More ruffled feathers

No, this isn't about somebody grousing about somebody. It is a human interest story.

At the Nats site there was a robin's nest with baby birds that was tucked in the bushes next to the pavilion. It drove Daddy and Mama nuts trhying to figure out how to get worms to the little tykes while with nobody noticing them going to the nest. They would always come in, park somewhere, and then dart in a round about way to the babies.

On Saturday, the little guys (well, a guy and a gal) had left the nest. The Gal had her flight feathers on, but the guy was a little dumb yet. He started hopping out by the circles while everyone was watching the finals. And Mama was playing "sucker" saying, "Hey, everybody, look at me" and darting around hoping to draw attention away from the little tyke (who was still a little dumbfounded about this whole new world he was just discovering. "Hey, what are those things up in the air. I wish I could fly like that.")

And then disaster nearly struck. While Konstantine was preparing for this third flight, Mama landed in the middle of the circle. I considered running out and chasing her away, but as he was about to start his engine, I could end up being a bigger hazard than the bird. However, the start of his engine caused her to fly away--and then back. Just as he came around on take-off she darted back into the circle and got hit. He said it felt like a lightning bolt hitting the lines and a few feathers went floating off while Mama and airplane continued to fly, each in their own direction. Konstantine went on to finish out his flight uneventfully the rest of the way and Mama made it as far as the cornfield before dropping into the corn.

We didn't know if she was alive or dead, but later on the two young-uns were still running around and Mama reappeared with a wrom in her mouth ready to feed them once more. I think she was trying to convince them that if they ate just a wee bit more maybe they could fly like Konstantine's plane that nearly, very nearly, did her in.

He's lucky it was only a Robin that tangled with his plane or lines. Had it been a hawk, good bye plane. We have dicussed birds and planes tangling before, but to see it at the Nats, wow.

LAST EDITED ON Jul-14-03 AT 06:42 AM (CDT)
 
I hate stories like this, but glad Mom made it through the ordeal. Sometimes I'm torn because along with being a lifelong modeler, I'm also something of and amature ornithologist/aviculturist, I love both organic and inorganinc birds. I think in the interest of both nature as well as keeping our site as critter freindly as possible, we should ask AMA to remove those nesting sites that are in such close proximity to our activities to avoid both injured/killed wildlife as well as aircraft.

I've fowarded this to thread AMA, I really think it needs rectification.

Hmm.. I wonder if there's an easy way to move nests and parents to alternate locations. The area to the East, bordering the hobby shop property, would be a good one.

>Hmm.. I wonder if there's an easy way to move nests and
>parents to alternate locations. The area to the East,
>bordering the hobby shop property, would be a good one.

Usually when you move nests the parents are unhappy. In fact, they may abandon the nest and the kids. But every year, it seems, there is a nest of babys in that area.

Ah, the joy of watching a "newby" making his first unassisted flight. They are fun to watch, and usually they do stay away from the airplanes. This time, however, baby boy bird had hopped under the fence and out onto the adjacent circle (that wasn't being used) and mama just got a wee bit too worried about him and not enough about herself.

We will just have to put up a bigger sign: "Lines must be attached and pull tests are mandatory for all flights."