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1. It's illegal to go on Sunken Island.
2. Rattle Snakes live on Sunken Island.
3. Ticks!!!
This is a large crop to better see the ticks on this fledglings head.
Last season was the first year I noticed the ticks. Not every fledgling had them but there were several that did.
Thanks for the nightmare inducing image James..... yikes
Hi James- You don't often see infestations of ticks like this unless the animal is in poor shape anyway. Then the ticks can be the coup de grace. Ectoparasites like this tend to be found around the head where preening is difficult. Pairs of birds often preen each other to get at these hard to reach places. Ticks tend to like dry, dusty conditions and vary between years depending on climate and weather. Seabird ticks up hear can carry Lyme Disease.
Interestingly, all of these ticks look like they're hanging onto the feathers the same as if they were hanging onto grass, waiting for a host to brush past. All of them are showing their dorsal surface. Is this bird infested with ticks preying on it, or has it become an ambush point for other birds? Or both?
"I think both" (a line from the great movie, Groundhog Day)
I have images that show them "dug in".
