interesting bird this morning

[Jersey mike]

so I get ready to go to the UPS shipping store this morning, warm up the van for a few minutes, go back out to leave and realize I forgot to bring my phone. I get out of the truck and leave the door open when I get back there's this little brown Finch perched on my steering wheel.

I've had these birds fly into my garage from time to time and they never seem to be able to find their way out as easy as they do coming in so I try not to spook him, I don't need him flying and crapping all over the interior. So we stare at each other for a few seconds and I can see he is warming himself from the dash vent. I decided to let him sit for a few seconds go back into the house and grab a cup of coffee from the Keurig for the ride. I get back outside and he's still sitting there and a couple friends are now on the roof of the van. I step back and put my coffee down on the step to the house, pull a pencil out of my jacket pocket and walk over to the van door. Nice and easy I extend my arm with the pencil toward him and he's just staring back at me tilting his head from side to side as I move slowly closer.

When I get to him with the pencil I put it near his feet and he just hops on like we've been doing this for years and now he's out of the van but doesn't want to fly away, he's grabbing the pencil and his friends are watching...very closely. I give the pencil a little shake and he holds on tighter and keeps staring at me tilting his head from side to side so I stare back. After about 2 minutes of this I walk him over to my neighbors fence adjacent to my driveway lift him up and put him on the 4x4 post in the sunlight. He steps off and never turns his back to me and now his friends fly over to perch themselves on the fence near him. I go pick up my coffee and walk to the van to leave and they are still watching me. When I get home about 45 minutes later they are all up on the awning over my side door sunning themselves and don't budge as I go into the house.

I don't know what this all meant, but certainly hope we're not going to be surrogate parents.

[Hook#3287]

I'm thinking, Alfred Hitchcock

[wiggydotcom]

Cool story. Sometimes the neatest things are the unexpected such as your experience. If we take the time to appreciate them, as you did, it does show the coolest things in life are indeed free and provided to us by our Maker.  

Kudos for you to not just shooing it off!  

[Michvalk]

The sparrows and junkos never leave the feeder when I fill it. They just move to the other side until I'm done, and close the top. I have had them sit on the top of the open lid while I pour the feed in. None have landed on me yet, but, it's a long time until spring. 

[Jess from VA]

Many of the smallest wild birds are fearless and happy little bustards. 

If you feed or water (even more important and appreciated than food in winter) them, they become your friends.  They follow me around in my backyard.  But my backyard can be dangerous for them, since a local hawk visits from time to time.  I put nice juicy fresh squirrel out, but he only wants birds (usually fatter mourning doves). 

I have a pair of finches spending winter nights up inside my backdoor awning.  I tore out several nests this summer, but laid off them this winter (esp after they learned NOT to build a nest).  I get a few droppings around the edge of my basement walkout; not such a big deal.

I'm no St Francis,  but I enjoy my tiny flying dinosaurs.


One of my bird stories involves a big old crow who staked out an SUV luggage rack in a pull-off off Skyline Drive.  I rode in to take a break, walked past him and he hollered at me.  I talked to him and went closer and he got all tactical on me until I backed up two steps.  The owners of the SUV came back from a trail walk, and the crow did not want to let them have their car back.  Everyone was being gentle with the old fellow.  The lady put some food down on the ground and walked away, but the crow saw through the ploy and laughed at her.  Which made us all laugh too.  He seemed to thoroughly enjoy the human contact and being center stage. 

You know what the smartest bird on the planet is, right?

[sheets]

Several years ago I worked in a area perty much in the middle of nowhere, I had small office in the corner of a metal building. In the spring & summer I'd leave the door open to enjoy the fresh air while I pecked at the computer just a few feet from the door. One day I was pecking away and from the corner of my eye I could see a bird coming towards me. I hear the swoosh of air rustling through its feathers. I looked towards the door just in time to see a crow coming through the door with wings stretched on final approach. I thought he was attacking me. I bent down over the desk covering my eyes with my two hands . . . only to feel him land on my shoulder. I was expecting to get flogged. I stayed hunkered down for a half-minute before I slowly uncovered my eyes and turned to see what the hell just happened. With hands on my face with fingers spread so I could see, there is a crow sitting on my shoulder just looking at me. I slowly turned and coaxed him off my shoulder to the desk top. He walked around the desk making a mess of things and crapping on my fax machine. I shared a few morsels of food with him from my lunch. I took a picture of him. Then he flew away. Was perty cool.  ???

[..]

The crows at Bryce and Grand Canyon are amusing as well.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Hmm... I'm thinking they may not be birds at all. But Spy Drones from LeatherUp.