Wednesday, April 3 2024

[Dave]

Happy Hump Day.

I hope none of you suffered harm or damage from the brutal weather affecting central to eastern US.

On a miserable morning somewhere around 2009, I spotted this poor bird huddling under some wide leaves a few paces from my front door, seeking shelter from the elements - it had rained all morning and the temps were in the low 40s (4 to 5 C).

I dashed inside for a towel and my camera, quickly took a few photos, and gently wrapped the bird in the towel. It seemed to want to stay where I found it so I left it there, hoping it would survive. i checked on it every 15 minutes or so and after about an hour it had apparently recuperated enough to discard the towel fly off into the now rain-free and warming day.

   

[Man From Ironbark]

A well composed photo. A heart warming story as well. Yes. birds lose their core temperature very quickly and will die. I've picked up birds that have hit a window and held them in my warm hands and even in a jacket pocket until they start stirring and have often fed them some drops of water from an eye dropper, as it usually happens at the house windows. I then sit them on a branch where they sit for a bit and are gone in minutes, back to their family.
Though it is true that some birds can repeatedly hit the same window at speed until they draw blood and yet go back and attack again. Had a kookaburra that did that all spring one year, before the yard was filled up with trees it could swoop from 30 metres away. Then the same window was literally pigeonholed when a crested pigeon must have taken off from the lawn at speed, maybe to escape the sparrowhawk. Here's the result, rather resembling a farmer's head and hat. The pigeon carried on to the cupboard on the wall and flopped with a broken neck to the bench below.

[Dreamin]

Dave, that poor bird....thank you for doing your part......nice image....
Peter, yes, I've had birds do hit windows before. Guess the reflections in the window make it look like it's just another landscape, fools them. I've had two birds die from the hit, and two other birds survive and fly off after recouperating. Never had them break a window, though......

[Man From Ironbark]

In many instances the birds attack windows to chase away their own reflection. They also do it to side mirrors on cars. Usually depositing lots of guano in the process.

In at least one instance, I've caught a bearded dragon attempting to escape another dragon by banging on the window.




hey, you should have been here.. bang bang bang on my window.. looks out and here's one bearded dragon trying to get through the window.. and another chasing it into the corner.. I think I saved its life by pointing my camera at it.
couldn't get both dragons in because I scared the other one off.