bellbird
MyPTSD Pro
Awww, that sounds just so lovely. Hugs to you, @Self-Determined :hug: :hug:
Our feathered friends, birdbrains, and wingnuts
- Thread starter gealach
- Start date
OliveJewel
MyPTSD Pro
I realize that grooming and kissing are such an important part of my relationship with B.B. I realized that grooming his head feathers and kissing him releases oxytocin for both of us and we feel in love.
I also realize that part of being in love is that he gets angry at me when I can’t always give him what he wants. Sometimes when he’s out with me he wants kisses or attention and if I don’t give it to him he growls or bites me. I have to figure out how to give him enough love that he feels satisfied. And I can’t reinforce aggressive behavior.
He is not even 1 year old yet, but it’s coming up, next month.
Every day we sit on the patio while I have my morning tea. He used to be content sitting by himself in the plants but lately he wants to be with me and kissing or grooming. So he’s really exploring our attachment.
It is extremely helpful in my recovery to have this little beast who needs and desires physical touch and talking to him. Talking to him positively grounds him. Touching him or kissing his beak calms him. It helps me feel grounded too and teaches me about attachment.
I also realize that part of being in love is that he gets angry at me when I can’t always give him what he wants. Sometimes when he’s out with me he wants kisses or attention and if I don’t give it to him he growls or bites me. I have to figure out how to give him enough love that he feels satisfied. And I can’t reinforce aggressive behavior.
He is not even 1 year old yet, but it’s coming up, next month.
Every day we sit on the patio while I have my morning tea. He used to be content sitting by himself in the plants but lately he wants to be with me and kissing or grooming. So he’s really exploring our attachment.
It is extremely helpful in my recovery to have this little beast who needs and desires physical touch and talking to him. Talking to him positively grounds him. Touching him or kissing his beak calms him. It helps me feel grounded too and teaches me about attachment.
OliveJewel
MyPTSD Pro
On this day which *feels* so horrible I was visited by three winged creatures on my back patio. The first was a fledgling hummingbird. I didn't know hummers fledged, but it makes sense now that I think about it. I noticed a hummer on my feeder and when another hummer came, this one hung upside-down! That was surprising! When the other flew away this one righted itself. When it flew away, it flew straight down to the ground. I looked for it, but didn't see it so assumed it flew away.
Then I went outside to dump some small plant waste in the garden and it was sitting on the ground near the hose. I used to do wildlife rehab, and since I have a small bird I am used to handling small delicate things. I scooped it up and it didn't protest. I brought it in and looked at in the cage of my hand. Two of its tail feathers were sticking out to the side, but other than that it seemed fine. It flew a little inside my house, landing on the table. Since it could fly I thought it was a fledgling so I put it back outside and it flew into the tree.
Then there was a fledgling dove, this one with its parents. The fledgling was so naive, sitting too close to the sliding glass door, on the armrest of one of the chairs. The parents were enthusiastically eating leaves and seeds on the grass, kind of being dramatic to entice their baby, but it just drank a little water from the giant clam shell I fill with water every day and kept staring at me. The parents flew away and left him in the playpen of my patio.
Then the hummer came back and was sitting on one of the chairs. It kept flapping and hopping. I called the wildlife center and asked if hummers fledge like other birds. While I was waiting for them to consult an expert I watched the baby flap and flap. One moment it went to the lowest branch on the tree, then dove onto the neighbor's patio. The wildlife expert finally got back to me and said that since the hummer was able to right itself on the feeder it was probably a baby that was being subservient to a parent. Then she said they do go through a fledgling period until they are able to lose enough weight to be able to fly with strength. I thought that was so cute and funny to think that the baby has been taken care of so well by its parents that it has to lose some of the baby fat in order to fly confidently on its own.
A couple hours later a beautiful orange and black butterfly sat by the sliding glass door and showed off its wings to me.
Each time I saw these lovely little beings it took my mind off my worries and reminded me of how nature is forever summoning new life into this world. And that I am so blessed to witness their lives on my back patio.
Then I went outside to dump some small plant waste in the garden and it was sitting on the ground near the hose. I used to do wildlife rehab, and since I have a small bird I am used to handling small delicate things. I scooped it up and it didn't protest. I brought it in and looked at in the cage of my hand. Two of its tail feathers were sticking out to the side, but other than that it seemed fine. It flew a little inside my house, landing on the table. Since it could fly I thought it was a fledgling so I put it back outside and it flew into the tree.
Then there was a fledgling dove, this one with its parents. The fledgling was so naive, sitting too close to the sliding glass door, on the armrest of one of the chairs. The parents were enthusiastically eating leaves and seeds on the grass, kind of being dramatic to entice their baby, but it just drank a little water from the giant clam shell I fill with water every day and kept staring at me. The parents flew away and left him in the playpen of my patio.
Then the hummer came back and was sitting on one of the chairs. It kept flapping and hopping. I called the wildlife center and asked if hummers fledge like other birds. While I was waiting for them to consult an expert I watched the baby flap and flap. One moment it went to the lowest branch on the tree, then dove onto the neighbor's patio. The wildlife expert finally got back to me and said that since the hummer was able to right itself on the feeder it was probably a baby that was being subservient to a parent. Then she said they do go through a fledgling period until they are able to lose enough weight to be able to fly with strength. I thought that was so cute and funny to think that the baby has been taken care of so well by its parents that it has to lose some of the baby fat in order to fly confidently on its own.
A couple hours later a beautiful orange and black butterfly sat by the sliding glass door and showed off its wings to me.
Each time I saw these lovely little beings it took my mind off my worries and reminded me of how nature is forever summoning new life into this world. And that I am so blessed to witness their lives on my back patio.
bellbird
MyPTSD Pro
Tweeter and I have been watching some bird videos together on YouTube, and this channel popped up in my recommendeds.
Really neat from what I've seen so far.
Really neat from what I've seen so far.
Changing4Best
MyPTSD Pro
I saw a bird yesterday that had an exceptionally long tail. He flew into a tree. I didn't see him again, but I did not see any bright colors on him. My bird watching experts (friends) thought it might be a mockingbird, but I have seen them. That tail was way longer than that. Just curious...
OliveJewel
MyPTSD Pro
It may have been a grackle. In the west and south they have long tails. Usually black or brown in color and a loud whistling call.
Changing4Best
MyPTSD Pro
Oh yes, that fits the description perfectly, thanks.
Sideways
Moderator
This is super cool, and not just because these galahs have totally nailed social distancing:
Dating season for Galahs
Dating season for Galahs
It just came to me, and maybe someone knows, as I know nothing about birds? :confused:
Years ago there were a pair of totally white kind of 'fluffy'? (the technical term :laugh: ) all-white birds, about the size of a large softball each, well a little bigger, and roundish and they came back to our patio 3 or 4 years in a row. They spent a lot of time on the ground in the patio. It is a cold climate , would have been spring/ early and mid-summer. What could they be? I just called them lovebirds, well we called them Lou and Boo. And they weren't bothered or scared of x2 large dogs.
Years ago there were a pair of totally white kind of 'fluffy'? (the technical term :laugh: ) all-white birds, about the size of a large softball each, well a little bigger, and roundish and they came back to our patio 3 or 4 years in a row. They spent a lot of time on the ground in the patio. It is a cold climate , would have been spring/ early and mid-summer. What could they be? I just called them lovebirds, well we called them Lou and Boo. And they weren't bothered or scared of x2 large dogs.
Changing4Best
MyPTSD Pro
Maybe they were doves.
OliveJewel
MyPTSD Pro
I like @Changing4Best 's guess. I second that!
bellbird
MyPTSD Pro
Fear the almighty moss chicken.
Dun dun duuuuuun.
Dun dun duuuuuun.
