Saturday Something … er, Surprise — Birds ‘N Critters!

Posted on by under animals, Humour, Saturday Surprise

Good morning, friends, and happy weekend!!!  I bet you’re all tired from this past week … I know I am, and I don’t have a job to go to every day!  I realized last night that it’s been a while since I’ve done a Saturday Surprise that focuses exclusively on unique animals.  Those are always so much fun, and we learn something, too.  One of these days, though, I will likely run out of unique animals … perhaps then I’ll have to replay the old ones.  But for today, I was able to find some new ones for us to enjoy.

But before the unique animals … I found a cute feature over on Bored Panda of some birds being ornery that I thought you would get a kick out of …

I’ve seen woodpeckers damage a tree before, but never like this!woodpecker.jpgPoor tree!  That had to hurt.  Apparently this guy didn’t much care for being in a cage …bird-cage

Ever hear of an Australian Firehawk?  Apparently they are quite the firestarters.  Sometimes working alone, other times in groups, they spread wildfires intentionally via single-occasion or repeated transport of burning sticks in talons or beaks. After successfully spreading the fire, the “firehawks” are able to pick out fleeing prey or munch on the charred remains of those critters who didn’t make it out in time.Australian-firehawks

I don’t know the story behind this one, but those choppers don’t belong to that pigeon, and somebody is in a panic looking for their teeth right about now …pigeon-dentures

This next one brings to mind a funny story.  Years ago, when I worked for a mid-size publishing company, one year a family of geese settled in the grassy area next to our parking lot.  After their eggs hatched, they became very protective and would, at first, attack anybody who came near.  We all learned not to park our cars in that section of the lot.  As time went by, though, they got even more aggressive, and one day, our receptionist got a call from a visitor saying he was parked out front, but there was a goose that wouldn’t let him get out of his car!  Another time, one of the geese attacked a new maintenance man, and he resigned after only a few days on the job … said he didn’t take the job to fight off killer birds!  Eventually, the geese flew south for the winter and peace was restored.goose

Uh-oh …uh-oh

I think this bird might just have bitten off more than he can chew …bird-cat

Ouch!ouch

This hawk is about to learn a lesson about stealing beehives …hawk-beehive

Where to park your peacock …peacock

I sense a fight about to happen and feathers are gonna fly!cat-bird

He just wanted a little bite of the ice cream …gull-ice-cream

And now for just a few of those unique critters that we don’t see around every day.

This guy is a Pink Fairy Armadillo, also known as the Pichiciego, and is the smallest species of armadillo known.  This unique animal resides in the dry grasslands and sandy plains of central Argentina. This sandy environment works well for the pink fairy armadillo since they are excellent diggers. In fact, they have the ability to completely bury themselves in a matter of seconds if threatened.pink-fairy-armadillo

Meet the Dumbo Octopus, so named because of the two large fins on either side that look somewhat like elephant ears.  Dumbo octopuses live at extreme depths in oceans around the world—up to 13,000 feet below the surface—and are the deepest-living octopuses known. They feed on snails, worms, and other creatures they hoover up from the ocean floor.  Don’t you just love the way he’s sticking his little tongue out?dumbo-octopus

Isn’t this Sunda Colugo just adorable?  He’s closely related to flying lemurs, and are found in Southeast Asia and are endemic to Indochina and Sundaland, spending their entire lives in tropical rainforests.  Sunda flying lemurs have bold patches of color that look similar to lichen on a tree, which aid in camouflage. While Sunda flying lemurs cannot fly, a membrane of skin called a patagium allows them to glide.Sunda-Colugo-1

Sunda-Colugo-2

This is a Sally Lightfoot Crab, aka grapsus grapsus.  We don’t typically think of crabs as being beautiful, but Sally certainly is colourful!  The origin of the sally lightfoot crab’s name is still debated. Some people say that the sally lightfoot crab was named after a Caribbean dancer.  The sally lightfoot crab can run very fast, leap, jump, and seemingly fly to avoid predators.Sally-1Sally-2

This guy looks like something from a science-fiction movie, don’t you think?  He is a Marine Iguana, is found only in the Galapagos Islands and actually forages for food underwater which is unique for any kind of iguana. The Marine Iguana can actually dive in the water up to depths of 9m and can be found in practically all of the rocky shores of the islands. Various colours of the iguana exist – some are bright green and orange, while others have a beautiful red undertone.marine-iguana

And finally, because I thought the Pink Fairy Armadillo was so cute, I found this video about them, and other armadillos!

Now go have yourselves a great weekend!

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68 thoughts on “Saturday Something … er, Surprise — Birds ‘N Critters!”

    • So glad you enjoyed the critters, Roger! I have so much fun doing this sort of post! I’m sure birds have a sense of humour. Many moons ago when I worked at Honda, I had a small dog, a Llasa Apso, that I would take for a walk every morning just before work, when I was already dressed in my white uniform, hair freshly washed. I’m sure you’ve already figured out where this is going, yes? Yep, that bird thought it would be great fun to fly overhead while doggy was doing his thing, and drop a load of poop all over my hair, white uniform, and polished shoes. Needless to say, I did not share his humour, nor did my boss who didn’t appreciate my being an hour late for work that day! 🤣

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        • Heh heh … hardly. Gotta remember, it was a Japanese company where work comes first before ANYTHING. One of the Japanese guys that I worked closely with got a phone call one day that his house had burned down, his wife and twin daughters were okay, but his mother had been severely burned and the house was gutted. He did not leave work, but told me about it and how distressed he was. I said, “Hiro, you must leave and go see to your family!” His reply was, “No, Jill-san, work must come first”. I was appalled and went to our boss, who promptly sent him home, but that was the way it was. So no, they would likely have preferred me to go to work with bird poop in my hair and on my clothes … at least until they smelled me! 🤣

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          • Now that’s what is termed ‘A Culture Difference’.
            I worked in different regions in the UK and it was surprising how outlooks to work differed.
            One manager I worked with in my last place (both of us coming from South East Wales) reckoned in was more rewarding to work in North East Wales because the staff tended to take their jobs more seriously.
            Go figure

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            • There is definitely a HUGE cultural difference between the Japanese and the English-speaking world. But as you point out, even regional cultural differences can be notable. I’ve been retired for 11 years now, but from what I hear from daughter and friends, work ethics, the sense of urgency about a job well done, are on the downhill here. Daughter Chris recently had to fire someone for sleeping several times on her first day on the job In our day … can you imagine???

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      • Birds definitely have a sense of humour. I have a huge hand-made birdfeeder on our back deck, not two feet from glass doors that our cats peer out. Once the birds realized the cats were locked inside, they would jump up on the doorframe and peep and cheep until the cats were trying to claw through the glass. It took awhile but the cats learned they were being ridiculed, and now they just lay and watch. Unless a raven comes, then the cats start “clicking” their hunting tunes.

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        • That’s funny!!! Our cats love sitting in the window and, as you say, try to claw through the glass when they see a birdie enjoying the sunflowers. We had very few birds this year, though. 😥

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            • Ah yes … I had all but forgotten about the fires and smoke. Are all the fires finally out now, and are you smoke-free? Poor birdies … I can only imagine how many were likely killed by the fires, along with squirrels, rabbits, snakes … 😥

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              • All the life that make up a forest, we will never know the statisticsof loss of life. The above ground fire is pretty much dead now, but we won’t really know till next summer. Fire can sit in the ground for years. Hopefully they are out.
                Oh, BTW, Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving. Not that we celebrate, but most do.At least it is non-relgious in origin.

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  8. “Namaste, Miss Jill! It’s me, Benjamin! I really, really love this Saturday Something! It is the bestest one ever! Gem has woodpeckers, but they only make little holes in the trees. That hawk looks like one that comes to Gem’s sometimes when we throw peanuts to Lily Bob-Tail and the other squirrels and chipmunks and birds. He wants to catch our chipmunks but they scoot into the rocks. I love all these birds and animals and I learned ’bout some new ones. Miss Jill, did you forget my Tuatara from New Zealand? He is so awesome and I love my toy one! Everybody would love them too! The video is so cool! You get Two Thumbs up and a zillion Gold Stars, cause this is the bestest letter! Lotsa Neckbuster hugs and kisses too! Thank you and Bye!” Benjamin, should you be in any doubt, is ecstatic with this “Something”…Gem is too! Thank-YOU!! (;-)

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    • A Gem P.S. I hope that a certain orange-faced someone living in a big white house does not read this post…Wildfires might be blamed on Austrailian Firehawks smuggled into the country for nefarious purposes to make him look bad.

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    • Namaste Benjamin!!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the birds and other critters! And I must apologize to you, for I did indeed forget your Tuatara! I would have included him if I had remembered. I am so, so sorry! Thanks much for the neckbuster hugs and kisses … and here are some hugs 🤗🤗 and kisses 😘😘 for both you and Gem!

      Liked by 1 person

    • I’m happy you enjoyed them! I love doing animal posts … it puts peace in my heart … until I remember that even as I write, some of them are dying because of the foolishness of humans. But still … You have a great weekend too, my friend! Enjoy it while you can, for it will soon be time to drag out the ol’ snow shovel!

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  10. I bet Bolsonoro will blame the Brazilian Amazon fires on a ‘Firestarter’ bird. 😕

    How, exactly does a seagull get a hold of false teeth? Bizarre!

    Cute animals… hopefully they won’t all disappear in the apocalypse of Climate Change.

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    • Ha ha … I had a similar thought, and wondered if Bolsinaro had a crew of the firestarter birds on salary! I suspect some old man laid them down on a park bench for a moment and the gull swooped down and grabbed the teeth! My fear is that some of them are already disappearing with the fires in the Amazon. Sigh. And the rest? They will depend on whether humans get their collective heads out of the collective arses soon enough.

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  11. I never heard of those fire birds – perhaps descended from phoenix. Our huge herring gulls seem to know when I have thrown toast crusts out and, determined the garden birds won’t get them, zoom over from the cliff top, dive down and fly off with toast shaped lumps in their throats.

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  13. And these little guys are what Trump and Bolsonoro want to do away with (or at least their, and our, endangered cousins)! Where is the Jolly Green Giant when you need him, the perfect human bug squisher!

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