Blog for the Birds

Tired of Radio? Try Bird Radio

A UK broadcasting company has come up with a new idea for an alternate to that mindless chatter you often hear on commercial radio. It’s called the Birdsong Station and as the name implies, it plays nothing but birds signing.  It’s a 20 minute audio recording that plays in a loop.  Now that I would tune into!

Bird radio a real tweet

Stop Feeding the Birds Judge Orders

Usually birdfeeders are a good thing.  But you can overdo it! An Illinois couple has been ordered to take down their bird feeders after the neighbors complained of it attracting other animals.  Other guests included birds and raccoons, opossums because in addition to the hanging bird feeder, this couple was putting food on the ground for the ducks.  No no.  Moderation is key in all things!  Keep these number of feeders to a minimum and don’t place food on ground (unless you have a (watch) dog who can attend to the overcrowding that will occur.

Prospect Heights couple obeys judge by removing bird feeders

Do Owls have Bad Eyes?

The other day I was driving down a road in our neighborhood and a pigeon flew across my path.  I smacked it unfortunately.  I usually don’t bother slowing down (I was only going about 25 because it’s a residential street) because they usually get out of the way. Pigeons seem to be the slowest of all. Maybe this one just ate too much and couldn’t get out of the way in time? But Pigeons are tough birds; I looked back only to see it fly off after it gathered its composure. What about owls? I rarely see them let alone hit them. This truck driver reports hitting them on a regular basis and the explanation (part humor and part common bird sense) is really worth a read!

Even owls can be blind-sided

Bad Seed?

Have the birds in your yard been dying? Maybe it’s in the seed. Lloyd Shook of Lake Elsinore (CA), thinks it’s the seed he purchased from WalMart. He said some 50 birds got sick and died after eating the seed.  But he was unable to produce anything but accusations and WalMart is not paying him back.

Bird Man accuses Wal-Mart of selling bad seed

Golfer Uses Bird for Skill Practice

While filming a segment for a video, pro golfer Tripp Isenhour got annoyed at a red-shouldered hawk.  He used his skills to hit the bird and killed it. Unfortunately for him, he was charged with cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird. I have often seen birds getting walloped on the golf course (mostly ducks and crows) but never intentionally.  In those cases, they’re just in the wrong place at the wrong moment in time. But in Tripp’s case, he used this skills inappropriately.

Golfer Faces Charges in Bird Killing

Presidential Politics meets Audubon

Presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney showed his compassionate side this week recalling a story about how his sons saved a nest of chicks. The nest had apparently fallen and the Romney boys became committed to rescuing them. The birds surviving and Mitt Ronmey had this nice ending to tell. It may be a “Cheep Shot” but we love it.

The birds followed Josh and Matt wherever they would go. When they came home from school the birds would fly across the yard and land on their head, their shoulders.

Mitt’s bird saga a cheep shot?

Man Sues over Dead Moluccan Cockatoo

Thinking of getting an exotic bird like a Moluccan Cockatoo? Better check its age, preferrebaly with a veternarian. Jon Demarest of Paramus NJ, bought a Moluccan Cockatoo at Pet Goods with the understanding the bird was about 9 years old. But about 1 year later and many vet bills later, the bird died. According to the Vet, the bird was actually about 20 years old. These Cockatoos have a life span up to 120 years (amazing) so they can make good life long pets for people. The Moluccan Cockatoo Society has this to say about the bird in the wild:

The Moluccan Cockatoo is an endangered species endemic to the island of Seram, Indonesia. Virtually no scientific studies of the wild behavior of this bird exist due to the extreme remoteness and ruggedness of this island.

Court flap over death of exotic bird

A Shocking Bird Story

A bird lands on power line and gets electrocuted and causes a power outage?

A power outage was reported in a north Phoenix neighborhood early Thursday after a bird apparently tried to land on a power line and was nearly electrocuted.

How many times have you seen birds on power lines? A lot right? What this article fails to mention is that birds always land and sit on power lines without any problems. That’s because the power lines are insulated with a material that doesn’t conduct electricity. This article makes it sound like birds never land on power lines! I think the insulation was missing or torn from the part of the line that this unfortunate bird happened to land on. So it’s doubtful the bird caused the power the outage. It’s much more likely the line was damaged or faulty and the bird was a victim. Could have been a squirrel as victim too!

Bird nearly electrocuted; causes power outage

And the Pardoned Turkeys are..

President Bush pardoned two turkeys this year in an annual event that precedes Thanksgiving dating back to the Truman Administration. It must have started as sort of a lark and simply caught on.  The festivities also included turkey naming.  This years pardoned turkeys: May and Flower.  Why those names?  Says President Bush - They’re certainly better than the names the vice president suggested — which is ‘Lunch’ and ‘Dinner’!

President Bush sends two turkeys to Disney World

Cat Lovers Versus Bird Lovers!

Imagine this. One side of the courtroom packed with Birders and the other side packed with Feline Friends each shaking fists at the other. That’s what happened in Galveston when Jim Stevenson shot a cat while protecting the wild  birds in Texas coastal area.  The cat turned out to be a someone’s pet and there goes the fireworks.  Tough choice, I love kitties and I love birds; I would have a horrible time shooting a cat.  But this statement just about sums it up:  “There is a natural order but unfortunately cats aren’t part of that natural order — they are an invasive species”.

Animal lovers in flap after bird-watcher kills cat