On the subject of play, I've seen young squirrels playing with small sticks, tossing them in the sir, catching them, rolling around with the stick, and I can't really think of a practical application to squirrel life skills for that behavior other than fun. And we've all seen the video of the crow sliding down the snowy roof on a plastic lid "sled" (and if you haven't, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn0OjCneVUg )
Jennifer Wilson Pines On Mon, Jun 7, 2021 at 10:00 AM Peter Post <pwp...@nyc.rr.com> wrote: > I for one would like to see more of this sort of thing kn NYSBirds. There > are many such observations that go unrecorded. This is a perfect place for > it. > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jun 7, 2021, at 8:24 AM, Cappello, Adriana R (DEC) < > adriana.cappe...@dec.ny.gov> wrote: > > > I thoroughly enjoyed this thread- thank you for sharing!! 🙂 > > > > *Addie Cappello* > > Wildlife Technician, Division of Fish and Wildlife > > Pronouns: She/Her/Hers > > > > *New York State Department of Environmental Conservation* > > 50 Circle Road, Stony Brook, NY 11790 > > P: (631) 444-0310 | P: (631) 924-3156 | adriana.cappe...@dec.ny.gov > > www.dec.ny.gov | [image: 13898AF0] <https://www.facebook.com/NYSDEC> | [image: > 48545E7E] <https://twitter.com/NYSDEC> | [image: F510F3C] > <https://www.instagram.com/nysdec/> > > > > [image: F73604AA] > > > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* bounce-125688380-83014...@list.cornell.edu < > bounce-125688380-83014...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joseph Wallace < > joew...@gmail.com> > *Sent:* Sunday, June 6, 2021 12:07 PM > *To:* Shane Blodgett <shaneblodg...@yahoo.com> > *Cc:* Brendan Fogarty <bn...@cornell.edu>; Ardith Bondi < > ard...@earthlink.net>; nysbirds-l@cornell.edu <nysbirds-l@cornell.edu> > *Subject:* Re: [nysbirds-l] Barn Swallow question > > > *ATTENTION: This email came from an external source. Do not open > attachments or click on links from unknown senders or unexpected emails.* > > Thanks, Shane. I guess that's long been debated (e.g., do cats play?), > since almost all forms of play also have a "practice" aspect. I was telling > my swallow story to a friend in the D.C. area, and he described a pair of > foxes who had a den near his backyard. The kits would come out in the early > morning and play with the balls my friend's family had left in the > yard...but the play was pouncing, chasing etc. So I'd like to believe it > can be both. > > Hope it's okay to continue this conversation here. (I find it > fascinating!) I/we can take it private if it's taking up too much space. > --Joe > > On Sun, Jun 6, 2021 at 11:49 AM Shane Blodgett <shaneblodg...@yahoo.com> > wrote: > > For birds that catch prey on the wing I wonder if this behavior is just > for “fun“ or could also be seen as “practice.” > > Regards, > Shane Blodgett > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jun 6, 2021, at 10:53 AM, Joseph Wallace <joew...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Thank you all for your replies (here and directly to me) and the > references. I love that feather-play is a "swallow thing." The one I > watched varied its game, swooping in from all angles and approaches. Twice > it flew almost straight upwards until it was perhaps fifty feet off the > ground before releasing the feather. > > I'm intrigued by the fact that one of the earlier reports also specifies a > large *white* feather; my guess is that, like yesterday's, it was a down > feather, which would float in the air much more satisfactorily than a > denser one. > > I write essays on nature for a local Audubon Society. I think my next > piece will focus on bird play! Thanks again-- > Joe > > On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:34 PM Brendan Fogarty <bn...@cornell.edu> wrote: > > Joseph and all, > > This behavior seems familiar, but I cannot say if I have seen it before in > person or in media. It is definitely documented; below is an excerpt from > Birds of the World online. > > "In Britain, 3 juveniles were observed apparently playing with large white > feather while in flight, repeatedly dropping it and catching it before it > reached the ground (1). Adults are also known to exhibit this same > behavior (2)." > > 1. Thompson, B. G. (1990). Behaviour of Swallows with feather. British > Birds 83:239 > > 2. Turner, A. K. (2004). Family Hirundinidae (Swallows and Martins). In > Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and > Wagtails (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and D. A. Cristie, Editors), Lynx > Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. > > Best, > Brendan Fogarty > > > On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:23 PM Ardith Bondi <ard...@earthlink.net> wrote: > > That is very cool! This is not exactly the same, but I was photographing a > Tree Swallow at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area on Long Island last > Tuesday with a 500 mm PF lens (think, short and light for a 500mm) on a > Nikon D850 with a very loud shutter. I suddenly realized that the swallow > was singing in response to the shutter. The more I pressed it, the more the > bird sang. I tried a varied pattern to test it. When I finally stopped, the > bird waited a second and then flew off. I had never experienced that > before, either. I have watched penguins play in Antarctica. Penguins climb > up on things and jump off them just for fun. They’ll even do it with a > buddy. > > Ardith Bondi > NYC > www.ardithbondi.com > <https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=91334dd5-cea87508-9131b4e0-0cc47aa8c6e0-5cc2d3b89bfd5aab&q=1&e=e2b295bd-dae9-483d-97ec-05aa684243d2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ardithbondi.com%2F> > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jun 5, 2021, at 10:04 PM, Joseph Wallace <joew...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > This is more about bird behavior than rarity, so apologies if it's o/t, > but I watched a swallow engage in extraordinary (to me) behavior at Croton > Point Park in Westchester today. It started when I spotted something white > drifting slowly towards the ground: a large, downy feather. Just as I > focused on it, a Barn Swallow snatched it out of the air with its beak. I > expected the bird to head off to its nest, but instead it dropped the > feather...and then circled and snatched it out of the air again. > > For the next few minutes, I watched the swallow repeatedly release the > feather, do wide loops around it--sometimes feinting in its direction--and > then pluck it out of the air. Twice it let the feather land on the grass, > retrieving it once while on the wing and once by landing beside it. Finally > the swallow did head off, I imagine to line its nest at last. > > I'd never seen swallows engage in play, but I can't see how this was > anything else. 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