Welcome to another episode of The Weekly Bird Wrap by Neil Hermes where I recap some of the most amazing stories and facts about birds across the nation and from all over the world! 🌍
If you missed the last episode, go ahead and click this page.
And for this week, I’m covering three amaze-wing stories for you.
I Let A Baby Bird Nest In My Hair For 84 Days
A woman’s hair became a human nest for a finch for nearly 84 days or 3 months.
In the year 2013, Hannah Bourne-Taylor and her boyfriend, Robin, moved from their home in London to start a new life in Ghana.
Due to her visa restrictions, she was unable to work and turned to nature to begin learning the routines of local birds.
Following a ‘particularly bad thunderstorm’ in 2018, Hannah formed an especially close bond with one little ‘fledgling finch’ after it lost its way.
So Hannah got to working caring for the little guy, feeding him termites, and watching as he fell asleep in her hand.
Original story found in this The Guardian article.
The Goldilocks Bird
The population of one of Australia’s most critically endangered bird species has been boosted with the first ever release in NSW of 10 plains-wanderers or affectionately dubbed the Goldilocks Bird.
Plains-wanderers are the only surviving species in the family Pedionomidae. Standing about 12-15cm tall and weighing 40 to 95 grams, Plains Wanderers are small fawn coloured birds that blend in seamlessly with the plains of arid Australia.
Wondering why they’re called “Goldilocks Birds”? Well, because they like their environment to be “just right” – not too dense or too sparse with vegetation.
American Black Swifts Respond to Lunar Eclipse
The American Black Swift — commonly referred to as Black Swift, is North America’s largest swift that is mostly found in mountainous regions of the western United States and Canada.
It spends most of its time thousands of feet in the air. As a group, swifts have recorded some impressive feats. Black Swifts stay aloft for up to eight months – amazing!
Recent research discovers that Black Swifts ascend to remarkable heights when the moon is full. The research involves tracking devices attached to Black Swifts.
As the moon passed through the Earth’s shadow, the tracked Black Swifts rapidly descended from their typical moonlit altitude of 13,000 feet. When the lunar eclipse ended, the swifts returned to the higher altitudes.
New Tour: Albatross Watching from Jervis Bay Tour
Loved my bird tour content? Well, Nothing beats being there on the spot, watching the birds!
Meet nature’s most extraordinary seabirds up close – Welcome to the Albatross Watching from Jervis Bay Tour by Neil Hermes.
Saturday 13 August
Jervis Bay
$245 – Early bird special ends on 30 April! Book now before the price increase.
The waters off the south coast are a sea bird-watching paradise in the winter months, especially for many species of albatross. These magnificent birds come close to the coast at this time of the year after their summer breeding on Antarctic islands.
Come & join me for the best viewing opportunities for pelagic birds, whales, turtles, and dolphins.
Book now. Click here to find out more information.
