A bird flew into my window.

[rhubarbodendron]

my friend Daystrom had a big tree in front of his house with a hummingbird nest. From his balcony you could look right into the net. It was so cool! Sadly, they cut the tree down because the people living further downstairs complained that they had no light (if I lived in LA I'd be happy to have shade! It's unbelievably hot there)
Interestingly, no hummingbird ever flew into his window. And come to think of it, I've never heard of a hummingbird ever having such an accident. Could it be that hummingbirds are smarter than other birds? Or do they just react quicker?

 

[B.J.]

^ Not really. In our previous house, we had a screened-in back patio, and hummingbirds would frequently get stuck in there. I'd occasionally have to disentangle one from the screen.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

ah, then it's really true that they have such a bad vision?
When I pretty excitedly told Day of my very first encounter with a humming bird he got all worried and inquired "oh my god! Did it savage you?" Me, dumbfounded: "Attack me?! Come on, we're talking about a bonsai-bird feeding on nectar, not a Condor!" upon which he explained that they have pretty poor exesight and often accidentially fly against people wearing colourful clothing. Rumour has it that one once got stuck in the cleavage of a lady wearing a dress with a flower print. (Must have been highly uncomfortable for both parties involved...)

 

[Finn]

^No. They have a better vision than us

We are color blind to them

 

[Saul]

I mean INTO the window. The window being closed at the time.

I was at the computer and heard a huge BOOM, then silence. I got up, opened the front door, and saw a pigeon fly off, losing lots of those little soft feathers. I looked at my window and saw a circular smudge with a bit of blood.

What the hell was that bird doing flying INTO a window? What, did it not see the house sitting there?

Anybody else have this happen or know why a bird would do this?

I posted a similar topic a few years back. Heard a large thud against the window, looked out and saw a bird on the ground wondering wtf happened. He couldn't take off again and ran into a bush. Happens sometimes. I think the window reflected the sky and it didn't notice.

 

[propita]

"oh my god! Did it savage you?"

"Did it savage you"?!

Did he really phrase it that way? I find that hilarious for some reason.

 

[Melakon]

Maybe all these incidents involve extras from a Hitchcock film.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Actually, I've heard that hummingbirds are pretty savage creatures.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

^^ I can't recall if he actually phrased it like this, but the image it created was that of a rabid monster, savagely attacking any human in sight. He definitely thought that hummingbirds rated at the same danger level as rattlesnakes and grizzlies (but then he is city bred...).

 

[propita]

^^ I can't recall if he actually phrased it like this, but the image it created was that of a rabid monster, savagely attacking any human in sight. He definitely thought that hummingbirds rated at the same danger level as rattlesnakes and grizzlies (but then he is city bred...).

That's exactly what made me laugh.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I forget where I read it-- Smithsonian, maybe, or Natural History or National Geographic-- but, pound for pound (or ounce for ounce [or gram for gram]), hummingbirds are one of the most savage animals on Earth.

Sciffy should make a movie about Were-Hummingbirds.

 

[Finn]

^how so? They consume nectar...

 

[RJDiogenes]

Memory unclear. Competition with other hummingbirds for nectar, maybe. Or defense of territory. Competition for mates. I'll see if I can track it down if I get a minute.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

http://birding.about.com/od/birdbehavior/a/Hummingbird-Aggression.htm
The ruby-throated hummingbird is said to be particularly aggressive and even defends flowers it considers its property.

also

Hummingbirds are extremely territorial about food sources and nest sites. [...]
Males aggressively protect a territory of about a quarter acre that contains nectar sources and a perch or two. They chase out other rubythroats, and sometimes large insects such as bumblebees, wasps and sphinx moths. As the season progresses, they shift their territory to an area with new nectar.
Sometimes female hummingbirds are territorial about food sources, and like males, chase intruders away. Because of their behavior in protecting food sources, it is fairly unusual to see two hummingbirds spending time together unless it is during courtship, a mother and her young, or perhaps two fledglings that have just ended their dependence on their mother.
Each female protects a territory immediately around her nest, which is usually outside the male’s territory. She may chase any species or size of bird in defense of the nest and her young.

full article here: http://umaine.edu/publications/7152e/

^how so? They consume nectar...

that'd make them perfect were-vampire hummingbirds!

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Thank you for doing research for me.

Vampiric Were-Hummingbirds. Sounds like a classic to me.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

you're welcome. I was doing some other zoological internet search anyway, so that it wasn't really much work.

You can defend yourself against the vampire were-hummingbirds with garlick flowers with a silver bullet in them:

 

[RJDiogenes]

This movie will write itself. "Ah, the sweet nectar of human blood." Good stuff.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

might win us an Oscar. I know three writers and a postproduction sound/optical effects specialist. Now we just need a CGI guy and a sound & camera team.
Bonzie is a very good seamstress (not in the Pratchett-ish sense!) and could sew the costumes. make up is not *that* difficult - we have many talented people here.
But we need someone with money. C perhaps? With all these ads here he must be the Dutch equivalent of Rockefeller.

 

[Captain Picard.]

Lol!

We had a bird dive bomb our antenna while on a freeway. Result was blood on the car and a dead bird.

Happened to me a few months ago as well. I had to jet wash my car to get the blood and feathers off.

 

[RJDiogenes]

might win us an Oscar. I know three writers and a postproduction sound/optical effects specialist. Now we just need a CGI guy and a sound & camera team.
Bonzie is a very good seamstress (not in the Pratchett-ish sense!) and could sew the costumes. make up is not *that* difficult - we have many talented people here.
But we need someone with money. C perhaps? With all these ads here he must be the Dutch equivalent of Rockefeller.

Time for a Kickstarter campaign!