Birds make nests out of anti-bird pins(naturalis.nl)
naturalis.nl
Birds make nests out of anti-bird pins
https://www.naturalis.nl/en/about-us/media/press-releases/rebellious-birds-make-nests-out-of-anti-bird-pins
73 comments
Should have just build a nice nestbox a little higher than that, put it where they want, and let that dove nest in peace. Maybe canalizing part of the heat with a steel plate or something
He could've easily built some heated bird houses with all the effort he wasted.
Well, the birds won the Great Emu War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War
Sadly, humans won a pyric victory hunting tens of billions of passenger pigeons to extinction. It's a good thing emus are hardier than dodos.
The birds also won the war on sparrows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Pests_campaign
Two nations fought wars on birds and lost. That should be a lesson.
Two nations fought wars on birds and lost. That should be a lesson.
> Two nations fought wars on birds and lost. That should be a lesson.
Indeed. Prosperity of a people, whether in terms of wealth, happiness, or exterminating all the pesky little critters, is achieved not through violent conflict, but by steadily and patiently growing the economy. Industry, not anger, is what extincts species.
Indeed. Prosperity of a people, whether in terms of wealth, happiness, or exterminating all the pesky little critters, is achieved not through violent conflict, but by steadily and patiently growing the economy. Industry, not anger, is what extincts species.
So true. So sad.
Little known fact about birds - they can fly.
Some gems from the wiki:
“By the fourth day of the campaign, army observers noted that "each pack seems to have its own leader now—a big black-plumed bird which stands fully six feet high and keeps watch while his mates carry out their work of destruction [of the fields] and warns them of our approach".
“By 8 November, six days after the first engagement, 2,500 rounds of ammunition had been fired.The number of birds killed is uncertain: one account estimates that it was 50 birds, but other accounts range from 200 to 500, the latter figure being provided by the settlers. Meredith's official report noted that his men had suffered no casualties.”
After the withdrawal, Major Meredith had said:
“If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world ... They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks.“
And Ornithologist Dominic Serventy had commented that:
“The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.”
TLDR;
Emus are badass warriors
“By the fourth day of the campaign, army observers noted that "each pack seems to have its own leader now—a big black-plumed bird which stands fully six feet high and keeps watch while his mates carry out their work of destruction [of the fields] and warns them of our approach".
“By 8 November, six days after the first engagement, 2,500 rounds of ammunition had been fired.The number of birds killed is uncertain: one account estimates that it was 50 birds, but other accounts range from 200 to 500, the latter figure being provided by the settlers. Meredith's official report noted that his men had suffered no casualties.”
After the withdrawal, Major Meredith had said:
“If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world ... They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks.“
And Ornithologist Dominic Serventy had commented that:
“The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.”
TLDR;
Emus are badass warriors
When you have a 100+ IQ ape brain and get beaten by birds, hilarious.
Corvids are sneaky, crafty, brave fuckers. They are willing and able to stealthily invade human-occupied spaces.
They’re also smart enough and social enough to form genuine friendships. I’ve got a pair of ravens that drop by on occasion to watch television…
>I’ve got a pair of ravens that drop by on occasion to watch television
Damn, you're making me fee lonelier. Can't get any human friends while mfs on HN already have raven friends.
Damn, you're making me fee lonelier. Can't get any human friends while mfs on HN already have raven friends.
Befriending ravens is fairly easy, to be fair. Don’t wait! Befriend a raven!
How do you do it? Giving them ... cookies and tree branches?
It’s all about finding common ground. Skip a few meals. That’ll make you more ravenous.
There was a discussion about that on hn recently. It was really about crows, but ravens are close cousins.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34139048
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34139048
They’re keen to peanuts apparently!
> Corvids are sneaky, crafty, brave fuckers. They are willing and able to stealthily invade human-occupied spaces.
I'm not ten crows in a trenchcoat.
I'm not ten crows in a trenchcoat.
That was a very funny read! Thanks!
This is hilarious, thanks for sharing.
I'm immediately reminded of this exchange:
"Persian: A thousand nations of the Persian empire descend upon you. Our arrows will blot out the sun!
Stelios: Then we will fight in the shade."
Those birds deserve more respect.
"Persian: A thousand nations of the Persian empire descend upon you. Our arrows will blot out the sun!
Stelios: Then we will fight in the shade."
Those birds deserve more respect.
this is birda
We recently had birds nesting in the awning of our loading bay. I was tempted to just get bird spikes off amazon and have our maintenance team install them, but my boss wanted to get advice and quotes from our pest control company.
I mentioned my whole bird spike idea and the pest control guy laughed and said they don't even sell those because little tiny birds nest between the spikes and it protects the nest from bigger birds.
We ended up getting netting under the whole awning to stop any entry points for birds to get at the bars. For two facilities it cost nearly $30k.
I mentioned my whole bird spike idea and the pest control guy laughed and said they don't even sell those because little tiny birds nest between the spikes and it protects the nest from bigger birds.
We ended up getting netting under the whole awning to stop any entry points for birds to get at the bars. For two facilities it cost nearly $30k.
I've seen pigeons walking on top and nesting inside of netting a few times.
I'm not sure if it's caused by pigeons making a hole somewhere, general wear, or that they forgot cover some area.
I'm not sure if it's caused by pigeons making a hole somewhere, general wear, or that they forgot cover some area.
That actually happened with us. Usually there's a gap at the side or corner where the birds can squeeze through. We just called the company back to get the birds out of there (we have zipper openings to change lights so the birds were lured out from those) and then tighten up the sides and corners. It solved the problem.
Time to try to foster the kind of birds and other wildlife we want in cities. Otherwise we will only have the "asshole" birds (et al) who laughed in our faces and used our weapons against us.
Why not try to evolve together?
Nature's only response is to mirror what we do to it.
IOW, you reap what you sow.
Nature's only response is to mirror what we do to it.
IOW, you reap what you sow.
Corvids like the crows and magpies mentioned are remarkably smart animals, so not too surprising.
Parakeets/budgies as well.
My parents had a couple that learned by themselves how to open the sliding door of the cage, so they would take turns going for walk inside the house, while the other one would lift and close the door.
My parents had a couple that learned by themselves how to open the sliding door of the cage, so they would take turns going for walk inside the house, while the other one would lift and close the door.
Hah, speaking of budgies, I failed to latch the door on my budgie's cage one day and the cheeky little fella figured out he could push it open to escape. We originally found him at a bird feeder outside, so I should have known he was clever enough to escape if he wants.
It's easy to underestimate them with how silly they act, but never again. He gives me green cheek conure a run for his money on intellect.
It's easy to underestimate them with how silly they act, but never again. He gives me green cheek conure a run for his money on intellect.
Those nests look like a work of contemporary art too. Such detail! So organic!
Nothing can stop The Caws of Art.
and the cockatoo https://youtu.be/1FvD3NebLxE
Magpies and other corvids are ok in my books, but stupid flying rats aka pigeons are not.
As long as pins work on pigeons, I’m ok. Although… I mean, you saw what pigeon nests look like? They could deem pins a multi-apartment ready thing and just lay their eggs there.
As long as pins work on pigeons, I’m ok. Although… I mean, you saw what pigeon nests look like? They could deem pins a multi-apartment ready thing and just lay their eggs there.
Magpies make a hell of a racket first thing in the morning, especially if they think you might give them snacks to shut up (they love nuts, in case you're wondering). I quite like listening to the chatter but it's not what you want after a late night.
And my magpies attack the finches. They've killed 3 finches so far. I've given the finches a place to escape where the magpies can't fit but most of them haven't figured it out.
The magpies also try to attack my Uinta Chipmunks but they are too fast for the magpies. I put the food between my firewood logs where the chipmunks can fit and the magpies can not. Funny thing is the magpies can't stop talking so I know when they are up to no good.
The magpies also try to attack my Uinta Chipmunks but they are too fast for the magpies. I put the food between my firewood logs where the chipmunks can fit and the magpies can not. Funny thing is the magpies can't stop talking so I know when they are up to no good.
What's the problem with pigeons? Honestly asking.
In dense urban environments, masses of corrosive pigeon shit everywhere, with feathers sticking to it. Unsanitary.
In my French Parisian city of Courbevoie, pigeon houses where eggs are shaken to sterilize them, and re-introducing magpies solved the problem - the now sparser population is fine. Magpies and crows devastate pigeon nests.
Also, the expansion of greenery led to shifting the pigeon population from mostly columba livia, which nests on rocks (and therefore on buildings) to mostly columba palumbus - which nests in vegetation and thus doesn't make a habit of shitting on buildings.
In my French Parisian city of Courbevoie, pigeon houses where eggs are shaken to sterilize them, and re-introducing magpies solved the problem - the now sparser population is fine. Magpies and crows devastate pigeon nests.
Also, the expansion of greenery led to shifting the pigeon population from mostly columba livia, which nests on rocks (and therefore on buildings) to mostly columba palumbus - which nests in vegetation and thus doesn't make a habit of shitting on buildings.
Pigeons do not have a good rep: https://www.audubon.org/news/the-origins-our-misguided-hatre...
Interesting article! Didn't know that the sentiment is relatively recent.
I always die a little hearing the flying rat thing. I get that they can be really annoying, waking you up, trying to lay eggs everywhere. But—having helped to care for many injured, sick, and unwell animals, pigeons _and_ fancy rats among them—I can't help but to feel sorry for how they are treated.
I always die a little hearing the flying rat thing. I get that they can be really annoying, waking you up, trying to lay eggs everywhere. But—having helped to care for many injured, sick, and unwell animals, pigeons _and_ fancy rats among them—I can't help but to feel sorry for how they are treated.
If you like listening to podcasts, I'd recommend the following episode on the subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TlXi3_Fyyg
‘If it became necessary immediately to discard every line and method of communications used on the front, except one, and it were left to me to select that one method, I should unhesitatingly choose the pigeons’, wrote Major General Fowler, Chief of Signals and Communications of the British Army, after the First World War.
On today's podcast Tom and Dominic are joined by Gordon Corera, the BBC's Security Correspondent and author of 'Operation Columba: The Secret Pigeon Service', to discuss the often under-appreciated role of pigeons throughout the course of history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TlXi3_Fyyg
‘If it became necessary immediately to discard every line and method of communications used on the front, except one, and it were left to me to select that one method, I should unhesitatingly choose the pigeons’, wrote Major General Fowler, Chief of Signals and Communications of the British Army, after the First World War.
On today's podcast Tom and Dominic are joined by Gordon Corera, the BBC's Security Correspondent and author of 'Operation Columba: The Secret Pigeon Service', to discuss the often under-appreciated role of pigeons throughout the course of history.
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WOOHOOOO WOOOHOOO WOOOHHHOOO at 4am for 4 months every day
My household had to change our sleeping schedule because of these stupid rats. In Europe they are both protected and invasive at the same time.
My household had to change our sleeping schedule because of these stupid rats. In Europe they are both protected and invasive at the same time.
Sadly the common European dove is being more and more scarce, following the same path than the migratory pigeon. The Eurasian collared dove or Turkish dove is invasive, but spreading naturally. They don't overlap.
As they suffer predation by magpies, the more spikes that humans put in the nest, the more attractive became to nest on it, it seems.
As they suffer predation by magpies, the more spikes that humans put in the nest, the more attractive became to nest on it, it seems.
I haven't seen a European turtle dove in Poland in my life. Never once.
Neither me. Is a shy Mediterranean species, usually rare in the North but in decline also in the South. Heavily hunted while in migration.
Haha, had the same problem. Don't even mind the doves, would gladly build them a place to live myself. But the early morning wake up alarm they create is too much.
So this is better use of tools and environment than I see from most colleagues.
Birds can be hackers too.
Tom Waits claims that crows are "the teenagers of the animal world".
I imagine Magpies are just as impetuous and angsty
I imagine Magpies are just as impetuous and angsty
Same thing. Just more colorful. At least to our eyes.
That guy should hide his hair. Now. Before a magpie see it and turn up a little bulb in its dinosaur mind.
At least they are not trying to kill people with those spikes, like cockatoos did.
At least they are not trying to kill people with those spikes, like cockatoos did.
fighting nature is like trying to win a battle knowing full well that you'll never win the war
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This is the paper https://www.hetnatuurhistorisch.nl/fileadmin/user_upload/doc...
Life eh finds a way.
Razengan(3)
https://imgur.io/a/W4GPjdh