-- [ From: Conrad W. Selfors * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] --

Hey Tweeters:
Everything was running smoothly around my
backyard feeding stations here recently, especially the Townsend
Warbler that keeps coming several times a day. The California
Blackbirds had taken a hike and a good variety of locals have taken up
shop..........and then it HAPPENED!!!!!!!!! STARLINGS and
MORE STARLINGS {they haven't been here all winter}

Not really enjoying the large numbers of birds, their
aggressive behavior, besides the large amount of feed that was
disappearing from my feeders very quickly, and after several days of
getting frustrated, I resorted to pulling out my " CATCH-EM-ALIVE"
Starling trap from below the back porch. Within 15 minutes I had a
live Starling inside one of my larger wire commercial style bird
cages. {remembered somebody had a Starling with a broken wing in a cage
recently} I spent several hours,yesterday, observing behavior and the
bird appeared to work relentlessly at finding a way or route to get out
of this cage. The bird spent the night in the cage in the living room
covered with a sheet. This morning within 2 hours of being uncovered,
that bird had raised one of the vertical moving wire sliding entrance
doors and made an escape into my living room. I highly believe that
this bird had made a conscious attempt at finding an escape method or
route, and proceeded until it succeeded. Because of this unique
"thinking" behavior, I had to reward it and give it its freedom again.
So, be on the lookout for one very "intelligent" EX-JAILBIRD!!!!!!!!

A great book about
bird intelligence, The Human Nature of Birds, by Theodore Xenophon
Barber, is worth exploring.

ANY BITES OUT THERE???????

BTW does anyone use the term
"paddle of ducks" when referring to a group of ducks sitting on the
water during the day. I use it . Am I incorrect?????


Best Regards, Captain Cormorant, Conrad Selfors,
Bainbridge Island, Washington qyuc54a at prodigy.com