Birds(and animals) live a life of "high alert" at all times. This hoopoe is busy using its long pointed beak to dig out and eat juicy worms from the freshly mowed lawn. Cars and people are passing by the road nearby and my camera is not far away focusing on him. He is unperturbed. Experience tells him "not to worry".
Suddenly he freezes. I wonder why. Can you guess?. Look at the video below and I have tried to bring the action in the background through the recorded sound.
Listen through the din of cars and wind and you can hear the shrieking of a "shikra" -a raptor, who is circling above the lawn. The hoopoe knows that any movement on the lawn will attract the raptor's attention and he will swoop down for a meal.
As the shikra flies further away, the hoopoe resumes his meal.
Here is the disappointed shikra taking a break
4 comments:
That is the strangest looking bird I think I have ever seen! It is SO interesting to see your pictures of Indian wildlife! Great blog!
Thank you. I liked your blog too. In our own way we both are trying to tell the world what they are missing in their own backyard!
That hoopoe is just a very beautiful bird! Looks like your backyard where the hoopoe is. Which part if India do you live in? I'd love to find and photograph these beautiful birds.
Thank you Shawn. Hoopoe is indeed a fascinating bird. It is right there in my front lawn at Gurgaon!
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