A most interesting thread. As long as we're telling animal stories, I have one to offer, though it's not quite in the same vein as the O.P.I've heard that crows actually do remember human faces, and I've heard many similar stories. So I wouldn't doubt it.
My husband likes to feed the crows that inhabit our neighborhood. I'm not a fan of crows, since they seem to keep other birds away. I call them his "crow buddies."
The crows will sometimes caw in the morning (a most unpleasant sound) in hopes that my husband will give them something - usually food that's stale, like old bread, crackers, etc. Well, about six weeks ago, a crow dropped something on the ground, which fell right next to where my husband was standing in the backyard. It was a cherry, and it was unblemished. My husband got the impression that the crow gave him a little gift, as payback for the food that he gives them. Maybe that's not what it was. But then crows are quite intelligent.
Don't be silly, I told them. Now go back and find out what type of bird that is. The same answer, "Mum, it's a spider. Come and have a look."You must be from Aussie land. Thank goodness we don't have such large spiders here in "the states". I hate spiders.
Out I went and there sitting on the post was a large bird eating spider, otherwise known as the barking spider or Selenocosmia Crassines.
My husband likes to feed the crows that inhabit our neighborhood. I'm not a fan of crows, since they seem to keep other birds away. I call them his "crow buddies."https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026 (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026)
The crows will sometimes caw in the morning (a most unpleasant sound) in hopes that my husband will give them something - usually food that's stale, like old bread, crackers, etc. Well, about six weeks ago, a crow dropped something on the ground, which fell right next to where my husband was standing in the backyard. It was a cherry, and it was unblemished. My husband got the impression that the crow gave him a little gift, as payback for the food that he gives them. Maybe that's not what it was. But then crows are quite intelligent.
"Trouble follows you like crows...." ;) ;)Our maggies attack people, that is when they have chicks in the nest. They'll swoop down on you so you need to ward them off. Our neighbour does that by feeding them. She says they will never attack you if you feed them.
I have a general disdain for magpies. Far more irritating noiseboxes they are, no to mention another species that drives songbirds away. And molest people's cats.
If a pair decide try to nest next year in the backwards trees, they will be terminated with extreme pride and prejudice.
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026 (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026)
The girl who gets gifts from birds
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Lots of people love the birds in their garden, but it's rare for that affection to be reciprocated. One young girl in Seattle is luckier than most. She feeds the crows in her garden - and they bring her gifts in return.
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Eight-year-old Gabi Mann sets a bead storage container on the dining room table, and clicks the lid open. This is her most precious collection.
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"You may take a few close looks," she says, "but don't touch." It's a warning she's most likely practised on her younger brother. She laughs after saying it though. She is happy for the audience.
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Inside the box are rows of small objects in clear plastic bags. One label reads: "Black table by feeder. 2:30 p.m. 09 Nov 2014." Inside is a broken light bulb. Another bag contains small pieces of brown glass worn smooth by the sea. "Beer coloured glass," as Gabi describes it.
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Each item is individually wrapped and categorised. Gabi pulls a black zip out of a labelled bag and holds it up. "We keep it in as good condition as we can," she says, before explaining this object is one of her favourites.
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There's a miniature silver ball, a black button, a blue paper clip, a yellow bead, a faded black piece of foam, a blue Lego piece, and the list goes on. Many of them are scuffed and dirty. It is an odd assortment of objects for a little girl to treasure, but to Gabi these things are more valuable than gold.
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She didn't gather this collection. Each item was a gift - given to her by crows.
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She holds up a pearl coloured heart. It is her most-prized present. "It's showing me how much they love me."
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Gabi's relationship with the neighbourhood crows began accidentally in 2011. She was four years old, and prone to dropping food. She'd get out of the car, and a chicken nugget would tumble off her lap. A crow would rush in to recover it. Soon, the crows were watching for her, hoping for another bite.
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As she got older, she rewarded their attention, by sharing her packed lunch on the way to the bus stop. Her brother joined in. Soon, crows were lining up in the afternoon to greet Gabi's bus, hoping for another feeding session.
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Gabi's mother Lisa didn't mind that crows consumed most of the school lunches she packed. "I like that they love the animals and are willing to share," she says, while admitting she never noticed crows until her daughter took an interest in them. "It was a kind of transformation. I never thought about birds."
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In 2013, Gabi and Lisa started offering food as a daily ritual, rather than dropping scraps from time to time.
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Each morning, they fill the backyard birdbath with fresh water and cover bird-feeder platforms with peanuts. Gabi throws handfuls of dog food into the grass. As they work, crows assemble on the telephone lines, calling loudly to them.
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It was after they adopted this routine that the gifts started appearing.
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The crows would clear the feeder of peanuts, and leave shiny trinkets on the empty tray; an earring, a hinge, a polished rock. There wasn't a pattern. Gifts showed up sporadically - anything shiny and small enough to fit in a crow's mouth.
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One time it was a tiny piece of metal with the word "best" printed on it. "I don't know if they still have the part that says 'friend'," Gabi laughs, amused by the thought of a crow wearing a matching necklace.
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When you see Gabi's collection, it's hard not to wish for gift-giving crows of your own.
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"If you want to form a bond with a crow, be consistent in rewarding them," advises John Marzluff, professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington. He specialises in birds, particularly crows and ravens.
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What food is best? "A few peanuts in the shell," he says. "It's a high-energy food… and it makes noise when you throw it on the ground, so they hear it and they quickly habituate to your routine."
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Marzluff, and his colleague Mark Miller, did a study of crows and the people who feed them. They found that crows and people form a very personal relationship. "There's definitely a two-way communication going on there," Marzluff says. "They understand each other's signals."
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The birds communicate by how they fly, how close they walk, and where they sit. The human learns their language and the crows learn their feeder's patterns and posture. They start to know and trust each other. Sometimes a crow leaves a gift.
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But crow gifts are not guaranteed. "I can't say they always will (give presents)," Marzluff admits, having never received any gifts personally, "but I have seen an awful lot of things crows have brought people."
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Not all crows deliver shiny objects either. Sometimes they give the kind of presents "they would give to their mate", says Marzluff. "Courtship feeding, for example. So some people, their presents are dead baby birds that the crow brings in."
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Gabi has been given some icky objects. Her mother threw out a rotting crab claw, for example.
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Gabi points out a heavily rusted screw she prefers not to touch. It's labelled "Third Favorite." Asking her why an untouchable object is in the favourites, she answers, "You don't' see a crow carrying around a screw that much. Unless it's trying to build its house."
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Lisa, Gabi's mom, regularly photographs the crows and charts their behaviour and interactions. Her most amazing gift came just a few weeks ago, when she lost a lens cap in a nearby alley while photographing a bald eagle as it circled over the neighbourhood.
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She didn't even have to look for it. It was sitting on the edge of the birdbath.
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Had the crows returned it? Lisa logged on to her computer and pulled up their bird-cam. There was the crow she suspected. "You can see it bringing it into the yard. Walks it to the birdbath and actually spends time rinsing this lens cap."
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"I'm sure that it was intentional," she smiles. "They watch us all the time. I'm sure they knew I dropped it. I'm sure they decided they wanted to return it."
This is an old thought I had that makes sense to me now:
"Here is a strange thing I noticed about squirrels and the kinds of squirrels that live in different places. In most places that I have been to, the squirrels are the normal grey (or red) kind and they run around finding nuts and climbing trees like regular squirrels do. But then there is a different kind of squirrel that lives in the places where evil reigns. There is a neighborhood I know that is seeped in sin and in this neighborhood the squirrels are not grey (or red). It is as if the normal squirrels have been chased out by a horror of sin and have been replaced by ugly squirrels who are black and slothful and sit around on the ground and have much less energy than the normal squirrels as if they are sick and tired of the world. In places where grace abounds, there is another kind of squirrel I have noticed. These are wonderful squirrels and are snow-white in color and very beautiful. They are very fast and never stop moving. When they climb the trees and jump from branch to branch it is a marvel to look at them as it looks as if they are flying. The difference between these kinds of squirrels is like the difference between saints, and normal sinners, and the unrepentantly wicked. I wonder if God sends these different kinds of squirrels to be among different kinds of people as a reminder of the state of their souls. (My grandmother had these snow-white squirrels in her backyard. That is a hopeful sign)."
After I first thought of it years ago I thought I was mad.
Our maggies attack people, that is when they have chicks in the nest. They'll swoop down on you so you need to ward them off. Our neighbour does that by feeding them. She says they will never attack you if you feed them.That is good to know. Nonetheless there are so many of them, they need to be culled.
You must be from Aussie land. Thank goodness we don't have such large spiders here in "the states". I hate spiders.Ditto. It gives me the heebiejeebies to imagine hearing a spider that was outdoors from inside!
One for sorrow, two for joy, Three for a girl and four for a boy. Five for silver, six for gold, Seven for a secret never told.Thank you Cassini. I put it in my book. I will try to learn it by heart.
Thank you Cassini. I put it in my book. I will try to learn it by heart.
How about this?
Ditto. It gives me the heebiejeebies to imagine hearing a spider that was outdoors from inside!
So, what do you all think of a red-tailed (I think) hawk sitting on your deck railing? Who flew away 2 times only to return again. Not high in a tree, but just outside your kitchen window sitting on your deck railing.I am not Tiresias, but I think it is a good sign. Hawks are like princes. Eagles are like Kings. At my local Parish, Holy Child Jesus which we are trying to convert fully to tradition, there are two hawks who come to visit us. A male and a female. They like to perch on the Holy Cross atop the steeple and watch over the neighborhood. My Father always watches them. So If I had to guess the meaning of the sign I would say that it is a sign that Christ the King is watching over you and protecting you.
How about this?I got bit by a spider a couple of weeks ago in my bedroom, I didn't do a damn thing to it. Gave me a big welt on my shoulder.
Most spiders are harmless, and if you mind your business they mind theirs. And their business is to get rid of the really nasties, like cockroaches, ants, mossies https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UNwPECUavj8
Two days ago while walking home from Kew Gardens, I witnessed a battle between sparrows and ugly pigeons. It was in a field enclosed by a fence. I saw the sparrows lined up in rows and the ugly pigeons were all in a jumble. It was like watching a football game. The sparrows were swift and ran circles around the pigeons and the pigeons had to retreat despite being so much larger than the sparrows. They all flew away except for one who was kept prisoner. I don't like ugly city pigeons. I like sparrows. I am only a child. I like going for walks and looking at the flowers and the birds and the butterflies and the bees and the ants. They are my friends.You mention the pigeons and the squirrels, I think you make an interesting observation. I've had to deal with pigeons for years in the city with my work, they're really a disgusting creature, they beg and harass you for food constantly, complete nuisance and crap all over the place, which is very toxic. I have no use pigeons, two-legged, feathered parasites in my opinion.
I got bit by a spider a couple of weeks ago in my bedroom, I didn't do a damn thing to it. Gave me a big welt on my shoulder.Sorry to hear of your suffering, Alaric.
Damn thing still itches.
I also been stung by bees for no reason and I'm allergic. I can be killed by one of these little winged devils if things don't go right.
I don't like bugs or insects or spiders or any other litter critter that comes in arm's reach of me and if it does, it's lights out for it. I'm not taking any chances. These creatures are not here to make our life any better IMO. But the do serve a purpose I suppose, but make no mistake, they can and will make your life miserable for no reason at all other than you exist in their world.
I'm not one of these people who believe's " Nature's our friend". Far from it actually. Nature is always on the attack against man, just think how long you would last living out there in the "open doors" with lovely nature with no shelter or protection. Just think of how many people die each year from bug bites, insect bites, snake bites and animal attacks. Nature is out there to eliminate you, not live in peace. Including spiders.
No, spiders are far from harmless and nature is not your friend, my friend.
Right now we are suffering from severe lack of rain. I think that this might be the reason that we have a pair of crimson rosellae spending much time on our front lawm feeding on grass seeds. We will enjoy observing them as long as they stay.
Hope you enjoy seeing three chicks developing to independence.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yuNm_yHO8Fs (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yuNm_yHO8Fs)
I've never heard of the crimson roselle, but they are really beautiful birds. It's interesting how they use their claws to help eat the food (in the video).Yes, Meg, the Crimson Rosellas are very beautiful birds and come in several variations of colouring.
We too have had birds, mainly robins, eating our grass seed. I've had to re-seed the lawn. It's been quite dry here too.
Yes, Meg, the Crimson Rosellas are very beautiful birds and come in several variations of colouring.
We have also many of the multicoloured Eastern Rosella flying around our neighbourhood. Here is a Vivid close up of Eastern Rosella's Colourful plumage - YouTube. Of course you don't need 5 mins to observe them.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6NdrrQKcxGE
And this 7 mins clip is quite amusing to watch and shows several different varieties cooling off, bathing and drinking.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tEtves66inw
Matto passed away? When did that happen?! I haven't been on here for some time. Obviously I've missed a lot!