Proof that animals think, love, worry, fear, plan, etc and behave like humans.
Link= Animal have emotions too
This just amazed me. One bird knowing what to do and going thru exceptional effort to rescue another bird.
Velcro (right) has never left the yard in her life until 3 days ago (10 months old) (except when nearly killed once (LINK=MISSING). Now that it’s warmer, Velcro and 2.5 (left) have started to take short flights around the area.
>Velcro's lover partner (both female) 2.5 is a homer pigeon, Velcro is not.
>2.5 is a fast and powerful long distance flyer (60mph), Velcro is not.
>2.5 can always find home, Velcro’s breed gets lost.
>These two are madly in love, a lot of hugging and kissing (French kissing) and they can also get a little kinky.
Here's a Flying Video.
SATURDAY - - - - When we came home from out of town at dusk, 2.5 was in the aviary but Velcro was not…Velcro was missing and lost. Her chances of survival outside overnight are not that good. She is SO tame and trusting, so white, and lots of owls, hawks, cats, fox and coyote…and she was lost.
….....We think she and 2.5 went flying and Velcro just couldn’t keep up and wasn’t able to return….totally lost, at risk, with no chance of finding home by herself. I really didn’t expect to ever see her again… so sad. Her only chance would be if 2.5 searched for her.
SUNDAY - - - - At 6:30am, Velcro had not returned, still lost or dead. 2.5 saw me and very clearly told me she wanted to get out and search for Velcro. Normally she wouldn’t leave the nest until 10: or 11:am but she was very anxious and worried. I knew that was the only chance for Velcro, SO I opened the door and 2.5 immediately zoomed off (normally wouldn’t happen) and vanished over the rooftops to the west.
…..But… 1 hour passed, no birds. 2 hours, no birds, 3 hours passed, no birds, but then amazingly 2.5 found Velcro and they finally came back home together. It was very clear they were overjoyed at seeing each other (endless hugs and kisses).
Amazing - - - 2.5 actually went out, scouted the entire area for miles around for 3 hours and miraculously found Velcro and guided her back home. Not bad, eh?
- - - - - - - -
MONDAY - - - Again they went for a short flight and quickly returned. Then late in the day, another longer flight. It’s dusk and 2.5 has returned but again Velcro has not. 2.5 was breathing heavily, apparently a long fast flight home? Hopefully, 2.5 can go search and find her again tomorrow?? Another night of Velcro risking her life to predators. So worried again.
TODAY (Tuesday) - - Again at 6:30am I let 2.5 out and again she zoomed off to search for Velcro.
.......A little over an hour later they returned together. For now they are both back safe, and the reunion was bliss for them. These are such very happy birds.
Hmmm, I’m trying to decide if I should close them in? or continue risking their lives. They are both quite vulnerable when flying around… so white, like a target to predators. There are many hawks and owls in the area and have been in our yard. (Hawk troubles.) I am hoping they learn to stay closer to home, like they always used to. ???
Should I restrain them or let them fly free?
UPDATE - now 2 months later. Velcro and 2.5 will rarely take very very short flights together (within sight of home) but occasionally 2.5 will still take long several hour flights by herself then returns while Velcro stays home with me. Velcro has not left the yard area ever since. I hope they have figured out that Velcro cannot fly as fast and gets lost, and Velcro will always stay here at home.
UPDATE UPDATE - 7 months later... all is well. Velcro stays near home but 2.5 will occasionally take a short trip then returns home. These two birds are so madly in love with each other, they are inseparable. Sometimes I open the patio door and both will fly or walk inside and spend the day with me in my office.
Yet another update 1-1/2 years later. They still take neighborhood flights together but always return. Often, 2.5 will go on a longer flight by herself then she returns. Velcro never leaves the neighborhood, seems they have learned their lesson.
Update - Now they never leave the yard... still madly in love an happy birds.
It was above freezing during the day but late afternoon the very strong wind and snow started and the temperature dropped below zero. Normally about 1/2 hour before dark the Chickens prepare to go into the coop for the night. Most of them did, but with the wind and snow, Betty and baby Puff were afraid to cross the snowy yard so didn't make it to the coop before dark... the temp continued to drop. It was Nasty cold.
I knew little Puff would likely freeze to death if she wasn't in a sheltered place So we went out with flashlights and looked everywhere. Betty then found the courage to dart across the yard to the coop, but tiny baby Puff was nowhere to be found in the dark. She's very tiny and black so is hard to find when she hides. When we got close to her hiding place under the deck, she came out and I picked her up and carried her to the nice warm coop (about 45). She was very happy to be rescued. Bert followed me, he had stayed with the baby to keep her warm or else she would have certainly frozen (Bert has done that on 3 occasions with other hens, risked his life to save the hens).
Today, it was below zero all day but it was about 60-65 in the solar heated Aviary. The Chickens were basking in the sun like tourists on a beach.
The Pigeons stay in the aviary at night (Ambient temp) so I have covered nests for them with a small elec heater. Sometimes they sit in the heated nests but at night they prefer to sit in the aviary on perches, even at 20 below zero (like tonight, the WindChill will be -30). I put them into the heated nests (about 20 degrees) but they come right out again. ? oh well, they don't seem to mind the cold.
Maybe they need electric blankets?
Lake Superior: Years ago, I was boat-camping at one of the few safe protected spots in the 23 uninhabited Apostle Islands, on South Twin Island, 2 miles from the next nearest island (Rocky). Labor day weekend, we were alone on the islands, 2 of us, September, an overcast day, no rain, it was a beautiful evening. Weather forecast - windy, cloudy. As usual I tied up the boat as IF it were going to storm, safely tied halfway out a 150' dock, bow out to sea, two way-oversized anchors to keep the boat off the dock and 6 more lines to keep it in position, 500 feet of rope, ready for anything (almost).
At 3:00am I was awakened by the wind blowing on our tent. I grabbed a flashlight and went to check on the boat. The waves were tossing it around quite badly so I stayed and pulled on the ropes from the side, acting like a human shock absorber. I figured it was just another weather front blowing in and by daylight it would quit (it usually does) but instead, the wind and waves kept building. It was an unusually early Lake Superior Gale (usually in Nov). From 3:00am until 3:00pm waves kept building. Out in the open lake, there were 16' waves and 85 mph winds (an ore boat reported) and at my dock there were 12' waves and 60mph wind. The wave crests were blowing off in a mist and pelting me with buckets of frigid icy water. For 12 hours I stood on the shaky 6' high dock in 60mph winds freezing and holding the line tight to absorb the shock. The dock was shaking and trembling each time a wave hit, and so was I. I watched as the shingles blew off the fishing shack behind me, and as some of the docks end boards being ripped off the dock and go sailing past me with nails sticking out, and far into the woods behind me in the strong wind. I was hoping the dock would hold up, it was shaking badly. I was hoping I would hold up, I was shaking too (cold).
But by 2:00pm, the ropes started snapping including one of the main bow lines. So with the boat bobbing up/down 12 feet, and in 60mph winds, I had to lasso the front deck cleat (nearly impossible in the strong wind and took a long long time) and JUST as I finally got it, the remaining 1800 lb test bow line snapped (whew). The water was only 6' deep where the boat was so it smashed on the bottom a few times and I knew I couldn't save the boat, and the wind continued to get worse. The 2,000# boat was often standing vertical on the lake bottom on it's stern sometimes, only the one remaining new bow line kept the boat from blowing over backwards and I was afraid that rope would break too, so we decided to try to beach the boat... nearly impossible. Fat chance, watching how the huge waves slammed the driftwood logs down hard on the beach and then tons of water crashed over them, really poor odds of success. But, it was our only chance and we had to be super fast and make NO mistakes. If we failed, the boat would be smashed to pieces and washed away. We'd be marooned with almost no food (on the boat because of bears). After a lot of rope rigging was prepared, our plan was to catch it between waves, quickly swing the bow around and quickly pull it as far ashore as we could, bow first onto shore BEFORE the next huge wave crashed down on it.
Good timing and good luck. We were about 90% successful. With the next wave smashing and pushing the stern we managed to winch it up mostly out of the water but as that wave hit, the stern cleat snapped off (whew) which was the only thing holding it from swinging broadside (doomed). But with each wave we were able to winch it up a bit farther and finally saved it (and our food). It only had a little bit of water in it (miracle). Another miracle is that the auxiliary motor stayed on after flopping loose for hours, it had made contact with the bottom frequently.
After 12 hours and with the boat safely beached, I was finally able to go ashore out of the wind to recover. I was surprised to find that I had a really Really bad case of hypothermia, quite seriously bad. I was shaking uncontrollably for several hours. Hot chocolate probably saved my life. Nearly all my toes were black and blue from tugging on the ropes so hard and eventually I lost several toenails, one never recovered, even today.
In typical Lake Superior fashion, the rest of the day actually became quite pleasant and soon it was calm. We were able to get everything back in shape, off to the next island to continued with our trip. One of many hundreds.
If anyone reads this far, I have many more similar adventures.
