Dumb Bird

Not much else happening these days so here's more of the Bird saga.

Shortly after I took the last photos of Bird's attachment to Whipper, I was able to catch this scene.  Bird was on Whipper for quite a while.  This one looked a lot like mating behavior.  Bird was vigorously drubbing Whipper's shoulders, and it must have been a pleasant massage because Whipper barely twitched through the whole session. 

Still no reaction.  What a dog!  Since this, Bird has been concentrating his efforts to mount Whipper at the other end.  Apparently not as pleasant for Whipper as he won't allow it.

Bird was roosting in a tree whenever he could.  I tried several times to reprogram him to roost under the carport where he'd be dry and safe.  I lured him into the pen with birdseed, locked him in for the night, and then let him out in the morning to forage.  It seemed to be working for a few days, but when I tried letting him come and go as he pleased, he again went for the tree at dusk.

Now this particular tree is actually a large wild privet shrub just the other side of the back fence.  It held leaves longer than most other trees, but it's not a substantial tree and the branches are flimsy.  I didn't know how he was getting up there.  I always missed that small window at sunset when he went to roost.  The fence is 5 feet tall, I really didn't think he could fly over it.  I thought maybe he was using the tree in front of the fence to sort of climb up and then hop over to the fence and then to the privet.  I finally caught him in the act, and he was flying straight up off the ground to the top of the fence!  Well heck.  I threw up my hands in defeat.  Fine, if you want to be undomesticated, you're on your own.  I knew it was just a matter of time before he came down in the morning on the wrong side of the fence, it's happened before.  And being a dumb bird, he wouldn't remember that he could fly back in if he wanted.  If I wanted him in, and he seemed to want in, I had to spend some time and birdseed to lure him in the gate.

Then we got our first snow this week, and it was a pretty good one.  It started out as all day rain, and turned to snow overnight.  When the sun came up, it was a winter wonderland.  A good 3" or maybe a bit more.  It stuck to everything, and it got so cold that night, it was ice under the snow.  Not a good night for a chicken without a roof over his head.

I couldn't see him in that privet from the house.  I heard him crow once that morning before the sun came up,  so I knew he was there at that time.  I thought about how disorientated he would have been when he saw his surroundings after sun-up.  Nothing but white everywhere.  He was hatched this spring, he's never seen snow before.  He wouldn't have known where to go when he came off his roost.  The weight of the snow on those weak branches would have changed his roost, and maybe even dumped him on the ground.  After that one crow, I never heard or saw him all that day, and I was watching for him.  I figured he was history.  He would have been very cold and probably wet to the skin, and maybe not able to walk in the snow with those fluffy leggings of his.  He'd be easy pickings for a predator.  If I had seen him outside the fence, I would have gone back and lured him in, but I didn't.  As usual, I have afterthoughts.  As soon as I saw he could fly over the fence, I should have penned him up so I could clip his wings.  I felt really bad that I didn't think of it soon enough.  So with regrets, I bid Bird R.I.P.

Then there he was the next morning pacing along the fence!  Looking hale and hearty as ever!  Where was he all the day before???  I got him back in the gate, and penned him up that evening.  Just before full dark after he went into roosting stupor, I went out and clipped his wings.  Now he's leery of me again, but at least he went to roost in the pen on his own last night.  Maybe he realized that the carport was much more comfortable than a tree when there's cold wet stuff falling from the sky.  Or he realized he can't fly now.  Nah.  This is a chicken brain.  Doubt he can process that much.  We'll see how it goes.

Sure hope this cold snap breaks soon!  20's at night and barely 40's during the day even though it's been crystal clear and sunny since the snow.  Way too cold for me.  

tnt

Natureschild

November

After observing this scene several times since I posted it the last time, I've come to the conclusion that Bird just likes hanging with Whipper.  I wasn't quick enough with the camera yesterday.  Bird pecked the ground between Whipper's front and hind legs.  It was only when he pecked his body that Whipper reacted.  He swung his head at Bird with a show of teeth.  Don't blame him.  I've been pecked by chickens and it can really hurt.  That's as far as it went.  Bird left, and Whipper resumed his doze.

Bird is also warming up to me.  Especially since he learned I'm the keeper of the bird seed.  He forages under the bird feeder for dropped sunflower seeds.  I began giving some just to him, and now he's liking me a little better.  He's even coming up on the porch when I'm out there.  I picked up a bag of the cheap mixed/cracked corn bird seed I used to feed my flock of chickens.  Pickings are getting slimmer now that we've had a few good frosts, so I'll supplement his grazing with the bird seed.

The next shot is a rare capture.

This is an Eastern Towhee (previously called Rufus-Sided Towhee).  I see them now and then under feeders, and this is the first time I've caught it on film.  This was taken at full zoom through the window so not as clear as I'd wish.  They're secretive ground feeders, and prefer forest floor where they forage for seeds and insects.  They have a unique method that's very chicken-like.  They scratch and hop back to see what they uncovered.

Our first frost on 10/26 was actually first freeze.  It went down to 23F that night.  That and the lack of rain hurt the fall color show.  Usually a light frost or two gets leaves turning, but a freeze will kill them before that can happen.  The crape myrtles went immediately to dull brown dead leaves instead of the pretty pastels they usually give.  Then the first hard fall wind last weekend blew most of the leaves off everything.  So disappointing fall color around here this year.

tnt

Natureschild