Tuesday, May 1, 2012

"Dive-bombing" the enemy: why do birds do it?
I spend three days at the Bird Atlass Bash at Vaalboskraal near Mareetsane in the North West Province. This was for SABAP2 (South African Bird Atlass Project ) It was real fun.
While atlassing pentad 2600_2535 and 2605_2535, I  witness a spectacle where a Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk was being mobbed by Pied Crow at first, then a Black Shouldered Kite.
Birds normally mob an intruder who enters their territory by harrasing, intimidating and chasing off using the "dive-bombing"  or "sally attacks" techniques. Protection of a territory. Here is the story

The Pale Chanting Goshawk just perched on a power line
(being in a wrong territory)

Along came a Black-shouldered Kite

Dive bombing

Moved to another location for its own safety

But along came a Pied Crow this time
 

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