Bird story

This morning while downstairs doing laundry I hear my cats carrying on and on. I was concerned because the last time they were throwing such a fit our dog was choking and they cried to get my attention.

I walk in my den to see what was wrong and to my surprise sitting on my window ledge was a woodpecker pecking at the window. I shooed him away x5 but he kept coming back. I have never had this happen before.

I used to feed my feathered friends about 3 years ago but gave this up as our dog (german shorthair) started hunting them. While I know it is in his nature I just couldn't see baiting the birds for him.

Now I am wondering what has gotten into this little guy who is still looking in at me right now, not pecking at the glass but just watching, any ideas????

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I'm so sorry for your loss as well. I cannot even imagine (and don't want to!) how hard that must be for both of you who posted about losing your sons.

That bird thing is so bizarre. I have heard of people having signs that loved ones are about to die but did you ever make any sense out of the bird??

I've had all kinds of birds but only a couple types of finches, none of them Blues. I do know that finches tend to be colony birds and prefer companionship as a rule. I think she is probably missing her best buddy and she is also afraid because she doesn't know what happened. If there was any blood involved with the dying bird, this will terrify birds even more. (They don't even like it if you wear red nailpolish.) That might account for the odd chirping. It might be to your benefit to try to find out what the other bird died from because if it had anything to do with something that is still in Roxy's environment, this will upset her.

Some birds bond for life and will never accept another companion. Others can resist a companion at first but then get used to them. This is breeding season. I would think she would be accepting of another bird right now.

My first suggestion would be to get a mirror and put it in her cage and see if that helps calm her down. Just seeing another finch like her buddy might help. Then, if you want to try getting another bird (which I would definitely do if she accepts the mirror bird), get one and put it in a separate cage right beside this one. Don't just put it smack into her cage. She could attack it for not being her buddy or for territorial invasion. But if the new bird is sitting in its own cage (can be a small travel cage for the trial) and yours acts like she wants to go be with it, then put them together for short periods of time at first and watch them carefully to be sure she doesn't attack the new bird. If they are compatible, then you've got yourself a new pair and Roxy has a new best friend. Also, it would be wise to keep the birds in separate cages for a while and watch the new bird's droppings, even have them checked out by a vet for parasites, etc., before you let them live together to be sure the new one is perfectly well.

One other thought that comes to mind is perhaps you had a male and female and did not know it. I confess I do not know how easy it is to tell the sexes of Blues. I'm used to the larger birds and using blood tests to be sure, as I paired and bred for sale. But a blood test is impractical on a finch as they really can't afford to lose any blood because of their small size!!! BUT, one could have killed the other since this is breeding season and birds, even finches, can get very aggressive towards one another, even those of the same sex.

I would suggest contacting a Blue breeder and find out more about their personalities and habits. And if you buy your second bird directly from a breeder, you can be more sure it will be a healthy one. The ones that end up in pet shops aren't always the best of the clutch.

I wish you luck and please know you have my sympathies in your loss. These little guys are really easy to get attached to. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions I might be able to answer.

We added a new bird to our backyard list today - one that we have been waiting to have visit for six years. I must admit I had given up, as this is known to be a rural bird and we are just inside town. We have downy woodpeckers out the wazoo all day long, but today, much to my surprise and delight, we had a visit from a hairy woodpecker. He landed on the suet cage that I have hanging on the offce window so he was only about 4 feet away and I got a really good look at him. What a thrill! Now if I can just lure in that elusive pileated...

A few years ago, when the contents got low, we found a 3-legged mouse trapped in there. The seed was low enough that he could not jump back out. Well, having had kept mice in the past (pet store varities) I put thick gloves on, caught him and set him up in a nice cage with all the stuff mice like. I would hold him every day and sign Micky, Micky Bo Bicky, banana fana fo ficky....and so on. Every day. But after two weeks I realized that he was not enjoying it. So, 3 legs and all, I took him out to our bottom field and let him loose. He ran and skipped to the closest tree and climbed that tree up about 15 feet. He then sat an a branch and gave me the evil eye. Didn't know he could do all that with just 3 legs.

Well, a few weeks later, guess who was back in the barrel? I got the heavy gloves out and went to reach for him, he FLEW up my hand, arm, jumped 15' across the room and ran under the door to freedom. Guess he really did have enough of my singing. Never saw him again. (was definitely him cause you can't miss noticing a 3-legged mouse). Oh well...

of birds I have seen - a red-breasted nuthatch - not common this far south - at my suet feeder when suddenly birds scattered and my resident Cooper's hawk almost hit the window in front of me. Don't think he scored this time.

This is the 4th day in a row I have had to pick up a dead, mauled bird (3rd baby). I am assuming cats are the cause, since neighbors and I did not have a problem until this year, when we started seeing a couple of roaming cats. My dog is no help as he is still a puppy and is afraid of the cats.

Anyway, does anyone know humane ways to keep cats from climbing the trees? I know, you can't fight nature, but thought I would ask anyway. Thank!

For the most part, she blames her actions on stress from her illness. I can (somewhat) see someone stealing to pay bills or to put money aside for savings, but not for a lavish wedding or cruises.

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- A woman accused of stealing more than $1 million from her nonprofit employer said she used the money to pay for medical bills, vacations and her daughter's wedding.

"My daughter was getting married; I wanted her to have a nice wedding," said Linda Bevins, who has colon and lung cancer. "I had nothing, it all went to cancer. I thought I was going to die. I wanted to have a good life. I wanted my husband to have peace of mind."

Bevins was fired in June from her job as a payroll supervisor for the Crotched Mountain Foundation, which runs a disabilities rehabilitation center in Greenfield. She, her husband, and daughter now are being sued by the foundation. A criminal investigation is also going on.

Bevins was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and took a job as a payroll specialist with Crotched Mountain in 2001 to help pay her medical bills; she was promoted to supervisor a year later. She told the New Hampshire Sunday News she began taking money in 2004 after doctors told her the cancer had spread to her liver, and the prognosis was not good.

Bevins said she's not certain how much money she took, but doesn't dispute Crotched Mountain's estimate of $1.3 million. She said at least $200,000 went to medical bills for her cancer treatments and another chunk paid for her daughter's wedding, which included a custom-made wedding dress. Bevins said she also took her family on two cruises and used stolen money to make donations to churches and other organizations.

"It bothered me a lot because I was not the type of person to do that," Bevins said of the thefts. "I would get depressed that this was happening and I'd say 'I can't do this anymore.' But then something else would happen and all of a sudden I'm doing it."

An audit commissioned by Crotched Mountain revealed allegations that Bevins issued payroll checks to her daughter, Holly Sears, and herself, and funneled foundation money into personal bank accounts. Bevins said biannual company audits didn't catch her scheme, nor did a co-worker who helped her with the payroll.

Neither her daughter nor husband knew anything about the thefts, though she acknowledged that sometimes she asked Sears, 26, to cash checks for her, Bevins said.

Bevins said she's ashamed of what she's done, but blames at least part of her actions on her former employer.

As the only employee who could handle the payroll, Bevins said she was constantly on call, even while on vacation or sick leave. She said Crotched Mountain workers even called her cell phone while she was in the hospital, and nurses became so fed up by the they asked a doctor to put a stop to it.

"If I didn't have the stress, maybe I wouldn't have gotten sick and wouldn't have had the bills and maybe (the stealing) wouldn't have ever started," she said.

Mom dying, dad with Alzheimer's, so I'm taking care of both, though my dad was still independent in ADLs. I worked at home so I didn't really work and I was supposed to take everyone to the doctor. My sister had 3 days off, the same time as my son's/husband's birthdays. She said she would come help one day, but that needed time for herself. I'm the one with young kids, I'm the one trying to maintain 2 households and work full-time ....... I finally moved in with my parents, gave up any privacy, spent 98% of my waking time when not working taking care of someone or something. I don't regret it and I would do most of it all over again because I'm a caretaker, but if there are 4 other siblings why should I have to carry the burden. After my mom died I fell apart. I had to put my dad in a facility and my sister said she would take over primary caregiver duties, but she was hit or miss. Her kids were grown and out of the house, her DH was always off playing golf. She complained that my dad was only getting 2 showers a week, but she wasn't willing to go give him a shower. She complained about using all her vacation time for doctor's visits - like I didn't have to either take vacation or make up my time. I could go on and on. They told us in grief counseling that in most families there is one that always ends up doing everything.

The only thing I can say is that when your dad is gone you can seek comfort in knowing that you did all you could to help him, that you were there for him when it counted. Your sister will be the only who has to live with the guilt that she wasn't there (and she will suffer, must maybe not right away). At the same time I think your dad is just thinking about what he wants and I completely understand. My mother wanted to die at home in her own bed, not a hospital bed, even if she was still at home she didn't want a hospital bed, but I also think it puts a lot of stress on you and one day he will be gone and you'll have to pick up the pieces and continue on and there may be a day when you can no longer care for him at home.

I was very long-winded, but what I'm trying to say is don't worry about your sister. Focus on your dad and do what you can do and that is all you can do.

I have a sad story to tell. My husband's cousin's x-wife had an accident Friday night and was severely injured. She was coming from a night out and was drinking and wrecked. She was ejected from the vehicle and suffered severe head trauma. She was put on life support and was found to be brain dead. Her parents had to make the decision to pull the plug. The doctor assured them she had no brain activity and could not breath on her own or anything. So they unplugged her yesterday. This young woman was I think if not mistaken 29 years old. She had 3 children ages 8, 4, and 2. They have no mother now. She was so disfigured from the accident that her boyfriend went in ICU to see her and hit the floor as he passed out from the shock of seeing her face. She never dreamed when she left to go out last Friday night that she wouldn't be returning and she was leaving her kids for the last time to soon find they had no mother. I had the pleasure of knowing this woman for her brief time here on Earth. She will be so missed by her children and the rest of her family. The 8 year old boy is taking it by far the worst because he comprehends what death means and that he won't see his mommy anymore on this Earth. The 4-year-old just knows mommy is in heaven but can't comprehend that mommy can't come visit her from heaven. The 2-year-old just doesn't understand at all. She just misses her mommy. Brief story about what the 4-year-old said to her mawmaw yesterday: They were going down the road and she had learned earlier that day her mama was gone to heaven. She was staring out the window at the sky because she was told that was where mommy was. She was just desperately hoping for a glimpse of mom I guess. Then she said mawmaw that's my mom. And she pointed to the sun. It was shining really bright inside the car on them. It was a really sunny day. Her mawmaw says where baby? She said do you see the sun mawmaw? She said yes baby I see it. She said that's my mommy shining down on me. She is watching me mawmaw. This is from a 4-year-old. Now if that don't break your heart what does? Pray for these children who have suffered probably the greatest loss they will know. And please don't drink and drive.