Passive Aggressive Bird Feeder? lol [Archive] - The Project Avalon Community Forum

View Full Version : Passive Aggressive Bird Feeder? lol

Tesla_WTC_Solution

13th May 2014, 05:52

The baby crow came this morning to check if I'd put out anything.
While it was up on the 2nd story roof, the downstairs hag said "that crow creeps me out, SHOOO" and scared it away before I could even get a snack for them.

Generations of crows were fed by my mother-in-law while her son was growing up. They even started coming to the yard for me and Tony after she passed away. In another thread I mentioned that the baby crow from that experience recognized our car after we had lived 200+ miles away from that city (Seattle) for over a month. It came and walked up the hood of the car to stare into the windshield at me. Then it flew a few feet to the neighbor's car roof and sat with me for many minutes as my spouse talked to his dad at the old neighbor's house (after we lost our home).

These animals seem capable of very complex and trusting relationships with humans. And like honey bees, they are 100% capable of expressing the idea of "food" and "safety" to friends and family, and will bring a whole entourage of special guests to a friendly yard or balcony.

Long story short, I put two plates of old chopped up kielbasa out in a discreet place on my balcony (2nd floor lol), and when I got home tonight after only 3 hours out, it was ALL GONE. There is no easy access for cats or squirrels that I know of, and I am pretty darned sure the birds took it all.

As Odin might say, now that's Poetic Justice for a bad morning. :nod:

http://i1.treknature.com/photos/370/2004-06-15-027-corneille.jpg
(borrowed image of juvenile crow)

p.s. one of the reasons i love these birds is, they are totally 100% free but choose to associate with humans anyway. the people downstairs are dog abusers and horrible to most everyone. i am kind of proud to have a pet that comes and goes, lol. it's cleaner that way and i get to take less garbage downstairs as long as they are hungry. LMAO :hat:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Odin_hrafnar.jpg

Matthew 6:26
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

1 Kings 17
And the ravens brought [Elijah] bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. [SOURCE]

Genesis 8:7
And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. [SOURCE!]

Two ravens flew from Hnikar’s [Óðinn’s]
shoulders; Huginn to the hanged and
Muninn to the slain [lit. corpses].[9]

Benjamin Thorpe translation:
Hugin and Munin fly each day
over the spacious earth.
I fear for Hugin, that he come not back,
yet more anxious am I for Munin.[4]

Henry Adams Bellows translation:
O'er Mithgarth Hugin and Munin both
Each day set forth to fly;
For Hugin I fear lest he come not home,
But for Munin my care is more.[5]

In Norse mythology, Huginn (from Old Norse "thought"[1]) and Muninn (Old Norse "memory"[2] or "mind"[3]) are a pair of ravens that fly all over the world, Midgard, and bring information to the god Odin. [SOURCE]

A fountain (from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), a source or spring)

we must appreciate the wisdom of the earth before it is gone...

http://www.antiquefarmhouse.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/h/o/home-decor-accents-13_4_11.jpg

"Source"

http://www.alcheringa-gallery.com/images/gallery/rdavidso-46-9802.jpg

John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

It is no accident that corvids share an exalted place in history and mythology, even if their antics may brand them as "unclean" tricksters...

http://www.druidry.org/library/library/animal-lore-raven

Raven's element is air, and she is a messenger spirit, which Native American shamans use to project their magic over great distances.

http://www.crystalinks.com/mercurystatue.jpg

Ellisa

13th May 2014, 06:12

Great story Tesla. Crows are supposed to be the most intelligent birds, and they are certainly awake to opportunity. They will also eat meat (even dog and cat food!) as well as seed etc. I feed the birds in my garden too, and the magpies (a related type of crow) are really clever and demanding! But my favourites are the Rainbow Lorakeets that visit everyday. They eat honey and seed, and the ones at present are the descendants of the first couple I started feeding about 10-15 years ago when I put a hanging ball of seeds in a tree. In the summer the flock swells to about 15 or more, but now it is cooler I only see 3 or 4. As well as feeding I have a bird bath in the garden and the bords love to splash about in it as well as drink.

Like you I take heart in the fact that I have been adopted by a variety of completely wild birds, from tiny finches to very large sulphur-crested cockatoos.

Everyone should help feed these lovely wild creatures instead of locking them in cages.

Tesla_WTC_Solution

13th May 2014, 06:19

CarnageCandy

13th May 2014, 09:52

love this, im seeing crows everywhere at the moment, seemingly everywhere i look. Not had the pleasure of being up close to one though.

I feed 2 robins at work, they now, finally, eat from my hand :-)

TigaHawk

13th May 2014, 10:34

One day there was a big storm. The next day there was a baby crow running around in the garden at work, he had fallen out of the nest. He did not have his tail feathers yet, and because the garden was new to him... and less than a metre away from a main road situated in the middle of Brisbane CBD - was not sure how he'd go. Mum and Dad were hanging around keeping a close watch on him, which was very noisy as the garden he was in is pretty much right next to the smokers area - constantly people there.

They knew what i was planning before i actually did it. I know this because they started swooping me the day before i did it! Put on a hard hat, got a towel and a big box and i caught me a baby crow :D Took him to the vet and they said it looked like he was a bit scratched up, but would be ok, Nursed him for a few day's then i came to work the next morning and he was back in the garden.

From there i'd bring in stir fry strips and chuck them his way and kept a bowl in the garden for water.

Eventually his walking around the garden turned to hopping, then to little jumps, the jumps would eventually get longer... then he stopped completely and was just walking around again. After a bit of eyeing him to find out what was up - it looked like he had stepped on a piece of gum or had string attached to his foot that had a stick tangled up in it. Whenever he lifted his foot to walk the stick would touch under his arm.

Had to get a friend to help me that time. I grabbed him, my mate had a small pair of scissors. I am glad i was wearing the hard hat. Mum and Dad were VERY peeved. Stick and string removed tho!

The next morning he was not there - Seems the parents were very angry with me still. They had moved him across the road. But it was a good thing - i live directly across that road :D the garden he was now in is the garden for my block of units. Nice big metal fence around it. He'd be safe. The smoker's area at my work, and that garden i'd say is dangerous. With a pub just across the road as well, the drunks use it as a "private" spot.

Took a few weeks before the parents would stop following me down the street (Tho they did not swoop, they just made it very apparent they were keeping a close eye on me) And eventually i saw him on a Roof.

https://i.imgur.com/UQINpOe.jpg

Wish the parents got that i had good intentions.

I may have called him Fred :D If it is a He... i dont even know!

He has a distinct cry - I still smile when i hear him :)

seeker/reader

13th May 2014, 11:36

We are avid bird feeders as well. We have a small patch of woods out behind our house that is adjacent to a farmers field. So, we have many critters that come to eat the bird food and water we put out, including wild turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and opossums. Their presence attracts the red tailed and coopers hawks, turkey vultures, great horned owls and once in a great while, coyotes.

Sometimes we will put out a watermelon rind and later will find a turtle sitting in it, happily munching away at the tasty treat.

My favorite bird of all is the hummingbird. They are such magical creatures. We would attach these feeders to our windows using suction cups and if we sat low and quietly in the deck chairs, they would buzz over our heads and sometimes hover to check us out. The little squeaks they make are so cute, they sound almost dolphin like.

Here is a cool video of someone who has befriended a crow. I have also seen documentaries of them demonstrating their high levels of intelligence and problem solving abilities. I hope you enjoy it.

QqLU-o7N7Kw

dianna

13th May 2014, 12:05

Thirteen Ways of Looking At A Blackbird (1917, from Harmonium)
by Wallace Stevens

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/jrock2/rockblog/images/KevinMcHale_Blackbird.jpg

I
Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird.

II
I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three blackbirds.

III
The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the pantomime.

IV
A man and a woman
Are one.
A man and a woman and a blackbird
Are one.

V
I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.

VI
Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of the blackbird
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.

VII
O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine golden birds?
Do you not see how the blackbird
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?

VIII
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the blackbird is involved
In what I know.

IX
When the blackbird flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.

X
At the sight of blackbirds
Flying in a green light,
Even the bawds of euphony
Would cry out sharply.

XI
He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For blackbirds.

XII
The river is moving.
The blackbird must be flying.

XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.

HaulinBananas

13th May 2014, 12:20

I have ravens here, and have enjoyed various encounters with them. Sometimes the parents bring the juveniles to show them how to drink out of the horses' water barrels. Unfortunately, one time I found a drowned juvenile in a water barrel.

They steal the chicken eggs before I have time to collect them, so if I want eggs I have to retrieve often throughout the day. There's been a drought, and they all look so skinny, so I have let it go on for a while.

They also help themselves to the Livestock Guardian Dog's food, so I've taken to feeding the outside dog her dry food at night only. The canned food is eaten too quickly for ravens to steal.

My friends say that they have had newborn lambs or goats have their eyes pecked out by either ravens or crows, so I was careful to have the baby goats kept in a roofed kennel for a few days until they were energetic.

A raven got hit by a car a couple of years ago and died in front of my house. The mate was agitated and stayed with the body for hours. I went out and gave it a big piece of food, and it took it and finally flew off.

Years ago I was at a park in the San Fernando Valley, which is in Southern California, sitting on a blanket in the grass reading a book on a nice sunny day and a tree became full of agitated crows or ravens. The noise they made was awesome and it was a wonder that so many birds could fit into one large tree. I wondered how so many could be in one place. Some were flying around the tree and others were trying to squeeze in. Their behavior was fascinating. Then an earthquake started and it was a strange sensation to be sprawled out on the ground feeling the jolt and rolling of the earth. I am very certain that their strange behavior was related to their sensing some change - not necessarily that they knew it would be an earthquake specifically.

There is an interesting documentary about crows' ability to recognize faces, and the conclusion of the researchers is that the crows can somehow pass on the description of a face (in this case a mask) to other crows or following generations. Thus a person who is a danger to crows is identified and the description is passed on. An interesting conclusion, although some people dispute the conclusion as being made in an unscientific manner.

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Nature-A-Murder-of-Crows/70155153?strkid=1273666246_1_0&strackid=3eaf1c69eb89a929_1_srl&trkid=222336

Nature: A Murder of Crows
2010 NR 60 minutes

Long associated with darkness and foreboding, crows are collectively called a "murder." But they're actually monogamous, highly social and some of the most intelligent animals on the planet, as explored in this eye-opening edition of "Nature." Among other takeaways, you'll learn about crows' remarkable ability to recognize and remember individual human beings ... to the point of being able to pick them out of a crowd up to two years later.
Cast: Nora Young,

After watching this documentary a couple of years ago I caught one of a pair of chicken egg stealing ravens in the chicken coop. I shut the door firmly and let the two suffer a bit trying to figure out how to get the trapped one out. Unlike my friends, I won't kill the birds, but that year was quite annoyed at spending so much on chicken feed and not getting to eat any eggs myself. After a few hours I came out and scolded the trapped bird and let it out to rejoin its mate. For a while the egg stealing stopped. Now they have a lookout that watches for me to come out. For now, the chickens are producing more eggs than I need, so it's okay.

conk

13th May 2014, 15:08

Watch this mind blowing video of a crow solving a complex, eight step problem. It's just so hard to believe, but true.

huVKP8-D0hw

Sidney

13th May 2014, 15:28

Gotta insert this. So many unlikely friends on this planet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo

Tesla_WTC_Solution

13th May 2014, 15:48

I watched Conk's video and was completely blown away by the intelligence of this bird.
It was so humbling that in fact I was in tears, with the realization of suffering possible for such an animal.
I can't believe that was actually real -- very amazing.

Once in a park, I saw an injured crow, and the mate was staying with it - was so sad.
It had something wrapped around its foot and was too wild to let us help.

They are amazing creatures.

Tesla_WTC_Solution

16th May 2014, 04:56

I have not put out much food for them recently.
But I will try to remember tomorrow. :)

Agape

16th May 2014, 11:03

We met 'another intelligent specimen ' yesterday in the pet shop. This time , it was Amazon parrot : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_parrot , green winged the label said . I know she's been there for couple of years already , same pet shop .
I go there to look at fish and snakes and birds ..if I'm in town and miss nature . I know it's pathetic but ZOO is two hours away at least .

Anyway this Amazon parrot girl has been there for 3 years now, she can talk a bit ..but seldom does now, in front of visitors . There are many other smaller birds in nearby cages and they make noise .
I took mum to the shop because she needed new carry bag for their doggie . And she loves animals and always wanted big parrot .

We spent some time in front of the Amazons cage , discussing her life and fate .. she seemed to be restless and not paying much attention. So we moved along to explore other creatures but on the way back I noticed she is sitting close to the cage side , very quietly , seriously , casting sad eyes on us .

So we went back to her and started asking her if she'd better go home with us and how does she feel. That sort of thing . She started to respond, in deep throat sounds , mimicking simple words .
I'm almost certain she understood our concerns about her . I thought she is actually happy in the shop.. having company of people and other birds .. though distantly ..

I think they love company . It turned up very emotional on inside , we ended asking the staff about her history and how long did they really have her and mum was almost ready to take her home .

But there's the question of cage ( I hate putting animals to cages ) and mum would not let her moving around , for safety fears .. and I know they can make a mess - and mum has a dog and another ill person of her age to look after .

She would not allow me to have her unless locked in cage either . It's a sort of 'European' mentality .

I felt too sorry . I'm somehow sure someone will get her soon on our intervention .

:angel:

Tesla_WTC_Solution

16th May 2014, 11:11

Aw now that IS sad :(. I am sorry you went through that.

I've seen pet shops take an approach where they clip the wings (sad but not catastrophic), then put the bird in an open-topped glass-lined tank.
It's like a play pen but for birds. With the right layout, a person could literally install aquarium glass through their whole house and make a life-sized "Parrot Run".
Other creatures might do well sharing the space with the bird, for all I know -- a rat or a rabbit etc., or some benign reptiles etc.

Once as a kid, i went to a pet shop near Everett WA with my grandmother. There was a similar parrot to the one you describe. A green macaw of some kind, with red/yellow/blue. Very beautiful.

It was 50% off due to foul language. And boy was it ever.
lol. I loved it, and it seemed ok with us kids -- but grannie wasn't too happy lmao.

My dad used to rescue every injured bird as a child, take them home etc.
Some things are just too fragile to capture whole.
Even observation seems to break some things...

tragedy of nature :(

edit: forgot to tell you about the Hotel Cockatoo lol.
there was a Holiday Inn in Charleston WV where the troops often stayed for drill weekend.

they had this huge white/yellow cockatoo thing in a giant hallway cage.
i could tell this bird was SO lonely.

it seemed hyperactive when i came downstairs.

I'd be on the public computer in the lobby doing forums etc.,
and this bird would start its routine where it said "HELP ME" over and over.

apparently people carrying luggage past the bird cage say "help me" all the time, and in many different tones. apparently an old lady must have said it in earnest because the parrot learned this particular voice and lemme tell you, it was HORRIBLE, like someone injured at the swimming pool lmao.

they might have a very dark sense of humor, parrots.

Agape

16th May 2014, 12:37

I've heard somewhere that cockatoo ( I'm sure somehow it's true about the big Amazons, some crows and perhaps couple of other species ) may show an intelligence of 3 year old child .

Though ..comparing inter-species IQs is not quite a good idea .. they have their own unique bird view to everything and some even natural wisdom beyond their age .
If I think about deeply , what I'd really love to do about it is send them back home to jungle .

I changed a lot from when I was kid and wanted to have everything living at home with me and kept brining in stray dogs and cats, birds with broken whatever, hedge-hogs, feeding mice , purchasing kittens , turtles . . . then keeping them away from mum .. till they were found , fed and returned back .. for some reason.

I stopped wanting have them at home completely . They're much better in their natural environment . Mostly .
Some people abuse them a lot, quite the same way they abuse their children .

I think - if I was the parrot - I'd struggle to open the cage door and fly ...

:hand: