Category Archives: BURRRRRRD TONGUES!

Noisenberg!

  By packbawky | 18/10/2013 - 5:33 pm | ,
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One of the minigulls has survived long enough to earn a name, and that name is Noisenberg.

The other, I haven’t seen in a while. It’s been a couple of weeks, now, since there’ve been two little gulls on the roof across from mine. That second one probably got eaten. There are eagles in the vicinity. They snack on gulls, here and there.

The remaining gullie brother’s been coming to my balcony almost every day, lately. I don’t want him becoming too tame. To that end, I feed him, and talk to him in a kind and indulgent manner, but when he comes too close, or pokes his head in the window, I shoo him. It wouldn’t do for him to become complacent around human beings. We can be worse than eagles, under the wrong circumstances. Loudenstein, I’m sure, is aware of this already. Noisenberg, who knows? What do gulls learn from their parents? And do they take it all to heart, or do they rebel? One thing Noisenberg has learned beautifully: that irritating alarm call. Gah-gah-gah. Gah-gah-gah. Gah-gah-gah. I could probably throw away my alarm clock. I get that every morning, first thing.

Bird tongue! Bird tongue! BIRD TONGUE! :-)

Bird tongue! Bird tongue! BIRD TONGUE! :-)

Much as I don't want to tame this bird, I took pains to make it understand that the camera is harmless. Loudenstein flew away, the first few times I tried to photograph him. Noisenberg did not. I'd been pointing the lens at him daily, for a week, by the time I dropped the shutter on him. He barely reacted, when I did.

Much as I don’t want to tame this bird, I took pains to make it understand that the camera is harmless. Loudenstein flew away, the first few times I tried to photograph him. Noisenberg did not. I’d been pointing the lens at him daily, for a week, by the time I dropped the shutter on him. He barely reacted, when I did.

Here, Noisenberg was begging. Loudenstein was standing just outside the shot, ignoring him. Eventually, the begging subsided.

Here, Noisenberg was begging. Loudenstein was standing just outside the shot, ignoring him. Eventually, the begging subsided.

I’ve been hearing another bird lately, as well — that little wheep! bird, from last winter. It’s begun cropping up again, taunting me from the bushes on my morning walks. This winter, I’m determined to root it out and identify it. My bird list hasn’t had a new addition, in a while.

Sad gulls; happy finches

  By packbawky | 03/06/2013 - 5:01 pm | ,
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My poor, unruly gulls have suffered yet another setback in their efforts to inflict more gulls upon the world: horrible kids. I saw them, last night, a pair of them, creeping about on the roof. Stamping on nests. Mocking! “Not today, birdie,” I heard one of them shout, as the larger gull wheeled overhead, shrieking. Most unfortunate. I wonder if the kid would still have stamped on the eggs if he’d known what an understatement “not today” was? I mean, those gulls nested on the same roof, last year, and failed to hatch a single egg. First, building management cleared their nests away. So they hid them better — cleverly enough to avoid the workmen, but not the crows. And this year, why, this year’s been an endless parade of crow predation! Sure, the crows deserve a delicious snack; that, one understands. Human beings tramping on nests for fun, though, that’s just nasty. Shame on them. I wish I knew their parents, so I could turn them in.

Things are, however, looking much brighter on the finch and pigeon fronts. Freshly-fledged finches have been showing up at the feeder, and I saw my first juvenile pigeon, over the weekend. (You can tell you’re looking at a young pigeon when its beak looks ridiculously long, and extra-bumpy. Pigeons keep their wee ones in the nest longer than most birds — a couple of months, if I’m not mistaken — so they’re more or less fully cooked, by the time you get them on your balcony. But the beaks still give them away.)

I didn’t get a picture of the little pigeon: he or she is very shy, and flaps off at the slightest disturbance. Thus, I admire from a distance, and in silence. But I got several finch shots, to be going on with:

A juvenile finch occupies the feeder, while an adult looks on. While he appears to be giving me a disapproving look, I'm not sure he could see me, at all. I was hiding under a large hood, so I could take pictures without spoiling the birds' dinner.

A juvenile finch occupies the feeder, while an adult looks on. While he appears to be giving me a disapproving look, I’m not sure he could see me, at all. I was hiding under a large hood, so I could take pictures without spoiling the birds’ dinner.

The feeder is occupied, so this finch is grubbling about in the dirt.

The feeder is occupied, so this finch is grubbling about in the dirt.

The little finch begs for food. I had hoped for a better shot of this, but a great bumptious SPARROW flew in and landed right between them, interrupting the feeding.

The little finch begs for food. I had hoped for a better shot of this, but a great bumptious SPARROW flew in and landed right between them, interrupting the feeding.

And these are sparrows.

And these are sparrows.