Strange Animal Behavior

by wasasister 10 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  wasasister

  I had a wierd day today, lots of computer problems and file conversion issues. But to make matters worse...

  The rear of our building is all windows facing out on a wooded greenbelt area. Today there was a robin perched on a branch just outside the central window. He continually slammed his body against the glass over and over and over again, all day long. I don?t know what he was trying to do, or why he never gave up, but it was brutal and hard to watch (like we had any choice). We tried changing the lighting, but it didn?t help at all. He took about a two hour break (probably in his union contract) and was back at it for the afternoon. I told my co-workers, there are only two things that could drive a living thing to that kind of painful extreme ? food or sex. I don?t suspect he was after food. Probably saw his reflection in the glass and fell in love. Who knows? For the first 5 or 6 hours I was heartbroken for the poor creature. Around 4pm, having skipped lunch due to the computer problems, I was thinking, ?die already!!"

  Any ornathologists out there with an explanation? I tried calling the Audubon Society, but they were no help at all.

  Dreading tomorrow, in case the show is held over,

  Wasa
• 

  Carmel

  It's that crappy Seattle weather drivin poor rob, rob, robin crazy!

  carm
• 

  wasasister

  Normally, I'd agree with you, but the weather was pretty good today.

  Next....?
• 

  myself

  If it was another robin it was after, maybe you could put a picture of a cat in the window.
• 

  Xandria

  Some animals are territorial, especially during the spring mating season. The bird probably seen his reflection and thought it was another bird in competition with him. So he had to protect his turf, reputation and prove his sexual prowess. Ain't nature grand ? lol.

  X.
• 

  gumby

  It's spring. Birds are screwing and having babies and they act like rabid dogs during this time if they feel their babies are threatened. It probably has babies nearby. My work partner just told me today that a bird attacked his brother in law. They were motorcycle riding and stopped to get off their bikes. About that time a bird went for his leg and pecked the crap out of him a time or two till he knocked it away. Birds show no fear or reason when babies are involved.

  Gumbird
• 

  gespro

  I'm told that Mercury is in retrograde....

  How'd I do?

  OW!
• 

  asleif_dufansdottir

  The whole time we lived in Omaha (7 years) we had either one very long-lived Cardinal, or a succession of equally annoying ones, who would attack his (it was a male) reflection in our garage window. We'd hear

  "Chip!"

  *bonk*

  "Chip!"

  *bonk*

  over and over. One of my husband's profs told us that birds, especially Cardinals, are prone to attacking their reflections in an effort to drive what they think is another bird out of their territory. She knew of Cardinals that attacked their reflections in the rear view mirrors of cars, etc (she did either her MS or her PhD on Cardinal behavior, so she'd know).

  I wonder if those stickers that are supposed to keep birds from flying into windows would work. Don't get your hopes up...their powers of reasoning ("Oh, that's a window, it must be a reflection, not a rival bird!") are not strong. It's instinctual behavior.
• 

  gespro

  I had a yearly nest of swallows on my house and the male would do a number on himself banging into the window's reflection. Is it possible these were the same swallows year after year - about three year in a row!

  The last time I saw them they had abandoned the nest early before any hatchlings arrived. I tend to think the father lost his mind banging into the window...amazing.

  g
• 

  irishayes

  We have been having a female cardinal this spring who is doing the exact same thing! Poor thing-- she must be severely brain damaged by now.

  Wild Birds store in our area said that, indeed, it is because of how territorial cardinals are and she is seeing her reflection in the window. The problem is we have 27 windows on the back of our house, so we can't put those owl decals in all of them! She's just going to have to figure it out or kill herself trying