Posts Tagged "anhinga feeding young"

Enough Is Enough!!

Posted by Pat Stewart on Mar 5, 2014 in My Blog | 0 comments

Studying and observing our world of nature is quite interesting and sometimes even shocking!  I remember the first time, on a birding expedition, I saw baby Anhingas in the nest looking a bit scary in their pink skin-covered hairless heads.  The skin on their long throats leading out to the sharp bills appeared to be so thin that as they stood in the nest with the mouths open, the wind whistled through giving a vibration look to their mouth and throat area.  Since they have no sweat glands, they manage the body heat with the rapid vibration of the upper throat and thin floor of the mouth (“gular flutter”). Very interesting. All of a sudden a parent flew to the nest and the fight for the food began.  There was such a loud clatter and clacking sound and such extreme movement in the nest it truly appeared the juveniles AND the parent were fighting, indeed.   I zoomed in with my camera and could not believe my eyes!  One of the juveniles had it’s entire head down the throat of the parent Anhinga accessing the food which the parent was regurgitating.  Sound enticing?  I think not!!  The other juvenile was not giving up the fight with its head right up there, sharply pointed bill and all.  The second juvenile was not without as its head disappeared down the parent’s throat as soon as there was access.  I feared one of their sharp bills would rupture the parent’s throat.  But, alas, they were “wonderfully made” as well by our Creator. I mean, breast feeding is one thing, but this methodology made me so thankful to be a human. As soon as dinner was over, the parent flew away for a respite in a nearby tree....