Insane birds

Our robins have gone round the bend. I’m not sure what’s going on, but they’re acting nuts. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they’d been eating some fermented berries, but it’s not that time of year. There are no berries outside let alone berries that have been around long enough to ferment into a nice buzz-inducing berry bomb.

The robins outside have been flying around like direction and proximity don’t matter. They’re buzzing the house, they're buzzing us, they’re buzzing the dog and technically, our dog is a bird dog. Shouldn’t the robins know better? Don’t buzz the 94lbs. bird dog. Of course, our dog is totally ineffective as a bird dog so when the robins buzz him, he freaks and looks at me like with eyes that say, “Wha??? Aren’t I supposed to chase them and not them, me??”

I know a handful of info about birds. I can identify a large number of birds by sight, flight pattern and sound. I know a little about what some like to eat. I know roughly what time of year certain birds will be around, but I have no idea what is making the robins so nuts.

I do know they are in the midst of nest-building. Does nest-building make robins extra brazen? Or is it that they’re horny? Are these robins waiting to get their groove on? Does a robin need to build a nest before mating or does the nest-building come after mating has occurred? I don’t know. From what I see, I would guess they need to build their little love shack before they get any action. The robins appear to be on a mission and nothing is going to get in their way. But they’re not just acting determined, they’re acting goofy, even kind of reckless. It’s that goofiness and recklessness that I recall seeing when it was a Friday night and bars and streets were packed full of 20-something horndogs. Are these birds just looking for some ake-shun?? Are robins really just the frat boys of birds? I don’t know.

I’m sure there’s a logical explanation as to why our robins are acting insane. If anyone has a clue, let me know.

Comments

[glen]

Perhaps they, too, have been reading Goerge W.'s "reasons" for vetoing Congress's $124 billion Iraq exit fund bill...I know it's driving me crazy. And when I get crazy, I usually get angry, and there's quite the fine line between rage and lust.

[Jennifer]

I'm not sure what's scarier... lusty robins or robins full of rage. Both seem to go against the robin image, don't you think?

As far as W's reasoning goes... I can barely listen anymore.

[Snag]

Sounds like bird rabies. You'd best lock the door and avoid making eye contact with them.

[Chuckles]

Maybe they were raised under power lines and their brains are all screwed up.

Flourescent lights mess with the pineal glands in pigeons and possibly in humans, so maybe these robins are tweaking on a hormone cocktail.

[billy pilgrim]

Didja ever see The Birds?

Don't buy any love birds and nail boards over the fireplace.

[Jennifer]

bp- yeah, yeah... I've seen The Birds. :)

These robins though seem goofy as opposed to maniacal. Of course, this could all change. I wouldn't mind if it changed if Rod Taylor came to save me. :)

[Snag]

We all thought George W. Bush was just goofy and look how that turned out.

[Claire]

Jennifer, whatever you do, DO NOT READ the short story "The Birds," because it will freak you out more about the robins. Just reading this this morning gave me a bit of a flashback to reading it last spring.

[Jennifer]

Chuckles- what about the new compact fluorescents that are so popular? Am I rewiring my brain as I speak?

Snag- thanks, I feel so much better. Maybe the robins are getting ready to invade Iran.

Claire- I have never read that short story, but am now curious. Will it mess with my head as much as "The Stand" did?

[Claire]

I haven't read the Stand, so can't compare. All I'm telling you is that when DuMaurier is on, she's fantastic and crawls up under your skin and freaks you out. I read a great collection of her short stories last year that started with "The Birds."

[Adorable Girlfriend]

This is why AG puts up bug zappers: for eating insects, birds and chipmunks.

[Jennifer]

Claire- I think the only DuMaurier I've read was "Rebecca", which I loved. I may have to mess with my mind and read "The Birds".

AG- CHIPMUNKS!?!?

[Chuckles]

I don't know about the compact flourescents. Bug zappers are cool.

[Snag]

That way the chipmunks are precooked when you scoop them up.

[Michael Bains]

pre-cooked chipmunks

Mmmm... There's the only thing better than pre-cooked bacon.

I think you should catch one of those robins (use a shirt [preferably flannel] and shoebox) and let the dog "interrogate" it. Better check it for explosives too.

[Jennifer]

"I think you should catch one of those robins (use a shirt [preferably flannel] and shoebox) and let the dog "interrogate" it. Better check it for explosives too."

I'll let you know if the dog gets any dirt.

[The Uncanny Canadian]

New idea: It could be West Nile Virus. This paper just came out:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature05829.html

[Adorable Girlfriend]

UC, get a life! This thread is over. Stop trying to woo Jennifer with your scientifically slutty ways.