Other pets (pics and discussions)

[guidofatherof5]

Good looking crew, Sam.
Nice dog and toad. How long have you had the toad?

[tress29]

this is wart my american toad.

Wow, how big is that toad?

[greene]

about 3.5 inches

[greene]

iv had it about a year and a half

[greene]

forgot the african dwarf frogs

[ConcinusMan]

I hope both birds will be returning to the wild shortly but must admit it has been a joy caring for them.

I guess my feelings have changed a little towards these grackles.

It's a bittersweet experience. They grow up so fast (wild birds in general) and you get attached quickly. Once they are weaned and finding their own food it brings joy and sadness at the same time because you know it's only right for them to be free. It's hard to let go. Once I know they're getting enough to eat on their own, I let them go in the yard and they roost outside and learn from the wild birds, how to live wild. They usually will hang around all summer and try to convince you to feed them but you must resist once the last of their "peach fuzz" is gone from their heads. In the fall, they're gone.

I've had robins return the following spring as young adults. There's a glimmer of recognition in their eyes and mine. I know it's them when they follow me while I'm gardening, picking up bugs, getting very close and unafraid of me. And yet, if you approach and try to pick them up, they'll move just barely out of reach and yet not fly away. That's good. They are wild birds now. They know me, but wild birds are "look but don't touch". They don't forget you, and yet, there are rules to being wild and they seem to know where the boundary lies. Like I said, bittersweet.

[ConcinusMan]

Unfortunately, the goldfinch (Washington's State Bird) girl didn't make it through the night. Here she is, taken yesterday:

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to hear she passed. Probably internal injuries if I had to guess.

[Natrix]

Nice GSP greene, I have the Hairy counter part IMAG1100.jpgIMAG1188.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Sorry to hear she passed. Probably internal injuries if I had to guess.

I had a feeling it would happen. It seems like, the smaller the bird, the more likely that an injury like this will be fatal fairly quickly. Still, I had hope since she survived the first night and was eating the next day. I did all I could do. Kept her from becoming lunch while she was still alive. She went peacefully during the night. Now she is "immortalized" on the web in that pic. How many other birds can "say that"

I'm "glad" it happened in May. They don't lay eggs here until late June/ early July when the local thistles go to seed. No babies depending on her.