I'm getting pretty tired of all the fuss about Sarah "Who the fuck?" Palin and the meta and 3-sentence diaries that invariably accompany these sorts of things. I'm posting this as a break for me and for all of you who choose to read and comment.
For anyone who hasn't seen any of these diaries, these photos are my dad's. I can't take responsibility for them. My dad travels to India quite frequently, and he always makes some time for birding. He sees some incredible birds there.
These are the last of the photos he brought back (for now).
I'll try to provide some information on each bird.
Green Bee-Eater(Merops orientalis). As the name suggests, they are insectivores, mostly bees, wasps, and ants. When they catch a bee or wasp, they smack it against a hard surface repeatedly. This removes the stinger and venom. Bee-eaters only catch flying insects, and completely ignore landed ones. Green Bee-Eaters are also capable of identifying with behaviour of other animals, a talent they use to hide their nest entrances.
River Tern (Sterna aurantia). It is found only on fresh water, whereas most terns are saltwater birds. It rarely even goes near brackish water. Like most terns, the River Tern feeds by diving for fish, crustaceans, tadpoles, and insects.
Stork-Billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis). It is a tree kingfisher, in the same family as the Kookaburra. Its diet consists of fish, frogs, crabs, rodents, and young birds. It is territorial, and will even chase off eagles. Despite its size (around 35cm) and its bright colours, the Stork-Billed Kingfisher is not particularly conspicuous in its natural habitat.
Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops). The Hoopoe has a fascinating defence mechanism: it sprays liquid shit at the threat. Its nest is also full of fecal matter, the smell of which serves to discourage predators. They are the state bird of Israel, despite being considered extremely unclean. Hoopoes are related to Bee-eaters and rollers.
For more birding fix, look for Dawn Chorus on Saturday mornings, hosted by lineatus. Also look for "Photo Breaks" from juliewolf throughout the week.
Also, plf515 has a meta series called Daily Kos University, where he (/she?) links to all the "teaching" diaries from the week. And Translator will be answering any and all questions (without reference!) at around 7:00 in "Tweak the Geek" (formerly "Outwit the Nitwit", formerly "Stump the Chump") Check it out!
As usual, The Left Wing is sort of an avian open thread. Feel free to share any bird (or any critter) pictures/stories, whether they're from the other side of the world, or from your own backyard.