Mobbing behaviour - a new one on me

[British Red]

I have been lucky enough to witness and photograph many instances of aerial combat between birds - from swifts attacking buzzards to rooks bringing a bald eagle down.

Saw another one today which was a first for me - jackdaw vs heron !

This fellah haunts the dykes around here frogging and voling


Grey Heron by British Red, on Flickr

Today the jackdaws had enough and mobbed him - nearly forcing him down


Heron Mobbed by Jackdaws by British Red, on Flickr

Sorry the photos aren't better - but I wasn't prepared for aerial combat!

 

[Gray]

Wow, amazing

 

[Mesquite]

I've been lucky enough to see mobbing a couple times but never seen aerial mobbing,.

What I saw was against owls laid up trying to have a snooze it was like the whole wood was up in arms

Thanks for the pics Hugh

 

[HHazeldean]

That looks amazing. I've seen several instances of buzzards being mobbed by pretty large groups of other birds, never really seems to bother them though! Thanks for posting

.....btw, when would you be prepared for aerial combat shots?

 

[Passer]

Great pics Red, I've only ever seen herons being mobbed by some species of Hirundines, on local rivers.
I wonder if it is purely a territorial thing, Herons are very opportunistic feeders and a Jackdaw would possibly not be refused.

 

[ammo]

Great pics. I love herons, I always think they look almost prehistoric. I can remember the first time i saw one, shocked by its size

 

[davidpingu]

It always amazes me just how much is out there to see that's never been seen or at least documented/photographed before.
Like Harvestman mentioning he just happened to stumble across an adder giving birth. What are the chances!

As far as mobbing goes the one thing that will always stay with me is seeing a group of what was probably more than a dozen magpies attacking another magpie. I was passing this in a car so only saw 30 seconds or so waiting at a junction but it looked brutal and would almost certainly been to the death.

I've always wanted to understand why this happened, don't know if anyone can help me out? My only theory is natural selection. I say this because the magpie getting mobbed looked a little sickly and weak. Feathers were dull and not well kept. Of course this may have been to do with the attackers but it at least appeared to me like this was not a well bird. Anyone understand magpie behaviour enough to know if I'm along the right lines?

Dave

 

[Tomcoles]

I see crows magpies and rooks mob red kites on almost a daily occurance. It's fantastic to watch the arial dog fight between a large bird of prey and small corvids. But I have never seen it happen to a heron a cool experience, I bet!!!

 

[HillBill]

Nice pics I use raptor decoys when i shoot corvids, they go nuts for them and all their natural caution seems to be thrown into the wind

 

[Rod Paradise]

Great pics, never seen a heron mobbed before, but see mobbing quite a lot as we've a lot of buzzards around. Best I've seen, a young buzzard being mobbed and driven to ground by 3 swallows. Would never have though swallows would do that.

 

[tiger stacker]

Been a good week for bird watching, leaving Thornhill i passed above a large hawk on the prowl. Swallows kicking about locally then a gaggle of Geese above Greenock yesterday.

Little known fact, Sir Richard Attenborough started off as a aerial camera man for the RAF.

 

[British Red]

. Best I've seen, a young buzzard being mobbed and driven to ground by 3 swallows. Would never have though swallows would do that.

Oh it happens for sure - this is swifts mobbing a buzzard - reminded me of fighters attacking a heavy bomber!


Mobbing by British Red, on Flickr

Great pics. I love herons, I always think they look almost prehistoric.

My wife and I say the same thing - I think its the size and the slow ponderous wing beat - that and the weird shape


Heron Landing by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Ecoman]

Everyday I used to drive past Newburgh estuary just north of Aberdeen. I always felt robbed if I didn't see at least one Heron. They have to be one of my favourite birds.

 

[Gaudette]

I once stood amazed as I watched several Jackdaws mob a heron over a housing estate in Newmarket . What it was doing there I don't know but I couldn't believe how agile it was for a big bird . I have never seen anything like it since and had forgotten about it until this post. Many Thanks


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[Nice65]

I once stood amazed as I watched several Jackdaws mob a heron over a housing estate in Newmarket . What it was doing there I don't know but I couldn't believe how agile it was for a big bird . I have never seen anything like it since and had forgotten about it until this post. Many Thanks


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I watched a buzzard giving a heron a really hard time last summer. As you say, it's surprising how agile they are, rolling and dropping to avoid the onslaught.

 

[Uilleachan]

On Lewis the week before last I saw what has been to date the most epic of mobbings, a sea eagle was lifting something (?) by increment on the hill just above the road whilst being mobbed by, in order of size, a golden eagle ravens black backs and various types of other gulls crows buzzards and a whole host of smaller birds. The sky was black with birds, literally hundreds of them. The dump isn't far away from this spot.

This was on the Pentland road, a very small single track that runs east west across the island. I was around two miles outside Stornoway at the time. I stopped the car to take a photo but the camera was in my bag in the boot, as I stopped the eagles headed off. It had a quality of what I'd imagine the aftermath of an medieval battle must have been like, quite an amazing sight.

 

[British Red]

On Lewis the week before last I saw what has been to date the most epic of mobbings, a sea eagle was lifting something (?) by increment on the hill just above the road whilst being mobbed by, in order of size, a golden eagle ravens black backs and various types of other gulls crows buzzards and a whole host of smaller birds. The sky was black with birds, literally hundreds of them. The dump isn't far away from this spot.

This was on the Pentland road, a very small single track that runs east west across the island. I was around two miles outside Stornoway at the time. I stopped the car to take a photo but the camera was in my bag in the boot, as I stopped the eagles headed off. It had a quality of what I'd imagine the aftermath of an medieval battle must have been like, quite an amazing sight.

Wow! Can't equal that one = would love to have seen that. I did see a bald eagle brought down by corvids once


Mobbing by British Red, on Flickr

It really wasn't happy!


All together by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Uilleachan]

Wow! Can't equal that one = would love to have seen that. I did see a bald eagle brought down by corvids once


Mobbing by British Red, on Flickr

It really wasn't happy!


All together by British Red, on Flickr

Thats rather impressive too, what a brute that bird is.

What was impressive about the sea eagle was it just didn't seem bothered by the other mass of birds, at all, and only made off when I stopped the car and opened the door, as did the notably smaller golden eagle. I need to start keeping the camera on my person.

 

[British Red]

what a brute that bird is.

.

Oh yes!


Bald Eagle by British Red, on Flickr

I do love raptors and I know what you mean about keeping a camera handy -the things I've see when I didn't have one . Its one of the reasons I now use compact cameras with good optical zoom - I can't lug an SLR around, but often a small camera is enough.

I have a trail camera too for "spying out" locations - I put it up a tree yesterday to monitor a spot that just might prove to be something interesting-here's hoping!

 

[Uilleachan]

Great photo

The camera thing is something I really need to get a grip of, I've a handy compact camera too but on that occasion it was in my fishing bag, although it hasn't left my side since

If your ever on Lewis that wee road is well worth a slow drive for raptor spotting. They've no shortage of eagles and I've seen one every time I've driven it.

Have to say too, that despite seeing sea eagles and golden eagles quite often round here on the mainland (we've a pair of golden eagles on the hills behind the house and at east one sea eagle that I've seen in the narrows of Kylerae between skye and the mainland, which is close by), that was the first occasion I've seen them together. Well not together but close enough to be considered so. The golden eagle was most certainly giving the big white tailed fellow more than a little space, and I suspect, enjoying not being the center of attention as it watched on from it's perch.