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| Straw-necked Ibis |
These shots are a bit of a blast from the past - as you can see by the fact that people are playing cricket in the background of the pictures.
These pictures are taken on a local sports field - an oval as we say here. I had noticed a flock of Straw-necked Ibis feeding on the oval a few day before, and luckily they were still there when I went back. They seemed to be immune to the sound of willow and leather.
These birds are not small, with a wing span of about 1m and a length of between about 60 and 75cm. In some parts of the world this bird is known as the Sacred Ibis and its scientific name is a nod in that direction - Threskiornis spinicollis means the "sacred spiny-neck bird". The spines in this case bing the plumes on the chest.
This bird also has one of the better historical common names - it has been know as the "Farmers Friend" - and if you look at the image of the bird flicking the large soil grub into its beak you can see why!
I some places these birds are a bit of pest, being used to garnering tit-bits from picnics and the hands of small children. I can say from experience that they seem to have a fondness for peanut butter sandwiches!
The birds with the shorter beaks in these images are juvenile birds.
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| Straw-necked Ibis - juvenile |
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| Straw-necked Ibis - The Farmers Friend |
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| Straw-necked Ibis |
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| Straw-necked Ibis |
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| Straw-necked Ibis |
Now its your turn to get involved in WBW - click the link below and off you go! Please link back to WBW, share and generally spread the joy that is WBW through out the world!
Last week I asked if people knew of any reason why links to WBW had fallen a bit - and many people pointed out that it was the holiday season "up north" - slaps self on forehead!
However, I will now keep the WBW link open until noon on Saturday to give people better chance to link up.
Over to you.
Great shots of beautiful bird.
ReplyDeletethe sheen on their feathers is quite pretty! :)
ReplyDeleteI think the adults are actually quite handsome despite the "prehistoric" appearance! Beautiful plumage!
ReplyDeleteA great looking bird, Stewart, and beautifully captured, particularly with that metalic sheen on the wings.
ReplyDeleteHappy to discuss your visit to UK and owls, but 'off line' please as I do not want to divulge any locations to the world at large.
Hoping to meet up in 2014
Best wishes - Richard
HI Stewart Wonderful blue/green sheen off their feathers. Great post.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, Stewart! I've never seen these up close; I love their iridescent colors and all that neck straw.
ReplyDeleteWat mooi en zoveel ibissen bij elkaar,wat een mooi gezicht.
ReplyDeleteWow....pretty!!!! Love the colors.
ReplyDeleteLovely sharp and clear images Stewart. Great subject matter too as they tend to be more tolerant to the camera, I found the Hadeda Ibis in SA to be just as accommodating.
ReplyDeleteThe have gorgeous coloring!
ReplyDeleteThey're very elegant-looking.
ReplyDeleteThis is a awesome bird. I love the iridescent feathers ... and they must be good if they like peanut butter. I would love to hear the story of how you know that :) Eating grubs is a good thing ... and nice natural way to control the insect population ... I hate that we have to put pestisides out here to get rid of the Japanese beetles. I would hire an Ibis any day. Great shots, Stewart ... Hope you are enjoying your Spring as much as we are starting to enjoy Fall. Isn't it awesome that we can communicate like this and we are half way around the world ...
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From The Sol
Handsome looking!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos ... GREAT !
ReplyDeleteGreetings
Great photos of the Ibis.
ReplyDeleteHi Stewart, these are beautiful birds. It's amazing they are residing so peacefully on the oval with the sportsmen. All great shots, have a great day.
ReplyDeleteLove how the light reflects off the black feathers... Thanks for hosting! - Wish I was on a holiday. :)
ReplyDeleteStewart, I love your Straw-necked Ibis. They look similar to the Glossy Ibis found here. And some do have the glossy feather on their sides. Very pretty! Great shots and a wonderful post. Thanks for hosting and I wish you a happy week ahead!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of these birds, but are they any good at cricket?
ReplyDeleteWhat an epic Ibis!!!! That is one incredible bird.
ReplyDeleteInteresting birds. They seem to have a whole rainbow of colours on their wings.
ReplyDeleteHi Stewart,
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of this beautiful Ibis.
The third picture is my favorite.
Greetings Irma
Amazing shots of unperturbed birds on the oval!
ReplyDeleteFantastic photo of it eating that grub! I think this species is often overlooked for its beauty.
ReplyDeleteWow, I glad that you got fabulous shots of the birds.. I like your birds..
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting looking bird. I've come to the conclusion that the rest of the world has much more interesting birds than I can claim. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, Stewart!
ReplyDeletegreat series Stewart; I love the luminescent plumage on the straw-necks
ReplyDeleteMarvellous pictures - loving the cricket setting! And informative as always. Thank-you Stewart!
ReplyDeleteCricket and birding, a wonderful combination. Saying hello from Greece, catch up with you soon Stewart.
ReplyDeleteI love those photos of them together. They're like a family aren't they? Maybe they are all related to one another!
ReplyDeleteIncredible images, Stewart! I can't believe you caught the one flipping the grub into its beak. You must've done a Snoopy Happy Dance when you reviewed your images :-)
ReplyDeletea bird I can´t remember seeing before. Looks interesting but I´m not sure if I wanted them close to a child. It is a big beak.
ReplyDeleteSo love those deep, almost mystical colours on the wings of this bird. Gorgeous photos. And I haven't linked up recently because we have been deluged with rain and wind. Not good walking weather. But it's getting better.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful iridescent feathers!!! A Lovely Bird!!
ReplyDeleteGreat information, Stewart, and superb images!
ReplyDeleteOur White Ibis is a regular visitor to suburban yards and parks and performs the same insect control task.
Hope your weekend starts early, ends late and is filled with birds!
Those are amazing birds - and fabulous shots. Love the contrasts.
ReplyDeleteSuperb shots of a very beautiful bird!! I have never seen one of these except in photos. I'm impressed!!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! They're such fascinating birds. I finally made it before the deadline. :-)
ReplyDeleteThose are neat bunch of shots of the Straw Necked Ibis. I seen a have only a Glossy Ibis.
ReplyDeleteWell, anybirdy who likes peanut butter sandwiches can't be all bad. (Unless of course it eats mine!)..... Fascinating birds. They sort of shine.
ReplyDeleteHi Stewart. What wonderful looking birds, absolutely splendid and their feather coloration is gorgeous. Very nice shares.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my tardiness once again. Monday my bad knee gave way to a full Medial Meniscus tear and I am having Arthroscope done to help ease pain this Tuesday...doing life ;)
Beautiful birds and fantastic photos of them!
ReplyDeleteI used to play club cricket 20 years ago in Elwood, Melbourne but was often scolded for dropping catches in the outfield due to watching birds and not the ball!
ReplyDelete