Birding

Surfin’ (and Sleddin’) Birds

December 22, 2013 by Meredith Mann 1 Comment

After covering so many depressing stories lately (especially bad if you are an eagle in the U.S., or a Snowy Owl in New York City), it’s time to turn to the lighter side of the bird news beat. For instance:

Four swans a’surfing … No, that’s not how “The 12 Days of Christmas” goes, but it’s the perfect way to describe this viral video. (Image above from Nine News, Channel Nine) I mean, these Black Swans appear to enjoy catching some waves, and it’s just a few days before the holiday. The thing pretty much writes itself! Not sure if Clare will know whether this is a common event Down Under, but either way, it’s fun to watch.

In the not-exactly-news category (but for some reason making the rounds again nearly 2 years after it went up on YouTube), but equally cool, is footage of a crow in Russia sledding down a roof. Yes, possessed of the intelligence for which crows are famous, this bird has learned how to turn what is apparently a mayonnaise tub cap into a makeshift sled.

May your holidays bring you just as much carefree glee as these birds!

 

Written by Meredith Mann
The lowly Red-winged Blackbirds in suburban New York triggered Meredith Mann's interest in birds. Five years later, she's explored some of the the USA's coolest hotspots, from Plum Island in Massachusetts to the Magic Hedge in Chicago to the deserts of Fallon, Nevada. She recently migrated from the Windy City (where she proudly served as a Chicago Bird Collision Monitor, rescuing migrants from skyscrapers and sidewalks) to Philadelphia, where she plans to find new editing and writing gigs; keep up her cool-finds chronicle, Blog5B; and discover which cheesesteak really is the best. And she will accept any and all invitations to bird Cape May, NJ.