[Jays]

To add to the Jays that Dale, Donna, Gayle, and Patti posted . . .

Here are some of my photos (and antics) of the blue jays that I had this summer.

http://iowa2nh.blogspot.com/2010/06/bue-jays.html

--Mardean

Great pictures Mardean, the last one is very special.
greetings Aafke

[J]

Thanks Kris for the Jackdaw

J is for Jackdaw

The Jackdaw is a very smart bird, Konrad Lorenz observed  their behavior and wrote a great book about them, also about other birds.

You really have to read this book, it's called: " King Solomon's Ring"

The book's title refers to the legendary Seal of Solomon, a ring that supposedly gave King
Solomon the power to speak to animals. Lorenz claims, with only a little exaggeration, that he likewise achieved this feat of communication with several species. He accomplished this by raising them in and around his home and observing their behavior. King Solomon's Ring describes the methods of his investigation, and his resulting findings about animal psychology.

In this time of year the Jackdaws came together at special places for the night. It's amazing to see and hear thousands of them.
greetings Aafke

[I]

After reading about the Ibis,  (great pictures Patti and Paul)  I remembered that I saw a group of them one day.
the I is for Ibis, the African Sacred Ibis

from Wikipedia:
The African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a species of wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae, which breeds in sub-Saharan Africa, southeastern Iraq, and formerly in Egypt, where it was venerated and often mummified as a symbol of the god Thoth. the Ibis was according to Herodotus and Pliny the Elder also invoked against incursions of serpents. It was also said that the flies that brought pestilence died immediately upon propitiatory sacrifices of this bird.



Years ago we heard that there was a group of Sacred Ibisses in our neighborhood, they came from Iraq. We found them and I could take this blurry picture, it's my only proof that I saw them.

Here a  better picture of the Sacred Ibis

http://www.vogeldagboek.nl/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=18933

http://www.vogeldagboek.nl/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=6046

greetings Aafke

[I]

I is for Indian Goose or Bar-headed Goose

The Bar-headed Goose is one of the world's highest flying birds, having been seen at up to 10,175 m (33,382 feet). The Bar-headed Goose migrates over the Himalayas to spend the winter in parts of India. The bird can fly the 1000-mile migration route in just one day as it is able to fly in the jet stream.
The bird is pale grey and is easily distinguished from any of the other grey geese of the genus Anser by the black bars on its head.
greetings Aafke

Wile browsing on the Daily Squee (an I can haz ceezburger subsidiary)  I found this one appropriate to today...



With the ID found in the comments...


Kim says:
November 17, 2010 at 1:10 pm


‘Tis an “Inca Tern�. I knew it had to be some sort of tern, and just googled “black tern white curls on eyes�, haha.

Thanks Ei, what a beautiful bird, I never heard of it.
greetings Aafke

[H]

H is for me also for the Hoopoe

I really like the Hoopoe, you will say: you like all birds! Yes I do.
The Hoopoe was the first rare bird that I saw in my life.
Years ago, when we just started with looking at birds, we only had one small binocular. We drove through the meadows looking for birds. We only knew a few birds at that time. We saw a group of men (it are always men) with telescopes. We stopped and asked: what do you see?
The anwer was "a Hoopoe"!
A what???
Well they were kind enough to let us look through the telescope. It was amazing, I will never forget. 
Robert, my husband looked through the telescope too and said: he looks like a lapwing! Well that wasn't the smartest thing to say. 

http://img312.imageshack.us/img312/6562/hop02bki1.jpg
greetings Aafke

You are all doing a GREAT job!!! 

It would be awesome as more members will send a bird!!!

I had many birds with a B and lots with a G and at this moment I didn't have one with the letter I.


Tomorrow we go on with the letter I

the letter I on Wednesday 17 and Thursday  18 November

The letter J on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 November

The letter K on Sunday 21 and Monday 22 November

greetings Aafke

Nice to see Bobbie, thanks Donna.
Did you talk with her on the phone?
greetings Aafke

[H]

H is for Herring Gull

from Wikipedia:
 It is a large gull. The bill is yellow with a red spot and there is a ring of bare yellow skin around the pale eye. The legs are normally pink.

Here it is a common Gull.
The first picture shows an adult
The second picture shows a young bird
greetings Aafke

[dragonmom]

 

 Happy Birthday

  dragonmom

Have a nice day

greetings Aafke

   bguitar

[/quote]

And here is your card. I put it on the yahogroup when I noticed that this group had a problem.
greetings Aafke

[Ei]

 

 Happy Birthday

 Ei

Have a nice day

I will send your card later,
I'm having trouble with the cardmakingprogram.

greetings Aafke

 

[G]

G is for Greylag Goose

During the winter, The Netherlands is a real Geese country, you can find big groups of them almost everywhere. Even in the city I can hear them when they fly above me in a large V.
The Greylag Goose also broods in The Netherlands.

From Wikipedia: The Greylag Goose is the largest and bulkiest of the grey Anser geese. It has a rotund, bulky body, a thick and long neck, and a large head and bill. It has pink legs and feet, and an orange or pink bill

At the second picture you can see a gosling on the back of the adult goose.
greetings Aafke

[G]

G is for Grebe,  the Black-necked Grebe

From Wikipedia: The Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, known in North America as the Eared Grebe, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. It occurs on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
The two common names for this species both refer to features visible when the bird is in its breeding plumage; in such plumage, it has an all-black neck and a spray of golden plumes on each side of its head.

I can tell you that it is very great to see this bird, the golden plumes are very very special.
greetings Aafke

[G]

G is for Godwit

From Wikipedia:
 
The godwits are a group of large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory wading birds of the genus Limosa. They form large flocks on coasts and estuaries in winter.

They can be distinguished from the curlews by their straight or slightly upturned bills, and from the dowitchers by their longer legs. The winter plumages are fairly drab, but three species have reddish underparts when breeding. The females are appreciably larger than the males.

We have lots of shore birds so  we have lots of godwits.
greetings Aafke