Black-headed
male Cardinal
Summer reports of birds displaying bare heads are not too
uncommon. Most often the bird is a Cardinal, usually referred to
as red-birds by the general public. On July 27, 2005, the adult
male Cardinal in the photo (left) was photographed by Ron Ginardi of
Frontenac, KS, during one of its visits to his yard.
Ginardi thought he could see a "thin, lone feather was coming out of
the top of it's head". For an interesting account of this
condition in birds click here.
On August 29, 2003, Jim
Ziebol photographed this very white "mutant" House Sparrow on a parking
lot near Tower Grove Park in the St. Louis, Missouri area. It was among
a small flock of House Sparrows and probably the same bird reported
earlier by Gail Ahumada. Thanks to Yvonne Homeyer for relaying Jim's
photos for use on this web page.
Please notice that the white bird has some dark (pigmented) areas in
its plumage and has, what appears to be, "dark eyes". Albinos are all
white with pink eyes.
(Photos by Jim Ziebol)
Devoted Killdeer protecting nest.
An orange flag marks a Killdeer nest on the
parking lot of Big Brutus,
just southwest of West Mineral, Cherokee County, Kansas. Emmett
Sullivan took these photos of this protective parent bird at very close
range, as it performed the "crippled wing" act. The nesting area
was protected from vehicles, allowing the Killdeer to nest
successfully. Killdeer nest in slight depressions in the rocks,
and as depicted in the adjacent photo the eggs are quite difficult to
see against the rocky background. The young are able to run soon
after hatching.
What is wrong with these
pictures?
There is no doubt what is being projected by the body language
of this young Mom! "I'm just fine but don't move one inch
closer!" The photo was taken on July 5, 2003, by my wife, Liz
Mangile, during a presentation on reptiles at Lake Crawford, near
Farlington, KS. Over 60 people, including many children, were in
attendance. Park Naturalist, Adam Murray, who assisted with the
presentation, tried to ease the tension as he attempted to get
this young Mom acquainted with a beautiful, harmless,
rough green snake. The kids begged to hold the snake - but adults are apparently much smarter! Other
adults responded in the same manner as the pretty young Mom in the
photo - snakes represent a menace, to the adult mind. This photo
seems to be one
of those special shots that captures the essence of the moment; like
the
sailor kissing the girl on the street, after World War II . It is
too good a shot not to share.
In stark contrast to the lady above, these two little cuties at the
right were completely unafraid of the baby black rat snake they were
holding. Their names are not known but they were fully aware of
their snake-bearing status - working the crowd as
ambassadors. They were part of a crowd pleasing baton show at the
October 4, 2003, Craft Show that was held as a fund raiser for the South East Kansas Nature Center
currently under construction in Schermerhorn Park at Galena, KS.
They deserve thanks for posing for the photo but as you might detect
the pleasure was all theirs! I wonder if Moms, like the one
above, can answer why their child's behavior is so much different than
their own. After all that is a "snake" they are holding!
Pied Common Grackle
Throughout the winter of 2002 and 2003
there were several reports of pied (spotted; partly colored)
"blackbirds"
in the Pittsburg, Crawford County, Kansas area. One such report
was of a solid white bird seen in a flock of blackbirds of unknown
species. On March 13, 2003, a pied common grackle (Quiscalus
quiscula) visited our yard and was photographed through
the window of our garage, as it mingled with a small flock of
other grackles. Such irregularly pied birds are erroneously
referred to as "partial albinos" and are
a human curiosity. Albinos are all white with pink eyes.
Dilute-blond
vs. Wild Color Ring-necked dove
Click here
for call of Ring-necked Dove, Streptopelia "risoria"
Upper
left: Photo of an apparent escaped domesticated
Ring-necked dove, Streptopelia "risoria" (call ringed
turtle dove in birding guide books), was sent to me by Jan Neale of El
Dorado, MO. Upper right & Lower
left: The wildtype coloration of the ring-necked dove
raised in captivity. - - Ring-necked doves have been bred in captivity
for centuries. Escapees cause confusion among bird watchers
because they look much like the Eurasian Collard dove, Streptopelia
decaocto. One of the most distinguishing characteristics
is the difference in their call. Domestic Ring-necked doves are
commonly bred in a variety of colors. The wild Eurasian Collard
dove is a bit larger and not found in a wide variety of colors.
The photo in upper left appears to be dilute-blond (or fawn
color). To learn more about the variety of
plumage types in the domestic dove click here.
Diamondback Water Snake
Eating Bullhead Catfish.
Caught in the act of eating one
of his
hand fed Bullhead Catfish, Bob Hurt of rural Pittsburg, KS snapped this
photo on August 15, 2002. The Diamondback Water Snake was said to
be about 3-feet, or so, in length and about 2-inches in diameter; the
catfish
was about 10-12 inches long. It took the resident snake, AKA
"Sneaky
Snake", about an hour to get itself around the catfish.
Great
shot Bob, and thanks for feeding the wildlife!
Addendum:
The diamondback water snake is not poisonous. Some species of
water snakes are called "water moccasins" but they should not be
confused with the Cottonmouth (Water) Moccasin, which is
poisonous. For a picture and some information about the
cottonmouth click here.
Maintained by:Robert J.
Mangile
Mangile's
Home Page
Pied
Northern Cardinals
