| Mar 10, 2006 @ 4:20 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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hopeful_lady
Posts: 137
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Well as you can see I have a parakeet that I trained to stay on my shoulder. I notice dogs and cats get all the attention just wondering how many are bird lovers here?
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 4:38 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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Loreli
Posts: 25,398
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Hi hopeful... I put suet, wild bird seed and a bird bath out all of the time. Bluejays and Cardinals are all over the place!
When I was in high school we had a pet blue jay. My Mom found a very young one on her front steps after a storm, and it's drying gland didn't work, so she couldn't return it to the wild. She thought it was illegal, but she couldn't let it die either. Gosh, she had that bird for six or seven years. She was heartbroken when he died. (although when she opened her drapes, no insect body parts fell out anymore)
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 5:07 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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spongebob777
Posts: 7,904
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I like watching the wild ones here at home. I'm going through more than 200lbs of birdseed over the winter these days.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 5:24 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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hopeful_lady
Posts: 137
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You know the news media is making such a stink about bird flu when I believe "rabies" is more of an outbreak problem than bird flu. Flu has always been around and we use to call it Hong Kong Flu, maybe its the same thing?
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 6:46 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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Jankia
Posts: 11,895
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Oh yeah! Birdwatchin!
Even being in couch potatoe status I get to watch Canadian Geese,Sandhill Cranes,Mallards,Bluejays,,finch,Hawk,vulture,red headed woodpecker,Cardinals,Dove,Snow Geese,Hummingbird,Woodducks and have a pair of Bald Eagles nesting a mile up river from me.Its quite a show watching those Eagles dive and grab a carp out of the river.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 6:51 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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Hiwayman54
Posts: 95
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Well I live 15 miles from the ocean and see a lot of seabirds.Just don't the names of most of them. Lets seeeee pelicans,puffins, garbage geese. And a lot more I have no idea about.
oh yea and a lot of Bald Eagles
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 6:55 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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Jankia
Posts: 11,895
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oh yea and a lot of Bald Eagles
Do you know,did they take them off the endangered list?
I have seen alot more of them recently at our place in northern Wi.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:12 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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sciurusniger
Posts: 2,958
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Rabies is not really any bigger an issue than it became about ten years ago (which was in large part due to people illegally transporting wild animals across state lines as "pets"). The number of human deaths due to rabies in the United States since then are only one or two each year (and have only been of dog and bat strain, based on CDC data available through 2002). I won't belittle it because it IS deadly, particularly for those who have not had the pre-exposure vaccination series, but your chances of coming in contact with it typically isn't very high unless you work with animals (stray domestic and/or wild) on a daily basis. And even then your risk is somewhat dependent upon the species with which you are in frequent contact. (I'll be attending a symposium on rabies in Michigan towards the end of next month so if anyone is really all that interested, let me know and I can pass along what's being said.)
Avian flu, however, IS a big deal. It has been found in wild cats and just yesterday the WHO reported it was found in a stone marten on an island in Germany (same island where it was found in cats earlier). The flu virus is a far more mutable critter than the rabies virus, and because of its inherent viability (compared to the rabies virus) and therefore greater ease of transmission will pose a far, far greater threat should it mutate in migratory birds into something that can be passed from human to human.
To be totally on topic, however: my mom recently rescued a young c0ckatiel that had been dumped at a local pet store and the little guy likes to ride around on everyone's shoulder. I'm not a bird person at all, but was told this is a little unusual? Regardless, it's sweet.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:18 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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Jankia
Posts: 11,895
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Rabies is getting worse here sciurusniger,seems every other coon has it.Maybe not that many but since the fur business went down noone hunts them anymore and I took one in that my dog killed and it was rabid.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:22 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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Loreli
Posts: 25,398
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I thought my son was nuts this winter...we saw this bird at the river by my house when we were feeding the ducks, and he said it was a seagull. I said, yeah right. Then I asked my Father, and he said yes, that's what they are. I would have never thought you would see seagulls in Iowa...
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:27 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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Jankia
Posts: 11,895
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Holy cow Loreli!
You should come and ride with me plowing in the fall.
First one or two will show up to grab worms and within a half hour hundreds.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:34 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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Loreli
Posts: 25,398
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I'll help you plow if you give me the alligator dance! I come from a long line of country dwellers...
I guess I am kinda naive about those birds, but only used to seeing them in Florida. I thought they were salt water fish eaters or something.
I always take my kids to the river here to feed the ducks, and two years ago, I took my sister down to feed the ducks with us. The only thing she had with her was bags of pork rind chips. Guess what the ducks ate? And they did eat them. Ick!
(  When and what time does the plowing start?)
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:43 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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Jankia
Posts: 11,895
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When and what time does the plowing start?)
As soon as you see the corn harvested in Iowa the worm harvest begins for the seagulls.
There gets to be so many hovering around the tractor its alot better now with tractor cabs.
Those worms tend to go through a birds system fast!
Alligator dancin in the furrow....
Sounds like a good country western tune to write 
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:53 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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Jankia
Posts: 11,895
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One day I was watching a birdfight between three crows and a Redtailed Hawk.The Crows won the battle and the Hawk fell about 25 feet to the ground.I went over and grabbed the Hawk that had its wing broken and turned it over to a bird rehab center.
About 3 months later the center called to tell me they had remedied the Hawks wing and turned it loose again in the same area I found it.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 7:58 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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Loreli
Posts: 25,398
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Oh, what a sweetie you are!
I live by some woods here, I would bet the dang black birds could carry off a medium size child. They rip up the trash on trash day, chase after the smaller birds, just annoying. To say the least.
I love going out to my friends just east of here, and watching the eagles by Matsell Park. They are so gorgeous. I haven't seen too many robins around here, but I love to listen to the mourning doves...so pretty.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 8:06 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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hopeful_lady
Posts: 137
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Here in Missouri horses had to be destroyed for getting rabies, the skunks carry rabies, cattle and horses are there in field and can easily be bitten by a rabbid skunk or possum as well as a raccoon. What about coyotoes, do they get rabies? We got lots of robins here in Missouri.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 8:13 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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kattsmeow
Posts: 22,625
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Those darn black birds won't mess with a bunch of Blue Jays though.
Oh Jankia,,,I can't believe a Red Tailed Hawk was brought down by Crows??? Wow, I have seen those Hawks carry off twice their weight before. I love those Hawks!! To see one sitting on a pole waiting to "glide" down on their prey!.
I am glad to hear it got better too!
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 8:23 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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Jankia
Posts: 11,895
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kattsmeow-The crows were doing what crows do and raiding that Hawks nest and the Hawk somehow broke a wing when chasing away the crows.They were all scrappin in midair,it was a site to watch.
hopeful_lady-Yep,coyotes can be rabid to.
Loreli-Oh yeah,that Jonboy is a sweetie! You know what they did in Wisconsin? Made a hunting season for the mourning doves. 
My brother likes having those doves around his farm,for some reason they keep the rats away.
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| Mar 10, 2006 @ 9:36 PM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners?
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Angel54214
Posts: 18,174
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"hopeful", I love birds. I have a little new parakeet and I trying to train him now. Daisy Mae, she very skidish. I cut her wings and try to hold her some for now.
I had a parakeet for over 13 years, a rare lavender one. Thought it was a male and turned out to be a female cause she layed eggs. It was funny cause when my girls and I moved to CA, we had to bring Chucky with us! The whole flight on the plane she was in a carryall under the seat in front of me. Funny though cause she didn't make a sound until we landed in Arizona for a stop, then she chirped so loud. Everyone clapped cause she made the trip!
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| Mar 11, 2006 @ 5:51 AM |
Any Bird Watchers or Owners? |
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hopeful_lady
Posts: 137
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Sweetie, my only pet bird is a really neat bird, she taught me a trick of hers, when she is hungry and on my shoulder and wanting me to escourt her back to her cage to get her seeds or water, she will walk down my arm and onto my hand then hop onto the computer keys. This is done when I am using the computer, if I still ignore her, she will begin pecking the computer keys to demand that I now escourt her back to her cage, "its her body language telling me to stop now its dinner time". Well, cats rub your legs and follow you to the kitchen, this dear little bird has her own way of expressing her needs.
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