We have a young cardinal that for the past three days has been attacking his own reflection in the patio doors. He doesn't hurt himself--his attack is more show than go, and consists of chattering and fluttering. planning the attack ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) He sits on a table just outside the doors, and plans his attack. Then, when his courage is all worked up, he stares belligerently: Angry bird ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) I hope he finds something else to do, like a girlfriend, before I have to put stickers of hawks' silhouettes all over the doors!
When I worked at the Chrysler Desert Proving Grounds in Arizona, our main office building lobby had huge ten foot tall ground to ceiling glass overlooking the grounds. Just about every day a roadrunner would show up and start fighting with his reflection in the glass. He got really carried away slamming into the glass with both feet and pecking at it. We, also, had coyotes there but I never saw them chase the roadrunner. That's just a cartoon. dr
I have observed this behavior by male cardinals many times, any thing that will give a decent reflection.. They seem to especially like the outside rear-view mirrors on vehicles... Hank
The computer game 'Angry Birds' has been accepting applications for new participants, your bird is perfect for the job. Actually, it looks like a jilted female judging by the coloring. She probably lost out to another lady seeking the affections of a local male. Jerry
There are two juncos that nest by where we park our cars. We have to put socks over the car mirrors, because they relentlessly attack their reflections. They can sure dirty up the mirrors too. It is such a relief once the chicks are fledged.
It's it pretty funny to see them attack their own reflections. We have had a robin do the same thing with our patio door. It got to be a little annoying because he would fly into the door trying to attack the other robin. Then we had a male Blue Bird to the same thing to my hubby's van's side view mirrors. He would sit on the space between the mirror and the window and attack the Blue bird reflection defending his territory. He would make quite the mess as he pooped all over the side of the car while sitting there. We had to make mirror covers to slip over the mirrors so he would stop doing it. We would also have to cover anyone's car mirror's if they came to visit. I guess you could call them goofy BIRD BRAINS. Wildlife sure do some funny things.
Feliz, our calico cat, is not impressed with the cardinal's antics. She isn't irritated, she just can't figure out why this noisy bird is hopping up and down on the patio table and making such a nuisance of itself. Bird watching ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) All that chirping and carrying on is cutting into Feliz' nap time!
Marlin- my little dog Tootsie does the same pose when she is on squirrel watch. She will sit by the patio doors and watch for those little furry rascals. Then she goes ballistic barking and scratching at the door. Pretty funny as they have been nose to nose threw the glass. The squirrel always gives me a look like it is saying---what's up with her anyway. Squirrel leting Tootsie know what it thinks about her. ( photo / image / picture from Tooty2shoes's Garden )
