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#1
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Tale of The Kingfisher
Thought I'd give Mr. Kingfisher his own posting away from
the heron thread. One winter a Kingfisher showed up at my pond and took advantage of the aspen tree next to the pond as a launching pad from which to purloin fish. ak!! Put in a fake plastic fish anchored to a rock. Mr. Kingfisher showed up for his afternoon snack. Zoom - into the water he went but this time he came out without a fish! I could tell he had gone for the fake fish. He shook himself off, chattered about it a bit and in he went again. Out again and no fish! Well, now he was good and mad! He bounced around on the branches, talked himself into another attempt and in he went. Out again and still no fish! You've never seen a wetter or madder bird. All in all, he dove in six times that day trying to get the dratted fake fish out of the pond. All six times he came back out with an empty beak. I *almost* felt sorry for him... k :-) |
#2
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Tale of The Kingfisher
On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:36:19 CST, kathy wrote:
Thought I'd give Mr. Kingfisher his own posting away from the heron thread. One winter a Kingfisher showed up at my pond and took advantage of the aspen tree next to the pond as a launching pad from which to purloin fish. ak!! Put in a fake plastic fish anchored to a rock. Mr. Kingfisher showed up for his afternoon snack. Zoom - into the water he went but this time he came out without a fish! I could tell he had gone for the fake fish. He shook himself off, chattered about it a bit and in he went again. Out again and no fish! Well, now he was good and mad! He bounced around on the branches, talked himself into another attempt and in he went. Out again and still no fish! You've never seen a wetter or madder bird. All in all, he dove in six times that day trying to get the dratted fake fish out of the pond. All six times he came back out with an empty beak. I *almost* felt sorry for him... k :-) Which goes to show, as long as you don't live in TN, a fake fish will work. ;-) ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
#3
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Tale of The Kingfisher
On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:36:19 CST, kathy wrote:
He bounced around on the branches, talked himself into another attempt and in he went. Out again and still no fish! You've never seen a wetter or madder bird. All in all, he dove in six times that day trying to get the dratted fake fish out of the pond. All six times he came back out with an empty beak. I *almost* felt sorry for him... Glad it worked for you! -- Hal Middle Georgia, Zone 8 http://tinyurl.com/2fxzcb |
#4
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Tale of The Kingfisher
"~ jan" wrote in message ... On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:36:19 CST, kathy wrote: Thought I'd give Mr. Kingfisher his own posting away from the heron thread. One winter a Kingfisher showed up at my pond and took advantage of the aspen tree next to the pond as a launching pad from which to purloin fish. ak!! Put in a fake plastic fish anchored to a rock. Mr. Kingfisher showed up for his afternoon snack. Zoom - into the water he went but this time he came out without a fish! I could tell he had gone for the fake fish. He shook himself off, chattered about it a bit and in he went again. Out again and no fish! Well, now he was good and mad! He bounced around on the branches, talked himself into another attempt and in he went. Out again and still no fish! You've never seen a wetter or madder bird. All in all, he dove in six times that day trying to get the dratted fake fish out of the pond. All six times he came back out with an empty beak. I *almost* felt sorry for him... k :-) Which goes to show, as long as you don't live in TN, a fake fish will work. ==================================== What a tale! That Kingfisher sounds like that male Cardinal we had here that was abnormally stupid and unable to learn. What bird would ignore all the other fish in a pond and keep going for, and wasting it's time on the one it couldn't get? The special decoy? =:-O BTW the Cardinal actually killed itself against the winow fighting it's own reflection for days. The glass was streaked with it's blood. When I covered that window it moved to another window. Like some humans, other creatures are also born unable to learn. The next Kingfisher may be smarter and not ignore all the other fish to obsess on a decoy it can't get. ;-) -- RM.... Frugal ponding since 1995. rec.ponder since late 1996. Zone 6. Middle TN USA ~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö |
#5
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Tale of The Kingfisher
Have not seen the kingfisher this year. He usually shows up
in December and January. Wonder if that particular kingfisher went to the great aviary in the sky? This has been a harsher winter than normal. otoh, they are year round residents in this area and the big river is open. Right now the pond is frozen and covered with 8 inches of snow - pretty darn good bird protection there! :-)) k :-) |
#6
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Tale of The Kingfisher
What a tale! That Kingfisher sounds like that male Cardinal we had here
that was abnormally stupid and unable to learn. Kathy, thankfully you & I live in a state where all the birds appear to be abnormally stupid. LOL! As far as movement, my fake fish move from the currents/flow in the pond. A smart Kingfisher will go for the smaller fish, why they choose the fake fish. Once the bird makes that first splash the rest of the fish go into hiding. As far as the heron, it is going for the bright, yet easily accessible fake fish close to the side of a pond. IMHO, the reason a heron can clean out a pond is because of it's stealth while fishing. As long as they can grab without much splash the rest of the school has no clue what is going on. ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
#7
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Tale of The Kingfisher
Washington, where all the ponds are peaceful, all the children
above average, and all the birds abnormally stupid...! k :-) (celebrating a no school snow day!! along with 29 above average fourth graders!) |
#8
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Tale of The Kingfisher
"kathy" wrote in message ... Have not seen the kingfisher this year. He usually shows up in December and January. Wonder if that particular kingfisher went to the great aviary in the sky? It wouldn't surprise me. Like that Cardinal, it couldn't have been too intelligent. This has been a harsher winter than normal. otoh, they are year round residents in this area and the big river is open. Right now the pond is frozen and covered with 8 inches of snow - pretty darn good bird protection there! :-)) I've only seen them in the warmer months here in middle TN. -- RM.... Frugal ponding since 1995. rec.ponder since late 1996. Zone 6. Middle TN USA ~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö |
#9
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Tale of The Kingfisher
"kathy" wrote in message ... Washington, where all the ponds are peaceful, all the children above average, and all the birds abnormally stupid...! k :-) (celebrating a no school snow day!! along with 29 above average fourth graders!) ========================== Please send us all your stupid birds and I'll send you all our smarties. :-) -- RM.... Frugal ponding since 1995. rec.ponder since late 1996. Zone 6. Middle TN USA ~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö |
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