birds

  On 5/8/2020 at 5:58 PM, austen said:

Expand  

Wish my cat was like that. That birds head would be detached from its body faster than you can blink :(((

https://art.thewalters.org/detail/37570/a-perch-of-birds/

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/03/826925180/we-are-swamped-coronavirus-propels-interest-in-raising-backyard-chickens-for-egg

a few weeks ago some wrens or sparrows decided to make a nest on my front porch. it was in a good spot fairly high up in a corner. things seemed to be going well, but then came the shitting. they started crapping all over my window and chairs I have out there, which displeased me greatly. I let them get away with it because, you know, nature and all. I hosed it all off and forgot about it. then I noticed they started coming much more frequently and making a lot of noise. this is right outside the bedroom I use for a home office so I had to take action immediately this time. got a ladder, went up, and yep, there were baby birds in there. I knew that if I moved the nest I was going to be messing with the laws of nature and they'd probably all end up dead because of me, but this was a risk I was willing to take.

I moved the nest to a medium sized tree in the front yard. even put one of my kids plastic helmets upside down in the tree to place the nest in for added protection. for awhile all seemed good. the mommy & daddy bird relocated to the tree nest and would bring them food or whatever they do. then we had several days of really windy weather. the nest in the helmet idea still seemed ok, it wasn't falling out and the baby birds were still there. then one night we got hit with a really massive wind storm. I remember thinking while it was going on "wonder if the birds will make it." the next morning I opened the blinds in the home office and saw the helmet was practically upside down. I knew this was no good. opened the front door and one of the chicks was dead on the porch getting eaten by ants. there was another chick head in the yard with no body. I found another one of the mostly hairless chicks in the front flower bed still alive and looked at it awhile, realizing he was going to be a goner soon.

the parental birds hung around by the tree for a day or so, I suppose in mourning. then before they finally departed for good, they came back and shit all over my front porch then flew away. guess I deserved that.

  On 5/19/2020 at 2:12 AM, yekker said:

 

 

Expand  

Classic

  On 5/9/2020 at 6:57 PM, milkface said:

Wish my cat was like that. That birds head would be detached from its body faster than you can blink :(((

Oh mine too.. sadly mine too...

majestic bomber squadron

  Quote

A quick'n'dirty composite of Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Hobby that I've captured in the last few weeks - each equally backlit!

What *is* that?

Roosting dusky woodswallows.