Pollenatrix

A bird in hand

We keep our patio door wide open during these warm summer days, and the other morning a curious Blue Tit overshot the birdfeeder and landed right inside our living room. I didn't notice him until Jake stumbled by in his arthritic clumsiness; it put the little creature into a flutter and gave away his hiding place behind the curtain.

I put my hands out to catch him  and called a soft "psich psich" as I reached out, hoping to let him know that I meant no harm. It seemed to work. He calmed right down, and didn't object when I carefully cupped his fragile little body. But I was too concerned about hurting him; although he allowed me to handle him he quickly become impatient with my diffidence, and squirmed right out of my hands and onto my index finger. I straightened up in surprise and turned toward Laird with my little passenger; Laird's eyebrows shot up, and his eyes and mouth softened into an "awwwww...". I was pretty filled with awe myself. I turned again, walked out to the patio and sat down, and the little bird stayed on my finger for a full five minutes. Laird and I chuckled at the little fellow's interest in us, he looked me up and down and stared me in the eye, and swivelled his head to study Laird quite thoroughly too. I was utterly charmed. Finally, reluctantly, the little fellow flew off into the bushes.

I often wonder now whether this bird now recognizes me when I step out the door, but I'm sure we humans all look alike to him. And more confusingly, we change our plumage every morning. How's a bird to know who'se who? 

Fireman resuscitates goldfish

From the Scotsman

A FIREFIGHTER performed the successful resuscitation of a goldfish which almost expired in a housefire.

The goldfish was lying in the sooty water trying to move one of its gills.

Mr Todd, a keen fisherman, immediately used his expertise to try to save the pet.

Sadly, the cockroaches were beyond help and all perished in the blaze.

17 inches of pure pleasure

My darling man brought me home a new laptop the other night... a 17" MacIntosh PowerBook G4. My old laptop had been sending out serious signals that it was on death's doorstep, the most alarming being a column of smoke coming out of the keyboard -- I'd like to say that my fiery prose was responsible, but I'd be lying.

I've never owned a brand-new computer before, I've always made do with hand-me downs and cast-offs from my old company's IT department. This is a beautiful machine, and Laird tells me that my writing and photography is important and deserves good equipment. I know how lucky I am... for the laptop, but most of all for a loving and supportive mate.

Poor bugger

Why cold weather animals should not be kept in tropical-climate zoos...

Sad gorillas

Gorillas do grieve.

A female was put down at an American zoo on Tuesday because of an incurable kidney condition. The keepers decided to allow the other gorillas in the tribe to approach the body, resulting in some very moving displays of respect and mourning.

Gorillas in the wild have been known to pay respects to their dead, keepers said.

"I had a headache for the rest of the day after all the tears I cried watching them," (keeper) Green said.

Mama knows best

Great story about Aurora the octopus and her maternal instincts.

Aurora, believed to be 3 or 4, was about the size of a grapefruit when she was found in 2002 living inside an old tire in front of the SeaLife Center.

Aquarium staff arranged a blind date with an old guy (who was all hands), and the fling produced the desired results. But, after months of waiting, staff concluded that the eggs were sterile and made preparations to move her from her tank.

Aurora probably had some moments of "quiet desperation" last Tuesday while several hundred gallons of water were drained from her tank, Hocking said.

As the water went down, one of the aquarists placed some of the eggs that had fallen from the sides of the tank on a rock shelf. Even then, Aurora persevered.

"She didn't want to leave them. As the water was going down she was going down with it. She would spray a burst of water on the rocks on top of them," Kokal said.

She was right, they were wrong, and luckily a sharp-eyed intern spotted the mistake. Her brood of thousands will hatch in the spring.

Flipper to the rescue

Here's your morning awwwwwww.....

Dolphins save swimmers from shark

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) -- A pod of dolphins circled protectively round a group of New Zealand swimmers to fend off an attack by a great white shark, media reported on Tuesday.

Puppy blossom

An avian mobile home...

A truck driver makes several long trips before he realizes why a little bird keeps tailing him all the way: Her nest and eggs are inside his cab. This is a story that deserves a big "awwwwww"....

Link: BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | Truck driver takes chicks under his wing.

Awwwww....

Article from BBC News:

Consultant gynaecologist Neil Maclachlan has clocked up a career first - delivering an orang-utan.

Because humans and apes are very similar anatomically Jersey Zoo asked the consultant, who works at nearby Jersey General Hospital, if he would help with the difficult birth.

And bouncing baby boy Jaya - meaning 'important or famous' in Sumatran - was born weighing a healthy 4lbs (1.86kg)

...caesarean sections on great apes are very rare and this is only the second time that the procedure has been carried out in Jersey - the last time was 14 years ago.

Mr Maclachlan, a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician, said he had been delighted to help - the birth had been an exciting break from his routine human births.

"We do C-sections at the zoo ourselves as well, but you want to give your animals the best chance you can and if you can get someone to operate on them who does this every day then that is what you do."

Mr Lopez said that mum and baby ape were now doing fine.

"She is the perfect mother and she has had lots of experience," he said.

Baby Jaya is now doing well

"After she had first had the operation she looked at the baby as if to say that is nice, but do take it away and then when the pain went she grabbed him and suckled him she has a very strong maternal instinct.

"Just two or three days after the operation she was up and about."

Only about 7,000 of this species survive and some experts are predicting that they will become extinct in the wild within just five years.