night birds

[curly_kate]

Ok, I think it might be a barn swallow. Does that sound right? I'll have to listen tonight& see if it sounds like what I heard online.

 

[canesisters]

We have something here - I'm not sure what it's called, the males are a medium sized black bird with a brown head. The females look like a sparrow. When it's just the males, they chatter and squawk - terrible racket. But when there's females nearby, the males make this funny sound that (to me) sound just like bubbleing/squirting water.

 

[897tgigvib]

Could that be one of the Junco birds Cane?

 

[canesisters]

I poked around on Digits' bird call link - the ones I've seen (with the bubbly call) are brown-headed cow birds.. and not very nice birds, nest stealers!

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/id

 

[so lucky]

We have a lot of those here. I read a while back, that not only do they destroy or evict songbird eggs from the songbird's nest while laying their own eggs there, the cowbird babies grow faster and therefore get most of the feed the oblivious parents bring to the nest. So often the songbird babies starve to death, while the cowbird babies thrive.

 

[digitS']

Yes, but the cowbird is well-mannered and carefully groomed at other times. We really should have a better name for them than "cow bird." Let's see, a cow is a Bos primigenius. How about that - a Bos primigenius bird?

They've made nanny contracts with those other birds, you know. The adults like vacations, is all.

The male cowbird, if you catch him in the right light, looks like his head was dipped in chocolate. It may have been - dipped in chocolate. They are always found in the most pleasant surroundings, like to distance themselves from other birds, and never bother to mention the privileged start in life that they've enjoyed.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

Yes, but the cowbird is well-mannered and carefully groomed at other times. We really should have a better name for them than "cow bird." Let's see, a cow is a Bos primigenius. How about that - a Bos primigenius bird?

They've made nanny contracts with those other birds, you know. The adults like vacations, is all.

The male cowbird, if you catch him in the right light, looks like his head was dipped in chocolate. It may have been - dipped in chocolate. They are always found in the most pleasant surroundings, like to distance themselves from other birds, and never bother to mention the privileged start in life that they've enjoyed.

Steve

Quit defending them, Steve! They are grifters!

 

[canesisters]

Yes, but the cowbird is well-mannered and carefully groomed at other times. We really should have a better name for them than "cow bird." Let's see, a cow is a Bos primigenius. How about that - a Bos primigenius bird?

They've made nanny contracts with those other birds, you know. The adults like vacations, is all.

The male cowbird, if you catch him in the right light, looks like his head was dipped in chocolate. It may have been - dipped in chocolate. They are always found in the most pleasant surroundings, like to distance themselves from other birds, and never bother to mention the privileged start in life that they've enjoyed.

Steve

Actually, I think maybe it's supposed to be cowl bird - you know, like Batman's cowl? Although, in their case it might me more like the one the hangman wears.....