This is a story about birds.
Some places have pretty, gentle birds. This little sweetie lives near The Lady Who Lives With Critters.
Here's one of the birds that live near me.
You don't mess with the birds in my neighbourhood. They're tough and can be mean.
My Typist says the vandal was a Noisy Miner.
One day, she found a baby that had fallen from its nest in the gutter. She picked it up so Mr P and Mr T wouldn't eat it. She tried to put it back in the nest. But the mama bird saw her and swooped down on My Typist and pecked her head. She had to run back into the house to save herself!
For a whole week after that, My Typist had to carry an umbrella every time she walked out of the house because the mama bird would be waiting for her on the power line by our front door, and would swoop down to try to kill her.
Of course, that's nothing compared to what THIS bird can do!
My Typist, being both brave and stupid, once chased 2 cockatoos away from her orange tree. "Shoo!" she shouted at them flapping her arms, "SHOO!"
They were eating her yummy juicy oranges which were just about ready to be picked. The birds flew away, but the next day, they came back! They brought all their family and friends too! They pecked My Typist's oranges and ripped them from the branches and spat them all out on the ground. They didn't even bother to eat them! Then they cackled loudly and rudely and flew away.
My Typist was very traumatized.
I think she should count her lucky stars though, because cockatoos can peck a lot more than oranges.
My Typist insists we put out this community message immediately!
Pic from http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Safe-from-Swooping-Australian-MagpiesIt's almost magpie nesting season again! Soon, they'll be everywhere, swooping from tree to tree, pouting on fences, glaring down from power lines, strutting on sidewalks - waiting for some poor innocent postie or typist to walk by just so they can peck their eyes out. There's even one that lives in our frontyard.
My Typist gets very nervous every time it's magpie nesting season. Given her relationship with birds, are you surprised? Still, she doesn't wear an icecream tub on her head [thank goodness or I would die of shame]. She just waves my leash about or carries a stick. We walk in fear.
As I said, YOU. DON'T. MESS. WITH. THE. BIRDS. IN. MY. NEIGHBOURHOOD.
***
More riveting stuff about our birds.
* Can YOU tell an Indian Mynah from a Noisy Mynah [Miner]?
http://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/council/sections/animals/MynaBirdbrochure.pdf
* More about Maggies and what you can do to stop your eyes getting pecked out.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2002/07/04/2588235.htm
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/TheAustralianMagpie.htm
* Should we be feeding wild birds?
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/KeepingWildlifeWild.htm
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/TheDangersOfFeedingLorikeets.htm
Update 10.35 pm An interesting excerpt from http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Safe-from-Swooping-Australian-Magpies
"Do not return [to the same spot] after an encounter [with a magpie]. Australian magpies have an incredible memory (as with all members of the Corvid family, they are very intelligent) and will attack the same people again and again. It is also too bad if you happen to look like someone they attacked before..."
Dear God. My Typist has no hope.
Oh my goodness! BIRD warnings! Bwhahahahahaha!! We get BEAR warnings and cougar warnings, and lots and lots of deer warnings (because they might leap across the road right in front of your car and neither the car nor the deer would win), but I don't think I've ever seen a bird warning before!
ReplyDeleteGeorgia, you protect your mama from those nasty birds, okay? I'm not sure if that would make you a bird dog or a guard dog but I'm sure it's a very noble job for a brave dog like you.
glad you popped by Ms Jean. thanks for the unauthorized use of your lovely pic :)
ReplyDeletep.s. our BIRDS will take your BEARS on any time. i'm sure of it :p
Probably... your typist should invest in a helmet... and some goggles. Some bird will gonna have a crooked bended beak if they DID try to peck her head.. hehehe
ReplyDeleteI think mebbe just mebbe your Typist was a bird hater in her past life.. just saying. Cos birds have memories like elephants.
oh... we had some experience with those evil cockatoos when we were in them Dandenongs. Try feeding them and they peck you like crazy.
My hooman said he was once attacked by a swooping magpie and got pecked on his head when he was studying down under... which was quite a traumatic experience, according to him at least.
ReplyDeleteThe ice-cream tub over the head is not a bad idea after all. You are safe, Georgia, coz the typist being taller, would be the first target :)
Licks, hero
A helmet could be a good idea. I've stayed 4weeks in Australia, and received bird poo on my head three times, by not small birds, eeeeeek
ReplyDeleteIt's so cool to see cockatoos living out in the wild as a natural species. In Canada they only exist as pets. I didn't realize they could be such a nuisance!
ReplyDeleteMagpies... In Alberta those birds are everywhere and they are HUGE. They used to team up on my childhood dog, taunt her away from her food bowl, while another would swoop down to eat. They would take turns. Insanely smart those birds are, which just makes them that much more frightening. I do not miss them one bit.
You be careful out there! Birds... *shudder*
based on your comments, i see you agree that our birds are not sweeties.
ReplyDelete@verobirdie - that made me laugh! poor thing. and i just noticed there's a birdie in your name :)
I had no idea Australia was such a dangerous place! And yet, you practice such forbearance. Warnings about how to avoid bird attacks? How humane and gentle.
ReplyDeleteIn my town, a posh suburb is being overrun with deer. Yes, Bambi's relatives. Their suggested solution? Bringing sharpshooters into a residential neighborhood to kill as many as possible.
So if you want some help from your American cousins, a word in the right ear could have guns a'blazin in your backyard in no time.
I, myself, am a pacifist. So I'm happy to send you my ice cream container when we finish eating from it. It's from a company called Friendly's so maybe the birds would read it and leave you alone. Just give the word and I'll send it off in the post.
You both be careful!
Oh goodness, I can't imagine having an orange tree actually grow in my yard or having birds that eat them, lol! NOT COOL of those darn birds!!!
ReplyDeleteHope your walks are uneventful Georgia and your typist... those Maggies need to stay away!!!
Jen and the Black Dog Crew
Holy Cat Feathers! I'm feeling a little scared to even go outside now! Those birds sound awful! I think I'd definitely be wearing an ice cream bucket on my head if it was me. Perhaps your typist should think about keeping safety goggles on, too!
ReplyDeleteBunny
P.S. Georgia, do NOT watch The Birds! Just say no!
I feel The Typist's pain, GLP. I endure endless dive-bombings by crows up at my park during their nesting season. Who invented these heinous creatures??!! They're almost as bad as cats.
ReplyDeleteBen in Bermtopia
Ooooooooooooooh you have scary birds down there! On the beach where we go there are terns that will dive bomb you when they are nesting.
ReplyDeleteWe love reading about you in NYC, you rock Georgia!
Yikes! Hope you all are staying safe. Birds scare me a lot, so I would probably just wear my helmet, ha!
ReplyDelete@Mr Ben - almost as bad as cats. hahaHA!!! has kingston taken over your yard?
ReplyDelete@Olivia & Petey - ooo..ooo... no one has ever told me before that i rock. *snifff* not even my humans. thank you O&P! :)
STAY SAFE OUT THERE EVERYONE! it looks like scary birds are everywhere.
giant maggies, terns, crows and poopy birds. hungry ibises looking for scraps IN the food courts at Darling Harbour. seagulls snapping up your chips at Bondi. pelicans big enough to gobble a chihuahua at Pyrmont. Hitchcockian swarms of dusty pigeons at Liberty Square.
hold your breath! don't run! don't fight! resistance is futile. women and children
first! God help us all.
Wowee! I'm glad I don't have to deal with this!
ReplyDeleteSo why are you not protecting your typist from these aggressive birds? While she's being attacked WHERE are YOU?
ReplyDeleteuhhhh...playing and sniffing dead stuff? it's not ME being attacked, Ms Friko. retaliation is footile. i'm not stoopid.
ReplyDeleteDid Alfred Hitchcock live in Australia? :) That is some creepy stuff - being pecked in the head by birds. We have mockingbirds that will swoop down and make like they might, but they're all squawk and no peck. Never, ever heard of being attacked by a regular bird (not that cockatoos are regular). We don't have magpies and boy, am I glad!
ReplyDeleteWe do have lots of black vultures that like to eat the rubber off of windshield wipers. Yes, it's true. The gov't recently had to send professionals into certain neighborhoods (mine) to shoot flares trying to scare them off. They also hung fake dead ones from trees. It was very creepy.
Watch yourself over there, kay?
Oh dear! Bird warnings?
ReplyDeleteHere we have the Mockingbird. They are called that because rather than sing their own song, they mock other birds' calls, even human whistles and car alarms at time.
They are notorious head peckers during nesting season. It can make mowing a lawn a very interesting experience.
#1 Why did that bird want into that car so badly? It's not like he could drive away with it. I don't think that his feet could reach the pedals :D
ReplyDelete#2 Why is it that everything in AU will kill you (spiders, snakes, crocodiles, sharks, octopi), maim you (birds, sharks,crocodiles) OR swarm you (mice)? Just sayin'.... Really, I DO want to visit one day!!
@Elizabeth and royalcoonhounds - black VULTURES?! are you kidding me? that sounds much worse than cockatoos! definitely larger anyway. thanks for the info on mockingbirds. never knew that. even a car alarm? wow.
ReplyDelete@Karen - maybe there was a pizza crust in the car. who knows? maybe his wife kicked him out of the nest and he was venting.
as for our beasties - you can't say we're not an exciting place!
Poor Typist... Birds sure enjoy giving her a bad time. Those parrots brought reinforcements too and plotted a massive revenge. She'd better watch out, those creatures are ruthless.
ReplyDeleteI once had a big prey bird land on top of my head. Good thing I had a hat on, or it would have left some bruises.
Lavi! a big prey bird? that sounds much more frightening than cockatoos or maggies! you weren't wearing a bunny shaped novelty hat, were you?
ReplyDeleteWow, that magpie P.S. is really creepy.
ReplyDeleteI think to be safe, GLP, you and your typist should wrap yourselves in your cushion before venturing out!
-c at ddy.
This post slipped through the radar! I think everyone should come and live where I do in New Zealand because I don't think we're overrun by any dangerous birds or animals. Some parts of NZ do have Mynahs, crows and wekas which can be a nuisance and cause some damage. We have magpies but not in huge numbers. No snakes, very few poisonous spiders, no bears, cougars .... I'm making it sound like a very boring place to live, lol. But humans are dangerous enough! Good luck through the breeding season. I think I'd probably go for an ice cream container for safety too. GLP , you'll just have to pretend Your Typist isn't with you:(
ReplyDeleteMy Typist says she thinks we're moving to New Zealand. as soon as she can pack up, hopefully before nesting season starts. although she remembers seeing some fierce birds there too. maybe they were wekas.
ReplyDeletethere are no snakes in NZ?! only hobbits right?
Ah, yup. We get those magpies swooping here, but Daisy fights them back. She's a mean thing, that Daisy, for her size.
ReplyDeleteBirds are really smart! The term "bird-brain" is pretty silly because if you have a bird brain you may be a genius! So those birds probably really ARE out to get you, since they can probably plan ahead like that! LOL! It must be somewhat fun to live in a place where cockatoos fly freely!
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought our noise crows were troublesome! I don't blame your Typist for being wary--I would be too.
ReplyDeleteJust amazing! I saw the video and I remember that a bird did the same thing on the rear view mirror of my car. The bird peck the mirror because I think he thought his image was another bird. Here in the window of my house the same happens many times.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
You've been quiet.
ReplyDeleteNot much to say ?
Busy ?
Still grieving ?
Si
You might turn me off coming to visit you!!!
ReplyDeleteAre you serious about the move to NZ?
sorry for the very long silence. all well just BUSY!
ReplyDeletenew zealand is a lovely dream. who knows? :)
Glad to hear your are OK and just busy!
ReplyDeleteSigh......needing a Georgia Little Pea fix.....glad to read you are okay, just busy. I know how that can be!!
ReplyDeleteGLP, even if your typist is busy, I hope you are getting lots of attention. I have an image of you wasting away in a cold, dark, wintery spot while the humans work, work, work. Have you figured out how to open the treat cupboard and help yourself now and then?
MY TYPIST NEEDS TO GET A GRIP ON WHAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN HER LIFE IS ..... ME, ME, ME!!! awoooooo..ooo....
ReplyDeleteVery Hitchcockian Georgia!! We just have a peaceful pair of doves who just canoodle together around the garden.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog. Love it. I'm a hen pecked dog owner from Sydney too :)
ReplyDeleteGeorgia Little Pea,
ReplyDeleteI miss you and your Typist! Hope you are well.
love,
me
GLP, we miss you! We notice your sunbeam is trying to slip away from us, so if you are moping around in a dark, damp spot stick your head out every now and then to look for her.
ReplyDeleteLove, Jean, Charley, Sadie, Pepper and Allie.
Hi dear Georgia,
ReplyDeleteJust stopping by to say hello.
How are you?
I miss you.
I hope you have a nice week ahead.
Beijos,
Sonia.
Georgia, we are missing youuuuuuuu. We still have some loud caw-caws around here. Could we send them to you? Or maybe some squirrels? I want to be sure you have lots to do while your Typist is on Typist-oliday!!
ReplyDeleteGeorgia, I miss you. Are things okay over in your corner of the world?
ReplyDeleteBunny