Every morning at this hour they wake me up with their chirping and cheeping. It’s spring, and the mating season, and the circle of life must go on. Heh.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Every morning at this hour they wake me up with their chirping and cheeping. It’s spring, and the mating season, and the circle of life must go on. Heh.
I have a mockingbird’s nest at eye level, right in front of my front door. I get to see those chicks grow larger and larger every afternoon when I’m going to work.
Would that I could communicate to those young, “No, I am most certainly *not* the human mom and dad warned you about. I’m friendly and largely harmless”.
Of course, knowing my luck, I’d just have them convinced, then I’d fart and totally ruin that new trust.
Well. I wasn’t expecting that.
Geez, just take one. :/
@Caine, if it’s the subject matter, yeah, novel, but cool. But, I’m prejudiced toward babies of any species, so much potential!
If it was my comment, well, you’ve not been about when I’ve eaten something I shouldn’t, sounds like an A-10 gun firing, smells like an industrial accident gone really, really, really badly.
Once, while caring for a battalion of soldiers sickened by a food borne pathogen infection that I was also sickened by, while passing three meters from a barracks full of ill men, I had an attack of, erm, outgassing. Those men promptly left their sick beds and latrines to get fresh air, as the prevailing breeze carried the stench inside.
That last is an actual true story. Made me feel sicker, but I promptly evacuated the area, lest more severe injuries occur.
At least nobody jumped out of a window.
The source of the infection was confirmed, but already highly suspect. A cook took a major shortcut, in an odd way. Eggs get broken into large pots the evening before breakfast, pots nearly three feet tall and refrigerated. They should then be decanted onto the grill for cooking. The cook decided he could cook them faster inside of the pot, creating a 20 gallon incubator instead and leaving them undercooked. That innoculant was decanted into mermite containers, which rapidly cool into hazardous temperatures, being 1940’s technology, sickening every field company, save one, who noticed the condition and recooked the eggs under field conditions – somehow, as the battalion was under consolidated kitchen team conditions.
As it was dark when breakfast was served in the field, I and my ill team operated under combat darkness conditions and didn’t use a flashlight to examine breakfast. One trains as one fights.
We’ll suffice it to say, a significant amount of medication to ameliorate my condition was consumed while I directed and assisted the epidemiological team’s efforts to prove our suspicion was correct. I’m also somewhat resistant to many forms of food poisoning, having no sense of smell and hence, having various forms many times.
One cook became an infantryman that day.
As I recall, I got a medal for that, which I never bothered to wear. Too embarrassing. Well, that and I had more medals already than my battalion commander, so I didn’t wear many of my medals. Don’t want the boss to look bad and all.
I did manage to avoid one medal, which my wife so admired the ribbon for – the Purple Heart. I’m extremely good at ducking. :)
I can’t take one, Saad. I’ve got a full three fledglings in that nest.
Ain’t that so totally cool?!
Granted, that specific genus is nearly as common as water here, but their repertoire has me looking about at times.
One went on for a full 20 minutes without repeating himself.
It gave me a bit of angst, as I honestly missed having my full rang of hearing, yet again, but so totally cool!
Saad:
I had the same thought. Greedy. I’ll go back to listening to awakening chorus outside.
Well, the crack of dawn has arrived, I’ll get an early morning peek at the babies, then hit the hay.
Got stuck with a double shift, as my shift replacement had environment access problems that require M – F support.
Assuming my cat, who has lodged himself in my arms, doesn’t object.
If he does, he’ll end up soon to be deposited onto the furniture, I do need to sleep occasionally.
Besides, I’m still mad at him. He popped in last early morning, left the door open for me to prematurely awaken at daylight. ;)
OK, I’m not mad, only irritated that I didn’t ensure that the door properly latch closed.
Stupid me…
Would that I took pictures!
The fledglings left the nest today at dawn.
Now, I *really* need to hit the hay.
So mama bird comes back with a beak full of worms, and is all like: ‘Whaaaa…?’
Sorry.
@marcoli, more like, to anthropomorphize it a lot, “what, I don’t have to puke up more food for these needy things?! Way cool!”. ;)
Seriously though, I’d have hit the hay if my wife didn’t wake up and have sleep issues.
Novel ones, at that.
No wonder they mate so much.
On that note, I think I’ll go fry up some eggs for my breakfast…
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Well, that was unexpected.
I’m doing something similar, minus the snake and with a crappier camera
http://mcdrksky.publicvm.com:8885