Bird Word: Aberrant
Aberrant: something that is unusual or abnormal
A bird that is aberrant is one that is unusual or abnormal, one that has strayed from its normal range or habitat.
If a Pelican landed in my swimming pool I would say this is rather unusual, though I have had a Little Pied Cormorant and a White Faced Heron investigate the pool and check it out for frogs and fish.
Frogs, yes, fish, no. That was also somewhat aberrant behaviour. On the part of the birds, not the frogs.
For more in these series of articles check out the Glossary of Birding Words.
Australian Pelican
Most popular articles
No Comments »24th October, 2006; Category: General
This birding blog is just over a year old now and I have been doing a little reflecting on what has happened over the last twelve months. With ever increasing numbers of people visiting this site about Australian birds I guess that many people would have missed some of the earlier articles I wrote that caused quite a stir, or which were particularly popular, for whatever reason.
They are all available if you search through the Archives section but that can be a little tedious. Another way is to search using the Categories section; this can also be a little tedious.
On this post, I will provide a very lazy way for you to access some of the very popular articles I have written over the last year. I should qualify the label “most popular.” I actually have listed those that have been most commented on over the last year.
Just click on the title of the articles you wish to read.
Ten Most Commented On Articles on this Blog:
- Do Blackbirds Swoop? How to deal with aggressive behaviour in birds.
- Common Blackbirds
- Some Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers (this is more about blogging and writing but references to birding as well).
- Rainbow Lorikeets
- Great Birding Moments #6 New Holland Honeyeaters
- Great Birding Moments #13 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos
- A Cloud of Kites
- Great Birding Moments #14 Cockatoo Close Encounter
- Great Birding Moments #5 Crested Pigeon
- Favourite Birding Spot #1 Home
So there you have it.
Ten great posts to read and enjoy.
Don’t forget to leave a comment on these – or any other posts.
Remember to use the archives and the categories sections to search out other interesting articles and photos.
This post was updated on 1st March 2017.
A Very Special Announcement
No Comments »12th October, 2006; Category: General
Duh!
I’ve been so busy recently I forgot a very special occasion.
For a very special announcement click here.
Road kills
On Friday and Saturday I had occasion to drive to Adelaide. From home to the city takes just under an hour to complete the 75km along the South Eastern Freeway. On the journey Friday I was concerned about the number of road kills I saw involving birds. On Saturday I decided to do a rough count; it was an estimate because I needed to concentrate on driving as well.
Here is a tally of the dead animals I saw on the side of the road:
- Australian Magpies 14
- Common Blackbird 1
- Stumpy Tailed Lizard 2
- Western Grey Kangaroo 1
The magpies have such a high count probably due to the young having recently fledged and not being able to fly out of the way of traffic as quickly, or perhaps not being as traffic savvy as the adults. Whatever the reason, it is sad to see so many animals dead in a relatively short stretch of highway. The sum total Australia-wide must be staggering.
Naturally these figures are only a very poor estimate of the total deaths. What I couldn’t count were the many others injured and unable to fly but not immediately killed. They would probably crawl or flap to a point away from the road to suffer a lingering, painful death.
It is a sad price to pay for the human impact upon the environment.
Brown Snakes and Woodswallows
4 Comments »3rd October, 2006; Category: General
Lately I have been trying to go for an early morning walk for the good of my health. Now that the days are beginning to warm up and most of the frosty mornings seem to have gone these are a little more pleasant. First thing in the morning is usually the best time for birding anyway.
Hot days
We have had the occasional day in recent weeks where the temperature has soared into the low 30s. This means that some of our Australian reptiles are on the move again. Lizards are actively appearing in different parts of the garden and we usually delight to see them as they make their way around.
Stumpy Tailed Lizard
Brown snakes
What I didn’t enjoy seeing on a recent morning walk was a Brown Snake. This species is widespread throughout our region and relatively common. It is also one of the deadliest snakes in the world. While snake bites in Australia can be fatal, the death rate is low because very few people ever get bitten. If they do, it is often their own fault, usually as a result of cornering the snake or trying to kill it. Naturally it will try to defend itself. Most snakes in Australia are intent on getting out of your way as quickly as possible.
Now the snake in question was dead when I saw it as it had been run over while crossing the road I was walking on. In the days that followed I saw two other dead Brown Snakes in nearby roads.
Dusky Woodswallow
Woodswallows
Just a little further on I saw several Dusky Woodswallows. These lovely little birds are widespread in southern and eastern Australia and always a delight to see. Often they can form congregations numbering in the hundreds or even thousands within a relatively small area. On my recent morning rambles, however, I have only ever seen two or three. They have appeared in the same spot along the road now on a number of days. I must watch more attentively to check out if they are nesting somewhere near.