For WHO's birders

[Nurse Ratched]

"I thought you might like this video.



It's a compilation of different birds singing. Beautiful photography. If you expand the 'title' under the video it gives a list of species and the times they pop up in the video. Most of the species are familiar to us in the UK, but there are some 'exotics' (the cranes - wow, what a noise!) It was filmed in Belarus. The guy has a channel you can subscribe to. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and maybe it'll take your mind off you-know-what for a few blessed minutes."

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

"Only ten animals have been proved to be self-aware. Chimpanzees, bonobos and the higher primates and whales are among the more obvious candidates. More surprising is the European magpie."

[gph]

"Octopuses are solitary, but their relatives, squid and cuttlefish are more social. There's footage of a two-faced male squid swimming between another male and a female. The male-facing half of the one in the middle displays skin patterning which says fuck off, the female-facing half shows ""I love you"" patterning. Shame I didn't post it when I found it, as I can't be arsed to find it again."

[zebthecat]

Octupuses are up there too which is pretty amazing given their short life spans. They are great at problem solving and decorate their dens like corvids. Certainly above dogs and cats at those and up with the primates.

[gph]

"Jays vs wasps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghuFd21MmGI American jays, that is. European jays are more closely related to magpies than to American jays. Anyway, the jays win."

[gph]

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59GcPgXXv4 Much shorter video on bird brains - although a pigeon's brain is the size of a peanut, and other birds don't have much bigger ones, some birds have as many neurons as monkeys. Crows can answer questions about what they have seen - at least ""sort of"" - pointing at proper consciousness, which puts them in quite an elite group of animals."

[Crassus]

"Wonderful fred - top work Nurse and Soldo I can relate to my French mate, Sid the swan, hissy young cob that became my mate A year later, the bugger remembered me and my call, replete with his 'wife' and offspring Bloody bird was more akin to Jack Russel than a water bird when I called him Covid has stopped two visits now,but I would bet that he would recall the mad Englishman who hand fees him when I can get back"

[zebthecat]

I know. There is a pair that usually hang out in the oak trees over the back of my garden and I just get tantalising glimpses. About a month ago I was doing the washing up and one landed on the log store which is next to my kitchen window. We looked at each other for about a second before it shot off. Those eyes make them look permanently startled and I find that amusing.

[Nurse Ratched]

Zeb - they have bright blue eyes!

[zebthecat]

I have found that the local birds are far too savvy for my cat. It is probably a safety in numbers thing. As soon my cat goes into the front or back garden the Robins and Sparrows kick off with the alarm calls and I swear that all the others are listening in. Currently have Starlings with their fledgelings. The fledgelings stay in the trees while the parents root about for food. Again it is a numbers game as there are dozens of them. The chimney Jackdaws are a bit late to the party as the chicks are still in the nest. It is cool to hear them from the chimney vent in the living room and chicks' voices are getting deeper as the days progress. Just hoping I get to them fledge again this year. Jays are beautiful animals - You are so lucky to see one that close up Nurse.

[Darby_]

"Link to daughter and geese, Soldo?"

[blueeyed.handsomeman]

anyhow does anyone own a cat licenciously abridged

[blueeyed.handsomeman]

its not you being stoopid NR its about you aiming to save yourwhiskas just for yourselves

[gph]

"Admit it - you're scriptwriting the next generation of Tom and Jerry, and want to create new material by seeing what happens..."

[Nurse Ratched]

"I haven't owned any cats for well over 25 years. Do you think I'd be so stupid as to lure birds into my house, or even my garden, if I had a cat?"

[Nurse Ratched]

"I haven't owned any cats for well over 25 years. Do you think I'd be so stupid as to lure birds into my house, or even my garden, if I had a cat?"

[Hammer and Pickle]

That’s nice love - what happened to the cats?

[Northern Sold]

"Popped down to see my daughter at Reading uni’ a few weeks ago… she has had a massively tough time in her first year but one of her solaces that has got her through the madness has been her Geese… her digs are about 20 min walk from the Thames so she has been going down there every day… and has befriended basically a load of Canadian, Graylag’s and a family of Egyptian Geese… quite remarkable to see her walk down to the River and give a whistle to see her being surrounded by 40 odd geese… all you can feed from the hand… and the young Egyptians are more tame than my budgies… it’s like viewing some sort of fucked up Bird woman on the steps of St pauls in Mary Poppins…. Feed the Geese… tuppence a baaaaaag…."

[Aalborg Hammer]

Nurse Doolittle - congratulations!! I have a way to make sure the small birds get the live mealworms..I bought a bIrdfeeder that's in a cage with access only for robins and the like..inside I put an old tupperware container screwed to the bottom..I put a handful of live mealworms out for them early and at lunchtime...I bought some Morio worms last week and didn't realise how big they are (the Rambo of the mealworm world)They're about 5cm long and the birds have a bit of a tussle with them !! I've been lucky this year with nuthatches and a pied flycatcher on the feeder along with all the tits except Marsh tits..Well done on getting the birds in the house

[Nurse Ratched]

Hermit I'm going to teach them to fetch my slippers next. Surf - Arf! A LOT I worry about you...

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

"Just make sure you don't end up harbouring one of these buggers, Nursie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8yHdBKd_Fs"

[Hermit Road]

"Nurse Ratched 3:28 Tue May 11 That is outstanding. Next up, teach them to drap a scarf round your neck while you sing Disney songs"

[Nurse Ratched]

"Yes, I'm on a bit of a high about it."

[the exile]

"Nurse, that is fabulous."

[Nurse Ratched]

"There's been a significant development. I've been a busy birder. As a result of the recent magpie and starling putsch, the robins and great tits were getting muscled out of the live mealworm action, and the very expensive live worms were getting gobbled down by the mags and starlings at a rate I can't afford. It was breaking my heart to see the robins and tits miss out and I wanted their chicks to benefit. So over the long bank holiday weekend I 'taught' the robins and great tits to come into my sitting room via the open patio door to eat from their own dish of worms. It really wasn‚Äôt that difficult. They were already showing a lot of curiosity about the inside of my house, coming onto the doorstep or the top of the open door to peer in. My robin would hitch a ride on my wheelie bin as I took it to be emptied, etc, just to 'remind' me he was about. Anyway, they are quite blas?© about my presence now and there is a constant stream of them flying in and out. They now even come in and feed from a dish on the desk while I'm sitting there working. It's close to the open door, so they feel secure. But the best part is, they are now getting their fair share because the starlings and mags (though they look in from time to time) aren't brave enough to venture inside. About half an hour ago a JAY flew onto my desk. I don't know which of us was more startled when we saw each other. He grabbed a worm and buggered off sharpish. This isn't great news, because I'm going to have to discourage him in case the mags, etc, get ideas."

[plankton]

"You don't live in Richmond, do you, Mrs Jones? :)"