There is an INSANE BIRD trying to break into the house.

[snarp]

I interrupt the post I was trying to write about confusing protesters with this bulletin regarding birds: A bird wants to come in.

It's been attacking the back window intermittently since I got home, which is about half an hour ago. It sits on the sill, dives up and pecks, then settles back down on the sill for a second before doing it again. This makes a really loud banging noise every time, but the bird seems unhurt - except, maybe, for whatever's going on in its little birdy head that makes it so determined to get inside.

I was in the kitchen making tea and anpan for most of this time period. Assuming birdy eyes work like human ones, it could theoretically see me while I was standing by the stove, but about ten minutes ago I went to sit in the living room on the other side of the house.

A minute or two after I moved around I heard it stop. I thought, "Oh, good, the bird has come to its senses and decided to give up on people houses and go live in a nest someplace." Then I heard a bang from in front of me. I looked up and saw a little birdy head peeking in the front window. IT CAME AROUND TO TRY THE OTHER SIDE. The bird knows where I am.

It only did that for a couple seconds before going back. I was about to write, "It's stopped now," but I just heard another bang. We're up to the forty-five minute mark, I think.

I just now remembered this, but I noticed yesterday that the birds had finally completely emptied the feeders. IS THAT WHAT IT WANTS?

Comments

[holyschist]

I just now remembered this, but I noticed yesterday that the birds had finally completely emptied the feeders yesterday. IS THAT WHAT IT WANTS?

If so, that's kind of amazing!

[starlady]

I think food is always a safe bet for what birds want, speaking from personal experience. Also they can totally see you through the window, or at least mine can.

[(Anonymous)]

I have a feeder, and when it gets low there is a group of like five robins that will kind of track where i am in the house. And when i finally go out, they will watch the refill process from about ten feet away.

A squirrel too. Its supposed to be squirrel proof, but this one hangs upside down by its hind feet to prevent hitting the weight limit....I feel like its earned the seed in that case.

[loligo]

Hmm, at this time of year, I'm thinking it's more likely he could see his reflection in the window, and he was trying to chase off the "competition".

[ross-teneyck.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine noted on Facebook recently a somewhat similar incident. The speculation in the comments was that the bird was attempting to mate with her. My friend thought this unlikely, however.


(Heh. LJ's spellchecker claims not to recognize "Facebook." Nice try, LiveJournal!)

[lacrimawanders.livejournal.com]

Relevant.

[chomiji]

LOL! Hey, they do this because they see the reflected bird and think it's an enemy bird crowding their territory.

Some people paste up silhouettes of hawks (= songbird predators) on the windows to discourage the birds from this, others recommend breaking up the reflections by hanging netting of some sort.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yeah...and at this time of year, with that level of obsessiveness in the attack, I'd be willing to bet the birdy suspect is most likely to be a mockingbird with a nest nearby. (I've heard reports of cardinals and robins being frequent culprits as well, but the ones in places where I've lived have all been sane so far; the only really over-the-top birdy territorial attacks I've seen in this area have all been from mockingbirds. And considering I've seen the local mockingbirds chasing (1) much larger scavenger/predator birds (2) squirrels (3) dogs and (4) humans, just going after the illusory presence of another bird its own weight class is clearly SMALL CHANGE.)

[snarp]

It's a robin - I watched it for a while, and I think it's got a nest is in the bushes by the window, in which case this makes sense. I remembered after posting this that I'd seen a bird doing this before about a month ago. Probably the same one.