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by Dave Grant  Ben Franklin once wrote to his sister, "Modesty…makes the most homely virgin amiable and charming." It would seem that the same thought applies to bird watching, for it is oftentimes their behavior that is much more appealing to us than their beauty. Last March at Sanibel Island, Florida, we marvelled at the variety of birds and added a few species to my checklist. But of most interest was the behavior of the wildlife, especially the interaction between some unrelated birds. The first encounter involved some opportunistic feeding by a pied-billed grebe shadowing a white ibis. Both birds are dependent on wetlands; the dabchick - as Audubon called the grebe - diving for fish, frogs, worms and plants; the ibis probing for crustaceans, insects, worms and an occasional snake. By relying on the turbulence generated by its apparently good-natured cousin, the grebe was able to dart among the ibis's long legs and snatch those morsels that weren't of interest to it, saving the energy normally used in diving for dinner.  Less polite are the fish crows along the Gulf beaches. On several occasions and at different beaches I observed pairs of crows mingling among flocks of resting terns and gulls. Lingering a few minutes and muttering a guttural croak or two (You can usually sense when these rascals are up to no good by their voice), each bird would leap into the air and dive on an inattentive tern, tearing a feather from its back. Needless to say, this lack of protocol caused some consternation with the terns. However the crows would soon fly inland to the palm trees with their treasures (Probably to line a nest), and the terns would get back to the business of staring out to sea. Like the ibis, the tern doesn't get much out of the encounter, except perhaps some loss of dignity. The real winner is the bird watcher with the patience to stop for a moment and enjoy the interaction. NOTE: The author leads an ALS field trip to Sanibel/Captiva in the fall. The drawings are by Susan Draxler. |