The Ruff…and, at this time year definitely, the ready…. Philomachus pugnax

The Ruff…and, at this time year definitely, the ready…. Philomachus pugnax

The Ruff is a medium-sized wading bird. The male is much larger than the female. It has attractive brown and white patterned feathers, an orange face surrounded by white plumage and an ornamental collar which it uses in an impressive courtship display

The female is less showy with lightly patterned brownish grey plumage.

During the courtship display this ruff dances around the female ruffling his collar. He looks larger and quite magnificent although the little female looks totally unimpressed.

The female, after she has chosen her suitor, will eventually lay four eggs on the ground. Ruffs breed in marshes or wet meadows.

The ruff eats insects and plants which it obtains from foraging in soft mud or grassland.

The bird got its English name because of its neck collars similarity to the ruff, an elaborate collar, that was fashionable for people in the Seventeenth century.

Why do birds stand on one leg?

Why do birds stand on one leg?

All kinds of birds stand on one leg, from the large Flamingo to the much smaller Avocet. Why ?

The habit is more often seen on cold days which would suggest there is a warming strategy to it. When tucking a leg into their feathers a bird can halve exposure to cold and keep at least one leg warm.
Birds have their veins close to their arteries, so that when the blood moves along the arteries it warms the cold blood moving along the veins. Standing on one leg with the other leg tucked inside feathers halves heat loss.
Many birds that stand on one leg are waders..shore birds, which leads some to believe they are drying and warming legs that have been emerged in cold water.

Some birds are so comfortable in the one legged position that they remain on one leg when they want to move and so hop along. For many the one leg below their bodies places a foot directly under their centre of gravity so balancing is easier.

There are other suggestions as to why birds use the one legged strategy: simply to rest their legs…one at a time, to resemble a small tree or plant when hunting and so on.

Whatever the reason I wish I had the ability.

Oyster Catcher…. Haematopus ostralegus

Oyster Catcher…. Haematopus ostralegus

During a quiet walk along a coast road in Torquay last week, late October, I came across this Oyster Catcher.

Usually seen in flocks, this lone bird with its bright red beak, eyes and pinkish red legs was striking against the grey sea. It’s companions on the rocks were Herring Gulls, Black-backed Gulls, Black-headed Gulls and Cormorants.

Oyster Catchers don’t in fact eat oysters, but prefer cockles and mussels. They can be seen in large numbers and flocks on estuaries. Why this Oyster Catcher was alone and on our rocky shore is a mystery.

The delicate looking Oyster Catcher picked amongst the rocks unconcerned about the heavy, splashing waves.
You have to wonder how it become detached from its companions and if it was on its way to winter in Ireland. I wondered if it would find another flock to join or go it alone.