A dam good story
Some people wonder why I turn my sporting talents to hunting tourists when there is so much wildlife around.
I love wildlife, and wouldnât harm a hair/feather/scale/whatever on its head.
I was browsing around this morning and I came across a wee article. It wasnât exactly earth shattering news, but it makes a change from the miserable crap that fills most of the papers these days.
Apparently, a Mistle Thrush built a nest in a gutter.
Nothing strange in that? No. Not really. But it went and built it at the bottom end of the slope so that when rain fell, the gutter was blocked by the nest. As a result, after a good rainfall the nest and the chicks would get drenched.
Being extremely intelligent, they sorted the problem.
While the male carried on the business of feeding the chicks, the female puffed out her feathers and sat in the gutter [a good place for the female?] and dammed the water.
Now that is clever.
A lot more clever than any damned tourist I have ever seen.
It’s clever and sweet. I know human parents who never went to that much trouble for their kids.
Susan – I can’t see myself [or Herself] sitting in the gutter to keep our K8 dry! 🙂
Yeah i think that animals and birds have the best ideas when it comes to looking after the little ones. lovely picture by the way. in fact i know some parents have the rule that applies to all their little ones its a big world out there and you have to look out for yourself.
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Lovely post for a Sunday and yes, it’s better than the usual dribble you find on the news.
And maybe you can’t see you or Herself sitting in a gutter to keep K8 dry…but I can. 🙂
(Actually, it would be more likely that all three of you would be arguing as to which would keep the other dry)
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Vicky – That’s why it annoys the bejayzus out of me when I see someone harming an animal or bird. We can learn a lot more from them than they can from us.
Kirk M – Obviously you don’t know us that well. Chances are we’d render K8 unconscious and dump her in the gutter to keep us dry. That’s what daughters are for, isn’t it?
Ahhhh……..It is lovely to see your softer, sensitive side (except that last comment about K8, obviously)
Yeah, okay, I figured that but I thought I’d give you the opportunity to elaborate on the subject a bit.
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DBM – I don’t have a softer side [as the comment about K8 proves].
Kirk M – In other words – you are a shit stirrer?
Only of the highest caliber and I don’t waste my talent those not intelligent enough to appreciate it. You should be proud?
BTW, I’m getting comment notifications from Head Rambles again. You do something?
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Kirk M – I am indeed proud. Do something? A bit of tidying?
Our bird and animal life are a damned sight more intelligent than us most of the time. The visitors to our garden certainly seem to watch and learn from each other. Our ‘squirrel proof’ bird feeders are permanently rocked by grey squirrels who in turn have taught two fat fecker wood pigeons how to swing trapeze like off one while cadging seed out of another. I have never until now seen pigeons go near garden feeders. Then every morning without fail a partridge goose steps up and down by our back door waiting for us to fill the seed tray. He too is accompanied by a gigantic magpie who cadges the stale bread we’ve chucked out. Nothing unusual about a magpie robbing food but what is so clever about him is that he goes and dips the hard bread into the bird bath to soften it up so its fit for consumption.
I realise this sounds like ive sunk to the depths of a beatrix potter book but its so true, our garden lodgers and way more intelligent than us.
Becky – Squirrels are famous for their intelligence – you only have to witness the mazes that people set up for them! We have a pecking order here too, where the big birds hang around under the feeders waiting for the small birds to drop bits.