on 7/24/2008 10:10 AM Nil said the following:
They're ba-aaak.

Late yesterday afternoon it started raining hard. Instead of moving
over under the tree, the birds stupidly moved to a more exposed section
of the railing and huddled together getting soaked. I felt bad for
them, so I went out and tried to give them some shelter by laying a
board atop a flowerbox. However this startled them, and I was surprised
when they both flew away. I thought maybe the one couldn't fly, but it
can.

Then, a couple of hours later, they returned! After dark, it seemed
they may have left, though it was hard to see for sure. But this
morning they are back, and have been just sitting there for hours, not
moving much, but huddling together and preening themselves and each
other. It's dry and windy, but not cold, but they're puffed up and
climbing under each other as if for warmth.

Seems strange that they would be stationary for so long - I thought
birds needed to keep foraging to find enough to eat. I have a new
theory that they are young robins, and they either fell or were thrown
out of their nest (somewhere up the tree where I can't see) and they
don't know where else to go and don't know how to forage. Maybe another
species hijacked the nest?

Here they are - can anyone identify the bird?

http://home.comcast.net/~esionder/temp/birds/birds1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~esionder/temp/birds/birds2.jpg



They are Mourning Doves. Mourning because they some like someone
mourning a loss.
They mate for life and always travel together.




On 23 Jul 2008, Nil wrote in
alt.home.lawn.garden:


Not exactly on-topic, I guess, but it IS happening above my lawn
and garden...

I was working this morning in my office, which faces out to my
back yard, over my wooden deck, which has overhanging maple trees.
I heard a commotion in the tree, then a thump. When I went
downstairs to look in the deck, there was maybe three birds there,
two of which flew away, leaving a dazed-looking one just sitting
there. After a while, I went out, and the thing kinda staggered to
the edge, then just sat there, unable or unwilling to fly. Later,
I found it had managed to get to the railing, about 4 feet higher
by jumping or flying. Now, about 4 hours later, it has moved
around on the railing a few times and was preening itself a
little, but it continues just sitting there... and now there is
another bird (similar in size and appearance) sitting right next
to it, both alive but quite still.

I don't know what kind of birds these are, maybe doves? They look
a bit like small pigeons, but with rounder, smooth heads and
smaller pointy beaks. Grayish-brown, not colorful. Maybe they're
young-uns? I think I saw a pair of these a couple of days ago
chasing each other around above my neighbor's house in what seemed
to be a territorial dispute.

Can anyone guess what transpired? Did it maybe get attacked and
knocked out of the tree or sky onto my deck? Maybe it's young and
can't fly yet (it looks big enough to, though.) Could it be sick?
Injured? Isn't it unusual for another bird to cuddle up like this
second one has? And with all the alarmist stories in the news,
should I be concerned about West Nile Virus?



--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
in the original Orange County
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