looduskalender.ee

Somebody told us, that there is the opportunity to make some donations for the project.
That's a great idea cause the project is worth to be supported.

Could anybody pls. be so kind to show the link for the account details?

Ty v much

Could anybody pls. be so kind to show the link for the account details?

Thank you for the info! Wonderful to be able to help in a small way! Hope many more will do.

I noticed that every now and then the chicks move their head from side to side, a bit like owls tend to do.

I know that owls do that in order to determine the distance to something they see, because owls have their eyes 'locked' in the sockets (their eyes can't move, hence they have to move their whole head), and also because owls often hunt and fly by hearing, and their facial disc helps them with that.

Could it be that our chicks make these owl-like side to side moves with their heads for the same reason, as if they try to determine the distance and maybe speed and such of the object they're looking at?

I noticed that every now and then the chicks move their head from side to side, a bit like owls tend to do.

I know that owls do that in order to determine the distance to something they see, because owls have their eyes 'locked' in the sockets (their eyes can't move, hence they have to move their whole head), and also because owls often hunt and fly by hearing, and their facial disc helps them with that.

Could it be that our chicks make these owl-like side to side moves with their heads for the same reason, as if they try to determine the distance and maybe speed and such of the object they're looking at?
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@ Kukelke: Thank you for your pictures and the information about the feeding at 12:44. Very informative!

The ear evolved in fish as an organ of balance and it still performs this function today in both birds and mammals. The part of the ear that is the organ of balance consists of three semicircular canals situated in a part of the inner ear called the utriculus. These three canals lie one each in the three different planes of the material, i.e. one horizontal, one vertical and one sagittal. They contain a fluid and sensitive hairs. Movement of the head causes the fluid in the canals to move which energises or triggers the sensory hairs. The degree of movement of liquid in each canal combines to tell the bird exactly where its head is at any given moment in time. This is very similar to how the human sense of balance works. Naturally, for creatures who move in a fundamentally more fully three dimensional universe than we do a good sense of balance is very important.
http://www.earthlife.net/birds/hearing.html

When they put the rings on the chicks did they also specify the gender of the chicks? Does anybody know it?

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I've witnessed something similar when watching a nest of 3 barn owlets, where the youngest was pushed about by his older siblings (without pecking btw), so he was hungry all the time while the other 2 were well-fed. After a couple of days he developed new tactics to get his share of the food... by lowering his head to the ground as if he was a vacuumcleaner, and then trying to sneak up from behind, get his head under the wings of his siblings who were eating, steal their prey, and then swallow it very fast before the sibling had time to react. (Is the owlet in my avatar btw)

For some years I was so lucky nearby my home to have the opportunity/luck to observe a WTE pair raising their youngs. During these years they 2 years in a row raised 3 chicks. And it was clear that these number 3 chicks each developed their own stategy how to get their share of the food. E.g. as very young one of them stood between the legs of the parent, very well protected, but then being too big for that he also had to find another method which turned out well.