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![Animals, Beautiful, and Church: goosegoblin:
theramseyloft:
jurassicjenday:
theramseyloft:
tinysaurus-rex:
iwilltrytobereasonable:
cant-hug-every-human:
thedeadofflandersfields:
Pigeon steals poppies from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia in order to build a nest beside a stained glass window.
@birdblogwhichisforbirds
@snitling EXACTLY
This is two pigeons, pigeons nest in bonded pairs (notice the first one is checked and its mate on the nest is barred). Usually they don’t make nests nearly so big but I guess if you have the materials, go for it.
The nest is so unusually big because the vast majority is a platform to keep the actual nest (just that tiny ring in the corner around the bird sitting in it) cushioned from the anti bird spikes.
This is a work of beautiful defiance.
Using the very thing installed to make just a moment’s rest impossible as structural supports for an immovably stable nursery.
The symbolism achieved by these pigeons is better than some writers can hope for and I love it!
From the nest on the bird repellent spikes to the fact that those spikes are along the stained glass windows of a church, a place associated with sanctuary and compassion. The fact that the nest is made of stolen poppies for remembrance day hits the hardest though. Of the 54 animals to be awarded the Dickin Medal for acts of gallantry during WW2, 32 of them were pigeons. These were messengers who flew through battlefields and across borders, many of whom were killed or severely injured by enemy forces including gunfire and trained falcons. Many of their achievements saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers, and yet now their descendants are faces with anti-bird spikes, shooting and poisoning in an attempt to rid the cities from the rats with wings. I love this picture because it feels like they’re taking back just a little bit of that credit owed to them.
Reblogging for this beautiful addition.
[ID: three colour photographs. The first shows a pigeon holding a fake poppy in its teeth, standing on a marble surface. The second shows a nest made of hundreds of fake poppies, cushioning a sitting pigeon from the anti-bird spikes below. The final photo is a zoomed-out picture of the nest, showing many stained glass windows surrounding it.]](https://pics.awwmemes.com/goosegoblin-theramseyloft-jurassicjenday-theramseyloft-tinysaurus-rex-iwilltrytobereasonable-cant-hug-every-human-thedeadofflandersfields-pige-65578270.png)
![Animals, Deer, and Fucking: I HAVE TINY CRUSTACEANS
STUCK IN MY GILLS!
I'M HUNGRY FOR SEA BUGS!
WHITETIP SHARK
CLEANER WRASSE
I NEED SOMEONE TO CARRY
MY POLLEN TO OTHER FLOWERS
I NEED NECTAR TO EAT!
TICKSEED FLOWERS
BUCKEYE BUTTERFLY
l'M LOOKING FOR A BIG MEAL,
BUT I NEED HELP FINDING A DEER
I WANT TO EAT VENISON, BUT
I'M TOO SMALL TO HUNT DEER!
COMMON RAVEN
COYOTE
I NEED SOMEONE TO KEEP
ANTS FROM EATING MY EGGS!
I WANT A HOME WITH A BODYGUARD
AND FREE ANT DELIVERY INCLUDED!
COLOMBIAN LESSERBLACK TARANTULA
DOTTED HUMMING FROG
M. TILLERY - CYANEUS.COM
/w/Av[
paramud:
personal-scientist:
draconym:
themaishi:
draconym:
Mutualistic pairs for an “Odd Couples” Valentine’s program at my work. (Why do so many of my big work projects revolve around Valentine’s programs?)
Also, by “sea bugs,” I obviously meant “gnathiid isopod larvae.”
The himan one is not as good as the rest
If you mean the mutualism between humans and honeyguides, I respectfully disagree. Human/honeyguide mutualism is one of the most sophisticated interspecies relationships in the animal kingdom.
While humans have domesticated many other animals for their labor, the honeyguide remains entirely wild while electing to partner up with humans. Both humans and honeyguides have each developed specific calls to signal to one another that they are on the hunt, and these calls greatly increase the likelihood of success. According to this paper:
The production of this sound increased the probability of being guided
by a honeyguide from about 33 to 66% and the overall probability of thus
finding a bees’ nest from 17 to 54%, as compared with other animal or
human sounds of similar amplitude.
That’s fucking bonkers, you guys!!! There are people out there who over the course of human history have created a sound to communicate with birds, and the birds themselves have a Human Call they use to communicate with us. There is no other wild animal you can just make noises at and immediately communicate that you want it to come help you!!!
What’s more, many scientists consider this relationship more exploitative on the honeyguide’s end than on our end! That’s unprecedented!! These birds have essentially negotiated a trade deal with humanity!!!! This is the stuff of fantasy movies, except it’s real.
Here’s an article from The Guardian about the broader implications of this kind of relationship with wild animals. It’s a good read:
Apart from with our gut bacteria, we humans don’t really have any
mutualistic relationships with other creatures. There is no special tune
that we can sing to magically attract nearby hedgehogs into our gardens
to feast on slugs. There will never be a special wink that fishermen
can offer otters, encouraging them to catch fish that we might then
de-bone for them, in return for some of the catch. The world is poorer
for this.
OKAY BUT the noise we make at honeyguides is one of my favorite noises there is, and if y’all haven’t heard the “BRRR-HM?” call that hunters use to summon honeyguides you are SERIOUSLY missing out.
There’s an audio clip on the Audobon Society’s article about them [link]
@metalpaca](https://pics.awwmemes.com/i-have-tiny-crustaceans-stuck-in-my-gills-im-hungry-63498488.png)
