OT Things to ponder

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: rustysi

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

"Why don't you come up some time and see me?"

She never gave me a chill. She did however give me a....

...a restraining order? [:'(]

As opposed to other forms of restraint...[:D]

[Will_L]

Sir Gorn…

Saw two small adult birds last week, sadly both dead on the sidewalk with no visible injury - one in Soho (Manhattan) where I work and the other a couple of houses away from mine in Laurelton (Southeast Queens)... closest match I could find was the Yellow-throated warbler but not at all sure on that. (https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/338/o ... rbler.aspx)
Immediately brought to mind West Nile virus which went through the pigeon and sparrow population here like a scythe back in the '90s, they were dropping like flies all over the city. Thought it was odd to see two of the same type, on the same day, dead in what looked like the same way.

[scout1]

ORIGINAL: MuguNiner

Did this topic take a chill pill? Page 3? Here's something to wake up to...

OMG ….. Just takes my breath away …...

[scout1]

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

Do you feel a chill?

From the pointy appendages ..... I'm guessing she is feeling a chill ...

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Will_L

Sir Gorn…

Saw two small adult birds last week, sadly both dead on the sidewalk with no visible injury - one in Soho (Manhattan) where I work and the other a couple of houses away from mine in Laurelton (Southeast Queens)... closest match I could find was the Yellow-throated warbler but not at all sure on that. (https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/338/o ... rbler.aspx)
Immediately brought to mind West Nile virus which went through the pigeon and sparrow population here like a scythe back in the '90s, they were dropping like flies all over the city. Thought it was odd to see two of the same type, on the same day, dead in what looked like the same way.

Here's the best site I know of for bird ids: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yel ... ed_Warbler

West Nile has the greatest impact on corvids (crows, ravens and blue jays). If there's a window directly above the place you found them, that could be the cause. All sorts of birds, if they see a reflection of the sky in a window, or can see through the building through two different windows, may fly right into the window and break their necks. Finding dead birds in urban settings is usually caused by that or electrocution. Also, in Soho there's probably not a lot of opossums to clean up the carrion. Rats might take them though.

[geofflambert]

I have a window that's often open with no screen so I can see the birds better. Across the room is another window through which you can see the sky and trees. On two occasions in two different years I've had a chimney swift fly right into the room. Chimney swifts can only perch on vertical surfaces so they were helpless once in the room, they can't get up off the floor or walk around. The first time the bird was squawking her head off and flapping her wings. I picked her up by the elbows and flung her back out the window. The second time the bird didn't squawk or flap or anything and let me pick her up with no resistance. Makes me think it was the same bird and she knew I wouldn't hurt her. I get birds banging into my windows all the time and sometimes I find them on the ground under the window. Most common are starlings. They make a pretty big BOOM when they strike the glass.

[RangerJoe]

I had a ruffed grouse try to come in through a window a couple of times.

[geofflambert]

According to this range map, the yellow throated warbler avoids NJ. Perhaps they died trying to overfly NJ. Maybe Snooki winged them with a BB gun.

[BBfanboy]

My house had a North-facing picture window in the living room and birds were constantly running into it because it was always in shadow and acted like a mirror (because the living room was unlit during the day. We put up the silhouette hawk stickers that look like a kestrel in flight, but still some birds hit the window.

Eventually we went to a garden center and got a plastic mesh with about 1.5 inch holes and stapled it to the outside frame of the window. The mesh was fine enough that it did not interfere with the view much and most birds saw the mesh and avoided the window. A few did hit the window but much less violently because they were putting on the brakes or were slowed by the net.

No more dead birds after that but a few stunned ones we had to protect from cats for an hour or so.

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

According to this range map, the yellow throated warbler avoids NJ. Perhaps they died trying to overfly NJ. Maybe Snooki winged them with a BB gun.

As you can see, they have no difficulty migrating over the Appalachians, but NJ is strictly no-go.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

According to this range map, the yellow throated warbler avoids NJ. Perhaps they died trying to overfly NJ. Maybe Snooki winged them with a BB gun.

[/img]

As you can see, they have no difficulty migrating over the Appalachians, but NJ is strictly no-go.

Maybe Gov. Christie got so well-fed on warbler pie ... could explain why they are not seen in NJ.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

According to this range map, the yellow throated warbler avoids NJ. Perhaps they died trying to overfly NJ. Maybe Snooki winged them with a BB gun.

[/img]

As you can see, they have no difficulty migrating over the Appalachians, but NJ is strictly no-go.

Maybe Gov. Christie got so well-fed on warbler pie ... could explain why they are not seen in NJ.

<Enters obligatory joke about non-migratory African warblers>

[AW1Steve]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

I had a ruffed grouse try to come in through a window a couple of times.

I've had two different Red Tail hawks fly into my big picture window. One actually knocked him self out for several minutes then spent two days in a nearby tree recovering.[X(]

[RangerJoe]

But each time the Ruffed Grouse ruined its whole day.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

But each time the Ruffed Grouse ruined its whole day.

This one went over my head. Can the RG do anything bad to a RTH?

[RangerJoe]

It can give it indigestion. It can also fly fairly fast so it might be able to escape. But the ruffed grouse is a woodland creature so it can escape into a bunch of trees.

A drill sergeant said that if you pulled a pin on a hand grenade and dropped it in your own fohole, it could ruin your whole day.

[X(]

[:@]

[geofflambert]

Shades of Stand on Zanzibar! This, apparently is Mt Everest on a slow day.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Shades of Stand on Zanzibar! This, apparently is Mt Everest on a slow day.

Looks a lot like the queue in my local supermarket today. [:D]

[RangerJoe]

I don't think that there would be too much cutting in line.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

I don't think that there would be too much cutting in line.

There could use an express lane - 10 minutes or less at the summit. [:D]