Watching The Birds

[manitou]

Sagebrush, if you made that comment about the psychological drama knowing that I just lost my husband of 35 years, you should be banned from the forum.  If you made it because you are drunk or high, don't post unless you're sober.

Edited January 7, 2018 by manitou

[Marblehead]

Too many human emotions appearing in this thread about birds.

 

[cold]

Isn't it a human habit to label, qualify, and or classify things?

 

Nature has two basics:

First one is food.

The second one is the consumer of said food.

 

Watching the juvenile turkey vultures cleaning up road kill, they don't exhibit preferences.

They just act on their instinct and eat what is available.

 

Crows appear a little smarter following a pattern of trash removal ?

The refuse cans or bags appear and the crows soon follow. Preferring plastic bags over cans with lids.

As it is learned learned behavior is it also instinctual?

 

[cold]

A favorite resident who got pressured by feral cats and local foxes to move on was is the kill deer.

Nesting on the ground the parents would alternate eating and guarding the eggs or hatchlings.

The parents antics were soon mimicked by the offspring.

 

22 minutes ago, Marblehead said:

Too many human emotions appearing in this thread about birds.

 

So change brings both opportunities and loss or grief.

 

[Marblehead]

Can't say I have ever seen that first hand but have seen many documentaries regarding the duties of the parents of various species.  And yes, nesting on the ground is a great hazard for most birds.

 

 

 

[cold]

The kill deer often lay their eggs among stones that resemble the eggs in size shape and color. The parent would flit out acting as if it had a broken wing or similar injury scampering with bias away from the nest when the nest was approached to closely. Then when threat to eggs was lessened the parent would take to flight again away from both the nest and the threat.

 

The baby birds shortly after hatching and before learning to fly rely on their parents protection. The mimic the parents crazy running, almost in circles bouncing off one another. I often thought was this was inspiration for the Keystone Cops.

[cold]

With forage scarce the seldom seen gulls are competing with the local crows for food.

They seem to favor the fast food, fries in particular. And large parking lots, with lots of empty spots.

Two places I try to avoid. Maybe why that's why I don't often see them.

[Marblehead]

I live only 45 miles from the ocean but rarely see any gulls.  Lots of crows though.

 

I do also have hawks in my area.  That might mean something regarding the gulls.

 

[cold]

Red shouldered hawk enjoying a freshly killed varmint this morning. Its wings wide spread to shield its meal from the murder of crows, so I can't say for sure what it was eating.

 

Was calm enough the blue birds flew in to scavange the leaf piles this afternoon.

[zerostao]

Somehow a fox sparrow (i think) found its way into the house today. It wasnt panicky as some birds will get, it sat on the corner post for the rail of the staircase looking at me. so, I opened the front door to allow it out. It looked at me like you've got to be kidding, yeah it's that cold here now. Last I saw it flew upstairs. Not sure how it got in the house although I did have a couple of packages delivered today and had the door propped open long enough to get the packages in.

[cold]

1 hour ago, zerostao said:

Somehow a fox sparrow (i think) found its way into the house today. It wasnt panicky as some birds will get, it sat on the corner post for the rail of the staircase looking at me. so, I opened the front door to allow it out. It looked at me like you've got to be kidding, yeah it's that cold here now. Last I saw it flew upstairs. Not sure how it got in the house although I did have a couple of packages delivered today and had the door propped open long enough to get the packages in.

 

I agree any port in a storm, "yeah its that cold here now".

And I also would give you a look like you got to be kidding bro... close the damn door.

 

My neighbors are either erecting tarp enclosures or putting the chickens in their basements... one old rooster name of "cogburn"  won't have any part of that confinement nonsense.

My kind of mindset in my youth, give me liberty or give me death ..

I'm slowly but surly moving towards any port in a storm... I prefer a good brandy, as if it matters... and avoiding storms ...

 

I can't use being out in the sun to long as an excuse..

[cold]

Got quite a treat while riding in the car with my sister yesterday when she exclaimed what is that as she gestured out her window.

Sure enough a bald eagle was flying low, tree top height, and being harassed by crows.

Only one nest I'm aware of near a reservoir maybe 4 miles ass the crows fly lol.

[zerostao]

harrassed by crows?! surely not

Spoiler

 

 

seems strange

this next one 2 crows encounter 2 cats.  the crows seem to know bagua as they use circling footwork

Spoiler

 

 

strange goings on

[Marblehead]

Yeah, it has been suggested that crows are likely the smartest bird on the planet.

 

And then, sometimes, we give cats more credit than they deserve.

 

[cold]

A pair of red shouldered hawks has returned and are busy repairing / renovating their nest, the first robins of spring have arrived en masse and a late going home raccoon was harassed most of the way by the neighborhood murder of crows.

[Marblehead]

I haven't seen any of the migrations yet that take place here.  Maybe still a bit too cold.

 

[cold]

Their was / is a pair of Snowy Owls who made it as far south as Washington D.C. they are expected to start the journey North any day now, if they haven't already left.

I think both day length and temperature have starring roles in the migration decisions different critters make.

[Marblehead]

I was sitting outside this afternoon and saw a small flock (about fifteen) of geese headed North.  Looked like they were following the north flowing river headed toward the east coast line for the rest of their journey to wherever.

 

[Pavel Karavaev]

Wild animals usually avoid the human, so sometimes it seems that they are somewhere far away. Walking in the winter through the forest, we could see more signs that the animals are very close.

 

Recently I came across the sleeping place of elks . It's amazing how large the size of these creatures

[zerostao]

The Cardinals sound sweet today. When I returned after a three-year absence at the cottage the starlings were here. Last summer I watched as cardinals tried to gain access to the yard. Starlings met them in mid-air collisions around the hedgerow. I have some nice trees and the creek bank, but trees and creeks are not in short supply here. So, I have no idea why my yard is a turf battle. I do not put seed out. No starlings this year so far.

Interesting link, I think. Ravens and evolution.

Spoiler

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/ravens-animals-evolution-species/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20180302news-ravenevolution&utm_campaign=Content&sf183486426=1 

 

[Kar3n]

This girl has been hanging out on top of the fence for the past several days. She does not appear to have a mate and never gets far from this spot. Isn't she lovely?

 

[Kar3n]

Her mate arrived. They were courting when I went in to get my camera. She flew up into the orange tree when my dog barked at them, but he stayed to pose for the camera

[Kar3n]

I haven't seen any Krestel in a couple of years. This guy stopped by yesterday to snack on a lizard on my neighbor's chimney.

[Marblehead]

The resident birds around here are becoming more active.  I guess they are getting ready to create a new family.

[Kar3n]

35 minutes ago, Marblehead said:

The resident birds around here are becoming more active.  I guess they are getting ready to create a new family.

Here too, though we have activity all year. Lots of courting and staking claim going on.

 

The cactus wren have, for the second year, kept the woodpeckers out of their nest and taken over. The mockingbirds are giving the finches hell about the proximity their nest.

 

Bird wars are in full swing.