tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post51297699285554692..comments2024-03-29T01:41:15.713+00:00Comments on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park birds: Ralph Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-6437329096886264252016-02-12T02:28:16.298+00:002016-02-12T02:28:16.298+00:00Leucism is genetic, and affects many birds. The wh...Leucism is genetic, and affects many birds. The white patches on young crows' wings are not examples of leucism, but are caused by malnutrition. 'Angel wing' is caused by <i>too much</i> protein in the diet of a growing bird that lives on low-protein food such as grass. There is too much protein in bread, so giving them wholemeal bread is equally bad. It causes bones to grow too fast and remain soft, so that the weight of the developing primary feathers, which are quite heavy, bends the bones in the outer joint of the wings.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-69565869234439236832016-02-12T00:24:46.033+00:002016-02-12T00:24:46.033+00:00Thank you for the clarification.
So, some Egyptian...Thank you for the clarification.<br />So, some Egyptian Geese are feckless parents by geography, as well as personality, it seems.<br />Is this leucism related to the problem of malnutrition causing 'Angel Wing' in the young water fowl, which you mentioned?Ulrikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06022985141813875238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-43356812808720241422016-02-10T20:37:45.673+00:002016-02-10T20:37:45.673+00:00I'll try to do that as best I can. The problem...I'll try to do that as best I can. The problem with Spain is that in some areas (mine included) people still hunt small birds (it is of course forbidden by law, but Spanish laws are a joke), and passerines are very wary of any human interaction. Studies show that migrating robins from Northern Europe change behaviour after crossing the Pyrinees.<br /><br />Nevertheless, Great Tits appear not to give a fig about humans looking at them, even in Spain, so it is worth a try!TinĂºvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-5994625688556791962016-02-10T20:22:46.336+00:002016-02-10T20:22:46.336+00:00Egyptian Geese are native to the edges of Africa, ...Egyptian Geese are native to the edges of Africa, from north to south and on both sides of the equator. They have no idea of the seasons.<br /><br />Blackbirds quite often have white patches. It isn't albinism, it's leucism, which affects only feather colour. The genes for feather colour are different for those for the pigments on the rest of the body.<br /><br />Crows with white flight feathers, or white bands on these feathers, are first-year birds that have been eating a low-quality diet of human scraps instead of nutritious worms. Because they are growing, they need better-quality nourishment than adults, and if they don't get it their manufacture of eumelanin, the black pigment, is interrupted. They will be all black in their second year and thereafter.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-15192999099930276602016-02-10T20:16:38.887+00:002016-02-10T20:16:38.887+00:00I don't know what your local birds are in Spai...I don't know what your local birds are in Spain. But if you have Great Tits, start with them and the others will follow. Put seeds (for example sunflower hearts) on a wall or window sill and stay nearby. After a few days, when the birds are used to this, try holding out seeds on your hand instead.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-43512306541455742272016-02-10T19:24:54.847+00:002016-02-10T19:24:54.847+00:00Isn't February a funny time to produce a brood...Isn't February a funny time to produce a brood anyway, even if it has been mild? Good luck to the gosling..<br />I've never seen a blackbird with white on them- is it that kind of albino-ism (the name of which escapes me)? In Springfield Park a lot of the Crows seem to be effected.Ulrikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06022985141813875238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-71348827724248298502016-02-10T19:15:19.974+00:002016-02-10T19:15:19.974+00:00Eleven robins! I would give so much to be able to ...Eleven robins! I would give so much to be able to have them come to my hand...<br />That picture of the poor doomed baby is so sad and poignant.TinĂºvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.com