Thursday, July 17, 2008

Egret etiquette,

On the right the momma (or daddy -- they share duties) Cattle Egret delivers a juicy meal to one of its rowdy chicks. The meal is anything but peaceful as the chicks cry, skirmish, flap their wings and come after mom with a vengeance to get the food faster. Mom thrusts her beak down into the chick's open beak and regurgitates the meal. With the beaks flying both ways trying to make the connection, it is definitely a miracle there are not more one eyed chicks and moms.

Docking the space shuttle this isn't. But it works.

-- steve buser

10 comments:

Coltrane_lives said...

My nineteenth-month-old daughter is the same way when she's hungry. Come to think of it, so am I. I can definitely relate. :-)

Halcyon said...

I think all young are the same!

Unknown said...

Lol at the comments about babies...my grandson does the same thing. And cries when the bottle or jar of baby food is gone. Thanks for posting!

Jilly said...

What photos. These are such a treat.

MumbaiiteAnu said...

Great photo!
Babies also do this till they are about 2 years old.

Wanda said...

Steve ~~ are you sure this isn't just "Dirty Dancing"??

LOL:) Wanda

Jill said...

Beautiful birds. Thanks for letting us see them up close and personal. btw, I wasn't able to catch Samatha Brown tonight, but I think they might rebroadcast it in the morning on the Travel Channel. I really wanted to see what she did in NO.

Jane Hards Photography said...

Just wonderful.

Anonymous said...

wonderful pictures of the birds. I enjoy reading your blog.

Lynette said...

These photographs are amazing, Steve! Besides the entire beak-docking-regurgitating-thing, I believe they give new life to that description, beady-eyed. Whew!