Nice People Thread Number 10 -the official residence of Nice People

vivatifosi

I do love Starlings, they frolic in my parents garden and are a joy to watch. I will have to listen to their call and compare, thanks. Mum's colony lives in their hedges and is there year round. They are one of my favourite birds, along with the loyal robin and the soaring swift, so I will be delighted if that is the case. I've never thought of them as migratory, so that puts them back in the frame, thanks.

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

I do love Starlings, they frolic in my parents garden and are a joy to watch. I will have to listen to their call and compare, thanks. Mum's colony lives in their hedges and is there year round. They are one of my favourite birds, along with the loyal robin and the soaring swift, so I will be delighted if that is the case. I've never thought of them as migratory, so that puts them back in the frame, thanks.

It's not so much their call as tjat they might mimic readily. So if they had heard and liked a phone sound like that they might 'run with it'.

They have,aiui, not classic migratory patterns, lots are resident, but some have holiday homes and others just have different breeding grounds from living grounds. You might be a breeding ground

Doozergirl

lostinrates wrote: »

They have,aiui, not classic migratory patterns, lots are resident, but some have holiday homes

Posh alert! :rotfl:

vivatifosi

lostinrates wrote: »

It's not so much their call as tjat they might mimic readily. So if they had heard and liked a phone sound like that they might 'run with it'.

They have,aiui, not classic migratory patterns, lots are resident, but some have holiday homes and others just have different breeding grounds from living grounds. You might be a breeding ground

I hear some other bird "chatter" they use the same phrase every time I hear the phone tone so I think it is the same bird. I thought if I listened out for that it might help. Phone bird stays here for the summer and leaves when it turns cold. It is the third year I've noticed them here.

I've just looked up starling life span. Says 2-3 years which I found sad, until I read that the longest recorded was over 22 years. Here's to starling longevity.

CKhalvashi

vivatifosi wrote: »

I've just looked up starling life span. Says 2-3 years which I found sad, until I read that the longest recorded was over 22 years. Here's to starling longevity.

Although how rare is it for this, and how many die in the first few weeks?

An average is just that, but there are surely many factors to be taken into account at the same time here.

CK

vivatifosi

CKhalvashi wrote: »

Although how rare is it for this, and how many die in the first few weeks?

An average is just that, but there are surely many factors to be taken into account at the same time here.

CK

It will almost certainly have been captive. We all know that wildlife is generally far more savage and unforgiving. But I don't want to think like that about phone bird.

Generali

CKhalvashi wrote: »

Although how rare is it for this, and how many die in the first few weeks?

An average is just that, but there are surely many factors to be taken into account at the same time here.

CK

Ooh you've set me off thinking now.

I reckon if I was to measure longevity in animals/birds with a high death rate at the start I'd probably adjust for it: perhaps only count those that survived to be juveniles or something.

Big fire in Sydney today. A crane that has been leaking fuel for a while caught fire (who'd have thought that could happen).

It was quite exciting for me as I got the ferry for the first time in yonks. Mrs Generali came to pick me up from the wharf with the Generalissimos which was nice. I got some more course reading done on the boat. It's nice to have something constructive to do which is for me.

I spent all day at work with a small brown splodge on my shirt which loads of people picked up on. The reason? It wasn't a coffee spill or a shaving cut. My daughter decided that she wanted an extra cuddle before I went to work. She was in the middle of making her specialty dish: Nutella on toast.

CKhalvashi

vivatifosi wrote: »

It will almost certainly have been captive. We all know that wildlife is generally far more savage and unforgiving. But I don't want to think like that about phone bird.

I didn't mean like that Viva, what I meant was that if 40% don't live beyond maybe one year, and 50% live more than two years, that could leave a natural life of 6-7 years, with exceptions beyond that.

Thinking back to Pre-USSR history, the reason for the extended life of humans in the 80 years that followed was in part due to increased (but still basic by Western standards) post-natal healthcare.

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

Ooh you've set me off thinking now.

I reckon if I was to measure longevity in animals/birds with a high death rate at the start I'd probably adjust for it: perhaps only count those that survived to be juveniles or something.
.

Longevity is fascinating. Old horse was a ruddy miracle. In the wild she would have been expected to live perhaps a third of her life span. In captivity half was considered good. My vets were amazed by her, she was just amazing. Ironically, never bred from because so poorly put together, yet NEVER lame in her life and until she got cushions, never sick . Even with cushings, she trooped on, never having any of the associated laminitis issues, or even weight issues really. A key part of her longevity I think is that she seemed to enjoy her work. She had very stressful periods of life, but also very low stress ones, and was kept lightly in work right into her forties. When I decided DH was too heavy for her ( she didn't object but one has to step in sometimes) I asked a light weight client to ride her. The only problem was old girl was reluctant to turn back on a short potter down the road and wanted to keep going :rotfl:

When people ask how long horses live I always say 'we don't really know' because we usually make a decision based on suffering or finances much , much earlier. Know, greater or braver experts than in will determine lifespans, varying on breeds or sizes, and we tend to define peak performance years for different sports, with the non racing sports being roughly branded 8-12 but many advances showing that horses can go on at the top of some games MANY many years longer! Special horse started a new discipline from pretty much scratch after she was that age.


Human longevity is the same. We know even which region we are in, what job we do and relatively small lifestyle aspects impact on longevity. We all ate essentially 'domestic' ( maybe some ferals or free livings) but in the wild? Man like old girl, lived a lot shorter life span.


We, my family, are lucky enough to have one of the longest living recorded dogs of its breed. Why? Luck mainly I guess. He was very, very lean, and had the same back issue big girl has ( and was never bred from) like her we decided a shorter fitter life was better than one on a lead for as long as possible...so ironic he lived such a long time. We fed mainly the now fashionable raw diet, ( mince, tripe , bones) without care to balance it as well as people do now and often cut with terrier meal. He used to come out with me on my ponies at foot ( now something I am not proud of, and don't approve of much) and he ate chocolate at least once a week ( usually a kitkat, my mother found feeding Kats to dogs funny) and often an icecream ( with a flake ) in the summer. At Christmas he had fruitcake, they ate grape year round. All these things we now know were damaging. Yet, there he is, one of the oldest recorded.

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

It will almost certainly have been captive. We all know that wildlife is generally far more savage and unforgiving. But I don't want to think like that about phone bird.

Savage? Well, sauvage certainly.

Take comfort in the fact most animals that are free living would choose to remain so. I do not say all because I am a strong believer in the probability of SOME animal lead domestication theories.