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You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Birdwatching / Feathered Visitor (Open Thread)

Feathered Visitor (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  October 11, 20164:53 pm| 150 Comments

This post is in: Birdwatching, Open Threads

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I think this is a racing pigeon:

img_0850

It was walking around in my front yard, causing the dogs to bark uproariously at it through the window. When I came out to inspect it, it seemed very tame — walked right up to me.

It’s got a band on each leg, but I have no idea what that means. It’s been hanging around for a couple of hours. I gave it some birdseed and water, and it tucked right in.

I don’t think it’s injured, but it does seem odd that it’s just walking around. I haven’t seen it fly once. I’ll keep an eye on it.

Open thread!

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Reader Interactions

150Comments

  1. 1.

    japa21

    October 11, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    Did you name it Walter?

  2. 2.

    waysel

    October 11, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    Hurriciane victim maybe?

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 4:57 pm

    Florida Bird!

    Is there some kind of Racing Pigeon organization in your general area that you could contact? The leg bands make me think that somebody is missing either a pet bird or a competitor.

  4. 4.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    @waysel:

    There’s a thought!

  5. 5.

    maeve

    October 11, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    Could have been blown off course by recent weather and is recovering (and used to people so not feeling urgent need to fly away).

    Once I found a really fancy pigeon huddled up next to the entrance of my work place after a storm (this was near Chicago) – left him alone and he was gone later in the day.

  6. 6.

    debit

    October 11, 2016 at 4:59 pm

    Put it in with the chickens?

  7. 7.

    sigaba

    October 11, 2016 at 5:00 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch: If she’s a Florida bird someone should let him know they’ve extended the registration deadline.

  8. 8.

    Shana

    October 11, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    Getting dinner ready, chicken enchilada chili with corn bread.

    Have an easy fast folks!

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    This isn’t far from you. You might get in touch and see what they recommend.

  10. 10.

    jg

    October 11, 2016 at 5:02 pm

    an apparently grounded Racing Pigeon. somewhere in there is a Nascar joke…Im just not redneck enough to find it.

    He/she seems docile and clean. (another Nascar joke?)

  11. 11.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 5:03 pm

    @sigaba:

    No thanks to Governor Batboy Skeletor. Could this pigeon be trained to go shit on his scary bald head?

  12. 12.

    Greenergood

    October 11, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    Had this before in sunny (!) Scotland. If bird is compliant, then snatch it up by its legs, turn upside down and read off the number on its leg cuffs – put number online and presto – pigeon lover will find their lost love! Hope so!

  13. 13.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    @Shana:

    G’mar hatima tova to you and all here who observe.

  14. 14.

    Betty Cracker

    October 11, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    @debit: I’m afraid they’d pick on it. They are mean to each other!

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch: If it sticks around, I will. Maybe it’s just resting before moving on again.

  15. 15.

    chris

    October 11, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    Mmm, squab on the hoof.

  16. 16.

    Bess

    October 11, 2016 at 5:08 pm

    Could be a lab pigeon that someone released.

  17. 17.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 5:09 pm

    I still aspire to see our local wild parrots. Knowing me, it’s entirely possible that they’ve flown overhead multiple times and I just didn’t realize it was them.

  18. 18.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 5:09 pm

    Understanding how to read a pigeon band

    The American Racing Pigeon Union registered bands have a specific format. Once you understand how to read the band number, you will find it easy to locate the club that issued the band on our Band List page. Make sure to visit our page on How to Care for a Lost Pigeon.

    Band numbers are in a series of letters & numbers as shown below.

    EXAMPLE= the band may read–>AU 99 ABC 1234

    (1) – AU – is the national organization that has registered the bird, in this case the American Racing Pigeon Union, Inc. The band can also have IF, CU, ATB, NBRC, or IPB in this position.

    (2) – 99 – is the year the bird was hatched and banded/registered.

    (3) – ABC – is a letters representing the pigeon club the band is registered to (no two clubs have the same registration letters – and they have one, two or three letters).

    (4) – 1234 – A one-up number unique to each pigeon based on the club letters. Now that you understand how to read the band, you can go back to our band list to find the club that the bird you found belongs to.

    NOTE: (PERSONALIZED BANDS) Sometimes the band may just have the owners name, phone and/or address on it that you may call or write them.

  19. 19.

    different-church-lady

    October 11, 2016 at 5:10 pm

    Well, this should make some heads explode:

    Colin Kaepernick to start at quarterback for 49ers

  20. 20.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 5:10 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch:
    In the early days of WWII B.F. Skinner was training pigeons to peck buttons until the crosshairs were on the super structure of pictures of Japanese ships. These would have been the very first ‘smart bombs’ had he finished his work. Now if I just had some pigeons & pictures of Gov. Batboy . . .

  21. 21.

    kindness

    October 11, 2016 at 5:11 pm

    It was dove hunting season around here a couple weeks ago. It’s over now.

    Talk about snow birds…

  22. 22.

    p.a.

    October 11, 2016 at 5:14 pm

    @raven: I learn stuff here without even trying!

  23. 23.

    Miss Bianca

    October 11, 2016 at 5:16 pm

    @Shana: Chicken? Really? Or is it…SQUAB? ; )

  24. 24.

    hellslittlestangel

    October 11, 2016 at 5:17 pm

    Maybe the pigeon got sick of racing.

  25. 25.

    Bess

    October 11, 2016 at 5:17 pm

    @Schlemazel:

    Pigeons in a Pelican

    Three birds per bomb. The bomb was to be steered to where two pigeons agreed. Never put into use.

    The Russians trained dogs to run under German tanks. Then attached bombs to the dogs.

    Out of the first group of 30 dogs, only four managed to detonate their bombs near the German tanks, inflicting an unknown amount of damage. Six exploded upon returning to the Soviet trenches, killing and injuring soldiers.[3] Three dogs were shot by German troops and taken away

    Another serious training mistake was revealed later; the Soviets used their own diesel-engine tanks to train the dogs rather than German tanks which had gasoline engines.[5] As the dogs relied on their acute sense of smell, the dogs sought out familiar Soviet tanks instead of strange-smelling German tanks.[7]

    Wiki –

  26. 26.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 5:18 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Have you ever seen that wonderful documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill? (Yes, I know that was SF and you’re in LA.)

    (Edited to correct film title.)

  27. 27.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    October 11, 2016 at 5:18 pm

    Pigeon racing? That’s a thing? That sounds like it might be as exciting as cricket.

  28. 28.

    hellslittlestangel

    October 11, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    @Bess: Curzio Malaparte, a journalist who was embedded with the German army, saw those dogs in action and thought they were very effective. I think he wrote about this in Kaputt.

  29. 29.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    @Schlemazel:

    I vaguely knew that Skinner had worked with pigeons, but didn’t know it was part of the war effort. Interesting.

  30. 30.

    trollhattan

    October 11, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    Carrie Fisher, holder of a doctorate in the field of study, assures us snifflin’ Donnie was on the blow Sunday.

  31. 31.

    hovercraft

    October 11, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    @raven:
    Are you a bird aficionado? What with the name raven.

  32. 32.

    trollhattan

    October 11, 2016 at 5:23 pm

    @Bess:
    Sadly, we trained dogs to carry bombs into Japanese cave systems during out Pacific island-hopping campaign.

  33. 33.

    BruceFromOhio

    October 11, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    “I was supposed to meet Cole here, where the fuck is he, anyway? Hey, snacks!”

  34. 34.

    Major Major Major Major

    October 11, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    I am trying to add a feature to absolutely the worst code I’ve seen since I started working here in June. It is seriously terrible. Just awful. I am faced with the decision of whether to work within the existing system, accepting the slapdash architecture, and write something that might be potentially extensible; or to just hack around it and write something that will only ever work for this one thing. Ugh.

  35. 35.

    hovercraft

    October 11, 2016 at 5:26 pm

    @trollhattan:
    Republicans are great fans of people who receive tax payer money and or benefits being drug tested, so can we get all four candidates to take a drug test? Just saying since they would all be on the government payroll if they won. See I’m not even singling anyone out, not even Donny Blow.

  36. 36.

    Sm*t Cl*de

    October 11, 2016 at 5:27 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    I still aspire to see our local wild parrots.

    My wild parrots are cooler than yours.

  37. 37.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 5:28 pm

    @hovercraft: Negative, Raven was my late great Cocker.

    Speaking of pigeons

    Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai trailer

  38. 38.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 5:30 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Maybe it’s just resting

    Shagged out following a prolonged coo?

  39. 39.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 5:32 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch:

    I have to admit, I’ve never gotten around to it. I like our local birds, but I’m not really a bird watcher.

  40. 40.

    Greenergood

    October 11, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    @raven: Thanks Raven – that’s what I was trying to say, but don’t know if UK bird bands are as accurate! The last pigeon we ‘re-homed’ was 20 years ago, so I’m sure everything’s been updated, Internet-ed, etc,but I know that
    pigeon breeders still love their birds and will look out fof them – the birds’ capability for travelling is quite amazing!!

  41. 41.

    Doc H

    October 11, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    I’m guessing it;s a wedding bird, not a racer. Regardless – the band is the key. A big landing net comes in handy at times like this.

  42. 42.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    Raven

  43. 43.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 5:34 pm

    @Greenergood: Copy and paste, shit I never knew suck a thing existed until this post!

  44. 44.

    Major Major Major Major

    October 11, 2016 at 5:34 pm

    @raven: looks like she was a sweetie.

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    @Sm*t Cl*de:

    So are your newspaper commenters, all of whom are strongly in favor of the birds. Sigh. I haz a jealous now.

  46. 46.

    planetpundit

    October 11, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    Just wanted to mess with the dogs’ brains; squirrels with wings.

  47. 47.

    Betty Cracker

    October 11, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    @trollhattan: People don’t deserve dogs. :(

  48. 48.

    JR in WV

    October 11, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    Some people rent white “doves” for weddings and such like events, to release them when vows are made, or Dad is laid to rest. So maybe this is a professional entertainment pidgeon?

    Anyway, Raven has the scoop on the bands. I would keep the bird up until I read the bands and know who to call. I bet there’s a phone number down there.

  49. 49.

    bystander

    October 11, 2016 at 5:38 pm

    @trollhattan: Another example of our inquiring journamalists. Imagine if Clinton had been snuffling her sinuses repeatedly the way Trump did at both debates.

  50. 50.

    hovercraft

    October 11, 2016 at 5:38 pm

    @raven:
    Beautiful dog.

  51. 51.

    Peale

    October 11, 2016 at 5:40 pm

    @Bess:

    For its first official test, CIA staffers drove Acoustic Kitty to the park and tasked it with capturing the conversation of two men sitting on a bench. Instead, the cat wandered into the street, where it was promptly squashed by a taxi.

  52. 52.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 5:42 pm

    @hovercraft: He was, he’s been gone a long time now.

  53. 53.

    laura

    October 11, 2016 at 5:42 pm

    Careful, that pigeon may have been sent behind enemy lines on behalf of the Trump Campaign by supporter and pigeon enthusiast Mike Tyson.

    On a sad note, California’s First Dog Sutter Brown is gravely I’ll and little sister Colusa “Lucy” Brown is bereft -as am I.

    Many Ballon Juicers have had positive comments of our editorial cartoonist Jack Oman -and rightly so. Jack has ably captured Sutter Brown political operator part excellance. I expect that he, too, is taking this hard.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 5:44 pm

    @JR in WV:

    There are apparently some jerkoids who release birds that haven’t been trained, so they end up having to try to fend for themselves after being released. I’m assuming that someone who bothered to band their birds isn’t like that and would like birdie to come home.

  55. 55.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 5:45 pm

    Kuroshawa’s Dreams Dog Bomb

  56. 56.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    October 11, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    @raven: What’s a Samurai trailer? Mobile housing?

  57. 57.

    Sm*t Cl*de

    October 11, 2016 at 5:50 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Sigh. I haz a jealous now.

    Alfie Kaka is the one on top.

  58. 58.

    Hal

    October 11, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    Holy fuck, if I see one more Facebook post about how shitty both candidates are, I’m going to scream. You’re not voting and think all of the choices in this election suck, why post 3 or 4 status updates on facebook everyday about how you’re not voting and all the candidatestates suck? The first dozen posts made your position abundantly clear.

    Just talking out loud.

  59. 59.

    Gindy51

    October 11, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    @Bess: Serves them right, sneaky F-ing Russians.

  60. 60.

    burnspbesq

    October 11, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    There surely is some wierd shit going on in this election.

    Meg Whitman has endorsed Josh Gottheimer, the Dem who is trying to unseat The Odious Scott Garrett in NJ-05.

  61. 61.

    Gindy51

    October 11, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    @raven: Gorgeous!

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 5:56 pm

    @Sm*t Cl*de:

    That I’m not too jealous of, because the last time something in the parrot family sat on me, the little bastard bit me. Really hard. So I’m content to admire them and their sharp beaks from afar, thank you.

  63. 63.

    hellslittlestangel

    October 11, 2016 at 5:56 pm

    @JR in WV: So maybe this is a professional entertainment pidgeon?

    Did it try to hit on Betty’s chickens?

  64. 64.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    This is the type of crazy that is voting for Donald Trump. Remember Timothy McVeigh? All we need is one of these crazy mofos to become the next McVeigh…smh

    @BraddJaffy
    Woman: “If Hillary Clinton gets in…I’m ready for a revolution, b/c we can’t have her in”

    Pence: “Don’t say that”

  65. 65.

    scav

    October 11, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    Oh dear, now we have shark warnings joining the circus with the pigeons of indeterminate origin. Guard: Mike Huckabee compares Hillary Clinton to Jaws in bizarre analogy

  66. 66.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    @scav:

    You know who killed the shark? The transplanted urban elitist, Chief Brody. The guy who just wants everyone to get along. He’s the one who saved everyone.

  67. 67.

    Old Dan and Little Anne

    October 11, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    Bomb carrying dogs? : (

  68. 68.

    scav

    October 11, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Not according to Huckleberry, he’s not buying into that leans liberal reality or anything.

  69. 69.

    ? Martin

    October 11, 2016 at 6:10 pm

    @lamh36: The lead-in for her is voter fraud. They’ve convinced themselves – not just a minority of Republicans, but most of them, that the election will be stolen. There’s nobody to blame for that other than Republicans trying to whip up support for voter suppression. If Trump goes all-in on claiming the election was stolen, then lord help us. And I don’t know how you stuff that genie back in the box other than to get Republicans on board with proper electoral reform, and not the suppressive bullshit they’ve been pushing.

    The media don’t understand how dangerous that is either. They need to a much better job of pushing back against it.

  70. 70.

    dmsilev

    October 11, 2016 at 6:10 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    I still aspire to see our local wild parrots. Knowing me, it’s entirely possible that they’ve flown overhead multiple times and I just didn’t realize it was them.

    They’re really loud (very vocal), so you can tell even if you’re not looking in the right direction.

    When I lived in Chicago, there was a flock of them in the neighborhood, which was pretty amazing considering the winters. Turned out that that particular variety originated from the foothills of the Andes and built large enclosed communal nests as a way of coping with the cold.

  71. 71.

    Calming Influence

    October 11, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    That’s a tufted eastern bandicoot. Or possibly an eagle in mufti.

  72. 72.

    different-church-lady

    October 11, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    @scav: OMG, I forgot how fake that shark looked. Speilberg got very very lucky the thing malfunctioned as often as it did, because if he had put more of it in the film like he planned, he’d be a footnote of Hollywood today.

  73. 73.

    dmsilev

    October 11, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Also, too, when I walk to work most days I see a woman who is out walking her two pet parrots. One perched on her wrist wearing a harness and a leash and the other in a carrying cage (I’ve never asked, but I guess the second one isn’t harness-trained or something).

  74. 74.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    October 11, 2016 at 6:14 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s worth tracking down and watching sometime. I haven’t seen it in years, although I own it on DVD. Just a really interesting slice of urban human life on the edge interacting with some extremely cool birds.

  75. 75.

    Roger Moore

    October 11, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    I still aspire to see our local wild parrots.

    They’re quite common here in Pasadena, so I’m very familiar with them; I even contributed a picture of them to Wikipedia. You’re most likely to hear them first, so you should see if you can get a recording of their calls to learn to recognize them that way. Even though you’d think they’d be easy to spot because of their bright colors, they are surprisingly well camouflaged. In my experience, they are easiest to spot when they are either flying well overhead or going from tree to tree in the morning.

    When they’re overhead, they’re easy to spot because they have a distinctive flight pattern. They usually fly in pairs, with the pairs still being obvious even in larger groups. They flap their wings very rapidly for a short distance for a bird their size; there’s no other common bird around here that flies that way. I usually see them overhead in the afternoon and evening when they are flying back to their roosts. When they’re moving from tree to tree in the morning, they call out to each other raucously, which draws your attention to them.

  76. 76.

    schrodinger's cat

    October 11, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    Is he with the chickens?

  77. 77.

    Willard

    October 11, 2016 at 6:18 pm

    My Dad is getting very cynical in his old age. He was seriously considering voting from Trump; complaining about how both candidate are equally bad. After the VP debate he complained that neither candidate wanted to talk about policy, so I mentioned that Hillary has a ton of detailed policy papers on her campaign website. This morning he announced that he is not only enthusiastically voting for Hillary, but that he is voting a straight Democratic ticket; for the first time ever.

  78. 78.

    schrodinger's cat

    October 11, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    Vote Hillary, for the kittehs!

  79. 79.

    Iowa Old Lady

    October 11, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    @Willard: I love stories like this.

  80. 80.

    ? Martin

    October 11, 2016 at 6:21 pm

    In TheAtlantic/PRRI survey, Clinton is leading Trump by 11. She’s ahead 61/28 among women. And the poll ran Wed-Sun, so it only has half respondents having seen the tape, and none of debate #2. A few weeks ago Trumps strongest base of support was white women with no degree. Now Trump and Clinton are tied with that group.

  81. 81.

    Calming Influence

    October 11, 2016 at 6:23 pm

    I could beat that bird in a race. Under certain circumstances.

  82. 82.

    FlipYrWhig

    October 11, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    @Hal:

    Holy fuck, if I see one more Facebook post about how shitty both candidates are, I’m going to scream.

    It’s not like it was in the glory days of the modern era, when the process yielded two candidates who were both super awesome, like Ford-Carter and Bush-Dukakis.

  83. 83.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    @different-church-lady: I saw that this morning. I don’t watch football. But I might just turn on my tv in the other room so it gets ratings?

    Having said that, do we think they had a convo with him saying if you want to start then…

  84. 84.

    gogol's wife

    October 11, 2016 at 6:25 pm

    I liked Colbert’s take on the debate.

  85. 85.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:25 pm

    Is Trump Trying To Kiss Arianne Zucker In This New Footage From 2005?

    On Tuesday, Extra released its own footage showing what happened when the Access Hollywood cameras stopped rolling and Trump continued his work on the set.
    The footage shows him meeting other cast members, posing for a photo with Zucker and her then-husband, and doing an interview with the actress.
    “You have to hit those lines properly, otherwise you’re out of business, right?” he says of his cameo on the show.
    “That’s right. You’re fired!” Zucker responds. “Am I allowed to say that?”
    As the interview ends, Zucker says she is going to “sneak out” and then tries to shake Trump’s hand.
    “Bye, baby,” Trump says, before grabbing her arm, gesturing towards himself, and pursing his lips together.
    The clip released by Extra on its website then cuts out, not showing if Trump indeed does kiss the actor goodbye.

    Zucker is the soap actress that Billy Bush and Trump were in the video with from AH

  86. 86.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 6:26 pm

    @scav:

    Let’s just say that I’m not surprised that Huckleberry conveniently forgets that the day was actually saved by the guy from New York City and not the asshole sea captain.

  87. 87.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:27 pm

    I guess 4 years ago today, the TIME photos of Paul Ryan lifting weights was published…lol.

    Someone on twitter has updated it to fit what’s going on today…enjoy

    @darth
    *iconic*

    (notice the small hands…lol)

  88. 88.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 6:28 pm

    @dmsilev:

    They hang out here by my office in the early morning, but I’m rarely here early enough to spot (or hear) them, apparently. One of my coworkers has gotten several photos of them.

  89. 89.

    Calming Influence

    October 11, 2016 at 6:28 pm

    @Calming Influence:

    Circumstances:

    Me: heavily dosed with amphetamines.
    Bird: tied up in a pillowcase.

  90. 90.

    Miss Bianca

    October 11, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    @different-church-lady: I remember reading a book on the making of “Jaws” when I was a kid, and one thing that always stuck out to me was how the crew referred to the mechanical shark as “that son-of-a bitchin’ bastard rig” which to my 13-year-old self was hilarious. Come to think of it, my 53-year-old self still finds it pretty damned funny.

  91. 91.

    Miss Bianca

    October 11, 2016 at 6:33 pm

    @Willard: Wow! Good for your dad!

  92. 92.

    ? Martin

    October 11, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    Looks like the RNC is dumping a lot of their oppo on Trump trying to protect Ryan and the party. I wonder if Ryan is actually in trouble.

  93. 93.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    BWHAHAHAHAHA Damn clowns…got them cutting back on Ronald McDonald appearances…BWHAHAHAHA

    Shitt…Ronald McDonald has ALWAYS been creepy!

  94. 94.

    Baud

    October 11, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    @Willard: That’s awesome.

  95. 95.

    dmsilev

    October 11, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    @Mnemosyne: There’s a flock that lives near my apartment, so I hear them most mornings. Loud buggers.

  96. 96.

    Baud

    October 11, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    Both candidates are horrible. I don’t like either Trump or Johnson. #ImWithHer

  97. 97.

    jeffreyw

    October 11, 2016 at 6:37 pm

    Feathered strangers.

  98. 98.

    sukabi

    October 11, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    @Peale: somebody should have grabbed that pu$&y…

  99. 99.

    randy khan

    October 11, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    @burnspbesq: Meg? Not Christine Todd Whitman? I mean, neither one would seem likely, but at least CTW is from New Jersey.

  100. 100.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:42 pm

    I saw alot written about the twitter rant from the Conservative Woman denouncing Trump and the party.

    Maybe I’ve been a minority for too long (been Black all my life), or maybe I’m just cynical, but I’m not all up in there applauding her for it.

    I mean a broke clock is correct twice a day right?

    But what if the recording of him saying the N-word is real and had come out first…

    Would she still be outraged?

    Naw…I’d bet she’d be blaming rap music and Beyonce… (like this fool…@mic
    Beyoncé fans came for Betsy McCaughey after she used Beyoncé lyrics to defend Trump
    . They STILL draggin her BTW)

    So nope…nothing from me.

  101. 101.

    Miss Bianca

    October 11, 2016 at 6:46 pm

    @lamh36: and according to another poster here – if it’s the same “Conservative Woman” tweeter we’re talking about – apparently she can’t apply her newly-found female solidarity to actually voting for HRC.

    Self-awareness…white people seem to be singularly lacking in it these days. Or am I just noticing it more these days?

    Sigh…need more Zoe pictures…

  102. 102.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 6:47 pm

    @dmsilev: Get the flock outa dere!

  103. 103.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    @Roger Moore: Are they escapees?

  104. 104.

    Betty Cracker

    October 11, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    Pigeon update: we caught it and made note of the code on the leg band. Unfortunately, it doesn’t correspond to any organization I can find online, so I’ve contacted local pigeon clubs to see if anyone can advise me.

    It isn’t obviously hurt, but I don’t think it can fly. I’m worried about it hanging out on my carport because a fool down the road feeds feral cats, so we have a ton around here.

  105. 105.

    debbie

    October 11, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    Thanks for this! He’s off this week, so I figured it was just something he wouldn’t be able to abuse.

  106. 106.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    @Bess:
    I had not heard about the dogs, thanks I love trivial like that.

    I always wondered what the pigeons thought.
    “OH BOY, I am going to get some grain!!
    “OH BO . . . BOOM!!
    Kind of rotten thing to do.

    The US did drop “Bat Bombs” on Tokyo. Canisters of bats with small incendiary devices were released over the city. The canisters opened & the bats flew out to seek a hiding place until nightfall. The went under eves to roost. Because of the bamboo construction they caught fire. It was not as successful as the US hoped but they did work.

  107. 107.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    Team NMFTG!

    @ABCPolitics
    .@POTUS to heckler in NC: “Try to get your own rally”

  108. 108.

    Kyle

    October 11, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    @Mnemosyne: I live is San Francisco, and we have lots of wild parrots. You will know them when you hear them– they are very vocal when flying.

  109. 109.

    ? Martin

    October 11, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    @lamh36: I’m with you on that. She’s all pissed off not because the GOP is constantly shitting on women, but because she was the stupid rube that defended them for it. Does she apologize to anyone for giving them cover? No, it’s all about her hurt feelings, about how they made her look stupid. Sorry, but she did that by herself. They didn’t force her to defend them, she volunteered to drink that kool-aid.

  110. 110.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch:
    Interestingly enough he did the work while employed by Washburn-Crosby. They became more well known as “Pillsbury”. In the 40s and 50s 70-some percent of all the flour in the US came out of their mills in Minneapolis. I have no idea what Skinner was doing there or why they had a defense contract for Kamikaze birds.

  111. 111.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:56 pm

    Sis doesn’t post as many online pics as she used to. But Zoe was looking so cute today she had to share.

    @Miss Bianca: <a href="https://twitter.com/psddluva4evah/status/785977153363947521″>#NiecyZoe ready to slay all the babies at the mall…lol

  112. 112.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    @raven:
    sweet face.

  113. 113.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    @Miss Bianca:

    Sis doesn’t post as many online pics as she used to. But Zoe was looking so cute today she had to share.

    #NiecyZoe ready to slay all the babies at the mall…lol

  114. 114.

    scav

    October 11, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    @lamh36: OH he’s good. You didn’t built this rally. I love that girl on our right catching fire.

  115. 115.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    The Bat Bomb

    We also glued a transistor and phonograph needle mexican bedbugs and dropped them on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The idea was that the bedbugs got agitated when Charlie went by in one of their supply columns and we could call arc lights in on them. Unfortunately the bedbugs also got agitated by monkey’s, waiter buffalo and elephants so we bombed the shit out anything that moved!

  116. 116.

    WereBear

    October 11, 2016 at 6:59 pm

    @lamh36: @? Martin: I was also unimpressed. All that other stuff Republicans constantly do to degrade women… didn’t make an impression?

  117. 117.

    Cacti

    October 11, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    No link because I can’t stand the MFer, but Cole’s BFF Greenwald has published a jeremiad against Kurt Eichenwald for pointing out correctly that Russia appears to be stove piping doctored hacked info to the Trump campaign.

  118. 118.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    @Schlemazel: Wait till tomorrow, my pups made the front page of the Flagpole and the electronic version will be out in the morning! It’s from the same photoshoot as the other two I’ve posted but this one is really good!

  119. 119.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 7:01 pm

    @hellslittlestangel:
    It tried to grab a hen by its cloaca?

  120. 120.

    Miss Bianca

    October 11, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    @lamh36: awwww…sweet! : )

    ETA: Thanks for sharing!

  121. 121.

    japa21

    October 11, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    @Cacti: Let me guess, because even if you had a link I wouldn’t click. He is calling Eichenwald a sensationalist who is publishing innuendo without sufficient proof for what he says.

    He also wrote that while looking in a mirror.

  122. 122.

    Mary G

    October 11, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    Trying to see how to put in a tweet

  123. 123.

    Cacti

    October 11, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    @japa21:

    Let me guess, because even if you had a link I wouldn’t click. He is calling Eichenwald a sensationalist who is publishing innuendo without sufficient proof for what he says.

    He also wrote that while looking in a mirror.

    Pretty much.

    Also too, when in doubt, the benefit of the doubt should go to the Kremlin’s good intentions via Sputnik News.

  124. 124.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 7:08 pm

    @raven:
    I thought bomb the shit out of anything that moved was one of the two strategies Westmoreland had. TRhe other being sending kids out in smaller and smaller numbers until they were attacked & then institute plan 1 again

  125. 125.

    raven

    October 11, 2016 at 7:09 pm

    @Schlemazel: Hunter killer teams with Loaches and Cobras/

  126. 126.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 7:10 pm

    @Schlemazel:
    I am going to be really bummed if this lousy joke does not get a response from somebody

    . . .

    PLEASE CLAP!

  127. 127.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 7:10 pm

    @lamh36:

    Maybe if she had been able to see her way clear to voting for Hillary, us white women could have applauded her and you could stay out of it. But if she can’t even bring herself to do that, then who gives a shit about her and her special snowflakeness?

  128. 128.

    japa21

    October 11, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    My son teaches history at a Catholic college prep HS in Chicago. Our DIL just texted us with a picture of a white board display he did referencing “locker room” talk and a letter a student sent him in regard to it. I would love to share it but don’t know how.

  129. 129.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 7:13 pm

    Wait a minute Tweety said to Hugh Hewitt…”IDK if your the political type”

    Whet????

  130. 130.

    burnspbesq

    October 11, 2016 at 7:13 pm

    @randy khan:

    Strange but true

  131. 131.

    Schlemazel

    October 11, 2016 at 7:15 pm

    @japa21:
    you could contact Ann using the contact page (ask if you need help locating that)
    But if you have a flicker or imgur account you could upload it there and copy the link they provide then post the link here.

  132. 132.

    lamh36

    October 11, 2016 at 7:16 pm


    @colinjones
    This happened. Obama responds to Alex Jones saying he and Hillary are literal demons who smell like sulfur. Then he sniffs himself

  133. 133.

    japa21

    October 11, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    @Schlemazel: Don’t have that, but I’ll contact Anne and Betty both. Thanks.

  134. 134.

    Roger Moore

    October 11, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    @? Martin:

    Looks like the RNC is dumping a lot of their oppo on Trump trying to protect Ryan and the party.

    They’re dumping oppo on their own candidate to try to save their own sorry skins? Let the GOP civil war begin.

  135. 135.

    Elizabelle

    October 11, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    @laura: I know. I am worried about wonderful Sutter Brown too. He’s had a good little life, though.

  136. 136.

    Jeffro

    October 11, 2016 at 7:32 pm

    When they’re even calling for Hillz to win in ALABAMA…

  137. 137.

    Roger Moore

    October 11, 2016 at 7:44 pm

    @raven:

    Are they escapees?

    They’re feral. They are apparently the descendants of escapees, but they now have a well established breeding population. I’ve read that they can only establish themselves that way if they’re released as a decent sized flock. Individuals will join existing flocks- even flocks of other parrot species- but they need to start as a flock to have much of a chance to survive in a new environment.

  138. 138.

    Elizabelle

    October 11, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    Snack bird six.

    I love this photo. Would be interesting if birdie decided to stick around Chez Cracker for a while.

  139. 139.

    Origuy

    October 11, 2016 at 8:11 pm

    @burnspbesq: Gottheimer is a former Microsoft executive. They might have met as part of business or socially. Meg Whitman really doesn’t like Trump.

  140. 140.

    redshirt

    October 11, 2016 at 8:12 pm

    @Willard: Go Willard’s Dad! I love to hear these stories. Of sanity returning instead of fleeing for the exits.

  141. 141.

    redshirt

    October 11, 2016 at 8:14 pm

    When I was in Alice Springs Australian, the airport had beautiful white cockatoos in such numbers they were a nuisance, like pigeons. And then my plane sucked in a half dozen into the engine and crash! Pretty cool actually.

  142. 142.

    Ruviana

    October 11, 2016 at 8:40 pm

    @hellslittlestangel: So its first name really is Walter.

  143. 143.

    marv

    October 11, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    coming out of a well-deserved lurker-dumb to say that “locker room banter” thing is really bothering me. I was a professional baseball player for 8 seasons, just a couple months in the big leagues, but believe me, I know locker rooms from start to finish, and this is not what it was like (not saying guys never said gross or disgusting things in the name of humor, or whatever, lord knows I probably did – but not like that)

  144. 144.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 11, 2016 at 9:23 pm

    @Roger Moore: Firing on Fort Trumpter, how a propos. As Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” Well, kindasorta almost.

  145. 145.

    Mnemosyne

    October 11, 2016 at 11:18 pm

    @marv:

    Chris Kluwe (former NFL punter) says the same thing about pro football. Gross and lewd talk, sure. Bragging about groping someone’s crotch against her will? Not so much.

  146. 146.

    Calming Influence

    October 12, 2016 at 2:44 am

    P@marv: Yeah, there’s something fundamentally different about the way Trump talked. You’re listening to crude guy banter, hardly paying attention, and then it’s “I’m sorry, what? You do what? Say that again, asshole?”

  147. 147.

    marv

    October 12, 2016 at 6:25 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    yeah, my daughter (she’s 30) read that to me y-day. She posted it on her facebook page, I think. I still remember the open letter that guy wrote on some kind of gay issue (the details are gone, but it was a great letter). I think it’s a measure of how far we’ve come on that one issue that I was pretty amazed at the time a football player was expressing that point of view.

  148. 148.

    marv

    October 12, 2016 at 6:28 am

    @Calming Influence:

    One little thing about that I haven’t seen discussed – he said at one point “I was on her like a bitch”. I’m pretty much out of the loop on modern sexual “banter”, I suppose, but who ever says that, and what does it even mean?

  149. 149.

    D58826

    October 12, 2016 at 8:37 am

    Saw on Twitter a highway in Del. was shutdown after a truck load of crated live chickens turned over. Chickens were crossing the road in large numbers.

  150. 150.

    Theodore Wirth

    October 12, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    Right on Betty C. What a beautiful being.

    You are my kin, I give the animals, fish, insects and plants the benefit of the doubt but suspect motives in the behavior of fellow humans. This makes me miserable.

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