Ribh's D'Coopage

[rjohns39]

Nice looking birds Don.

 

[LozzyR]

Thanks . I have some pictures although they are a bit old. The birds haven't changed much though.View attachment 2042510View attachment 2042513View attachment 2042514

House chooks! You and @Shadrach have something in common!

 

[Ribh]

Thanks . I have some pictures although they are a bit old. The birds haven't changed much though.View attachment 2042510View attachment 2042513View attachment 2042514

What are they? They are gorgeous!

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning Jeannie

 

[Ribh]

Good evening folks

Good evening everyone

Good morning Jeannie

Howdy, folks. Hope things are returning to normal out your way.

 

[rjohns39]

It's gonna take a while to get things cleaned up.

 

[Ribh]

I happened to be around for roosting last night.
This always seems to be the hardest part of integration around here. No~one wants to lose their favourite roosting spot & everyone wants to get on that top bar so there is a lot of jostling & pecking goes on.

The big girls ascended first in stately fashion ~ until they actually tried to get on the roosts. Poor Lavender! She has lost so many feathers what little *lift* she once had has deserted her completely & she struggled to get herself up on that top roost with much flapping & feather loss. Then Patrica sort of fell off. No idea what she was thinking or doing but she was hanging on for dear life with her talons & flapping madly. It did not help. Down she came, much put out. She's a big girl so I assume klutz rather than someone pushing her off.

Then the littles came in dribs & drabs. Wrold & Alpia were 1st. Like Lottie they prefer to roost early & get the spot they prefer. Aoife does't care. She will fly up & land on top of them & simply scrabble round on their backs until she can squeeze against the wall. Medh will often snag a spot on the top rail using the same method. Beatha simply chooses her spot & times her jump. She usually escapes the pecking detail & has been accepted as a top rail girl.

Mhari usually roosts a little apart from the others on the 2nd bar, which I find quite odd but since her sister is on the top roost she doesn't have a pairing unless Lottie hops down to join her, which she sometimes does.

Morrigu is almost always last. She's a real nutter. She will run round the coop screeching till the very last minute then be up & down the stairs, up & down, up & down before settling @ the end of the Littlies. She gets a fair bit of pecking ~ more than just about anyone else & takes time to settle.

The roosting started out ok, then got noticeably worse but now seems to be settling into an accepted routine. This seems to be the last hurdle of full integration. It is also about the only point in the day's routine where options aren't available to everyone. Roosting, they have to be together. It seems it stretches the bonds of tolerance.​

 

[Ribh]

It's gonna take a while to get things cleaned up.

I'm sure it will but it would be good if the roads & shops were back up quickly.

 

[rjohns39]

I'm sure it will but it would be good if the roads & shops were back up quickly.

For the most part, main roads are open and power is coming back on. Stores that weren't damaged badly are open today, while others will remain closed for a while. My gas station being one of them. The good news is everyone has now been accounted for. In crazy news, we now have a crime drama unfolding... The search & rescue dogs found skeletal remains of someone who's been there for quite a while.

 

[Ribh]

Ok, I went outside to let my big girls out into the run. They are still cooped & will be for some time. There was a large white bellied sea eagle looking to mantle in the tree branches above the run. Yes, she already had a prey [ a small mammel from the looks which is unusual, they usually scoop mullet from the surface of the bay], but no need to encourage her by showing her easy meals.

These are our 2nd largest raptors with a wing span of over 7' & reaching a weight of nearly 10lb. We do have wedge tailed eagles but we rarely see them over our island. The sea eagles are fairly common & honk like a goose & they are incredibly messy eaters so I'd as soon she ate elsewhere.

They are common as dust round here but no less spectacular for that & just as dangerous. The girls will be having a quiet coop day I think. Better safe than sorry.