you wait?
in THIS game we have been showing very little restraint. GO for it!

That's alot of tits Bobbie!!! I didn't know either. 

the prize for best tit name, as far as I'm concerned, goes not Great Tits but to the critter I posted back in "M" -

MOUSE-COLORED PENDULINE TIT

wonderful photo at: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gXoJNsSObeuZvTkR77FxYA

Dale

I remember and love both these and the Kaver ones, Carol!!! Thanks!
Kaver is one brave tiercel in those photos!  dale

Dale is right, but all birds have a dual voicebox; it's not unique to the Tui.  They just don't necessarily all choose to harmonize with themselves.  I'm saving up another spectacular example (my favorite birdsong) for when we get around to the Vs.  Here's a nice article about birds and singing:  http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/songs/index.html

that's a great article!
"Another performance ploy is to transmit the signal from above the vegetation by leaping up and calling from mid-air. The blue-black grassquit, a tropical grassland bird of South America, leaps clear of the grass during displays."  coool.

Tui have a dual voicebox - the secret to how they can get such human-sounding voice qualities (parrots only have one voicebox, thus the "parrot voice") ...they're doing two things at once, like Tuvan throat-singers do; a sort of harmonizing with yourself.

For anyone who has never heard Tuvan (Altai - Siberian) throat singing, here is a video of the most well-known Tuvan group. If you go to around 0:30, the throat singing begins. That is not an instrument; that's all him. It's really really hard to learn to do. That's just the whistle sound. They have others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxK4pQgVvfg&feature=related

here's another, wonderful group, performing (in Austin TX I think):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gBb1FzO2k&feature=related

if you listen to that for awhile and then listen to Woof-Woof the Tui:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqF33vc_q68&NR=1  

you can better hear how it's using two sounds at once. They use the second "voice" to make overtones - so they can sound like people when they mimic human voices.

Apparently Woof-Woof sounds VERY much like his keeper there -

dale

Hahaha. I was just typing that Patti's Canyon and Gayle's California look really similar to me. Really really cute and really really similar. Because their DNA is under their feathers

Gayle - love "tundras in flight Treampeleau".  Seems like I'd have heard of that place - but I hadn't!!
Or at least couldn't remember it. Beautiful photograph.

so funny how he sits there practically with his chin on the feeder. He knows that that's where the good stuff should be

"Widespread throughout its large range, the Lady Amherst's Pheasant is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species." (wiki-)

I don't know what the folks who make up the Red List have been spending their time looking at, but when I see the tail on that male, I am VERY, VERY concerned ;)

Thanks, Annette! Nice tail!!

dale

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101209/ap_on_hi_te/us_giving_by_wealthy

No, Shaky. Maybe one of these folks could buy a complete Audubon and donate it to another one of them!  Nothing ruined - everyone happy!

[T is for Tooken! I woke up and all the T's were Tooken!]

T is for Tooken! I woke up and all the T's were Tooken! 

They SO are NOT tooken. Is this little guy lookin' tooken?

(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TawnyFrogmouthEatingMouse.JPG)

Maybe some of you remember the great video this guy made to show how chickens' heads remain utterly immobile while you move their bodies all over:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dPlkFPowCc&feature=fvwk

Well, he finally did attach a cam to a chicken's head so you can see how steady the cam stays, no matter what. Once he gets it right, that is. Chicken Head Steadycam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ushoOdR-DKk

dale

[T]

T is for Trumpeter Swan -- I took the photo in Yellowstone (the last week of September before the serious snow started to fall there).Patti

very beautiful, lyrical image. They're awfully pretty before they run up and bite your ass, aren't they?