Magpies cooperate to defeat scientists
February 22, 2022 8:42 AM Subscribe
"During our pilot study, we found out how quickly magpies team up to solve a group problem. Within 10 minutes of fitting the final tracker, we witnessed an adult female without a tracker working with her bill to try and remove the harness off of a younger bird. Within hours, most of the other trackers had been removed. By day three, even the dominant male of the group had its tracker successfully dismantled."
I'm so intrigued by that phrasing: "By day three, even the dominant male..." I would have assumed the dominant male would be the first - or at least the first of the adults - to have their tracker dismantled. Alas that the magpies stymied our researchers' efforts to study these exact social dynamics!
posted by MiraK at 8:54 AM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by MiraK at 8:54 AM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
They're corvids. Of course. My respect for the family continually grows.
posted by praemunire at 9:01 AM on February 22, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 9:01 AM on February 22, 2022 [15 favorites]
[shaking my damn head]
And they're probably anti-vaxxers, too.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:07 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
And they're probably anti-vaxxers, too.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:07 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
And they're probably anti-vaxxers, too.
Maybe they think of it like ad blockers. "If we wear this, all those weirdos keep following us around."
I mean, corvids are smart; they don't deserve to be lumped in with the antivaxxers.
posted by mhoye at 9:11 AM on February 22, 2022 [28 favorites]
Maybe they think of it like ad blockers. "If we wear this, all those weirdos keep following us around."
I mean, corvids are smart; they don't deserve to be lumped in with the antivaxxers.
posted by mhoye at 9:11 AM on February 22, 2022 [28 favorites]
I wonder why the dominant male was the last to have his tracker removed?
Class solidarity? I'm only kinda joking.
Corvids, Mountain folk (anywhere, anytime), and Land Wars in Asia: three things with which you do not fuck.
posted by eclectist at 9:18 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
Class solidarity? I'm only kinda joking.
Corvids, Mountain folk (anywhere, anytime), and Land Wars in Asia: three things with which you do not fuck.
posted by eclectist at 9:18 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
It must be very annoying, possibly itchy and just generally disruptive to be saddled with scientific devices, no matter how tiny. (I see they weigh less than one gram, but the actual device is not insignificant) I do sympathize with the scientists who are trying to gather data to benefit the birds, but I wish there was a better way.
Some tracking devices are huge (tracking collars on big cats, for instance (though they may be different now) and probably get in the way of sleeping and hunting and living life. Shouldn't they have teeny tiny chips by now to use for this sort of thing? (I rtfa and I do see "Tracking magpies is crucial for conservation efforts". I appreciate that.) Regardless, magpies are awesome.
posted by Glinn at 9:29 AM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Some tracking devices are huge (tracking collars on big cats, for instance (though they may be different now) and probably get in the way of sleeping and hunting and living life. Shouldn't they have teeny tiny chips by now to use for this sort of thing? (I rtfa and I do see "Tracking magpies is crucial for conservation efforts". I appreciate that.) Regardless, magpies are awesome.
posted by Glinn at 9:29 AM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Ok also, did you see the dog + magpie best friends story on that page?
Ms Wells said when Molly first swooped into their lives, Peggy was a little unsure about the feathered visitor to their home but later began producing milk for the baby bird, which kept it alive.
Wait. What.
posted by Glinn at 9:33 AM on February 22, 2022 [14 favorites]
Ms Wells said when Molly first swooped into their lives, Peggy was a little unsure about the feathered visitor to their home but later began producing milk for the baby bird, which kept it alive.
Wait. What.
posted by Glinn at 9:33 AM on February 22, 2022 [14 favorites]
It must be very annoying, possibly itchy and just generally disruptive to be saddled with scientific devices, no matter how tiny.
Not to mention creepy; nobody likes being stalked!
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:34 AM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
Not to mention creepy; nobody likes being stalked!
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:34 AM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
Shouldn't they have teeny tiny chips by now to use for this sort of thing?
Performing surgery, even minor surgery, on a wild animal or bird is much more risky and possibly harmful to the animal than slipping a collar or harness onto it. I imagine it would also be more expensive to use that sort of tech for the kind of things they need it for (active tracking being a big part of it, which normal pet-friendly chips can't do).
Ultimately inconveniencing one animal is a price conservationists are willing to pay if it means the species survives.
posted by fight or flight at 9:35 AM on February 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
Performing surgery, even minor surgery, on a wild animal or bird is much more risky and possibly harmful to the animal than slipping a collar or harness onto it. I imagine it would also be more expensive to use that sort of tech for the kind of things they need it for (active tracking being a big part of it, which normal pet-friendly chips can't do).
Ultimately inconveniencing one animal is a price conservationists are willing to pay if it means the species survives.
posted by fight or flight at 9:35 AM on February 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
The images in that article are delightful. Corvids are awesome.
posted by davidmsc at 9:47 AM on February 22, 2022
posted by davidmsc at 9:47 AM on February 22, 2022
Corvids…so the scientists were performing a murder investigation?
posted by MrGuilt at 9:47 AM on February 22, 2022 [28 favorites]
posted by MrGuilt at 9:47 AM on February 22, 2022 [28 favorites]
clever girls
posted by Going To Maine at 9:52 AM on February 22, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 9:52 AM on February 22, 2022 [9 favorites]
but later began producing milk for the baby bird, which kept it alive.
How to make friends and influence birds.
posted by clawsoon at 9:57 AM on February 22, 2022
How to make friends and influence birds.
posted by clawsoon at 9:57 AM on February 22, 2022
Become untrackable.
posted by acb at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by acb at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2022 [6 favorites]
Hey! Hey! We're doing this for your benefit, assholes!
posted by Naberius at 10:50 AM on February 22, 2022
posted by Naberius at 10:50 AM on February 22, 2022
1. Put Facebook on the trackers.
2. Then the birds will be happy to carry them around.
Oh and uh 0. Invent Facebook for birds
posted by Western Infidels at 10:53 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
2. Then the birds will be happy to carry them around.
Oh and uh 0. Invent Facebook for birds
posted by Western Infidels at 10:53 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
We have the big dumb ball of love dog, the medium laidback wise dog, and the small feisty clever dog.
Putting on their harnesses means that we are going to go for a walk some time in the next couple of hours (I completely trust the dog trainer that recommended putting on the harness and then not going immediately for a walk, but wait until they calm down. This has made what used to be the hellish first few minutes of a walk into a pleasant and orderly affair for everyone).
More than once when we were ready for the walk only medium wise would be wearing their harness, big dumb loveball and small clever pup would be musing theirs. We thought that they were somehow taking them of themselves, until I caught medium wise dog guiding them by the harness to a secluded space and removing their harnesses.
Medium laid back wise dog can only tolerate the other two for so long. Now we understand that when they are the only one wearing a harness it means that they want a solo walk. We give them their separate slow contemplative walk and give the other two the crazy running and chasing birds walk they love and all is fine.
Sometimes I wish my dogs were as smart as a corvid, but then I think of what a 40 kilo crow with sharp teeth could do and I go hug my big dumb lovable dog.
posted by Dr. Curare at 11:03 AM on February 22, 2022 [50 favorites]
Putting on their harnesses means that we are going to go for a walk some time in the next couple of hours (I completely trust the dog trainer that recommended putting on the harness and then not going immediately for a walk, but wait until they calm down. This has made what used to be the hellish first few minutes of a walk into a pleasant and orderly affair for everyone).
More than once when we were ready for the walk only medium wise would be wearing their harness, big dumb loveball and small clever pup would be musing theirs. We thought that they were somehow taking them of themselves, until I caught medium wise dog guiding them by the harness to a secluded space and removing their harnesses.
Medium laid back wise dog can only tolerate the other two for so long. Now we understand that when they are the only one wearing a harness it means that they want a solo walk. We give them their separate slow contemplative walk and give the other two the crazy running and chasing birds walk they love and all is fine.
Sometimes I wish my dogs were as smart as a corvid, but then I think of what a 40 kilo crow with sharp teeth could do and I go hug my big dumb lovable dog.
posted by Dr. Curare at 11:03 AM on February 22, 2022 [50 favorites]
For the sake of scientific integrity, i think this study needs to be repeated with a variety of outfits and accessories, and fully documented with pictures and video.
Perhaps the other magpies were helping to remove the harnesses because they weren't up to dress code or otherwise offended the group's aesthetic.
There must be some form of birdy bling these guys will tolerate, and I can think of no better use of scientific resources than to discover it.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 11:32 AM on February 22, 2022 [10 favorites]
Perhaps the other magpies were helping to remove the harnesses because they weren't up to dress code or otherwise offended the group's aesthetic.
There must be some form of birdy bling these guys will tolerate, and I can think of no better use of scientific resources than to discover it.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 11:32 AM on February 22, 2022 [10 favorites]
I wonder why the dominant male was the last to have his tracker removed?
Did your dad ever ask for help opening jars? Or directions? Same deal.
posted by pwnguin at 11:43 AM on February 22, 2022 [25 favorites]
Did your dad ever ask for help opening jars? Or directions? Same deal.
posted by pwnguin at 11:43 AM on February 22, 2022 [25 favorites]
My (100% out of my ass) guess about "even the dominant male": He's the one who Protecc, the one who's supposed to be strongest, hardiest and (I guess) most able to deal with threat and danger, so the more vulnerable members of the fam were the first to be rid of the diabolical devices?
posted by taz at 11:50 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by taz at 11:50 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
@probirdrights has been informed and will be releasing a statement shortly.
posted by praemunire at 12:01 PM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 12:01 PM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
I once set up a water source for birds. It became a magpie bath. Dang even with that clean tuxedo effect, they were so dirty, and so entertaining. And the big, neon earrings on cows and domestic buffalo, worst things ever.
posted by Oyéah at 12:17 PM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 12:17 PM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Australian magpies aren't corvids, btw.
The "This magpie wasn’t sure what to think of its new accessory" photo clearly has the magpie thinking "KILL RESEARCHER"
posted by scruss at 12:42 PM on February 22, 2022 [15 favorites]
The "This magpie wasn’t sure what to think of its new accessory" photo clearly has the magpie thinking "KILL RESEARCHER"
posted by scruss at 12:42 PM on February 22, 2022 [15 favorites]
Oh, they're Australian? Surprised they didn't just straight up eat the scientists, then. Or at least poison them.
posted by praemunire at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
Oh and uh 0. Invent Facebook for birds
Geezus, what did birds ever do to you?!
posted by curious nu at 1:21 PM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Geezus, what did birds ever do to you?!
posted by curious nu at 1:21 PM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
I picture the birds that figured out how to get the tracker off asking for author credits on the paper.
>By day three, even the dominant male of the group had its tracker successfully dismantled
This reminds me of a wolf survey that I read about a few years ago. The researchers put tracking collars on the wolves in a pack. Some time later, the collars started disappearing. They found a few discarded collars and it appeared that the other wolves had methodically chewed the leather collar of another wolf until it fell off that wolf's neck.
The only wolf that still had a collar was the dominant female. The researchers thought she still had her collar because she wouldn't let any underling get their teeth that close to her throat and/or sit still in a submissive posture.
posted by philfromhavelock at 2:11 PM on February 22, 2022 [17 favorites]
>By day three, even the dominant male of the group had its tracker successfully dismantled
This reminds me of a wolf survey that I read about a few years ago. The researchers put tracking collars on the wolves in a pack. Some time later, the collars started disappearing. They found a few discarded collars and it appeared that the other wolves had methodically chewed the leather collar of another wolf until it fell off that wolf's neck.
The only wolf that still had a collar was the dominant female. The researchers thought she still had her collar because she wouldn't let any underling get their teeth that close to her throat and/or sit still in a submissive posture.
posted by philfromhavelock at 2:11 PM on February 22, 2022 [17 favorites]
Australian magpies aren't corvids, btw.
Yes! They're butcherbirds. Which makes this finding even cooler, because we can't just write it off as corvids being unusual again; this is a totally different group of birds that is only distantly related to corvids among the passerines.
I wonder why the dominant male was the last to have his tracker removed? In human terms I'd expect him to demand the first assistance, but maybe in bird terms he's too intimidating?
The first thing I thought of when I read that bit is the way that information transmission from the Japanese macaque Imo, who started dipping sweet potatoes in salty water before eating them rather than just brushing the dirt off, spread throughout her troop. That is, Imo was a fairly low-ranking female who first displayed the behavior, and then other females within her matriline and closely associating females started picking it up, and it spread through the group along the social networks that were most closely connected to Imo herself. The older dominant males, as I recall, were also the least socially plastic and the slowest to pick the behavior up.
I wonder if there's any data on the animals who first pulled the harness apart, and how they fit within their local social network. Magpies sometimes exhibit cooperative breeding, although they are more territorial and live in smaller groups than the macaques, and it would be interesting to know which bird first successfully removed a harness and where both it and the bird it was assisting stood in the social group.
posted by sciatrix at 2:53 PM on February 22, 2022 [12 favorites]
Yes! They're butcherbirds. Which makes this finding even cooler, because we can't just write it off as corvids being unusual again; this is a totally different group of birds that is only distantly related to corvids among the passerines.
I wonder why the dominant male was the last to have his tracker removed? In human terms I'd expect him to demand the first assistance, but maybe in bird terms he's too intimidating?
The first thing I thought of when I read that bit is the way that information transmission from the Japanese macaque Imo, who started dipping sweet potatoes in salty water before eating them rather than just brushing the dirt off, spread throughout her troop. That is, Imo was a fairly low-ranking female who first displayed the behavior, and then other females within her matriline and closely associating females started picking it up, and it spread through the group along the social networks that were most closely connected to Imo herself. The older dominant males, as I recall, were also the least socially plastic and the slowest to pick the behavior up.
I wonder if there's any data on the animals who first pulled the harness apart, and how they fit within their local social network. Magpies sometimes exhibit cooperative breeding, although they are more territorial and live in smaller groups than the macaques, and it would be interesting to know which bird first successfully removed a harness and where both it and the bird it was assisting stood in the social group.
posted by sciatrix at 2:53 PM on February 22, 2022 [12 favorites]
sciatrix: That is, Imo was a fairly low-ranking female who first displayed the behavior, and then other females within her matriline and closely associating females started picking it up, and it spread through the group along the social networks that were most closely connected to Imo herself. The older dominant males, as I recall, were also the least socially plastic and the slowest to pick the behavior up.
My brain is translating that to human terms, and the first thing I think of is how little the Queen seems to have gotten into hip-hop.
posted by clawsoon at 3:11 PM on February 22, 2022 [7 favorites]
My brain is translating that to human terms, and the first thing I think of is how little the Queen seems to have gotten into hip-hop.
posted by clawsoon at 3:11 PM on February 22, 2022 [7 favorites]
We have these guys visiting our yard. Much like with wolves, "dominant male" translates loosely into People as The Dad, and I've seen dad magpies around and I tell you, those poor sons of bitches are busy. Like, we have this dad magpie that visits us with whatever juvenile he's been saddled with, and the guy's just...he's just tired, man. We're very inner city and have a bird friendly garden - lots of mulch with worms, and good tree cover - and he visits with the chicks when they're newly fledged.
I feel such kinship with this poor tired fucker because a newly fledge east coast magpie is the worst.
Newly fledged magpie chicks are the most demanding of children. They constantly beg for food, this unrelenting HEY HEY HEY DAD DAD YO HEY that doesn't even stop when they have food in their beaks. They steal food from their parents. hop around after their parent except for when they're getting stuck on things, like the picture in the article. Tired Dad actually exploited this with one of last year's more obnoxious chicks and flew it into our frangipani tree, a location the chick could get into without hassles but not down from, then he up and pissed off for a break because nothing else was getting up in there. Like a playpen for birds.
I imagine if you got a tracker onto him he'd just suck it up and get on with the job while the younger birds dealt with the 'parasite'. Or come by mine and be like GET THIS SHIT OFF because he does come into our house from time to time when he feels like the bugs in the yard are inadequate and he'd like some cheese or a bit of ham or whatever instead.
So I imagine the dominant male was a bit like a lot of parents who take care of the kids first and kind of go "eh, I'll get around to it, but let's sort the kids out" and was just waiting for five minutes to his damn self before dealing with his own problems.
posted by Jilder at 3:30 PM on February 22, 2022 [27 favorites]
I feel such kinship with this poor tired fucker because a newly fledge east coast magpie is the worst.
Newly fledged magpie chicks are the most demanding of children. They constantly beg for food, this unrelenting HEY HEY HEY DAD DAD YO HEY that doesn't even stop when they have food in their beaks. They steal food from their parents. hop around after their parent except for when they're getting stuck on things, like the picture in the article. Tired Dad actually exploited this with one of last year's more obnoxious chicks and flew it into our frangipani tree, a location the chick could get into without hassles but not down from, then he up and pissed off for a break because nothing else was getting up in there. Like a playpen for birds.
I imagine if you got a tracker onto him he'd just suck it up and get on with the job while the younger birds dealt with the 'parasite'. Or come by mine and be like GET THIS SHIT OFF because he does come into our house from time to time when he feels like the bugs in the yard are inadequate and he'd like some cheese or a bit of ham or whatever instead.
So I imagine the dominant male was a bit like a lot of parents who take care of the kids first and kind of go "eh, I'll get around to it, but let's sort the kids out" and was just waiting for five minutes to his damn self before dealing with his own problems.
posted by Jilder at 3:30 PM on February 22, 2022 [27 favorites]
Shouldn't they have teeny tiny chips by now to use for this sort of thing?
We use tiny RFID chips a lot for things like fish and reptiles, birds, too, but of course it's an RFID, so they have to come close enough for it to be read, and then all reading the RFID tells you is that a particular individual was detected by the reader.
Similarly, the most basic GPS tracker you put on your dog's collar is just Bluetooth, and so your detection range is just the few hundred feet of Bluetooth. They have more sophisticated ones for dogs aimed at hiking that actually have a true GPS/LTE, but those have fairly short battery life of a day or two (like a cellphone).
These little backpacks were supposed to continuously track the magpies and help them understand behavioral patterns, with the battery recharge and data download able to happen wirelessly on the little feeding platform. A lot fancier.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:12 PM on February 22, 2022 [8 favorites]
We use tiny RFID chips a lot for things like fish and reptiles, birds, too, but of course it's an RFID, so they have to come close enough for it to be read, and then all reading the RFID tells you is that a particular individual was detected by the reader.
Similarly, the most basic GPS tracker you put on your dog's collar is just Bluetooth, and so your detection range is just the few hundred feet of Bluetooth. They have more sophisticated ones for dogs aimed at hiking that actually have a true GPS/LTE, but those have fairly short battery life of a day or two (like a cellphone).
These little backpacks were supposed to continuously track the magpies and help them understand behavioral patterns, with the battery recharge and data download able to happen wirelessly on the little feeding platform. A lot fancier.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:12 PM on February 22, 2022 [8 favorites]
Christ are you saying that there's no way to even know where the buggers are
(I think a majority of Australians have had a traumatic experience with a magpie at some point. Snakes? No worries, leave 'em alone and they're fine. Spiders? Easy, just gotta be careful where they like to live. Magpies, however, are filled with malice.)
posted by Merus at 5:17 PM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
(I think a majority of Australians have had a traumatic experience with a magpie at some point. Snakes? No worries, leave 'em alone and they're fine. Spiders? Easy, just gotta be careful where they like to live. Magpies, however, are filled with malice.)
posted by Merus at 5:17 PM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Magpies, however, are filled with malice.
I'm guessing they feel the same way about us.
posted by clawsoon at 5:28 PM on February 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
I'm guessing they feel the same way about us.
posted by clawsoon at 5:28 PM on February 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
This brings me joy.
posted by Caxton1476 at 6:17 PM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Caxton1476 at 6:17 PM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
We have these guys visiting our yard. Much like with wolves, "dominant male" translates loosely into People as The Dad, and I've seen dad magpies around and I tell you, those poor sons of bitches are busy
I have seen this! Although in another species. Male mossies seem to be in charge of fledglings too.
A baby mossie once came into our kitchen. It was still at that toddler stage where "I can fly" is more important to it than where it's flying to. It was buzzing happily about the kitchen like a parping balloon. Prrrrrrrt! Windowsill. Prrrrrrrt! Top of fridge. Totally happy.
Dad-bird, all freaked out, was sitting on the burglar gate, not daring to come inside, not daring to leave, frantically cheeping at the baby and being completely ignored.
At last the baby prrrrrrrrrted out of the door to safety, purely by accident.
Dad-bird went directly to the sugar water feeder and had a long, long drink.
Talk about frazzled nerves!
posted by Zumbador at 7:56 PM on February 22, 2022 [17 favorites]
I have seen this! Although in another species. Male mossies seem to be in charge of fledglings too.
A baby mossie once came into our kitchen. It was still at that toddler stage where "I can fly" is more important to it than where it's flying to. It was buzzing happily about the kitchen like a parping balloon. Prrrrrrrt! Windowsill. Prrrrrrrt! Top of fridge. Totally happy.
Dad-bird, all freaked out, was sitting on the burglar gate, not daring to come inside, not daring to leave, frantically cheeping at the baby and being completely ignored.
At last the baby prrrrrrrrrted out of the door to safety, purely by accident.
Dad-bird went directly to the sugar water feeder and had a long, long drink.
Talk about frazzled nerves!
posted by Zumbador at 7:56 PM on February 22, 2022 [17 favorites]
Last summer I sprayed my hose at a crow that was taking from my small patch of hard-earned strawberries. Every day, the moment I stepped into the yard it would caw and airbomb me.
I made an offering of strawberries on the grass and made "I'm so sowwy" words as it glared at me from the rooftops. It never aggressed at me again.
I could be misremembering but I think I figured it was the crow because it had started cawwing at me after the day I put up a net to protect the berries. They know what's up.
posted by polymodus at 10:19 PM on February 22, 2022 [11 favorites]
I made an offering of strawberries on the grass and made "I'm so sowwy" words as it glared at me from the rooftops. It never aggressed at me again.
I could be misremembering but I think I figured it was the crow because it had started cawwing at me after the day I put up a net to protect the berries. They know what's up.
posted by polymodus at 10:19 PM on February 22, 2022 [11 favorites]
Zumbador, I read your comment pronouncing "mossie" as "mozzie" in my head, which here in Australia is slang for a mosquito. I was very bemused that male mosquitoes were so solicitous of their young, and that you had spent so much time observing them without trying to avoid being bitten. Then I read "Dad-bird" and thought hmm. Google set me right, but the thought of mozzies being so family- oriented was still amusing.
posted by Athanassiel at 12:30 AM on February 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Athanassiel at 12:30 AM on February 23, 2022 [5 favorites]
Yes, I also expanded it to "mosquito" and was really struggling with the idea that you could even identify a youngster. Google pointed me at cape sparrows, which seem much more likely!
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:51 AM on February 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:51 AM on February 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
Oh hilarious! Especially as I start it with mentioning that it's another species. Now I'm charmed by this version of myself narrowly observing mosquitoes, and putting our sugar water for them.
posted by Zumbador at 4:06 AM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Zumbador at 4:06 AM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hey, if putting out sugar water meant mosquitoes didn't bite ME, I'd definitely do it!
posted by Athanassiel at 5:00 AM on February 23, 2022
posted by Athanassiel at 5:00 AM on February 23, 2022
Hey, if putting out sugar water meant mosquitoes didn't bite ME, I'd definitely do it!
Same same. If I stay out after dusk I become a walking sugar water container for mosquitoes.
posted by cynical pinnacle at 8:54 AM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Same same. If I stay out after dusk I become a walking sugar water container for mosquitoes.
posted by cynical pinnacle at 8:54 AM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Invent Facebook for birds
Facebeak
posted by Furnace of Doubt at 10:55 AM on February 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
Facebeak
posted by Furnace of Doubt at 10:55 AM on February 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
« Older Humans Made These Moving Thingies. | There's no AARP for children Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
I wonder why the dominant male was the last to have his tracker removed? In human terms I'd expect him to demand the first assistance, but maybe in bird terms he's too intimidating?
posted by jacquilynne at 8:53 AM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]