I've recently started writing a blog in which I'm going to try and post some photos of birds along with detailed information about either the birds, the locations, the trips, the technique or the post processing.
I'm hoping it's OK and suitable to post my first major entry below. I'd really appreciate any critique people have so that I can learn to write better articles.
For example, does it flow OK, is it complete within itself and, most importantly, is it of any interest to you.
Cheers,
GS
About the Hoopoe
There is only one species of Hoopoe, but instead of that making it a rare or localised bird, it is surprisingly widespread around the world. The Wikipedia article has a map placing them across much of southern Asia and Africa, nesting a little further north. They can even be found in the south of the UK as a passage migrant in April-May. Here in Thailand, they can be found all over the country, but we found them surprisingly tough to spot for a long while.
Its most distinctive feature is undoubtedly the bold crest that spans from above the eyes to behind the head and a smooth arc, the feathers tipped with black markers. The crest is normally flattened as shown on the left, leaving the bird with a distinctive shape along with its pleasant mix of black and white wings and a orangey upper body.
When raised, two opposing lines of feathers stand up to create a crest that is clearly designed to be viewed from the side, as seen in the picture of the Hoopoe resting in grass below.
The feathers have a distinctive cupped shape to them, which will provide them with some strength to withstand folding in a breeze. As you can see, this cupping gives a strange, empty look to the crest when viewed head-on.
These two photos show details of the crest. Any small photos such as these can be clicked on to show a larger view.
Finding Food
The birds like to forage for insects on the floor and can often be seen near populated areas, appearing to enjoy the shortened grass and dusty areas humans create. This family of 5 Hoopoes was seen within the grounds of the Regent Chalet resort in Cha-am, feeding and pruning on a grassy area between the pool and some chalets.
We spent over an hour watching the family in this area, usually keeping about 6m away from the birds. Towards the end of that time they seemed to become more used to us and were coming closer, which in turn enabled me to try to find better angles and distances for photography.
In all that time, the Hoopoes almost always kept their crests down. The adults would raise their crests briefly sometimes; I understood this to be for signalling to others a warning or a 'come get some food' invitation. The crest would also be raised for a moment upon landing, perhaps as a reflex action or due to momentum – I also noticed the crest raised by a strong gust of wind.
As mentioned, Hoopoes eat insects and small grubs. These are found predominantly by foraging in the soft ground using their long, sharp beaks, which have strong enough muscles to be opened whilst in the earth. The crest will normally be down during this time. Once a bug is caught, it may not be eaten straight away; at one point I saw a Hoopoe take the bug to a piece of concrete, place it down and then stab the insect repeatedly to kill it. If there are young around, the food may be passed on, which I'll show in a later post.
The birds would also occasionally look for food in the trees, but this appeared to be much less common. This one was seen pecking into the top and sides of the broken-off branch.
The Hoopoes also spent a lot of time pampering themselves and teaching their young how to get by on their own. These will be the topics for the next couple of blog posts. I will post a fully fledged Blog Post about once every fortnight, and a Portrait of the Week every week.
The Hoopoes of Cha-am
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