> Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > > At 01:08 PM Monday 5/1/2006, Deborah Harrell wrote: > > > Ronn!Blankenship wrote:
<snippage throughout> > > >... Now, ... it seems > > > that the same pair of mockingbirds has built a > > > nest in the bush at my > > > mailbox, and in the spirit of protecting their > > > nest, one of them > > > attacks me every time I go to or near the > mailbox... > >I don't think staking out a cat would work, since > >you'd likely end up with either dead baby birds, or > >a cowed cat... > I don't know how long mockingbirds live, so it may > indeed not have > been this pair... who used to > attack Andy (and other cats) when he was just > walking up or down the street... > ...Andy [looked like] a bobcat or at least > half-bobcat because he was so big... > >Them mockerbirds ain't a'scairt o' *nuthin'!* > You are the first person so far who has recognized > this [major] part of the problem... Cricket [RIP] had some memorable run-ins with the mockingbirds in the camellia shrubs - he never did get any of their babies. > > ...your best bet is to take down the nest. > And if (when I can find it) it turns out to be > already in use? Any > suggestions from anyone on how to "transplant" it > and have the > parents accept the new location rather than > abandoning the younguns? I think that mockers are such fierce parents that they would not abandon the nest, unlike their more timid cousins -- Gosh, they might be the Terran ancestral Gubru! -- OK, seriously, try the local wildlife dept or state Ag Coop Ext; I had a remarkably pleasant encounter with ours last week (about a banded pigeon - turned out it was a racing homing pigeon; I had no idea they'd cover hundreds of miles in a stakes race (yes, for prize money)). Me, I'm betting that if you move the nest, they'll continue to care for their babies -- and despise you, unless you bribe them with food (raisins, nuts, breadcrusts, bits of cheese, etc.). > >Debbi > >whose Bashir was highly annoyed when his stalk of > six > >turkeys was interrupted by his human's arrival... > Were the toms big/old enough to have spurs? If so, > that could have gotten "interesting" . . . These were big mature toms, not the little yearlings; thye were more curious about the over-large, under-tailed squirrel interrupting their stately courtship displays than cross...but that will change when chicks arrive. I'm pretty sure that Bashir had a run-in with a couple of nursery hens late last spring - he came running like a streak of stormcloud, with one hot on his tail. As he'd quit stalking them then, I was a little surprised to see him try again this year; either he's forgotten, or now that he's almost two, he's feeling sassy and (over-)confident. Debbi who was grateful that ravens alerted her to a fox's presence yesterday evening, so she could scoop up the cats and take them inside __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
