Kingston Wetland | Kingbird Catch ____ S2024-E20

Rejean Lemay Photography
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Kingston Wetland | Kingbird Catch ____ S2024-E20
Kingston Wetland | Kingbird Catch ____ S2024-E20

Shown here on the edge of a Kingston Marsh is an Eastern Kingbird returning several times to the tip of a small snag that the bird uses as a staging post to spot distant incoming insects and launch from to intercept miniscule bugs. The Eastern Kingbird is a conspicuous, self-confident-looking, expert mid-air flycatcher.

For reference, the first clip rolls at actual speed and one would be forgiven for thinking nothing happened other than the Kingbird making a prompt return trip to its perch. Slowing the action to 25% of original speed at best shows the bird’s agility in flight. Cropping the frames to zoom in on the action and slowing down to one tenth of actual speed reveals that an insect was indeed caught by the agile bird. Although the fast-action footage was captured from a distance of 50 meters (160 ft), three more video clips show, more clearly, the flying insects on their doomed, converging trajectories with the Kingbird flight paths attesting to the bird’s acute vision and ability to quickly anticipate, compute and successfully swing into action. Even when slowed down to 10% of actual speed, the insect catching action remains quite swift. Moreover, one would wonder whether the bird spends more energy than it is worth in catching such small insects.


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Taken on: April 30, 2024
Sets appears in:   • Nature Videos    • Kingston Wetland | Southeastern Ontario   
Groups appears in:   • Birds in Flight!    • Unlimited Birds    more » • BIRDS OF AMERICA    • Canada's nature lovers    • North American Birds: Field Guide (Total = 687 Birds)    • Nature...Anything Goes    • Birds in Ontario    • World of Birds    • Ontario Nature    • Nature Canada    • Outdoor Photography Canada    • Ontario Canada Nature Photography    • Nature and Animals (Wild Only)    • Birds Feeding    « less
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