This month Becky’s Squares are focusing on odd things – you can interpret this any way you want so I am going to take you all to the zoo this month. San Diego Zoo to be precise and the photos featured will be either odd looking animals, animals with odd names, odd facts or slightly odd photos. I hope you’ll enjoy my selection.
The Bateleur eagle is the most famous of the snake eagles. Bateleur is French for ‘tightrope-walker’. This name was probably chosen because of its distinctive aerial acrobatics. The nuptial aerial display is spectacular, with steep dives by the male at the female. She will roll on her back, presenting her claws and then roll on over to right herself as he hurtles past. There may be follow-the-leader dipping and rolling flight, and there may be 360 degree lateral ‘barrel’ rolls, which is often accompanied by a very loud slapping of the wings together. This percussion can be heard by humans for some great distance. All of this may be accompanied by very loud crowing calls.
It is the only member of the genus Terathopius and may be the origin of the “Zimbabwe Bird”, the national emblem of Zimbabwe.
If you want to join in either daily, weekly or just on the odd occasion then please visit Becky, the only rule is that the main photo MUST be a square – that is four equal sides! You have been warned 😉
TRAVEL WORDS 
Crikey that’s a lot of effort for courting!
PS forgot to say, magnificent portrait
Must be quite a sight though. And actually I was watching a pair of crows performing rolls and dives yesterday.
I love watching birds in the sky – so amazing to watch
And we keep getting that buzzard in the garden! Eating a rabbit (I think) right outside the door!
well really, that’s not the best place to eat ones supper. Have you asked it to eat it elsewhere?!
Heavens! Literally! The storks here are quite noisy in their courtship, but these guys sound like proper show offs.
Must be quite a sight!
Wow Jude Thanks for introducing me to a new bird. A lot of flapping for a bit of nookie 😂
Even watching the more common birds is quite entertaining.
I’d love to see them in action. Very odd behaviour. But a wonderful portrait.
Yes, that must be some sight. The crows have to do for me! They can perform dives and barrel rolls too!
That’s a very distinctive bird, Jude. Nice close-up too.
Best wishes, Pete. x
Thanks Pete, he is quite magnificent.
It must be wonderful to watch these courting!
It must! I did however watch a pair of crows dancing around the sky yesterday which were very entertaining.
Crows can be fun – great characters!
Irresistible
A face only a mother could love 💗
Oh how miss seeing these birds wafting over the East African plains with their red feet and white undercarriage. But I never got a close up view like this one. Fab.
Must have been quite spectacular.
Interesting bird!
Not what you could call a beauty.
Not at all!
One dramatic bird. Glad you got a close up I wouldn’t want to get that close. Thanks
Thankfully there was a fence between him and us! Sadly not much room for him to perform his aerobatics.