Birds

brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis), Sri Lanka

Great grey owl (Strix nebulosa), Portrait, Captive.

Dust Bathing Caracara-12.jpg

The northern crested caracara is closely related to the Peregrine falcon but unlike many other falcons, caracara are not fast-flying aerial predators. Their long legs make them better adapted to walking and running on the ground where they hunt and scavenge anything from seeds and beetles to small birds and rodents. They're a common sight amongst the wetlands and open grasslands of Brazil. I was staying at a research station in Matagrossense National Park in the northern part of the Pantanal. While sitting on the porch I noticed clouds of dust puffing into the air from just over a hummock. I went to investigate and discovered this Caracara dust bathing. Fluffing its feathers and rubbing in the dust - a strategy to help remove parasites from its feathers. Its feathers were so ruffled that it resembled a feather dusty, very different from the sleek raptor that I had seen many times before.

Dust Bathing Caracara-5.jpg

The northern crested caracara is closely related to the Peregrine falcon but unlike many other falcons, caracara are not fast-flying aerial predators. Their long legs make them better adapted to walking and running on the ground where they hunt and scavenge anything from seeds and beetles to small birds and rodents. They're a common sight amongst the wetlands and open grasslands of Brazil. I was staying at a research station in Matagrossense National Park in the northern part of the Pantanal. While sitting on the porch I noticed clouds of dust puffing into the air from just over a hummock. I went to investigate and discovered this Caracara dust bathing. Fluffing its feathers and rubbing in the dust - a strategy to help remove parasites from its feathers. Its feathers were so ruffled that it resembled a feather dusty, very different from the sleek raptor that I had seen many times before.

Ellie the Goshawk-1.jpg

I was filming with Ellie - a magnificent Goshawk raised by bird specialists Lloyd and Rose Buck. We used high speed cameras to capture her aeronautical skills, and reveal how these stealthy predators navigate tiny spaces in the forest with ease. In between shots she relaxed on Lloyds arm allowing me to take this photo. #BBCEarth #EarthOnLocation #BirdofPrey #Predator #Flying #Goshawk #Portrait #WildlifePhotography #BritishWildlife

NB: This image is also held by RexFeatures.com Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Flocking to find water, Summer, Northern Territory, Australia

A dead tree springs to life when hundreds of budgies, looking like leaves, use it as a place to rest as they search for water. During the summer months in central Australia (November to February), the temperature can be in the 40s and water is scarce. I knew that budgies (Melopsittacus undulatus) would start to flock together as they sought out what little water remained . It was a challenge to locate where they might gather but I heard reports from an area south of the town of Alice Springs. I drove up and down the desert searching the horizon for flocks. I eventually found a small waterhole littered with little green feathers and fresh droppings. I returned just before dawn. It was silent but it wasn

Budgies flock together to try and confuse predators like falcons --------------------- During the summer months in central Australia (November to February), the temperature can be in the 40s and water is scarce. I knew that budgies (Melopsittacus undulatus) would start to flock together as they sought out what little water remained . It was a challenge to locate where they might gather but I heard reports from an area south of the town of Alice Springs. I drove up and down the desert searching the horizon for flocks. I eventually found a small waterhole littered with little green feathers and fresh droppings. I returned just before dawn. It was silent but it wasn

Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Flocking to find water, Summer, Northern Territory, Australia

Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Flocking to find water, Summer, Northern Territory, Australia

During the summer months in central Australia (November to February), the temperature can be in the 40s and water is scarce. I knew that budgies (Melopsittacus undulatus) would start to flock together as they sought out what little water remained . It was a challenge to locate where they might gather but I heard reports from an area south of the town of Alice Springs. I drove up and down the desert searching the horizon for flocks. I eventually found a small waterhole littered with little green feathers and fresh droppings. I returned just before dawn. It was silent but it wasn

NB: This image is also held by RexFeatures.com Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Flocking to find water, Summer, Northern Territory, Australia

Inside a budgie murmuration - the birds fly close to each other, constantly changing their direction to confuse predators like falcons ---------------------------------------------During the summer months in central Australia (November to February), the temperature can be in the 40s and water is scarce. I knew that budgies (Melopsittacus undulatus) would start to flock together as they sought out what little water remained . It was a challenge to locate where they might gather but I heard reports from an area south of the town of Alice Springs. I drove up and down the desert searching the horizon for flocks. I eventually found a small waterhole littered with little green feathers and fresh droppings. I returned just before dawn. It was silent but it wasn

Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Flocking to find water, Summer, Northern Territory, Australia

Mumurations of budgies form over a shrinking water hole -------------------------During the summer months in central Australia (November to February), the temperature can be in the 40s and water is scarce. I knew that budgies (Melopsittacus undulatus) would start to flock together as they sought out what little water remained . It was a challenge to locate where they might gather but I heard reports from an area south of the town of Alice Springs. I drove up and down the desert searching the horizon for flocks. I eventually found a small waterhole littered with little green feathers and fresh droppings. I returned just before dawn. It was silent but it wasn

Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Flocking to find water, Summer, Northern Territory, Australia

Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Flocking to find water, Summer, Northern Territory, Australia

Black Thighed Falconet - Worlds smallest raptor

Black-thighed falconet (Microhierax fringillarius), Malaysia. The worlds smallest bird of prey, the size of a sparrow.

Black Thighed Falconet - Worlds smallest raptor

Black-thighed falconet (Microhierax fringillarius), Malaysia. The worlds smallest bird of prey, the size of a sparrow.