Wildlife Photography across the Water: How wildlife adapts to the challenges of feeding

Sunday 28 February 2010

How wildlife adapts to the challenges of feeding

One of the food options that I put out in my garden is a suet/fat/seed/nut mix that I wedge into the cracks in trees and my mark 2 feeding tree. I place it for Woodpeckers and Tits to feed on. All the other species have plenty of other options.

But as the Chaffinches, Blackbirds and Sparrows eat all of their food, they then start to adapt their feeding techniques to go for the fat/suet mix.

I have always put the feed into areas where the trees are leaning over so the wildlife has to work to get it and does not have an easy option. It also makes more difficult for any marauding squirel.

However while I spent some time watching the birds yesterday, I noted two different and unusual behaviours that I thought I would share with you.

Firstly, I saw the Blackbirds flying up to the underside of the overhangs and either pecking (more like head butting) or footing the suet/fat to dislodge it. Then they shuttled around on the ground eating up their gains. This continued for quite a while. They clearly learn quickly as different birds where doing the same thing in different parts of the garden.

The next behaviour of interests was from the Chaffinches. Now I have seen them come into a seed tray or one of the feeding stumps and hover overhead just before setting down on many an occasion. But with the suet/fat, they would approach the tree and go into the hover while eating the mix while on the wing, just like a humming bird.

Will come back later today with the female Sparrowhawk images.

Martin

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.