#Heron Camouflage

[missedmilemarkers]

[crudlynaturephotos]

[senzanome-png]

Inktober 7, Drip

Flutel If amidst dripping rain you chance to hear a light flutelike sound, at first timid and slowly gaining strenght, there might be a Flutel in the vicinity nearby. These rare herons are quite fearful and evasive, hiding amidst the vegetation by raising the green tail and wing feathers arranged in such a way to resemble a tuft of grass. During the rain, when all the other creatures tend to go and hide, they gain a little courage and start singing, communicating long distances with their kin.

The name seems a bit silly in english, but i'm a bit attached to it... And cant think of a reasonable new one with the little time of these last days so it'll make do. Little anxiety bird.

[thecreatureawaits]

Creature Awaits #190

Each week I plan to feature an amazing creature, admiring God's fantastic artistry.  Hopefully it’ll brighten someone’s day to see something new and interesting if they haven’t seen it before. : )

Happy New Year! The Greeks were thought to have based the mythological Phoenix on the now extinct Bennu Heron (Ardea bennuides), so to kick off 2023, it feels fitting to feature a variety of gorgeous "living phoenixes" - extant herons from around the world. - 💕

(Beautiful photography by Charles Davies (top, CC BY-NC 2.0) and Patty McGann (bottom, CC BY-NC 2.0))

The Lava Heron

A.K.A: The Galápagos Heron

Scientific Name: Butorides sundevalli

Region: Throughout the Galápagos Islands

Size: About 1'1" (~0.35m) tall, with a roughly 2'1" (~0.63m) wingspan

Interesting Notes: Though sporting shimmery grey plummage year-round, during the breeding season, this beautiful heron's beak shifts to black and its legs turn bright orange in order to be more visible to potential mates (as seen in the bottom photo.) Afterward, their beaks and legs return to their usual dusty grey to better camouflage with the hardened lava found throughout their tropical home.

[maddoggoskettynoudough]

Eurasian Bittern

this is a small heron that lives in swamps and lakes. It leads a solitary life. It’s yellowish brown camouflage plumage with black brown and red dots allow it to go unnoticed to the point where it can completely blend into the environment when it is disturbed.

[witchstone]

not necessarily the best but definitely some of my favourite bird photographs from this year!

from top, left to right: juvenile little sparrowhawk, my second ever sighting of a rufous-throated wryneck, a male collared sunbird, a red-chested cuckoo (hear them often in the summer but hard to find!), a fiery-necked nightjar (hear them often at night, almost impossible to see during the daytime), a yellow-bellied greenbul, a very well camouflaged purple heron, wood sandpiper, a pair of nesting cardinal woodpeckers and a black-bellied starling

[boy-warbler]

Great blue heron camouflage

[doodleduck]

My path of titans characters yay

Heron! She’s a solo migrator through all seasons. She likes to stick to costal regions with easy access to a pond or a lake, where her color scheme fits better and keeps her camouflaged. I hope to get her into a group when the next spino event takes place

Raven! Cheeky maip who isn’t that interested in courting but is seeking out a coalition with another male. He’s not that social but needs someone to bring his hunting success rate up

Buck! Tiny yuty who isn’t part of a pack as his mother tried to cannibalize him. He escaped with little health to spare and is now just trying to survive. He’s skittish and a bit wary of his own kind after the incident. As he grows he might try to squeeze his way into another pack, yutys are dependent on each other for survival

Timbit! Annoying rhamp whose favorite activity is terrorizing grand plains. Looking to latch his grubby parasite claws on a host but keeps getting rejected and attacked. Tags along on hunts of large carnivores and steals bits of the prize at the end

Bittern! Old duck who has raised a clutch or two. Her mate died in a territorial attack and is now alone. She is refusing to take another partner and spends her days relaxing at her pond

[star-the-gremlin]

I decided to change up the Russian miraculous box a little and I like it a lot more than the first one!

Lynx/Taffy - speed/spear/tongue piercing (Taffy, show me speed! Taffy, slow down!)

Power call: Quick feet!

Bear/Grizz - super strength/gauntlets/two rings (Grizz, let's wreck it! Grizz, break time!)

Power call: Toughen up!

Moose/Hiide - grow in size/battering ram/headband (Hiide, crown of antlers! Hiide, uncrowned!)

Power call: Growth!

Badger/Tuusk - creates a sticky trail behind the wearer/honey dipper staff/vampire septum piercing (Tuusk, bare your teeth! Tuusk, stay put!)

Power call: Sticky sweet!

Heron/Whoop - gravity manipulation (picks up objects and people, like in portal kinda)/Chinese scale/long earrings (Whoop, lets fly! Whoop, time to land!)

Power call: Zero gravity!

Snow Leopard/Lepoo - sends back attacks by creating a shield around the wearer/boomerang/dog tag (Lepoo, bring some hail! Lepoo, sunny day!)

Power call: Turning tables!

Magpie/Feefe - thief - touch something to have it teleported to hand (fetch but better) /feather fan that is also individual feather knives/hair pin (Feefe, lets get sneaky! Feefe, cover blown!)

Power call: Yoink!

Deer/Dazzle - turn things into golden statues (paralysis style)/bow and arrow/glasses (Dazzle, lets dance! Dazzle, cut the music!)

Power call: Touch of gold!

Frog/Todd - camouflage coat (harder to see the wearer when used)/bolas/twin bracelets (Todd, croak it up! Todd, quiet hour!)

Power call: Camouflage!

[outofangband]

Love, love, love the birds worldbuilding in Himring.

I've actually been digging through links looking for birds that occupy Nan Elmoth and the surrounding area - Himlad, northern Estolad, the banks of the Celon.

Any thoughts about the flying critters living around there?

I’ll start with Himlad!

Flora, fauna, geography and environment masterlist

Himlad was a realm in Eastern Beleriand, bordered on the West by the river Aros and on the East, its tributary, Celon. It means ‘cool plain’ in Sindarin and was described simply as a cold region, likely due to its proximity to the March and thus to the Iron Mountains, the cold fronts of which extend throughout the surrounding regions. 

I have imagined it as a steppe environment with an ecology similar to Mongolia. We have little information on environment other than the description of cold but some speculation can be done due to the habitat and through looking at similar real habitats, mostly in Northern Europe and temperate parts of Asia as well as parts of North America which Tolkien was inspired by the prairies in (source: The Flora of Middle Earth)

As always I include world building notes at the end so it’s not just a list of species! And as always please consider the list incomplete! There are so so many birds and I often go back to add more. Feel free to request a more specific prompt to focus on or a more specific family of birds

In the plains and steppe: tawny pipit (migratory, traveling west in the winter), David’s snowfinch, brown accentor, Siberian stonechat (also found in shrubs), rosy starling, swan geese, steppe partridge, pallas’s sandgrouse, great bustard, common cuckoo (migratory), cornrail (migratory, avoids the more arid parts), bearded vulture, crested lark, golden eagle, steppe eagle, imperial eagle, grey faced buzzard, ring necked pheasant, hazel grouse, black grouse, blue rock thrush, common quail, horned owls, gray partridge, desert warbler

Roosting in the sparse trees and shrubs: Yellow browed bunting, common rosefinch, fieldfare, stock dove, common nightjar, little owl, pine bunting

River shores: snow bunting (migratory), red necked crane (migratory), greater painted snipe, osprey, coturnix quail, grey heron, hen harrier, white throated dipper, bank swallow

Other: fork-tailed swift (migratory, mainly aerial), white headed duck, house sparrow, brambling (migratory), song thrush (migratory), black billed caper, northern wren

World building notes:

-Hunting with eagles and other birds of prey is more common than in the other Fëanorian realms (though most utilize birds at least sometimes). Golden and steppe eagles are used primarily by Celegorm and his loyal servants; these are huge and beautiful birds whose use is in some ways a boast of the skill of their handlers

-Celegorm’s knowledge of the language of birds is highly utilized for the defensive and offensive projects of Himlad. Though his followers do not for the most part have this gift they are highly skilled in using tracks, traces and conditions to understand the presence of local birds and the implications thereof. They know what to make of the stray tail feathers of a steppe partridge versus the presence of molt. They know the difference between the tracks of

Of course this applies to other creatures besides birds but as this post is about birds…

-Grouse and quail are sometimes kept for meat and eggs though different species of quail then are kept by the Marchwardens of Doriath. Some of the species are brought from Estolad, Ossiriand or Western Beleriand. The birds are housed in large open pens with small nesting boxes. 

-There are also domestic species of chicken, peacock and quail like birds that are kept for similar reasons. Hybrid species, sometimes with native species, occur naturally and through planned breeding projects during the Long Peacd

-The camouflage of steppe creatures including birds is often used in the fashion of Himlad’s soldiers.

-The various sections of archers among the army and scouts are distinguished by varying types of feathers used in their arrows. For example, Swan goose feather is used for the scouts that patrol the borders and rivers, swift feathers are used among the smaller more specialized groups and golden eagle feathers are reserved for the archers who will be first in the lines of offensive movements.

-Game birds are hunted for meat though all parts are used. Bird bones are actually highly utilized by the host of Himlad, in jewelry and headwear as well as whistles and other tools.

As always please feel free to ask more!

[missedmilemarkers]

What a beautiful capture of a juvenile night heron! This little one seems comfortable amidst the complex, fallen branches by the water. Juvenile night herons, with their brown and white speckled feathers, are known for being slightly more camouflaged than their striking adult counterparts. They are usually a bit shy and often found hiding in dense thickets near water sources, where they hunt for small fish and amphibians.

[istherewifiinhell]

Group **** *** mental health walk. with maniacs who dont wanna bask in [and photograph] everything beautiful they see [see beauty in all things] but i tried my best. I have some really gorgeous landscapes but the landscape in question feel. Extremely doxxable. Oh well. BIRDS

[ID: 1. Rocky creek out to larger body of water. Duck swimming in it [small in frame] 2. A blurry close up of a heron or similar tall bird standing among reeds, pretty well camouflaged. END]

[calilk]

Trick or treat!!

i present your trEAT (hope you like bird facts)

this guy is a bittern and he’s a very cool bird.

he’s a type of heron, native to europe and he’s kickass but very rare. in 1997 they were on the brink of extinction with only 11 males left, however thanks to a lot of great work they are doing much better now, with 198 males in 2019.

this guy lives in reedbeds and is very good at camouflage, so pretty difficult to spot. your best shot is during spring when males will let out their call, a massive booming sound that can travel for up to 3 miles. it’s such a cool and unique call, definitely my favourite thing about them.

you can hear their call here!! happy (late) halloween

[blackmoldmp3]

we saw a heron at the park a few weeks ago but like i could BARELY see it. bc of the camouflage. extremely fucked up bc theyre huge but it was like in its element (plants at the edge of the water) and it turned invisible i swear to god

[endofherwildsideau]

♬彡🎼~𝙼𝚒𝚛𝚊~🎼彡♬

Reference Sheet: | Her Soul:

Her Voice by Brandy & her singing

| lullaby | Animal Mode | Old-Self | Teacher | Bioluminescence | Causal | Arrival | Aria | Pirouette |

Deadname: Mirabel Dancer

Name: Princess Mira the Heron Alpha

Name Meaning: Admirable; peace; female ruler; ocean. Abundance. Bitter. A mythical princess. Worthy of admiration; wonderful; marvelous. Merry, filled with mirth. Light. Wonder. Behold. Extraordinary; to be admired; beautiful.

Nicknames: Mimi, Mia, or melody.

Birthday: June 21

Age: 177 (Die at the age of 16)

Species: Great Blue Heron Harpy

Race: Mexican-American

Gender: Female ♀

Relationship status: Married

Sexuality: Straight Ally

Anniversary Date: August 5

Role or Jobs: Minor Alpha, Orchestra Teacher, ballet teacher, Goddess of Darkness, and music.

Home World: Earth (Formerly) Miracle Region (Currently)

Home: Nightfall Palace

Facts: Mira was a talented teenager when she was alive, but she had a devastating heart attack while performing. Her parents abused her, and they tried to make her "famous". She never had the chance to be like other normal girls, unlike her sister who ran away from their strict parents and never heard again. She enjoys music such as classical orchestra, music of Medieval, and symphony, but her aversion to and hatred Techno, electro, and remix music a lot. Now, in the region of miracles, she is a famous ballet and music, and singing instructor. She's unable to control the dark because of the loss of control.

Partner:

Prince Zios the God of Light & Sounds (Husband)

Parents:

Unnamed parents

Sibling:

Unnamed sister

Relative:

Charlotte the Ragamuffin Kitten (Niece-In-law)

Abilities:

Avian Physiology

Harpy Physiology

Human Physiology

Pelican Physiology

360-Degree Vision

Aerial Adaptation

Animal Mode

Atmospheric Adaptation

Bioluminescence

Ceiling Walk

Cloud Walking

Declaration Aging

Digitigrade Legs

Enhanced Agility

Enhanced Balance

Enhanced Endurance

Enhanced Flexibility

Enhanced Footwork

Enhanced Lung Capacity

Enhanced Reflexes

Enhanced Senses

Feather Manifestation

Feather Projection

Glowing Eyes - only when the power is active or glows in the dark.

Hair Growth

Hollow Skeleton

Infinite Digestive System

Omnilingualism

Magical Feathers

Magnetic Vision

Pointed Ears

Prehensile Feet

Prehensile Wings

Regeneration Healer Factor

Talon Protrusion

Ultraviolet Perception

Unique Eye Coloration

Unique Hair Coloration

Wing Manifestation 

Zoolingualism

Zoological Mastery

Powers:

Ballet Mastery

Contaminant Immunity

Dance Embodiment

Dance Empowerment

Dance Manipulation

Darkness Defense

Darkness Imprisonment

Disease Immunity

Hypnotic Music

Magical Telekinesis

Music Aura

Music Empowerment

Music Generation

Music Manipulation

Musical Animation

Musical Attacks

Musical Empathic Projection

Musical Empathy

Musical Healing

Musical Inducement

Musical Instrument Manipulation

Musical Projection

Musical Regeneration

Musical Visualization

Mystical Dancing

Rhythm Intuition

Singing Mastery

Song Augmentation

Song Magic

Shadow Camouflage

Shadow Pinning

Shadow Stealth

Umbrakinetic Immunity

[covecreekphotography]

I don't see green herons as often as I see great blue herons and great egrets. They just aren't as large as the other herons and egrets, and don't wade out in the river while hunting for food. Even though they have a fairly distinct color pattern, it does provide effective camouflage as they sit very still among vegetation on the river's edge.

This juvenile green heron was perched on the rootball of a downed tree, and was using the "if I don't move, she won't see me" tactic. Fortunately for me, it adjusted its legs, which alerted me to its presence.