For several mornings I have woken up to thumping noises at about 6:30
AM. By the time I got really awake and found a bathrobe to look outside,
the noises had stopped. This morning, I happened to look up and saw a
mocking bird flying at speed up against the clerestory windows of my
bedroom. He did this about 20 times before stopping.

I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but it
takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm *not*

James Silverton wrote:
> For several mornings I have woken up to thumping noises at about
> 6:30
> AM. By the time I got really awake and found a bathrobe to look
> outside, the noises had stopped. This morning, I happened to look up
> and saw a mocking bird flying at speed up against the clerestory
> windows of my bedroom. He did this about 20 times before stopping.
>
> I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the
> windows
> act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but
> it takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock
> himself even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!

Yes, we had a low IQ male cardinal who used to do the same thing -
attacking his rival in the window, morning after morning.

Dora wrote:

>> I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the
>> windows
>> act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but
>> it takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock
>> himself even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!

> Yes, we had a low IQ male cardinal who used to do the same thing -
> attacking his rival in the window, morning after morning.

Here it was a male blackbird, he too went on for a score times, and it
lasted for a week and some more
--
ViLco
Let the liquor do the thinking

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:34:40 +0200, "ViLco" > wrote:

>Dora wrote:
>
>>> I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the
>>> windows
>>> act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but
>>> it takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock
>>> himself even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>
>> Yes, we had a low IQ male cardinal who used to do the same thing -
>> attacking his rival in the window, morning after morning.
>
>Here it was a male blackbird, he too went on for a score times, and it
>lasted for a week and some more

We had a pair of wild turkeys preening and courting right outside my
office window last year. The female divided her coy looks and
responses quite equally between the male and his reflection on the
black glass of the building.

Boron

On 14/06/2011 10:43 AM, Dora wrote:
> James Silverton wrote:
>> For several mornings I have woken up to thumping noises at about 6:30
>> AM. By the time I got really awake and found a bathrobe to look
>> outside, the noises had stopped. This morning, I happened to look up
>> and saw a mocking bird flying at speed up against the clerestory
>> windows of my bedroom. He did this about 20 times before stopping.
>>
>> I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
>> act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but
>> it takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock
>> himself even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>
> Yes, we had a low IQ male cardinal who used to do the same thing -
> attacking his rival in the window, morning after morning.
>


I have found a few birds dazed on the ground under our dining room
window. I don't know if they thought they were attacking rivals or were
just stupid enough not to see the glass. Birds have never been known
for intelligence.

On 14/06/2011 11:49 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
> We had a pair of wild turkeys preening and courting right outside my
> office window last year. The female divided her coy looks and
> responses quite equally between the male and his reflection on the
> black glass of the building.


And to think that turkeys are one of the more intelligent bird species.

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:12:24 -0400, James Silverton
> wrote:

> For several mornings I have woken up to thumping noises at about 6:30
> AM. By the time I got really awake and found a bathrobe to look outside,
> the noises had stopped. This morning, I happened to look up and saw a
> mocking bird flying at speed up against the clerestory windows of my
> bedroom. He did this about 20 times before stopping.
>
> I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
> act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but it
> takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
> even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!

That's what happens when you keep your windows so gol darned clean!

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 2011-06-14, James Silverton > wrote:
> takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
> even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!

Never seen one do it repeatedly, but when I worked in Silicon Valley
and became a "carpet commando", finally got a great corner window
cubicle. All glass on two sides and birds would slam into the
spotless windows with fatal regularity. Guess they saw it as a
straight shot. It was so sad.

Lotsa birds, here, but nowhere near as much glass. We've had a couple
hits, but none fatal. Had a small owl knock itself silly on our bay
window. I left it alone on our deck for awhile and, fortunately, it
regained it's senses and flew away, seemingly unimpaired.

The only real case of a bird brain was the woodpecker that decided our
aluminum tv antenna mast was a sapling. Banged away on that thing fer
2-3 weeks before finally giving up.

nb

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:02:06 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 14/06/2011 11:49 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
> > We had a pair of wild turkeys preening and courting right outside my
> > office window last year. The female divided her coy looks and
> > responses quite equally between the male and his reflection on the
> > black glass of the building.
>
>
> And to think that turkeys are one of the more intelligent bird species.

So the next time someone calls me a turkey, I should say "thank you"?


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Jun 14, 11:30*am, sf > wrote:
> > I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
> > act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but it
> > takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
> > even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>
> That's what happens when you keep your windows so gol darned clean!
Outside my living room window is a large cottonwood tree that the
birdies like to nest in, and they quite often give a try at flying
themselves right through the window. Makes a heck of a clatter,
leaving an all feathers dusting of them on impact.
Drives new roomie bonkers, so there is an in-process build going on
that will make him quite pleased, methinks. Roomie is Bob-cat, the
one-plus year old tiger stripe. I gave my thought to a crafty friend
that has the tunnel, ramps and "cage" built (needs another roll of 1/2-
inch fencing wire to finish the top platform). The 12x18" tunnel goes
from my front used-to-be doggie door (that is simply a cut-out in the
screened security door), along side house under the window, straight
across through the rocked tree basin, up the trunk and across an
angled tri-fork (of the tree trunk) and into a 10" hole on the
platform bottom.
All so Bob can have a great place to talk to the birds without being a
danger to them, and so he cannot run risk of being dive-bombed by them
or just run off into troubles somewhere else.
....Picky

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:01:13 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> I have found a few birds dazed on the ground under our dining room
> window. I don't know if they thought they were attacking rivals or were
> just stupid enough not to see the glass. Birds have never been known
> for intelligence.

It wasn't too common back when I lived in the woods (considering the
number of picture windows our house had). The birds that crashed into
our windows thought they were flying into open air since they were
looking at trees, sky & clouds; not the interior of a house.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> Birds have never been known for intelligence.

Except ravens and crows but there is also a current thread about them.

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0700 (PDT), JeanineAlyse
> wrote:

> On Jun 14, 11:30*am, sf > wrote:
> > > I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
> > > act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but it
> > > takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
> > > even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
> >
> > That's what happens when you keep your windows so gol darned clean!
> Outside my living room window is a large cottonwood tree that the
> birdies like to nest in, and they quite often give a try at flying
> themselves right through the window. Makes a heck of a clatter,
> leaving an all feathers dusting of them on impact.
> Drives new roomie bonkers, so there is an in-process build going on
> that will make him quite pleased, methinks. Roomie is Bob-cat, the
> one-plus year old tiger stripe. I gave my thought to a crafty friend
> that has the tunnel, ramps and "cage" built (needs another roll of 1/2-
> inch fencing wire to finish the top platform). The 12x18" tunnel goes
> from my front used-to-be doggie door (that is simply a cut-out in the
> screened security door), along side house under the window, straight
> across through the rocked tree basin, up the trunk and across an
> angled tri-fork (of the tree trunk) and into a 10" hole on the
> platform bottom.
> All so Bob can have a great place to talk to the birds without being a
> danger to them, and so he cannot run risk of being dive-bombed by them
> or just run off into troubles somewhere else.
> ...Picky

I like your idea! I've thought about building an outdoor kitt-iary
(cat version of an aviary). It would be a huge cage with a tree trunk
and branches for climbing and snoozing. Part of it would be open air
(chicken wire) and part would have a real roof over it for protection
during rainy days outside. Mine would have indoor/outdoor access
through a kitty door in the wall of my attached garage.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 14 Jun 2011 18:44:41 GMT, notbob > wrote:

> The only real case of a bird brain was the woodpecker that decided our
> aluminum tv antenna mast was a sapling. Banged away on that thing fer
> 2-3 weeks before finally giving up.

OMG, that's funny! Annoying and loud, but funny.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0700 (PDT), JeanineAlyse
> wrote:

>On Jun 14, 11:30*am, sf > wrote:
>> > I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
>> > act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but it
>> > takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
>> > even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>>
>> That's what happens when you keep your windows so gol darned clean!
>Outside my living room window is a large cottonwood tree that the
>birdies like to nest in, and they quite often give a try at flying
>themselves right through the window. Makes a heck of a clatter,
>leaving an all feathers dusting of them on impact.
>Drives new roomie bonkers, so there is an in-process build going on
>that will make him quite pleased, methinks. Roomie is Bob-cat, the
>one-plus year old tiger stripe. I gave my thought to a crafty friend
>that has the tunnel, ramps and "cage" built (needs another roll of 1/2-
>inch fencing wire to finish the top platform). The 12x18" tunnel goes
>from my front used-to-be doggie door (that is simply a cut-out in the
>screened security door), along side house under the window, straight
>across through the rocked tree basin, up the trunk and across an
>angled tri-fork (of the tree trunk) and into a 10" hole on the
>platform bottom.
>All so Bob can have a great place to talk to the birds without being a
>danger to them, and so he cannot run risk of being dive-bombed by them
>or just run off into troubles somewhere else.
>...Picky

I have shiny CDs hanging from monofiliment in my windows and dark
silhouettes of raptors taped to the outside of my window shades...
since putting those up it's very rare that birds attempt to fly
through the glass. Plus there is almost always a cat in my windows
trying to slap at any birds that come near which also warns the
feathery things away.

On Jun 14, 1:44*pm, notbob > wrote:
> On 2011-06-14, James Silverton > wrote:
>
> > takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
> > even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>
> Never seen one do it repeatedly, but when I worked in Silicon Valley
> and became a "carpet commando", finally got a great corner window
> cubicle. *All glass on two sides and birds would slam into the
> spotless windows with fatal regularity. *Guess they saw it as a
> straight shot. *It was so sad. *
>
> Lotsa birds, here, but nowhere near as much glass. *We've had a couple
> hits, but none fatal. *Had a small owl knock itself silly on our bay
> window. *I left it alone on our deck for awhile and, fortunately, it
> regained it's senses and flew away, seemingly unimpaired. *
>
> The only real case of a bird brain was the woodpecker that decided our
> aluminum tv antenna mast was a sapling. *Banged away on that thing fer
> 2-3 weeks before finally giving up.
>
> nb

Woodpeckers attack wood - or apparently anything that looks like a
branch - because there are bugs in it. When they drum, the bugs come
out. It's hard to figure what kind of bugs would be in your TV
antenna that would make that behavior rewarding.... nutty birds. LOL.

N.

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Nancy2
> wrote:

>On Jun 14, 1:44*pm, notbob > wrote:
>> On 2011-06-14, James Silverton > wrote:
>>
>> > takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
>> > even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>>
>> Never seen one do it repeatedly, but when I worked in Silicon Valley
>> and became a "carpet commando", finally got a great corner window
>> cubicle. *All glass on two sides and birds would slam into the
>> spotless windows with fatal regularity. *Guess they saw it as a
>> straight shot. *It was so sad. *
>>
>> Lotsa birds, here, but nowhere near as much glass. *We've had a couple
>> hits, but none fatal. *Had a small owl knock itself silly on our bay
>> window. *I left it alone on our deck for awhile and, fortunately, it
>> regained it's senses and flew away, seemingly unimpaired. *
>>
>> The only real case of a bird brain was the woodpecker that decided our
>> aluminum tv antenna mast was a sapling. *Banged away on that thing fer
>> 2-3 weeks before finally giving up.
>>
>> nb
>
>Woodpeckers attack wood - or apparently anything that looks like a
>branch - because there are bugs in it. When they drum, the bugs come
>out. It's hard to figure what kind of bugs would be in your TV
>antenna that would make that behavior rewarding.... nutty birds. LOL.

WoodyPecker masturbation?

On 6/14/2011 10:12 AM, James Silverton wrote:

> For several mornings I have woken up to thumping noises at about 6:30
> AM. By the time I got really awake and found a bathrobe to look outside,
> the noises had stopped. This morning, I happened to look up and saw a
> mocking bird flying at speed up against the clerestory windows of my
> bedroom. He did this about 20 times before stopping.
>
> I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
> act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but it
> takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
> even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>
Earlier this spring I kept hearing a loud pounding in the early morning
that would startle me so bad I'd nearly shoot out of bed and through the
ceiling. It sounded like someone hammering on my roof, but not quite.
It was louder. Finally one morning I was able to get outside in time to
see what it was. It was a woodpecker but it wasn't pecking on the roof
or the siding; it was pecking on the metal gutter. I figured it was
trying to attract a mate. Finally it stopped and hasn't returned.

On 6/14/2011 3:00 PM, JeanineAlyse wrote:

> Outside my living room window is a large cottonwood tree that the
> birdies like to nest in, and they quite often give a try at flying
> themselves right through the window. Makes a heck of a clatter,
> leaving an all feathers dusting of them on impact.
> Drives new roomie bonkers, so there is an in-process build going on
> that will make him quite pleased, methinks. Roomie is Bob-cat, the
> one-plus year old tiger stripe. I gave my thought to a crafty friend
> that has the tunnel, ramps and "cage" built (needs another roll of 1/2-
> inch fencing wire to finish the top platform). The 12x18" tunnel goes
> from my front used-to-be doggie door (that is simply a cut-out in the
> screened security door), along side house under the window, straight
> across through the rocked tree basin, up the trunk and across an
> angled tri-fork (of the tree trunk) and into a 10" hole on the
> platform bottom.
> All so Bob can have a great place to talk to the birds without being a
> danger to them, and so he cannot run risk of being dive-bombed by them
> or just run off into troubles somewhere else.

What a neat idea! You've given me some ideas for the outdoor enclosure
I had built for my cats. I think they need a catwalk that extends
beyond just the space they have now. It'd be easy to do.