Warfare

I read today in the Backyard Bird Watcher book that chipmunks have been known to invade bird nests and kill the babies!  Shocking!  And they look so cute, those chipmunks.

Also, when one bird or bird family in the immediate area is under attack, all the birds, of all species, in the area will sound the alarm and  become highly aggitated.

That reminds me of the time I was going through the poultry houses at the fair and a beagle dog came wandering in the door.  All the birds (chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, etc.) set up a frightened clamor, sounding their alarms at the top of their voices.  They were in wire enclosures well above where the dog was but they were all deeply upset by his visit.  No exceptions!

One more thing.  Bluebirds, though bossy and pushy, are the first to sound the alarm that a predator is near, and this is good.  However, they have been known to sound a false alarm just so that they would have no competition at the feeder!  Bird brains, but they're thinking!

Posted by: NJ on 7/21/2004 2:14:48 PM , 2 comments