Birds

Corncrake about to take flight. The corncrake is a brown streaked bird with bright chestnut wings which show up in flight. Males and females look very similar. They have a short deep bill and strong legs and feet ideal for thrusting through the tall grass and rough vegetation where they spend most of their time. In fact corncrakes are very reluctant to emerge from tall vegetation - probably because they are vulnerable to predators if they do. For this reason, corncrakes are more often heard than seen. It is usually only the male who sings with a distinctive rasping "crekcrek" call. Unmusical as this may sound to the human ear, it is used to attract females. In flight, corncrakes trail their legs, stay close to the ground and usually dive into the cover of tall vegetation as soon as possible. This has led people to assume that they are poor fliers but in fact they undertake some of the longest migrations known amongst birds.

Cropped geese with their babies.

Dove with olive branch. Recognised in the Bible as a harbinger of news, it was the dove bearing an olivce branch which came to Noah to tell him that he would find land. Seen by many as a sacred bird since ancient times as the dove is the one bird into which the Devil or a witch cannot transform. The messenger of 'Venus', Goddess of Love, the dove is associated with lovers. For Indians the dove is traditionally believed to contain the soul of a lover, and that to kill one would bring misfortune. Miners though see the bird as one of ill omen and it is reputedly too dangerous to go underground after seeing this bird near a pitshaft. To have one tapping on the window or flying near the room of a sick person is also believed by some to be an omen of death, as is to see one circling a house. Today the dove is an international symbol of peace and also a Christian symbol of the 'Holy Spirit'. To dream of doves means happiness is at hand.

Duck with wings outstretched. Wild and domestic waterfowl of the same family as the goose and the Swan. It is often hunted and bred for its meat, also its eggs and feathers. Strictly speaking, duck refers to the female and Drake to the male . There are three groups of ducks: - the surface breeding ducks such as the Mallard, wood duck, black duck, and teal which frequents ponds, marshes and and other quiet waters; - the diving ducks such as the canvasback, scraup, scoter, eider, and red head, found on bays, rivers and lakes; and - the fish eating ducks, the mergansers , with slender, serrated bills, which also prefer open water. The surface feeders take wing straight up, while the divers fly along the water's surface in taking off. The ancestor of all domestic breeds except for the Muscovy of South American origin, is the mallard, which is found in Europe, Asia, and North America. If this bird hisses or quacks more than normal it is said that rain is on the way. If the bird lays any dun-coloured eggs it should be destroyed, along with the eggs, according to a traditional English (UK) belief that indicates that misfortune will follow should this event happen. At this and any time hanging a duck upside down is asserted to assure that negative energies and spirits can fall from it.

Eagle with wings outsretched. Large predatory bird be longing to the Hawk family, found in all parts of the world. Eagles are similar to the buzzard Hawks, but they are larger both in length and wing span (up to seven a half feet) and their beaks on nearly as long as there head. They are solitary birds, said to mate for life. The nest is called an aerie, made of twigs and sticks is built at a vantage point high in a tree or on a cliff in a permanent feeding territory and is added to it year after year . The eaglets (usually two) do not develop adult markings until the third year, when they leave parental protection and seek their own mates and territories. The American bald eagle Is found it in all parts of North America near water and feeds chiefly on dead fish (sometimes robbing the osprey's catch) and rodents. The plumage is dark brown white head, neck, and tail. The northern species (chiefly found in Canada) is slightly larger than the southern, which ranges throughout the United States. The mountain Eagle or the Golden Eagle is widespread in the northern hemisphere, in the United States and found mostly in the West. In Asia it is trained to hunt small gain. The adult is sooty brown with tawny head and neck feathers; unlike those of the bald eagle, its legs are feathered to the toes. The gray and steller sea Eagles are native to colder areas of the northern hemisphere, the king or imperial eagle to South Europe and Asia, and the rare monkey eating Eagle to the Philippines. The harpy or harpy eagle , of Central and South America the largest (38 in. long) of the hawks, eats macaws and the sloth. In Greek myth it was called the winged monster, and the "winged wolf " by Aztecs . Eagles are considered sacred by Native Americans. The claws and bones of the birds are believed to drive illness away. As the symbol of the U.S., the bald eagle stands for endurance, independence, and courage.

Gry falcan in flight.

Singing nightingale on branch.