close encounters with birds (1 Viewer)

[pajarohermoso]

Hi. My name is Aaron and I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. i have always loved birds, representing them in art, and studying them., I am not a birder, which is to say, I don't use binoculars or anything similar to watch them. I prefer to respect their personal lives. That said, over the years I have had a number of close encounters with wild birds, and over the following weeks I would like to describe them to you, and perhaps some of you might be able to help me understand some occurrences that I found both wonderful and puzzling. Today, I was followed by a friendly crow. This happens to me from time to time. He flew over my shoulder, very low, from behind, which always seems to mean they want to say hi. Then he perched just overhead. I chatted to him a bit in Spanish (I am bilingual), and he seemed to be paying attention. Then he followed me a bit more, stopping in a couple of other nearby places, then took off. This has been happening for several years with different crows in different places, but almost always in the same neighbourhoods. I did used to feed them often, which worked well as a bribe for them to be nice to me during nesting season. But even where I haven't fed them, they would sometimes follow me, three at time, for two or three blocks. Always, seeming friendly and curious, though I have to admit that the first couple of times I felt decidedly creeped out. And then there was the crow flying overhead downtown who dropped a scavenged soup bone at my feet. Let me know what you think

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. I hope you enjoy your visits.

 

[Fritz73]

Hola Pajarohermoso! A warm welcome to Birdforum from all the staff and moderators

 

[Chris G6 UXU]

Hello and welcome to the forum, enjoy and all the best.

 

[Lisa W]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I think you will find us a friendly and helpful group.

 

[snapshot2022]

Hello Aaron and a warm welcome to the Bird Forum enjoy your visits.

 

[pajarohermoso]

Hi. My name is Aaron and I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. i have always loved birds, representing them in art, and studying them., I am not a birder, which is to say, I don't use binoculars or anything similar to watch them. I prefer to respect their personal lives. That said, over the years I have had a number of close encounters with wild birds, and over the following weeks I would like to describe them to you, and perhaps some of you might be able to help me understand some occurrences that I found both wonderful and puzzling. Today, I was followed by a friendly crow. This happens to me from time to time. He flew over my shoulder, very low, from behind, which always seems to mean they want to say hi. Then he perched just overhead. I chatted to him a bit in Spanish (I am bilingual), and he seemed to be paying attention. Then he followed me a bit more, stopping in a couple of other nearby places, then took off. This has been happening for several years with different crows in different places, but almost always in the same neighbourhoods. I did used to feed them often, which worked well as a bribe for them to be nice to me during nesting season. But even where I haven't fed them, they would sometimes follow me, three at time, for two or three blocks. Always, seeming friendly and curious, though I have to admit that the first couple of times I felt decidedly creeped out. And then there was the crow flying overhead downtown who dropped a scavenged soup bone at my feet. Let me know what you think

Hi. My name is Aaron and I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. i have always loved birds, representing them in art, and studying them., I am not a birder, which is to say, I don't use binoculars or anything similar to watch them. I prefer to respect their personal lives. That said, over the years I have had a number of close encounters with wild birds, and over the following weeks I would like to describe them to you, and perhaps some of you might be able to help me understand some occurrences that I found both wonderful and puzzling. Today, I was followed by a friendly crow. This happens to me from time to time. He flew over my shoulder, very low, from behind, which always seems to mean they want to say hi. Then he perched just overhead. I chatted to him a bit in Spanish (I am bilingual), and he seemed to be paying attention. Then he followed me a bit more, stopping in a couple of other nearby places, then took off. This has been happening for several years with different crows in different places, but almost always in the same neighbourhoods. I did used to feed them often, which worked well as a bribe for them to be nice to me during nesting season. But even where I haven't fed them, they would sometimes follow me, three at time, for two or three blocks. Always, seeming friendly and curious, though I have to admit that the first couple of times I felt decidedly creeped out. And then there was the crow flying overhead downtown who dropped a scavenged soup bone at my feet. Let me know what you think

Last year, while walking in the spacious local cemetery in my neighbourhood, I saw a bald eagle swooping down on a mixed flock of glaucous gulls and starlings, trying to catch something for her lunch. The terrified birds were doing everything they could to flee and disperse when a crow from above swooped down on the eagle, and the much bigger eagle, terrified, flew away and left the birds alone.

 

[pajarohermoso]

Hi. My name is Aaron and I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. i have always loved birds, representing them in art, and studying them., I am not a birder, which is to say, I don't use binoculars or anything similar to watch them. I prefer to respect their personal lives. That said, over the years I have had a number of close encounters with wild birds, and over the following weeks I would like to describe them to you, and perhaps some of you might be able to help me understand some occurrences that I found both wonderful and puzzling. Today, I was followed by a friendly crow. This happens to me from time to time. He flew over my shoulder, very low, from behind, which always seems to mean they want to say hi. Then he perched just overhead. I chatted to him a bit in Spanish (I am bilingual), and he seemed to be paying attention. Then he followed me a bit more, stopping in a couple of other nearby places, then took off. This has been happening for several years with different crows in different places, but almost always in the same neighbourhoods. I did used to feed them often, which worked well as a bribe for them to be nice to me during nesting season. But even where I haven't fed them, they would sometimes follow me, three at time, for two or three blocks. Always, seeming friendly and curious, though I have to admit that the first couple of times I felt decidedly creeped out. And then there was the crow flying overhead downtown who dropped a scavenged soup bone at my feet. Let me know what you think

A few months ago, in my neighbourhood I saw an immature bald eagle, full size, which is to say, huge, so probably at least three years old, standing on the intersection of some quiet streets, apparently totally unperturbed. He looked so majestic and a jogger paused to coment to me that this seemed so weird. I don't know what the eagle was doing there, but it was such a treat to see him up close like that

 

[pajarohermoso]

i often see crows mobbing and harassing ravens. Well, if there was some big freaky looking person who enjoyed eating your kids I am sure you would aso put up a fuss. One day, while walking over the Granville Street Bridge, on one of the lamp standards I saw a raven perched and being bullied by two crows trying to divebomb her. I looked up and said to the crows, "Sólo ustedes son envidiosos", which is Spanish for, you guys are just jealous. Both crows immediately stopped pestering the raven then flew away.

Years ago, on the Grandview Cut in East Vancouver, from the Woodland Drive Overpass I saw a raven perched on a branch and to my surprise there was a parakeet right next to him. I think it was a lutino Alexandrine parrot or a ring-necked parrot, but bright yellow, very pretty and clearly an escaped cage bird. He seemed to trust the raven, even to be cuddling up to him. Then suddenly, the raven bit him on the back of the neck and proceeded to kill the poor parakeet, obviously anticipating his lunch.

 

[snapshot2022]

Hello and a very warm welcome from all of us at the Bird Forum enjoy your visit.

 

[pajarohermoso]

Yesterday I had a close encounter with a hummingbird, probably a female Anna's, though she could have been a rufous, I find them hard to tell apart, maybe impossible. But I heard the humming of wings passing just over my shoulder, and there she was right in front of me, glistening iridescent golden green while searching for her lunch in a small tree. I stopped and watched her for a while, quite surprised by her lack of fear around me, then as I proceeded forward, so did she, to the next tree, almost as if she was accompanying me and it could be that she was curious, since hummingbirds tend to be somewhat shier than this. I had a close encounter with another Anna's female about ten years ago. I was seated in the roof garden at St Paul's Hospital in Vancouver's West End, where I was recovering from an attack of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I was seated underneath a wisteria in full bloom, it was early May, and the hummingbird came right over to where I was sitting and hovered in front of my nose looking intently at me. Just last year in Costa Rica, in the Monteverde region I had a similar encounter with a violet sabrewing male, who visited my patio where I was seated just before sunrise with my morning coffee. For a while he just hovered right there in front of me in the middle of the patio. I think he was curious.

Quite a few years ago, when I was living with some others in a farmhouse in semi rural Richmond, a female rufous (pretty sure not an Anna's because it was 1992 and the Anna's hummingbirds hadn't yet established themselves here) decided to nest right next to our house in the blackberry bushes.
We were amazed at how trusting and friendly she was towards us. We could walk right up to her while she was on the nest, near enough to touch her (though of course we left her alone), and she would look up at us as though to say hi. When she was away from the nest we could see the two tiny white eggs and the beautiful workmanship of the nest itself. And then when they hatched, the two tiny chicks which we watched throughout the summer as they grew and fledged and eventually left the next. It was for us a privilege and a joy.

 

[Scott98]

The ruby-throated around here are one of the few birds I count as doing social interaction with humans (others - chickadees, bobolinks, robins, ravens, a few others). They seem to realize that I am the gardener providing all their favorite plants. They come to check me out when I'm watering.

A couple times a male has actually used the stream from my watering hose for an impromtu showering session right in front of me - very cool! Other times they act upset and buzz me and try to run me off the plants I'm watering.....they are not imtimidated by the size differential!

 

[pajarohermoso]

That is really interesting. Living on the West Coast I have never seen a ruby throat. I have found that crows, as I have previously mentioned, will interact with me and sometimes in surprising ways. Not ravens, they seem pretty guarded. Back to hummingbirds, last summer while sitting on a bench in a park I saw a Anna's hummingbird chase away a robin. That seemed rather strange at first, since robins are no threat to hummingbirds, but then I remembered how territorial hummingbirds can be. And the poor robin, a male, he kind of stood there in the grass as though in shock, then let out a series of very plaintive sounding calls, as though lamenting to the universe about how badly he was just treated.

The only other time I heard a robin make this kind of sound was several years ago while walking in the forest. a hawk had just taken a robin, and it's surviving mate, a male, was left on the branch crying out so plaintively. It was heart-breaking.

 

[Scott98]

Wow, that is sad. It's not easy being a bird. They are at risk of predator attack 24/7. Not surprised the hummingbird was chasing a robin, they'll chase anything. I have seen them chase bees & butterflies off their flowers.

I have looked out the window and seen a robin play-wrestling with a chipmunk. I think it was for fun, not territorial. Sounds crazy but the robin did not appear to be trying to get away, he seemed to be enjoying it. They looked a lot like my dogs when they are playing & goofing around.

Another time I was lying down in bed during the day, and I heard a robin calling and it caught my attention. I looked out the open window and there was a robin sitting on branch directly outside the window and looking right at me. He called some more and made a weird wing-fluffing movement. I have no doubt he was communicating. I suspect he was fledged from the nest right next to my front door and grew up seeing me walk by several times a day.

 

[pajarohermoso]

Thank you for your reply Scott. I am especially intrigued about the play between the robin and the squirrel, and also lyour play with a robin. A few years ago, Christmas Eve when I was walking to church for the service, on the street I saw an odd and humorous interaction between a black squirrel, of which we have many in Vancouver, and a crow. The squirrel was in the middle of the road, apparently trying to forage for something, and the crow kept sneaking up from behind the squirrel as though he was going to grab whatever the squirrel found. But every time the crow got too close the squirrel would turn around sudden as though to say to him, DON'T EVEN THINK IT!!!!! I think they both must have been playing, because there was absolutely no evidence of anything on the asphalt road that would provide food for either of them.

 

[pajarohermoso]

A couple of times in as many weeks I had to break up a bird fight. No kidding. First I came across two bush tits, really tiny birds duking it out on the sidewalk. One had the other pinned down and was really letting him have it with his wings and beak. Of course, my immediate concern was that any cat could come along and, Lunchtime!!!! so, I pulled him off and let them both fly away and settle their argument hopefully in a safer place. Several days later, on the same stretch of sidewalk it was two male English sparrows doing exactly the same thing, so I shoved the one off of the other and they both flew away.

 

[Scott98]

If you're used to raising dogs & cats you see how much they play-fight with each other, it's not a surprise to see it in birds. Another (sad) thought is that crows love to dine on squirrels and other roadkill, maybe that crow was hoping the squirrel would soon be rendered roadkill.

I have unfortunately seen crows dining on squirrels that were not dead yet but had been run over - not a pleasant sight. One time I actually ran to find a rock to administer a mercy-kill but the poor squirrel expired before I could return.

With the chipmunk & the robin it was crazy, there was a group of a 4-5 robins on the grass. Suddenly a chipmunk started running towards one of the robins - he ignored the others. He leapt with his two little front-feet off the ground, raised up in an exuberant posture, exactly the way dog puppies play with each other. He reached the robin and they'd tussle for a few seconds, then the robin would jump/fly about 1 foot backward. The chipmunk would again bounce forward in pursuit and they'd wrestle again. The robin would step back 1 foot, and more pursuit and wrestling. This went on & on for a while.

Right away it struck me as unusual, because there were tree & shrub branches just a few feet away. The robin could have easily retreated out-of-reach of the chipmunk, but chose not to. That is not what animals do that are in fear of predation. Also, none of the other robins did anything, they just kept looking for food and competely ignored the charging rodent just inches away. I've never seen anything like it!

 

[pajarohermoso]

If you're used to raising dogs & cats you see how much they play-fight with each other, it's not a surprise to see it in birds. Another (sad) thought is that crows love to dine on squirrels and other roadkill, maybe that crow was hoping the squirrel would soon be rendered roadkill.

I have unfortunately seen crows dining on squirrels that were not dead yet but had been run over - not a pleasant sight. One time I actually ran to find a rock to administer a mercy-kill but the poor squirrel expired before I could return.

With the chipmunk & the robin it was crazy, there was a group of a 4-5 robins on the grass. Suddenly a chipmunk started running towards one of the robins - he ignored the others. He leapt with his two little front-feet off the ground, raised up in an exuberant posture, exactly the way dog puppies play with each other. He reached the robin and they'd tussle for a few seconds, then the robin would jump/fly about 1 foot backward. The chipmunk would again bounce forward in pursuit and they'd wrestle again. The robin would step back 1 foot, and more pursuit and wrestling. This went on & on for a while.

Right away it struck me as unusual, because there were tree & shrub branches just a few feet away. The robin could have easily retreated out-of-reach of the chipmunk, but chose not to. That is not what animals do that are in fear of predation. Also, none of the other robins did anything, they just kept looking for food and competely ignored the charging rodent just inches away. I've never seen anything like it!

Hi Scott. That makes sense, and at first I thought that was what was happening, especially with crows being do nasty to other life forms. only, it is a very quiet residential street in an upscale neighbourhood where there is no traffic where this squirrel and crow happened to be. Also, I could see no evidence of anything that could pass as food for the squirrel, especially given that it was the middle of winter, even though he seemed content to stick around and continue foraging. i might have asked them, but who knows what kind of answer I would get!