The Best Hraka Around
On Cillit Bang and a new low for marketers… (plasticbag.org).
This post deserves a read. A viral marketing campaign for some cleaner has crossed the bounds of all decency and the word should be spread. That’s one cleaner I’ll never be purchasing.
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Majestic. Stately. Impressive.
Also camera shy, easily spooked and difficult to photograph. The Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea and the Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, are two of the most beautiful birds that I have seen in Iraq.
The Purple Heron, not to be confused with this Purple Heron, is widespread through the western Palearctic, Europe, N Africa, Kazakhstan and Iran and through sub-saharan Africa. Also present in Madagascar, southern and eastern Asia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. They are typical herons, nesting in colonies, building stick nests and eating heron food - frogs, fish and insects - often waiting motionless or slowly stalking prey, as opposed to the hunting antics of the Little Egret.
The Purple Heron tends to stick closer to cover than the Grey Heron, perhaps because he doesn’t like to share lunch. One reason for their shyness could be because Grey Herons (Ardea cinera) often steal the Purple Herons’ catch when they are hunting close to each other. Purple Herons become even more shy during breeding season, preferring to hunt near cover. Purple Herons defend their feeding territory from each other by aggressively puffing out neck feathers and raising crests.
The one I managed to see was certainly shy - I was only able to get a couple of distant pictures, and off he went.
The Grey Heron is a slightly larger bird, standing almost a full meter in height with a wingspan of 1.85 m, according to Birds of the Middle East.
Grey Herons generally nest in colonies. Preferred nest sites are tall emergent trees, even dead ones. Their nests are large (40-45 cm wide) platforms solidly built out of sticks and lined with grass or fresh leafy branches. The males find and bring nesting materials to the females: the giving and receiving of sticks is done with lots of ritual. It is the female who does most of the actual construction. (sounds about like the way it’s done around my house) They aren’t too picky about what they eat - nearly anything will do.
Their hunting tactics, like their menu, are more varied than those of the Purple heron. They usually wait on the mud or at the water’s edge to snatch passing aquatic prey. They can stand motionless for hours. Or they may wade slowly through shallow water or on mud freshly exposed by the tide. They may also stalk fish. They may even dive into deeper water. In Europe, some even follow farm ploughs to catch whatever is unearthed or flushed out in the process.
Thier range inlcudes all of Great Britain from Ireland across to Europe, Asia, Japan & south to the Mediterranean. Also India and northern China, southern Africa, Indonesia. Birds in northern Europe migrate, wintering south of the Sahara, and they can live for more than 25 years.
Previously: The Indian Roller
Next: The Pygmy Cormorant
Continue reading ‘Birds of Iraq: The Big Herons’ »
From my limited view from behind the wire (and in the JOC) at Camp Victory, it was an overwhelming success. It’s clear that not only were there far more voters than in January, but also that the level of violence was much less - due in my opinion to the greatly increased numbers and proficiency of the Iraqi Army, Police and other security forces.
Good pictures and comments here and here.
This comment speaks volumes to the idea that Americans are continuing to look away from the MSM for their news.