I guess I hate chipmunks now. Why didn't the vicious vermin eat the murder victims??
My cats are indoor-only. If I could train them to eat only chipmunks and House Sparrows I would let them out. Melanie On 9/9/2015 4:11 PM, Robyn Bailey wrote: > > Re: Part 2…I have heard that this is a chipmunk M.O. Fortunately, have > never had to witness it in person. > > Robyn Bailey > > *From:*[email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of > *Susan Fast > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 09, 2015 3:20 PM > *To:* CAYUGABIRDS-L > *Subject:* [cayugabirds-l] a mystery---goldfinchs > > I've been watching some inexplicable behavior (to me) by 1 or 2 > goldfinches nesting in my yard. There are 2 parts. > > Part 1: 2 weeks ago I noticed a female goldfinch perching in bushes > along the front of the house, then flying toward the upper lefthand > corner of a large double-hung window, hovering for a second, then > flying against the glass. This was late afternoon and she repeated the > behavior a dozen times. I would scare her away, but she returned > after several minutes. Night fell and she desisted. At 0700 next > morning she was at it again. > > I tightly closed the inside curtains. No effect. I then hung a > painter's dropcloth over the whole window on the outside. This > stopped her briefly, but she then moved to the upper lefthand corner > of an adjacent window (same size and shape, but 4' away) and > continued. I put a dropcloth over that window also. I have 2 other > identical windows in the second story over these, but she did not go > up there, thankfully. I didn't see her the rest of the day. Next > morning I took the cloths down and she did not reappear. > > Part 2: The last several days, I have seen a goldfinch flying > repeatedly into the top (40' up) of a large sugar maple in our side > yard. Nest, I figured. About an hour ago, my daughter found a > headless baby bird, still warm, on the ground under the tree. The > neck was still present, although skinless, the head gone except for > the very bottom edge of it, apparently cleanly removed. She called me > out to look, and as we did so, another baby dropped onto the roof of > her car. Blood was still flowing from the point where the neck > attaches to the body, but both head and neck were gone. No other > damage visible. > > Both babies have rudimentary wing feathers and patches of fuzz here > and there. At this time also, an adult goldfinch could be heard > vocalizing from above in the tree. Shortly thereafter, a female adult > was seen moving about among the goldenrod and other weed heads below > the tree and picking out seeds. She was also vocalizing (prob. same > bird) initially, but stopped after a couple minutes. > > Ideas welcome. > > Steve Fast > > Brooktondale > > -- > > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > *Archives:* > > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> > > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > > -- > > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
