Birds are dumb and annoying

[Yonder_River]

In Seattle? Likely Anna's Hummingbird, surely Anna's if they are there year round. Some (smaller than Anna's) Rufous Hummingbirds are in Seattle in summer but Seattle Rufous numbers are decreasing while Anna's continues expanding N.

Yep, Seattle. I'm not sure which type, I'll have to look better next time. I've seen them harass cats a few times and it's pretty funny.

[TheSilverSurfer]

This thread is proof. No matter what birds do they keep getting more popular. Who are these people that love the birds so much. More fake news.

[old goat]

riding my bike about 2 wks ago saw an osprey above us with a fish in his claws. f*cking cool

cassowaries are other-worldly

Every once in a while one of the ospreys here will catch a fish bigger than itself. They really struggle to get altitude and make it back to the nest but I've never seen them drop the fish. They always manage.

Hummingbirds are amazing. The doc Timberridge is talking about was on PBS--might be available on line. Climbing in WV had one keep bouncing off my red helmet. Exposure never bothered me back in my climbing days--except when I saw a bird flying below me. Doing The Line at Lover's Leap--vertical straight 3 pitch crack--belaying the first pitch I look up and see a golden eagle circling over my partner, with the sun shining through its very golden wings. I was dumbstruck enough to nearly pull him off because I forgot to keep paying out rope.

Birds are popular in part because they're the only wild vertebrates most people see on a regular basis.

[goldengatestinx]

There was a nature show I was watching on TV about hummingbirds. Some literally live life on the edge, in that when they are sleeping at night, they go into torpor to conserve energy. Even then, when they wake up in the morning they are so close to starvation that if night was a couple hrs longer they would die of starvation.

I've seen that program and it made us worry when the mid-May storm hit. It was below freezing for a few days, no sun and there were hummingbirds already here. I'm amazed they made it through. It was snowing so hard and heavy that they were having difficulty staying airborne. Some were pummeled to the ground and into the snow trying to make it to the feeders.

We had 30+ inches in that storm.

I wonder how many didn't make it.

[raisingarizona13]

This thread is proof. No matter what birds do they keep getting more popular. Who are these people that love the birds so much. More fake news.

The Sierra Clubbers.

[Art Shirk]

[Alaskan Rover]

[jackstraw]

Bird just slammed into our office window. Postman walked in right after and said a Hawk was chasing the bird. Now we have a dead bird lying in the bushes.

[Alaskan Rover]

Me thinks DD must have been shat upon by one of our avian brethren.

[digitaldeath]

one time a bird shit through my sunroof

another time a bird attacked me on the tennis court

i saw a stupid bird today, fucking little goon

[IslandSnow]

Bird did not make it. RIP dumb bird.

[hutash]

I couldn't tell if it was called a ball or a strike.

[Mofro261]

I cant stand in line at the store
The mean little people are such a bore
But its alright if you act like a turd
'Cause I like
Birds

[old goat]

Bird did not make it. RIP dumb bird.

So what was the call?

I played golf with a guy who hit a vicious duck hook off the tee and hit a duck in the head. Duck was alive but bleeding and clearly had a TBI.

We seem to have more than one pair of osprey. Yesterday saw one catch a fish and make a beeline for its nest due south. Today an osprey caught a fish in about the same place and headed due east. So 2 nests. In the past the only nesting site has been where the first one went.

Went kayaking down the Truckee yesterday. Saw a large hawk heading down river about the same speed as us. Lost sight of it. Next thing we see is a half dozen tiny birds chasing it--must have got too close to a nest.

My son was climbing Black Wall on the 4th--the resident peregrine falcon made its displeasure at his presence loudly and piercingly known. He wasn't on the closed part of the cliff.

[tripice351]

Some birds like hawks and eagles are cool. Fun to watch fly around while in the mountains.
Then there are pigeons. Fucking rats with wings. Hate you, pigeons.

[hutash]

We have a cooper's hawk next in our back yard. The chick's just fledged and are hilarious to watch. So much for the majesty of the soaring raptor, these guys can barely fly and landing is painful to watch. Very entertaining, though.

[GeezerSteve]

I couldn't tell if it was called a gull or a shrike.

FIFY

[old goat]

FIFY

If we're going to start posting bad animal puns--

[hutash]

FIFY

clever

[IslandSnow]

So what was the call?

I was curious too so I looked it up.

Apparently the play was ruled a no-pitch, which is just a do over.

http://deadspin.com/15-years-ago-tod...ird-1766865936

Quick and pretty funny read.

[GeezerSteve]

Saw a Sage Thrasher yesterday during a spin on my gravel bike. Cool bird

[Timberridge]

I like birds. But this seems like an awful way to go.

http://www.sciencealert.com/scientis...over-the-world

According to at least one of the included observations, the act is pretty gruesome, especially since mantises are known to sometimes consume their prey while they're still alive:

"The modus operandi of the mantis seems to be to approach the bird, which is always hanging downwards, and then enter the cranial cavity via one of the eyes, feeding on the brain tissues."

The attack, which may end on a flourish with a complete decapitation, is made possible by the mantis's powerful front legs – sometimes described as forearms – which enable it to capture and pretty much just incapacitate the victim.

[plugboots]

[Timberridge]

^^^Yikes.

Birds getting arrested.
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2017/07...3911499436499/

[goldengatestinx]

Holy hell..don't sleep with an eye open...