Rolling rolling rolling

Roller (John Hawkins)

Dropping from its perch, the bird performs a low gliding arc, the presumption of which will be a sweeping ascent to another position, further along the line of electricity cables beside the road. Contrarian as ever, the bird breaks from this smooth curve, rises and then enters a chaotic, swerving motion. The wings appear yanked forcibly in opposing directions, causing the bird to wobble dramatically, widely spread they reveal a blast of electric blue, of breathtaking intensity, a vibrant contrast to the soft blue that occupies most of the plumage. This rolling action ends as the bird abruptly takes a perch - and it gives us the common name of the species, the Roller. It had joined its mate and they perched close to each other. They embark on a bowing display, heads held aloft, bills pointing almost vertically upwards and then a series of slow heavy nods, as if concluding some weighty discussion. Incongruous to the sophistication of their plumage, the call which accompanies the rolling display is a rudimentary rattling cackle, giving the Spanish name for the species, the "Carraca", where the rolling comes not from the visual display, but from the Castillian rolling of the double "rr".

Fancy nestboxes have been bequested to these birds, each fastened to the wooden telegraph poles that bear the cables beside the road. We have found a safe place to park and we sit and watch for over an hour. The pairs of Rollers show a lot of bonding. The slightly more brightly-coloured male drops from the perch and makes a brief hover above the blonding grasses. Once again the vivid blue wings grab our attention as it drops to the ground, becoming submerged in the swaying vegetation. Its disappearance is momentary, as it quickly rises, carrying in its powerful black bill what looks like a cricket. It perches beside the waiting female, sidles up to her and feeds her his gift.

The Rollers' real estate is the nest box, and although several pairs are present along this stretch of the road, giving a feel of a colony, the chases between individuals indicate strongly held territories within this area. There is a surfeit of boxes, many more than the Rollers could possibly occupy, which offers opportunities for other birds. Spotless Starlings jostle beside some, Jackdaws beside others. Through the entrance hole of another, I receive the cross stare of a Little Owl. But from the behaviour of our pair of Rollers it seems that they have secure possesion of their box. The female sits on the ledge, the male above her. They look secure and established. And then something unexpected happens.

Roller (John Hawkins)

The female has popped inside the box and cannot be seen. The male comes down to the ledge and starts calling in a loud and fiercely agitated fashion into the hole. We assume that we are witnessing some domestic dispute, but the haranguing continues with the male retreating to the top of the box as the female emerges. She is not alone. She is physically pulling out, by the scruff of her neck as it were, a female Lesser Kestrel. The kestrel protests noisily, but to no avail as she is dragged clear of the box. The Roller continues to pull at the kestrel as they tumble together into the grass, the very same patch where just minutes earlier, the male Roller had collected his nuptial gift for his mate. To offer support, he has plunged down as well and for a moment all one can see is the expanse of sheer blue plumage, whilst the furious kestrel sits with her wings spread clumsily over the grass. She then seizes the opportunity to flee, and with a panicked flight departs, chased for a few metres by the dominant Rollers. Back they return to the box, resuming once more their positions: one on the entrance ledge and the other on the cable. Had we arrived at that moment only, or indeed had left five minutes earlier, we would not have witnessed this extraordinary interaction.


Comments

Linda said…
Eagles are famous for their highest flying habit. We should learn from them that the higher your aims are, the highest you will achieve from them.
lizsnell said…
Hi Martin, we were at the Roller box line just a few weeks ago and witnessed courtship feeding and their funny bowing motion rather like the Oropendulas in C Rica. So entertaining and yes, easy to spend an hour watching the antics of all the occupants of the nestboxes. Brilliant!

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