A sizable wire cage containing 206 white doves, with each of the doves representing a country competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, was prepared for the Opening Ceremonies. At a given signal all 206 of the white doves were to burst out of the cage and majestically fly around.

‘Hey,’ said one of the doves to the other 205 of his colleagues. ‘My father-in-law had this gig four years ago at the Olympics in Tokyo.’

‘What did he have to say?’ queried another white dove.

‘He said, it’s horrible! Apparently, Peregrin Falcons, Merlins and other birds of prey have figured out that the opening ceremony of the Olympics is like a full-course buffet.’

‘A what?’

‘Us, don’t you get it! We fly out of this cage and they just pick us off.’

The thought of this sent shivers down the snow-white spines of the doves.

And so, when it came time for the doves to burst out of the cage and majestically fly around, they all just..sat still.

The world viewed this as an omen of great import; and collectively decided to stop all aggression, fighting, meanness and even harsh language…which was good. (unlike this joke which doesn’t even have a punchline)

I like to watch TV.

Having a lazy, lounging late morning on my hands, I queued up an episode of the old ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ TV show and stretched out to enjoy it.

During the narrative, a couple of the Enterprise crew members are investigating some serious space problem on some strange planet (this happens in almost EVERY Star Trek episode). The crew member and an alien planet guy are discussing how to solve the serious space problem. The two of them are chatting together while relaxing in stylish and modernistic space patio chairs in a lovely outdoor space garden.

*As you birders know, Coto Brus is currently inundated with literally thousands of migratory Swainson’s Thrushes. These Thrushes give out with a distinctive and most pleasant song during their stay.*

So, I’m watching the show with one ear and listening to the Swainson’s Thrushes just outside my window with the other ear (or so I thought). I pause the show for just a bit…and the Thrush song stops too! What the…! I start the show again and you guessed it! The Swainson’s Thrushes started back with their singing.

How Swainson’s Thrushes ever got to this weird alien planet out in the final frontier…I don’t know. But they did. I guess nature finds a way.

Do you have any reminiscences of identifying bird songs from a movie or TV show? If so, share them with me and I’ll share them with our readers. Send to Greg Homer:

eltangaral@gmail.com

How safely rescue birds that fly into your house.

(from SVBC charter member and master bird bander, Judy Richardson)

Sadly, we’ve all found a bird below our window, either stunned or killed by the impact. There are just certain times of day that our windows seem to, disappear, and birds think they’re just flying through the woods. Our heart breaks when they hit the window hard enough to kill them. The stunned birds usually sit there; keep your cats and dogs inside, as it can take a while before they fly off. If they are in the sun; I have picked them up and put them in a shady shrub where I can keep an eye on them as they recover. Or if it’s cold, I put the inside in a box with a saucer of water. If it’s a hummingbird, offering a bit of sugar water can mean the difference between life and death! I hope you read the last post about Ceci Sansonetti ‘s rescuing a tiny White Crested Coquette.

Now we come to the always interesting “bird chase“ through your house! Has everyone had this happen? In Connecticut, where I live, I always have a Carolina or House Wren come to visit! They are cleaning the insects along the doors and windows and then lose track of the exit! Panic sets in. For me, the investment of a $15 butterfly net has helped enormously! Since it’s usually my in screened porch, I leave the door open and eventually out she goes. Otherwise, from a long-handled distance, I can coax the birdie closer to the exit without causing panic!

Once in Costa Rica, I had a Green Hermit slide in the door after feeding right outside it. The butterfly net helped guide it out, even though my ceilings are very high.
That net has taken out Scorpions, Wolf Spiders, and hornets! I’ve even caught the odd butterfly, just for close-up viewing purposes!

***

How to hold a bird in your hand so that neither you or the bird get injured. The bird bander’s grip.

Small birds—

(photo courtesy of Judy Richardson)

Larger birds—

More than any other bird family, hummingbirds have the most charming names. Hell, there’s even a hummingbird (found around San Vito) that is named the Charming Hummingbird! This post is about a hummingbird that not only has a cute common name but also a cute scientific name; and on top of all that this bird is jaw-droppingly cute…the White-crested Coquette (Lophornis adorabilis).

Recently, our San Vito neighbor and San Vito Bird Club charter member Cecelia Sansonetti had a very close encounter with a White-crested Coquette (see below). The tiny male Coquette, not much larger than a Sphinx Moth (which it resembles) flew into her house.

‘I naturally thought it was a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird or even a Stripe-throated Hermit,’ Ms. Sansonetti relayed to me. ‘When I got closer, I couldn’t believe it; a White-crested Coquette.’

Many of us have had hummingbirds fly into the house. It can be a challenge to safely rescue these smallest of all birds before they smash into a window or simply succumb to exhaustion. But Cecilia, with her many years as a Master Bird Bander, knew what to do.

‘I waited until the Coquette was on the floor, then I gently grabbed it up using the bird banders’ grip*. I could see the poor thing panting with its beak open looking greatly fatigued.’

Holding the bird securely with her right hand, ‘Dr.’ Sansonetti then somehow managed to mix up just the right prescription, one designed to recharge her weary patient…a bit of sugar water.

Hummingbirds, as you know, have an astoundingly fast metabolism and must take in calories regularly–or starve.

‘This hummingbird first happily took in some regular water…drinking and drinking like a crazy guy. Then he took in a bit of sugar water I held out to him from a spoon. After that he looked much cooler so I put him in a shady spot outside. And guess what?’

‘What?’

‘The female Coquette was waiting for him up in a tree and the two of them flew off together. It’s so good to know the White-crested Coquettes are nesting near me.‘

Sometime in the next few weeks, we’ll post an article with tips on what to do if a bird does fly into your house or into a window. And we will show you how to use the *bird bander’s grip*.

White-crested Coquette on the floor. Photos courtesy of Cecelia Sansonetti

White-crested Coquette, in hand.