Why did these baby birds disappeaer?
13 years ago
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- 12 years ago
- 12 years ago
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Idyll #313: Buds, Birds, Babies & Blooms!
Comments (104)...but Chelone,if I snuck up behind you and carefully placed a straw within my armpit and gave a nice puff...would you lol just a little bit? I bet that would at least make you grin: ) OK it would be short lived but appreciated.lol That's the thing. Life sends us stuff. Some of it is good, fun,happy stuff and then the yucky stuff slips in too-it's inevitable. I think you are going to handle the tax stuff OK-that accountant is a godsend. Your mom's situation just stinks-no one deserves that kind of treatment-or lack of.BUT because I know you-(well,you know)...you will say what you think about her care and that squeaky wheel certainly will get it's oil. She's new there-they just need your input and I think you'll get results. Your brother seems really on board so at least you are a team? Does he have the same worries that you do? No facility is better than what a daughter or son would realistically want for a parent but I hope you do see an attempt from them to do better for her. I think you are exhausted from all of it-look at how long this has been going on for you. That's why you are having sleep probs,you don't want to go to work,the construction stuff is bugging you....each of these things alone are things you are capable of handling(we're talking about CHELONE here; )it's just all of them clumped together and the emotion added to it are muddling things. Take one thing at a time-you'll be OK. It's not easy but I think you will get through this too. Hmmm we're home one day from our paradise weektrip and MIL was complaining on the phone, she wanted life to be over due to some stiff pain she's having...just what Chris wanted to hear... I keep thinking how things could be much worse than they are-it gives me perspective to deal with it. Sue I just wanted to tell you that while I'm sure you'll have some initital discomfort, all that walking/exercise you get will probably cut your recovery down considerably-just be obedient and take things slow at the beginning. I hope you are calm(especially with no wine or food!)and things go well for you tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you...say,does this mean you'll be slowed down enough to idyll more? : ) Drema-beautiful card! Thank you! I didn't know about the program at the CBG but I'll have to look into it. I hope your newly planted items survive-would a heavy mulch at the base help? I think everything that has sprouted now will be a little deformed but get some normal regrowth when temps stablize...(crossing fingers) Hocking Hills was fabulous if you don't mind hail storms,rain and cold : ) STRANGE weather all over the place. Hocking Hills had a couple warm weeks in the 70's before Easter but by the time we arrived they had been having freeze warnings and many plants/trees were zapped. The first night in our place we had a wind/hailstorm that brough an inch of hail!That was loud! I guess there was talk of a possible tornado but I didn't hear if it was true. Well, at least our cottage was built into a hillside so we were very safe. We had one day(Fri.) with warm breezes and full sun...and I got a sunburn from hanging out in the hot tub-odd but true. The ride back was treacherous with a slush rain snow thing happening-it was part of the storm that is going to blast the east coast-hang on you guys. Back here in Cleveland we were supposed to get snow-but they were wrong so it's dry now and the sun just came out-I hope the nor'easter is much less harsh than they predict. I don't mean to be short(I say that alot lately) but I need to finish the laundry and get things ready for the school week. If I have time I'll be back. Cynthia-Monty's illness sounds scary! I hope things are improving for Monty. I hope you are doing OK too. ~Babs...See MoreWhat happened to our baby birds?
Comments (13)Thanks, everyone! Gail, that's an incredibly interesting website. We never knew that house sparrows will enter another bird's house to destroy eggs and kill babies -- and we have tons of house sparrows around here. We've guarded against snakes, raccoons, and other birds such as crows, but the house sparrow threat is new to me. Thank you so much for recommending that website! Back to the drawing board! Attracting bluebirds was easy...we just put up a house and they found it. We've since put up several more around the property. How strange that your nest holds only one baby, Gail. One of the interesting things about bluebirds is that the first batch of babies each year hang around and help the parents feed the second batch of babies. I hope you have good luck! Sorry to hear about your babies, Natal. It's been a dramatic spring for our birds all around. Barn swallows had built a mud nest under the porch roof for years and this spring a phoebe took over that spot and built her nest there. (The mud nest collapsed last summer when the babies fledged by pushing off from the edge.) This morning I looked out and a barn swallow was asleep on a perch near the grass/moss phoebe nest, her head tucked into her wing. The turf wars continue, I guess....See MoreMy kitten killed a baby bird!
Comments (18)Thanks to everyone who tried to console me instead of chastising me, but I can take up for myself. #1, I'm NOT sorry that I said I hit the cat. It's not like I beat him black and blue. I just applied my hand to his backside, not even very hard. I can't even imagine a cat with an identity crisis! The only identity crisis my cats have is that they think they're human. I also spanked my kids. They don't hate me, and neither one of them has an identity crisis. #2, I'm NOT going to find another home for my cat. I've had cats all my life, some killed things, some didn't. I didn't send them anywhere else to live. #3, The cat did not bring me a whole baby bird as a prize, he ATE IT! Yes, that's what cats do, but finding bits and pieces of a baby bird on your dining room floor is DISTRESSING! I love birds, so it made me angry. What if your dog brought a kitten in and tore it apart on your DR floor, leaving bits of fur and bones lying about? Would you be upset, or would you just say "Oh, he's just doing what dogs do." Does it make it any better because it's "just a bird?" Birds have separate personalities, and are very individual. Even chickens, ducks and geese. I once had a neighbor's dog break into my chicken pen and kill all my baby chicks. He didn't eat them, he just killed them. I threw a brick at him. I didn't hit him, but I wish I had. And I would not have felt at all bad if I had. I had a friend whose dog tore his cat to pieces right in the LR. He took it out back and shot it, because he said it now had a taste for blood. #4 Quoting the Wikipedia to me, (which in my opinion is about as reliable as the weather in Florida) to prove a point is just...I don't even know what it is, but it ticks me off. I'm not going to defend my actions. I'm sure some of you, even those who jumped on me, have done worse things in your life than pop your kitten on its bottom, so I'll quote the bible "Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone." I feel much better now....See MoreBirds, Birds, Birds, oh my!
Comments (17)I'm glad your bird problem turned out to be seasonal but just in case you ever face this problem again (or any bird infestation problem) I thought it might be helpful to just mention a different angle on this. The problem is not that the birds are pooping (or whatever they're doing) in your pool. That is simply a symptom of your real problem: that your environment is attractive to birds. If you really want to keep birds from being destructive to your property you have to make it so that your land is a place they don't want to hang out on in the first place. There are a lot of different approaches to this but yes, stopping the food supply is one of them. Another would be the mylar balloons someone else mentioned up above. There are also specialized bird scare balloons with 'eyes' that follow the birds wherever they fly as well as holographic tape. These incorporate movement so they are usually more affective than static decoys. There are other senses to attack as well: taste/smell, touch, and hearing. Birds hate methyl anthranilate (a chemical derived from concord grapes that has long been used for grape flavoring)--it gives them a similar sensation to what we feel when we encounter bleach. This comes in commercially available sprays. Also, there are sticky gels, netting, or spike strips that keep birds from roosting on certain surfaces. Lastly, there are sound devices that utilize recordings of predators/distress calls that scare birds away. For a partially or fully enclosed area you could use an ultrasonic device as well (one that can't be heard by humans but is annoying to birds and bats). Make sure that you switch up whatever you use from time to time. If you use balloons, move the location (but always keep it near where the birds are nesting). If you're using a sound device change the interval between effects, try to randomize the effects being used. Also, using the products together in a synergistic way will create a more effective and longer-lasting reaction. I'm glad to hear that no one has mentioned killing or injuring the birds...don't do that. As mentioned before that would be reacting to the symptoms rather than truly solving the problem. Furthermore, it would be very easy to accidentally tamper with one of the MANY birds protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 (and then you'd be in big trouble). Just a side note: be careful when cleaning up the bird poop. Birds can transmit over 60 diseases to humans. Some of them are fatal. Bird dropping particles can be unknowingly inhaled and lead to serious health problems. Good luck in your future bird encounters! Here is a link that might be useful: click for examples, case studies and FAQs about bird pest control...See More- 8 years ago
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- 6 years agolast modified: 6 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b thanked Elizabeth Haver
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- 2 years agolast modified: 2 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b thanked HU-631353820
- 2 years agolast modified: 2 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b thanked HU-838562001
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- 2 years agolast modified: 2 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b thanked starlinka
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Elizabeth Haver