Because wild birds are not usually fed
Posted By: sweetpea on 2008-11-05
In Reply to: What is the difference in that and them - catching/eating a bird? (NM)
grain that has been tampered with by man and has all kinds of questionable additives, and even usually contains dead chicken waste. I grew up in the poultry capital of the US and it's a wonder I even still eat chicken!
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Used to have one at Wild Birds Unlimited
think there is a web site - that was mirrored on the other side. It has been a while but they had one at their store where I shopped and the goldfinches were right there outside the window totally oblivious.
That is so wild! sm
I agree with the comment on calling to ask a question. Keep us posted, okay?
I don't believe this. Dogs are not *wild*--sm
animals with denning instincts. they were meant to be every bit as free as humans were. As far as I am concerned, ALL animals, not just dogs, are *furry people* with a whole lot more loyalty, compassion, understanding of nature, and caring than a lot of people I know. They should be treated with respect, just as much as humans, because they were *created* just as much as humans were. If a human cannot or will not take the time to train the animal where it wants it to *do his business*, then that human should not have an animal as a pet at all. You would not treat your child this way, so why treat a pet this way? JMO.
wild animals
My fiance used to live in a subdivision in our small town. . every night, possums and racoons came up on his back deck and looked through the sliding glass door at us while we were watching TV in the living room. . We enjoyed seeing them and sometimes we would put food out for them. .
I have to share this also because I think it is a once in a lifetime thing - yesterday we were walking on my fiance's farm and saw a deer giving birth. . we got to within about 35 yards of it. . We only watched for about 10 minutes because we could tell we were making it very nervous. . I hope they both do okay. .
Tomatoes gone wild
I have planted 4 tomato plants that have gone crazy. They are crowding out other things and the cages are barely holding them up. I would like to try to transplant them to another area. Anyone have experience with this with a fully grown tomato plant? They already have some tomatoes and lots of flowers. I am planning on starting this afternoon by pruning back many leaves and stems that are not fruit bearing yet.
Wild swimsuits
Pic below.
birds
Your Goffin found a perfect home! That's EXACTLY what they want and need!!
I had a pink Mollucan (like a Goffin but bigger) who was my "baby" and she too had to be held all the time with her head resting on my chest or she'd scream so loud you could hear her houses down the block from me. Sometimes only the hard of hearing can find them to be acceptable pets because of this but they are SO affectionate!!! They are said to have the intelligence and demanding nature of a toddler. Your former Macaw comes in at around a 5- to 7-year-old. Greys are rated at 9 years old intelligence-wise but I disagree and think Macaws and Greys rate higher based on owning many and seeing what they can do. I've bred/owned many kinds of birds for many years. If you want a small parrot who just pretty much sits and thinks and keeps quiet but is company, get an Eclectus. They are affectionate but quiet and pretty much trouble free, not obsessed with curiosity like a Grey! Pionus are good too.
Just watch whatever you use around the house that has an odor or scent. Birds can die in a matter of minutes before you realize what is happening. Reptiles react too so be careful with them. And never use Lysol around a rabbit, especially to clean the cage.
Feel free to e-mail me if I can ever be of any help. I'm posting this here in case others watching this thread have birds, use candles and self-cleaning ovens and Teflon, especially this time of the year.
birds
I am originally from NY/NJ and am fairly new to NC but last week saw a whole bunch of robins in the yard. I thought it was early for them. Then, we had snow. Does anyone know what is going on? Also, have what I think is a hawk that I see all the time on the roof top across the street. He has a tail with strips. I think it is a hawk. Amazing..
Thats wild! Would help too if mice were diabetics
.
wildlife should be left wild
I agree about the psycho woman, but this is about feeding wildlife. As stated above, wild should the left wild. It's become a romantic idea to feed the ducks at the lake. Because animals cannot digest all the synthetic crap we put into our foods, their digestive systems become blocked and they die. Human education is a very long haul.
JMO, but having been a very wild teen at one time...
you really should intervene. Your sister has a right to know, it is her child after all, and to turn a blind eye and pretend it does not exist does your niece more harm than good. Take it from one who has been there, if someone would have done the same for me I would have been angry, but looking back now it would have changed my life tremendously. A lot of young girls today really need some direction, look at the role models they have out there, most of them are nothing to brag about! Good luck to you, you sound like a loving and caring auntie!
I am not saying it is okay to cage a wild animal
but these animals are not in little iron cages. They are living in open areas down in deep areas that have 15 to 20 foot walls. If there are going to be zoos, this is the kind to have.
Pretty wild posts
I was reading the posts below and some pretty heated discussions. Everyone seems to have an opinion and I feel bad for the people who give their opinion and then are jumped on by others. The only thing I could possibly add is do what you feel is right. Emotional scars go very deep, and its true that once things are said (or written) its very hard to forgive. I remember years ago (19 years ago) I got called into a room by my MIL who proceded to tell me how much she always hated me and if I turned her against her son she would find me and kill me - this was after I told my husband (not in front of her) we don't have the money to pay our bills and we can't keep taking her out to eat with unlimited pitchers of beers. He's the one who told his mom we couldn't go out to eat cos we didn't have money. Anyway...those words she said still haunt me and the memory is like it happened yesterday. Words hurt very deeply and the emotional scars will always be there. It sounds like you are getting counseling and that is good. Don't know if your kids are also getting counseling but that might help them too. Good luck to you.
Is it legal to keep a wild deer as a pet? sm
Someone has had a wild pet deer for a pet in our subdivision for a few years now. I am a serious animal lover myself, but it has gotten rather old having this deer roaming through the roads and, most of all, eating landscape plants down to nothing. We have sprayed deer repellent on nearly everything, but the one little area we miss will be chewed right away. Besides, we have to keep doing it over and over and this stuff is not cheap. Really getting tiresome. Do not want to be mean, but what rights do the homeowners in here have?? 
Are we living in the Wild West?....sm
I wonder that the police do not take more action against him.
Your mother has now to live imprisoned with a shotgun next to her bed?
She should make him institutionalized, declared incompetent and the property should become hers and yours.
Birds of a feather....
well you get the idea. I just saw a picture of them in my weekly dirt magazines so guess they are still hanging out.
Cats eat birds.
I no longer put feeders anywhere near my yard but I'm not going to punish my cat for eating a bird.
Watching birds
That is so cool. I know there are lots of beautiful birds around here (N FL), including woodpeckers (have pecked trees to prove it lol), but I never thought to actually watch and document them.
The other night around 1 a.m. I was walking my dogs and there were probably 4 or 5 owls (I counted 4 for sure) situated within may a 100-yard radius. They kept 'talking' to each other. Each would repeat the previous 'chant.' It was really interesting to listen to them. They really had a rhythm goin'!
My son's GF said she saw a hawk on the fence a couple days ago. Wish I could have seen that!
But... shameless confession... my favorite bird is the vulture. They are magnificent... I know many people don't like them because of what they do for a livelihood, but I love them.
Anyhow... happy bird-watching. And thanks for sparking a potential hobby over here :-)
Complaints about birds sm
Have one of those neighbors who complains about everything, dogs, cats, and birds. I have a few feeders, do not feed from the ground, etc. Anyway, even in this cold northeast weather, I can hear the birds chirping away. I tell my husband they are saying "thanks for keeping up the feeding," as many must be totally confused with the on-off weather we had this winter. Week after Christmas it was near 70 one day. I love the cardinals and we have one what we call "crazy bird" who loves to make noise in the dark. I will not stop feeding my feathered friends, use squirrel-proof feeders but find some, along with cats, will sit under the feeders just hoping to get themselves a bird who happens to be within reach. Haven't seen a "capture" yet. How can people complain about birds? Geez, I love to hear them sing and I love it in the summer when they keep the bugs off my flowers. I guess I'm just venting. I don't understand how people can hate animals, birds included. BTW I have 3 feeders, one back, front and side, not an over-abundance.They say they like to keep pristine cars and property. In my mind, they may as well be dead.
feed the birds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Eye_Is_on_the_Sparrow
Wild kingdom in my back yard!
It's my day off, and I was standing at the kitchen window, noticing two thrushes (large reddish birds) all riled up. I was about to tell DH that how funny they were acting when I noticed a black lump on the tree that seemed to be the center of attention. There was a large snake coiled on the side of the bradford tree trunk! Not only were the thrushes yelling and jumping at it, now and then other birds were getting into the act, like a robin that would dive-bomb it. The yard was alive with chatter over the out-of-place intruder. Despite the fact that I was still in my jammies, I armed myself with a hoe and went out to fight the good fight. DH joined me. What was great was that the birds didn't mind how close we got to them. It was like they could tolerate anybody that was involved in the fierce battle against the invading predator. Since the snake wasn't wound around very well, and had most of his bulk on one side of the trunk, it wasn't too hard to dislodge him, but I took time to study his head shape, which was quite beautiful if you can appreciate a nice nonpoisonous snake. We decided it was the black racer snake rather than the rat snake we've seen before. So we and these birds were arguing with a very cranky snake, LOL. Once I had ID'd him we finished dislodging him. He plopped 3 feet to the soft pine-needled ground below and remained semi-coiled. The birds moved down to the ground and continued a fabulous display with cocked wings and upright tails and wide-open mouths, jumping and flying in the face of the enemy. As the black snake coiled and struck out at the birds, he revealed the ugly truth; his abdomen bulged with a recent meal. Apparently eggs or babies were already lost to the fiend!
We were sad for the birds, especially since we have made no attempt to discourage the snakes from living in our yard. They are supposed to control mice and moles - not birds.
Pretty wild about David Ducouvne
That's an addiction you don't hear very much about even though it is out there.
Don't forget the Wild Card Round
Any three of them could be back.
Snakes mean one thing to birds......
xx
Speaking of cats getting birds...sm
We have 2 feral cats that we feed (they've been trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, then released, as the feral cat groups advise). They're actually very tame with us now. We've named them Isabelle and Nigel.
We have a covered patio area, almost entirely enclosed, where we feed them and have beds for them, so our dogs can't get to them (we call it the *cat house* LOL).
About a month ago, we went out to feed the cats at night, as usual, when what should fly into the cat house but a baby/young bird! It caught Isabelle's eye *immediately* (Nigel didn't seem to notice/care) but it was up high and she didn't move towards it. She seemed to be more focused on my husband as he prepared her food. I thought about trying to shoo the bird away with a broom, but I didn't want to startle it and send it right towards the cats.
Well, next thing you know, the baby bird decides it's time to fly away. As soon as it did, Isabelle took off after it at warp speed. It was amazing, really. She was up and over the fence after it in the blink of an eye. We stood there in shock, thinking there's *no way* she could have caught it. She was too far away from it when it took off. But then a few seconds later she jumped over the fence back into the cat house with it in her mouth, already dead.
Poor little thing. I wonder whatever possessed it to come in the cat house with 2 humans and 2 cats, at night. So sad, but that's the circle of life, I guess. ;o(
You were surprised she got it? A cat's instincts for birds, especially, are sm
great. They keep their eyes on it and it's over. Especially a young one. So sad. I hate the circle of life. All of our goats were attacked and killed by neighborhood dogs a few weeks ago and people are telling me, "Oh well, that's what dogs do!" I wanted to slap them.
I feed birds on the lake
quite often and really enjoyed doing it. I have seen others do as well and I do not see them becoming aggressive as a result of this. I also see the geeze and ducks feeding on their own when not being fed by humans. I have deer in my neighborhood and as much as I would love to feed, know this is not a good idea and should not so I don’t. I think that other mother is a total jerk for her reaction, though.
Not nice to insult birds like that. nm
!
Birds and Mother Nature sm
The birds tell us a lot. The morning of the Great Blizzard of ྊ I could not hear myself think for the noise of the birds everywhere. I live in the NE, I had a feeling they were trying to tell us something. I packed up everything I had that day and left for home and stocked up. I was not able to get out for the whole next week and my husband could not get home. I was fully prepared, but did not know for what. They do warn us! Lots of acorns here this year as well which means it is supposed to be a bad winter. The same thing happened in 1978 with the acorns. We shall see!!
I have been noticing birds at night
also. I did find out some owls don't sound like owls at all, so that might be one explanation, but it is very strange to be walking the dogs and having birds calling out. Or being in the house and coming outside at midnight to see why birds are squawking.
Fun, huh? I love watching the birds
and I have my desk set up by the picture window so I can watch them and the squirrels, too. I have a pair of red-breasted nuthatches that are regular visitors to my back yard. They are new here this year and they are just adorable. We also have a few Cooper hawks that cause trouble from time to time. My favorite bird is a Carolina wren. The bird I would like to see most is a pileated woodpecker. Do you have a back yard list or just a life list? I only have the back yard list.
The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock.
x
Actually, we bake cornish hens with wild rice.
Glaze is made with melted butter, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce.
Well, tigers in zoos now never knew life in wild and
x
the wild west of oregon! go east to see family...
every year. my sis brought me to NYC one year and that did it, i was hooked on handbags! originally from the big city and forgot how many good buys there are if you look for them!
Small birds keep nesting in my ferns on the
xx
Have seen lots of birds do this with those fake bird-like
sdf
Just something so soothing about watching birds. BTW, one of my cats
defintely knows there is a new bird in the house. Don't worry, it is impossible for him to get to them. Still working on a name, my daughter went to the site suggested above and has a list for me.
My kitty has her own video, with birds, squirrels, etc. - sm
She gets a real kick out of it, especially the moths and the chipmunks. She always trys to reach out and grab the chipmunk!
Now that it's summer, though, I've got bird seed and hummingbird feeders outside the window, so she can watch the REAL THING all day long.
global warming...I'm in S. Florida and birds
this is NOT normal......been in Florida 30 years and never heard birds in the middle of the night unless one is in the Everglades....and I'm not located there.
Been going on for almost a year.........it's very bizarre to me.
I'm in SoFla, but have my air conditioner on to sleep. Birds
xx
The birds in my yard need body guards
I have a few birdfeeders out in front of my office window for something to enjoy while I'm working. The squirrels come and the birds visit. Lately there has been a hawk (for lack of knowledge I'll just call it a hawk, it's some kind of big predator), swooping through and picking off birds right off the feeders, and now it has even tried to fly off with the squirrels. He sits up in my trees and waits to attack. Now I fully know this is the way of nature and he needs to eat to, but does he have to do it while I'm watching. Is there anything I can do to get rid of him (keep him away, not kill him or anything)?
things that kill birds and their care
You have to be careful what is in the candles. I don't burn them with birds around. Self-cleaning ovens will also immediately kill birds, as will a Teflon-coated pan that overheats. Also be careful with home permanent solutions, room deodorizers, and DO NOT USE FEBREZE (yes, I am shouting because so many people use this and it is a KILLER for birds). Just be careful with any of these types of things. Birds are ultra sensative to inhalants. Better not to use them at all.
Regarding the eggs, if you remove them she will just lay more before she's had a proper rest and that will deplete her of calcium. While she's sitting on her eggs, her body is rebuiding for the next clutch. Try to find things that resemble the eggs in size and color, like marbles, beads, etc. Put them in place of the eggs. Don't let her see you doing this. Warm them in your hands first (NOT HOT) and sneak them in one at a time when she's not looking. She should sit on them and you can pitch the eggs. But let her sit until SHE abandons them so that she maintains proper calcium.
Also, if the eggs aren't fertile, there is no problem in letting her sit on them. Take them out and hold them up to a light, like a light bulb or a flashlight, and look into the egg. If you see red lines or a solid dark mass, you've got babies. If you see just space and yolk, you've got a dud. She can sit on duds and get her rest and you won't have to worry about babies. Not all eggs are duds, though. You have to look at each one. Date them lightly in PENCIL and then you can tell when you last looked and keep checking until you're sure they are duds.
Keep plenty of cuttlebone around for her calcium and sprinkle baby bird handfeeding formula on her food to give her extra supplements for the egg laying whether duds or not. It's good for her. Even if you don't want babies, her body needs to be replenished with this stuff to keep her healthy. This is a good treat anytime for a bird.
I'm sorry to hear about your experience with babies before. Many times the youngest die in the next because the larger ones get on top of them and they don't get the food. Finches are tricky. I'm crazy about them but they do need careful watching. Parrots are SO much easier to raise!!! Guess you don't want to suggest that to your kids, though LOL!!!
Feel free to e-mail if you have questions!
Running wild all summer in the surrounding citrus orchards - sm
- Also the small town (which it isn't anymore) 4th of July parade, and how excited my dad would get about the fireworks.
- First trip to Yosemite & Lake Tahoe in 1960. Back then the park was practically empty in late August.
- Neighbors who showed Disney movies for all the kids in the neighborhood for free on summer Sat. nights.
- Halloween when I was 10, and trick-or-treating with no parents along. Kids sure can't do that now.
- The nearby thoroughbred horse farm, where we used to sneak into the *old guys'* pasture, climb aboard, and ride them around. It's a wonder we weren't killed...
- *Sledding* down hills on dried-out grass on big pieces of cardboard.
- Tire races! (Put small kid in large tire at top of hill, roll tire down hill. Resulting dizziness of said small kid was VERY funny. Tire & kid that go the farthest before falling over is the winner.)
- Building our own wagons, go-karts, tree-forts, stick-horses, bird-houses, etc. without adults to tell us the *right* way to do it. Much more fun our way.
- Playing in construction sites. We once found a HUGE beam that was eventually going to be a main ceiling beam, and with about 15 kids' help, were able to drag it to a spot where we could turn it into a GIANT see-saw. You could put about 8 kids on either side, and it went REALLY high.
- Going to my friend's house on Sunday nights to watch Bonanza - in COLOR! (Everyone else in the neighborhood had blk. & wht.)
Cornish hens with a glaze and a wild rice stuffing? nm
s
Love birds, too, but once you get hit on the head or in your eye with a plop of poop,
s
I feel like I am in an Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds.
I am sitting here at home, at my desk, and a bunch of black birds are flying past my window. When I got up to look out my window, and my front entire front lawn and side lawn are covered with black birds. Glad I am not in a phone booth. Very strange to have so many of them in one place. Guess they are getting ready to go south for the winter, but today it feels like a muggy summer day, 70 degrees at 9 a.m. in northern NJ.
roasted veggies and sauteed tofu with wild rice, and salad. nm
s
Use beans to stabilze blood sugar, yams, brown and wild rice, hearty
s
groundhogs,squirrels, wild turkeys, rabbits, raccoon, goat and deer meat..sm
Some folks just take for granted that they can walk into a market and shop for meat...We've done the same for similar reasons as you and nothing was wasted. At least you're self sufficient!!! And, I bet you've put up/canned/frozen all the vegetables from the summer/fall harvest.
Didn't mean to be flippant in my earlier post...whack it, hack it, pack it and stack it...  Cat
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