Anniversaries

So this is a pretty special weekend.  Angie and I met 12 years ago on this very weekend.  A simple coffee date that turned into a 9 hour romp of platonic and sometimes silly fun thanks to Eric Cartman.  Imagine if that date went horribly wrong?  Where would I be today?  Would there be a "Rob and the Animals" blog if we never met and clicked as we have?  Sure I've always been an animal guy and would do anything for any furry, feathered, creepy, slimy or scaly creature but...  I wonder about this just for a moment.  She got me my camera(s) and got me onto being a blogger.  Anyhoo, here we are, and this is how it is.  Most people enjoy riding along vicariously through my photos and words.  A few think I'm pretty whacked in the head for befriending vermin like Pigeons and the Raccoon.  Call me what you will, but this is me, and I'm not going to change.

Angie and I in those first months of dating back in 2004.

I am really touched by the kind comments posted in my last blog about Pierre's return.  And a lot of people celebrated his return to the yard with me through social media.  Thank you all!

I wondered if and when I'd meet my friend again as the rest of the work week had us not cross paths.

Well, just in time for his 42nd month anniversary, he showed up once again.  This time he brought his missus who was also MIA since December 19.  How awesome!  And better yet, Pierre was more like his old self as he threw some temper tantrums at the others trying to crash our little feeding party.  He was wing smacking, cooing his head off and paced about in circles showing his disapproval at their presence.  He did get a few smacks in return and knocked from my hands a couple times but he got right back in there.  Once again I was having to be a little stern with the other birds to protect my boy.  All is forgiven I recon.

Pierre and the missus with a photo bomb courtesy of Mickey.

As quoted by many of his fans... "Yay Pierre! Keep going!"

He's Back!

24 long days away, that's the longest he's ever been gone. But now he's back.

Who?

Pierre!!!!!

I don't think I need to explain who he is but I may attach a link to one of my other blogs about him for anyone new discovering my scribes about life with the animals.

I've been watching out for Pierre every day, scanning any Pigeon flocks that have dropped in. And believe me, there have been some huge numbers of birds coming in. My hope faded as the days passed. Such a long time away. So many Hawk strikes. Pierre is not a young bird anymore. In 4 days, providing he continues to return, he will hit the 42 month mark (3.5 years). And the fact he flew in here that first day, then literally walking into our lives, means he was a flighted and accustomed to humans kind of bird, maybe some months old, maybe a year already? He wasn't born here, cracking out of some egg and started out day one of his existence with us. According to statistics, Pigeons live 3 to 5 years in the wild. He's definitely on the higher end of time on this Earth. In around 4 years or more anyway.

But let's get back to yesterday, January 12, 2016.

I was home for the day, fighting a cold. I find it hard to sit still even in unwell moments. We just got over a slight snow storm, I had shoveled outside, both the front walk and a few spots in the back for the birds and critters. I put out a sheet of plywood where I drop all the cracked corn for the Pigeons. It's easier to clean off of snow than a spot on the ground. Corn pile set up, I go back inside. Shortly after the Pigeons start dropping in by the dozens. I'm looking. My eyes go bug eyed as I am almost certain I spot my boy in the mix. It's not easy to find one common looking bluish Pigeon in a flock of 30+ as they feed, heads bobbing up and down, birds shoving and pushing each other. Pierre has a distinct white mark on his right cheek that I always look out for even as small as it is.

I'm still dressed so it was only a matter of putting my coat and boots on. I step outside, trying to find him in the bunch. He pops his head up, sees me and I put my hand out to him. Pierre takes immediate flight and comes right to me. I'm talking to him, beyond thrilled to see him and things like "Holy *expletive* Pierre, where have you been? I've missed you!" I don't have any food for him, I was too excited about the possibility of seeing him and I left it inside. I said "come on, let's get you some food" and I turned to walk back to the house, with him still on my hand. Pierre takes flight and races me to the back door. He lands on his perch which is the post to the clothes line and waits for me.

Note, all photos are after we had our reunion and feeding because I left the camera inside. I wanted to see him, or if he was in the flock, and had no concern on getting photos, so the camera was the least of my concerns. But with the time we spent together, after a good feed and visit, I got the camera out and took a few shots.

I go inside and grab some of the good food which includes sunflower chips and peanut bits, all unsalted of course. Pierre comes for a feed. It didn't take long for some of the others to realize I've got the good stuff. I have a couple new hand feeders, much younger birds, and in they come. They push Pierre off my hand and try to feed. I push them off and call him back. Pierre comes right back to me. I pull him closer to my body and I turn us away from the flock and face the house. Pierre continues to eat. But young hungry birds are persistent and the others eventually have another go at trying to get the grub from me. A couple come in and once again knock Pierre off. I once again give them the "heave ho", I even stomp my foot this time and call Pierre in. The stomp spooks most of the birds and they flutter away from me. I don't know if Pierre knows his name, but he does watch me, and if nothing else, he probably knows my tone, and when I extend my hand out to him, it's feeding time. He immediately comes right back to me. We go through the same scenario a few more times. I felt bad being mean to some of the others but sorry, Pierre comes first, they can go eat the corn at the back.

After the feed and some belly rubs, he spent some time about the yard, wandering around, being all Pigeon like, strutting about.

While I am so happy to see my little feathered friend, I am sad too. I can see he's not the king bird in the bunch anymore. I noticed a significant loss in weight with him as he sat on my hand. I know I've kept him big and bulky with what I've fed him over the years and him not coming in for almost a month, plus prior visits have been less and less the last couple months (no thanks to them Hawks) have contributed to his loss in weight. In the bird kingdom, he's an old man now, and while he looks good, clean and healthy, he's not the dominant powerhouse he once was. The days of past, he wouldn't take shit from the others, he'd push them around and have his tantrums, cooing his head off, going in circles, chasing everyone.

Here is Pierre with Mickey. Notice the size difference? Yet yesterday Mickey pinged Pierre right off my hand like he was nothing.  This is an older photo.  Mickey is still about the same size, Pierre is still bigger but not quite as "full" as this.

I envision taking him in to live out his days, but that's only make believe. I can list half a dozen reasons as to why it would be wrong to do this. I don't think he'd be happy anyway. Would any wild and free creature like to suddenly be in confinements? It's like asking any human out there if they want to spend the rest of their life in prison.

I do hope we have many more visits in the coming days, weeks, months. I'd love one more summer with him out back. It was hilarious to watch him hog the bird bath. He and the missus would spend hours just sitting in the shallow water, not allowing any other bird in, and they'd preen each other, lift their wings towards the sun and just enjoy the dog days of summer safely in our backyard. We don't get Hawk activity in the warmer months.

Now let's try and not be sad about this blog with how it's ending. It is how life goes. Nothing lives forever. A lot of young Pigeons don't make it to adulthood. A lot of adult Pigeons don't live nearly as long as Pierre has. And most of them haven't had a blessed life like he has coming to me. Sure people feed them in the parks, usually bread or cheap dollar store crap seed. He's lived on peanuts and sunflower all his days with me and I've stuffed him to his heart's content every single time. He's got fresh water too if he wants, which is more difficult to find than food for any wild animal. And lastly he's got a friend in me. I always watch out for him while he's here, the best I can anyway. That's pretty awesome for a wild Pigeon, don't you think?

He does have a bit of a fan club. People about the world that know of him, the few who have met him, all root for him and continued good health. If only he knew...

Still one of my favorite shots of us.

He's a Pierre blog that may be a good starter for some.

May We Meet Again

December 19, 2015 was the last visit I had with Pierre. It's now January 7th and as the days pass, my hope for his return fades.

Do I think something bad has happened to him? I don't know.

I know he is a wild bird, he comes and goes at his own free will, and obviously there will be a day when he does not come back. Is that time now? I sure hope not.

His absences aren't unusual during the winter months with storms and the Hawks. But this is the longest he has been away.

On December 17th we celebrated forty one months of him coming to visit. I've been marking our "encounters" the last year because he is getting older. And when we first met, he wasn't the youngest bird in the bunch. Statistics say Pigeons live 3 to 5 years in the wild. They have so many dangers on top of the struggle to find food. I know I've certainly helped Pierre along with his life journey and when we last met, he looked as good and healthy as any other day in the last near three and a half years.

We had some serious Hawk activity for a couple weeks in December. Sharp-shin, Cooper's and 2 Red-tails stalking the backyard. I never saw any take downs of any Pigeons but a few chases of a Hawk after my flock.

The thing is along with Pierre missing so is his "missus" and lil Petey. Mickey, my other hand feeding bud was missing as well, but has started to come back in the last couple days. Having all of them disappear like that sends the mind wandering.

Mickey and I the other morning. I know her by her attitude but even spotting her in the bunch from the kitchen window is easy for me. That fleshy eye ring of her's is distinct to me. February will mark 2 years of her coming to visit.

And just as bizarre is the size of the flocks that have come dropping in a few times. I counted 97 one morning. That's freakin' insane! Usually a large flock for us was maybe 30 birds.

Someone suggested I go get myself a couple Pigeons and keep them. How is that to make me feel better? Animals are not replaceable. They are individuals and living beings. Buying a Pigeon is nothing like having Pierre. Pierre was never forced to come here and stay. Yes, the food was probably the biggest factor on his near daily presence but he liked hanging out with me. He'd spend lengthy amounts of time on my lap, my hand, my shoulder even after eating. He'd talk to me when I didn't see him for a number of days. Animals are genuine, you always know where you stand with them, and he showed his excitement to see me after a weekend away.

I look out for him and the others every day, and I hope we have another moment to share with you all soon.

Reward

I was fortunate to have an encounter with a Long-eared Owl a few days before Christmas. A species of Owl that I love for it's mastering of the camouflage, and because of that, a species of Owl I don't spot very often. I went almost 2 full years without seeing this species until last winter. I ended up with 2 encounters 3 months apart and I was very grateful. I'm always looking for birds when out and about, never really knowing what I will see in my travels. So chancing upon this bird a few days ago was pretty awesome. I've taught myself to never expect anything, just go out and enjoy what presents itself. I am never disappointed this way.

They are really difficult to spot. I've been a victim of not being able to see such birds when out with friends, finding myself getting frustrated as I try to spot what they are admiring with easy view. We've all been a victim of this and not just with Owls as those teeny tiny bouncy Warbler birds can make us crazy as they hop about the trees in the Spring.

Can you spot the Owl in the photo below?

All my bird nerd friends can testify the thrill of spotting Owls especially finding one on their own.

It was a dark dreary cold windy morning and I went out for a walk in the woods anyway. A day many others would think I was nuts to go out on. It didn't make great lighting for pictures but that's not my intent for the outings... photos are a bonus.

I like to think this sighting was a reward for heading out on foot, saying "f**k the elements!" I enjoyed hand feeding Chickadees and Nuthatches that morning as well. The birds are always happy to come for a feed on such chilly days! A bud of mine jokes about how we must pay to the watchers of the woods with these seed offerings. Maybe he's right?

I was grinning ear to ear. Could any more cool shit happen in this outing? The answer is "YES!" I found a twenty dollar bill on the ground near my truck! I know it was not mine because I only went out with a handful of change to get a coffee somewhere in my travels.

So to all reading this blog. Get outside! Enjoy the birds and whatever nature throws at us! You may be rewarded.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas 2015

Well, the time is just about here, to that big day of the year!

It's not about the presents.  It's not about the tree.

It's about time together, with the ones we love... family.

Ours is mostly furry, feathered, slimy or scaly.

But they all touch our hearts daily!

Wishing each and every one of you the best of times.

I am so done with this rhyme!

Cheers!

Merry Christmas from Rob....  and the animals!

                                                                                                 

Welcome to Raptor City

The Hawk activity in our yard has been pretty intense the last week or so. 1 Sharp-shinned, 1 Cooper's and the resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks have been coming in looking to snag a meal from our other visiting birds.

I've not had to top up our bird feeders in 2 weeks now!

The birds do come in, but it's sporadic and very brief. It's made counting for Project Feeder Watch difficult.  I really got to be watching when species come in for these short spells, and try to spot the threat that chases after them. I was happy to spot 7 Northern Cardinals in one tree late Saturday afternoon. I should have got the camera out even if it was quite dark by this time. Oh well, perhaps another day? A couple days prior to our count days I estimate we had about 97 Pigeons come in at once. It was insane! No wonder the Hawks see this backyard as a potential feeding spot.

In that mix of so many Pigeons there were 3 "ginger birds" as I call them, the reddish brown types, which the Sibley guide says are scarce. I guess that's pretty cool if you don't mind these city birds? Seeing them reminded me of my old friend, who is no longer with us, the one I called "Red". You can read about him here if you like.

Red was pretty cool for a Pigeon, even though him and I got off to a wrong start early on.

That 97 count disappeared quite fast thanks to a lurking Cooper's Hawk who I have seen almost daily this week.

I'm seeing a Sharp-shinned Hawk usually first every day, and later on the Cooper's shows up, who drives the smaller Hawk away.

And on occasion the Red-tails pop up. Usually they just fly right in like they own the place, send everything fleeing for their lives and continue onward after whatever they choose. But a couple times I've seen one in a tree down back. Or both were on a neighbour's old television tower before work on Wednesday. I raced to get my camera after spotting them from the window, but the birds were gone by the time I got my shoes on and out the back door.

I shared this shot on my Facebook page and tried to start a little game of "caption this". My pick was this...

"Hi! I know this may sound crazy since we just met... but I really want to eat your Pigeons and Squirrels!"

I love all birds as I have probably mentioned in other blogs, like anyone needs me to tell them that. Gimmie Pigeons, gimmie Peregrines! It don't matter.

Of course I am missing my boy Pierre with the insanity. But he's smart enough to know when to stay away. Our encounters happen maybe one or two times a week and that is it the last few weeks. He comes in for a good feed, a little belly rub and off he goes again.

Here I am with the inability to smile for the camera while Pierre and his lady friend feed from my hand. Why so serious? I hate being on the spot, even when I put myself there, yet I really am happy to see him on this day being December 17, 2015.

Last bits... I've not seen any take downs, or remnants of a kill, but obviously things are happening around here. I always say if this backyard turns into a blood bath, I'd take a break from feeding the birds. The birds prove to me that I am not their only food source, they have other places to feed.

Here is a yard visitor I saw Wednesday night that is probably very happy with the mild temperatures so far this December. A big Virginia Opossum!

We sure are blessed with the nature channel we have in our own backyard!

December 10th

So this is a day that stands out for me every year.

For one, it's the birthday of a former long time friend of mine who turned his back on me after nearly 30 years of friendship. A story not for here, and a chapter in my life that is now closed. But the angering and painful memory comes back every year on this day.

In recent years though I notice that December 10th has brought me some great birding moments.

In 2012 I was blessed with the presence of a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

In 2013, I remember this one very well... it was -15c, snow and ice covered, and after nearly an hour and a half out and about looking for Snowy Owls, I had just given up when I spotted this one resting on a fence near where I had parked my truck! It was like "Here I am!" to show up here after my outing, and not be there when I started my walk.

Then in 2014 I chanced upon 5 Long-eared Owls. It was almost 2 years since I last saw this species and almost 4 years since I found this species on my own.

I have no plans to go out this morning before work but I can't deny the temptation is there to go for a walk.

Owls Owls Owls! I love all birds but these guys are special to most of us just because they are gems in the wild, birds most of us do not see. I was hoping Momma Nature would put one in our backyard this morning for me since I swear I heard a Saw-whet out back on Sunday morning. Not so...

Oh well, the day is young, we shall see what comes of it. Stay tuned!