Welcome to R-N 3 PLOTUS

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

You will remember my avatar and username I am sure as it is likely the only one of it's configuration in the world, named for a bird.....   Plotus m. (archaic) A taxonomic genus within the family Anhingidae – the snakebirds or darters, now known as Anhinga.

Welcome.

A little over a year ago I watched my four Huskies watch this little bird walk across my backyard. I didn't know what kind of bird it was, or why it was walking. It made no attempt to fly as a followed it, keeping a safe enough distance not to make it feel threatened. It walked straight down to my pond and submerged. I waited for it to come up, but it didn't. Just as I was about to walk away thinking it had to be the strangest thing I had ever seen, a bird walking so far, to commit suicide. It came up with a fish in its beak.

Now I was nearly stymied, but then it started beating the fish against the ground. At this point I thought it was time to do a bit of research. I found out it was an Anhinga. After a while it walked out the water and hopped up the branches of my tree that was hanging over the pond, and nested in for the night. The next morning, late, about 8:30 am he dived into the pond from the tree. Came back up like before with a fish in his beak that he banged against the ground before he ate it.

Well it turned out he an injured wing, and he the tree hanging over the pond was just what he was looking for. It had branches that touched the ground so he could walk it like a staircase. It was tall enough to provide security, and wide enough that all he had to do was dive for a meal. we named him Snape. Snape lived in that tree for about four months, before he healed enough to fly away.


Now Snape had puzzled me enough during the time he was with us, but the real surprise was when Snape came back, made a nest, and presented us with three baby Snapes, and when found out Snape was a she, not a he.