Thursday, June 25, 2009

Anting


Both of the babies are fine, preening and resting when I got to family area. About 20 minutes before I arrived several birders reported that one of the babies had been on the ground, wings spread out, not afraid of people. This is standard bird behavior. Anting. The birds spread their wings and ants in the ground clean their wings of parasites. The baby hawks don't know fear, so it's very important to keep clear. Give plenty of space. Don't startle the bird. Don't go close. The bird is not sick or hurt. It's doing something pleasureable and very necessary. I wasn't there for today's anting, but I did see Ziggy, Charlotte and Junior's child, anting in Central Park in the summer of 2007. Most birds ant. Seeing a small bird ant is so sweet. Seeing a large bird ant is spectacular.
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