It’s now time for Episode 03 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!
And for this episode, I’ve got tales from UK, one from USA and one from our own, Australia.
If you missed the second episode, head over to this page.
How hot-headed are these pheasants?
Scientists from a university in the UK monitored juvenile pheasants to see how their temperature changed during aggressive interactions that establish a pecking order.
They found out that pheasants — both the instigator and the recipient of the aggression followed a similar pattern of cooling and heating that is, these birds grew more cool-headed before a fight, due to a stress response in which blood rushes to the body’s core. Their heads became hotter again after the confrontation, as normal blood flow was restored.
Changes in blood flow are an important part of the stress response in multiple animal species, in a variety of different situations.
Recycling nests for the Great Horned Owls
Great horned owls are big birds, the second-largest owl species in North America, with a wingspan of 4½ feet! Now, there’s a story about these Great Horned Owls – these birds will generally try to reoccupy the same nests in consecutive years just like our story today!
This particular owl in our story used a nest in 2014 and raised its chicks successfully. The nests were used by other birds sometime after and in 2022, the owls are back for their hatching season and have used the same nests they’ve used in 2014!
Guess what album beats Taylor Swift in Australia (for a few weeks)?
In a surprising twist, an album of endangered bird songs beats Taylor Swift on Australian pop charts.
Many of those species in the album are in danger. One in six Australian birds are threatened due to bush fires, droughts, heatwaves, habitat loss, and other factors.
Norfolk Island Tour on September 02-09, 2022
Loved my bird tour content? Well, Nothing beats being there on the spot, watching the birds!
Join me and my brother, Michael Hermes on a personalised journey through Norfolk Island’s history, amazing wildlife, and stunning scenery drawing on the knowledge and memories from my time as a Norfolk Island National Parks Officer and Michael’s background as an archaeologist working in places such as the Northern Territory, Tasmania, and Queensland. You can book through this page.
I am very excited to see you all on this tour!
