🚀 go-pugleaf

Well this should bring you right down. This morning I went to put out
some seed and give my dog water. There was a Great-tailed Grackle with
an injured wing. Seemed ok other than that. Didn't seem too scared of
me, just looked at me and hopped out of the way as I neared the feeder.
He let me get fairly close. They really are beautiful birds. I could see
the iridescence in the feathers, the change in the color of the head the
piercing yellow eye. He hopped away, through the chain-linked fence,
into the neighbors yard. I poured the seed and grabbed the dog dish and
turned around to go to the water spigot when I saw the nieghbors dog
(who is REALLY ancient so it made me even more incredulous) had
something in it's mouth: the grackle. Just one second ago... man, I was
bummed. My dog? PLAYS with squirrels (traitor!) Yesterday I came home
and she was sitting under the bird feeder surrounded by birds! (...who
bolted as I neard the window. I was a little jealous of my dog!) But
that vicious little beast next door....! I know, it's all part of the
plan, right? But I couldn't help but be saddened, angered, even
offended.....

Right there wichya Gloria.....

Chris


Old Hen wrote:
>
> ... get malformed, disfigured or sickly birds that come to feed in your
> yards?  Do you feel like you want to run out there and give him/her
> their own bowl of food just for them?
>
> I had a RW Blackbird with a broken (?) leg.  He would hop around and the
> other birds would push him out of the way.  He was a baby.  I also (last
> week) had a M. Dove with some malformation on her head, nares looked
> very swollen and pink.  We went out in the rain to give her an extra
> scoop.  The others also picked on her too and pushed her around.  She
> hasn't been back in a week and I keep thinking what happend to her!
>
> Guess I'm melancholy today!
> Gloria
>
> --
> Gloria:  "And on the Fifth Day God Created Birds"  nuff said!
> Gus:  "I Can Talk ... Can You Fly?"

--
________________________________________________________________

C R Nugent             mailto:crnugent@tamu.edu
Research Assistant
Oceanography - TAMU    http://www-ocean.tamu.edu/~nugent
Ph:(409)845-5767
Fax:(409)845-6331      Lex clavitoris designati rescindenda est!
________________________________________________________________
"Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, doctor, and I'm happy to
state I finally won out over it.- Elwood P. Dowd

Old Hen <gheim@us.ibm.com> wrote in message news:37FB6D6E.C5CF4D8C@us.ibm.com...
> ... get malformed, disfigured or sickly birds that come to feed in your
> yards?  Do you feel like you want to run out there and give him/her
> their own bowl of food just for them?
>

I got a pigeon come to feed on my windowsill a few weeks back, along with the
others, and he/she has no toes, just stumps. The others picked on him some, but he
kept coming back, and fighting back. I make sure there's some peanuts out for him,
and when the others try to muscle him out, he smacks them with a wing and lunges
with his beak. Toes or not, even the biggest, toughest pigeon on the block won't
tangle with him now! He is truly amazing the way he has adapted.

JayDee

Hi Gloria,
    Last winter I had a junco with a malformed head.  One side of his
cranium was considerably larger than the other starting at the center of his
head.  His eyes and body appeared normal and he was part of a regular group
of juncos.  When most of the juncos took off in the spring, he and one other
stayed around for quite a while.  Eventually they also flew the coop.
    Every day I watch for him, wonder if he survives and will return.
J.R. in Wisconsin

Old Hen wrote:

> ... get malformed, disfigured or sickly birds that come to feed in your
> yards?  Do you feel like you want to run out there and give him/her
> their own bowl of food just for them?
>
> I had a RW Blackbird with a broken (?) leg.  He would hop around and the
> other birds would push him out of the way.  He was a baby.  I also (last
> week) had a M. Dove with some malformation on her head, nares looked
> very swollen and pink.  We went out in the rain to give her an extra
> scoop.  The others also picked on her too and pushed her around.  She
> hasn't been back in a week and I keep thinking what happend to her!
>
> Guess I'm melancholy today!
> Gloria
>
> --
> Gloria:  "And on the Fifth Day God Created Birds"  nuff said!
> Gus:  "I Can Talk ... Can You Fly?"