This morning as I was waiting for Bailey to do her business, I noticed there was a flock of birds flying north the entire time I was standing outside. This was about 10 minutes, or longer. I might have nodded off. I'm not much of a morning person so I'm not very alert after climbing out of bed. Anyway...
I tried to get a picture of them flying overhead, but oddly enough my cell phone doesn't take good pictures of birds in flight. What is wrong with technology nowadays? But I did manage to get this picture of a shit ton of them in the tree behind my house... if you can see them.
The funny thing is that it's been in the 70's during the day for several days now, but these birds waited until the coldest morning we've had to fly north? Did they just get the memo that it's getting warmer or what? I just found it very strange that they picked this morning. Obviously their mail service uses snail mail and not air mail. Yes, I had to go there.
This reminded me of a story I've been meaning to tell you all. Have you ever watched a baby woodpecker try to learn how to peck? My mother and I had this humorous view once when I was visiting. She noticed a baby woodpecker on the wooden post they have planted in the back yard that holds the bug light. It was a beautiful bird that looked something like this.
Momma bird was nowhere in sight, so we assumed he had decided he was ready to branch out into the world. Unfortunately, I think he had a bit of brain damage from the way he was pecking this piece of wood. Ya know how normally it's a steady sounding "peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck" when a woodpecker is at work? Well, this was more of a "peck, peck, bang!" After every two pecks, he would slam his head into the post. "Peck, peck, bang! Peck, peck, bang!" It was really pitiful. I don't think he was the brightest student in his class, but I imagine after the 30 minutes we watched him trying to get it right, he probably felt a bit like this.
It was a bit like watching a drunk trying to do something that requires precision and not being able to figure out why he can't do it right, yet going back for more even though it was painful because he forgot what happened just seconds before.
22 comments:
We had a big flock of birds appear outside our house over the weekend - right before we got a foot of snow. Go figure.
We had temps in the 50s a couple days last week so maybe their winter buds emailed them and told them to come on up, spring had sprung. Oops.. looks like they jumped the gun a bit. Winter here lasts until late May.
SD
www.TheSimpleDude.com
Great story! We've got tons of woodpeckers here. Different kinds too. Love to hear them!
I got my mom a bird feeder for Mother's Day years ago, and it's turned out to be one of her most favorite gifts. It's always neat to see what interesting birds will come and eat from the feeder. She added a suet trap, too, so there are Woodpeckers out there a lot.
we have one that comes every freaking sunday morning at the same time, no kidding, and pecks at our hardiplank on our house... it's like I want to say "dude, you are pecking at cement board, but good luck to ya on it!" Maybe your bird and my bird are first cousins!
Duh yes, stupid technology not being able to keep up with birds in flight. WTF man?
:)
SD.. Nice of you to drop by, big shot. Did you bring bacon donuts? I think your birds are dumber than my woodpecker to think spring had sprung that early for you cold people up yonder.
Barb.. Thanks! I just wanted to help the little tyke. What do we say down here? Bless his heart!
Bruce.. I can imagine they would be but how bright can they be after pecking at wood all the time?
Katsidhe.. Now you are going to make me go look up a freakin' suet trap? Glad your mom loved the feeder. My mom loves anything for her yard.. or nature.
AG.. I definitely think our birds are from the same gene pool. I wonder if we should find that pool and dry it up?
Assassin.. I knew you would get me!
Huge flocks of birds do creep me out. Thanks, Hitchcock. Though I guess I should be glad they're not falling dead out of the sky...
I heard birds singing this morning...and it was snowing.
LOVE IT!!!! I had a post about Birds--a big honking flock of Robins!!!
And just posted about Woodpekkers!!!! Weird huh?
Headin South!
Great pic!! and I loved the captions!
J
great story
Nicki.. I kept thinking of that movie "The Birds" and I don't think I've ever seen it before. These were all alive and flying though!
JM.. What the..? Were they snow birds?
John.. Strange how that happens, huh? Thanks!
becca.. Thanks!
That is both funny and sad. Poor challenged woodpecker.
xoRobyn
Robyn... Awwww.. You are the sweetest person to decide he was "challenged." That is the perfect word, and I bet lyndylou will be mad she didn't say it first. :)
Every summer, at least one robin will slam into our front window. Scares the fecal matter out of me.
ib... I ain't buying that! You have faced much scarier things from what I have read on your blog, hon. :)
I enjoy watching the birds at our birdfeeder, and so does the cat. It's like Kitty TV!
Soapbox... Bailey would be all over that birdfeeder like your cat. She is so alert about everything around her, even planes.
Maybe their GPS was on the fritz!
While you are making a valid point, it sucks when your reading a book in quiet house and all of the sudden, BAM, something slams into your window, you look outside and see a bird on the sidewalk, looking around and you can see that he thinking, "W.T.F. happened there?" But, raccoons are by far, more spawnish than a dumb bird with bad flying skills and horrible GPS. (Sandra, funny)
"watching a drunk trying to do something that requires precision and not being able to figure out why he can't do it right, yet going back for more even though it was painful because he forgot what happened just seconds before."
My freshman year of college several of us students rented rooms in a house near campus. One night I was sitting at my upstairs window studying when I saw a taxi stop outside. One of our guys staggered out of the cab which then drove off. Our guy weaved and bobbed his way into a telephone pole, backed up and then did it again and yet again. I hustled downstairs and out to him standing in the street and asked him if he needed help. Through bleary eyes he recognized me and slurringly said, "Don, we're in a helluva mess. We're surrounded by telephone poles."
Sandra.. Ahhh, so they are actually ahead with technology?! Well, if it worked right...
ib.. Is it always the same window? Maybe you need stickers.
Don.. I love that! I swear I don't know why you don't write your own blog. You have great stories!
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