Smart Birds

percy glendening

Hi folks
Just wondering if anyone has any interesting stories of smart birds or animals?
that they have heard of
or better still have seen firsthand similar to bellow story

In the late 1920's in Southampton, Blue tits learned to remove the caps of milk bottles and drink from the bottle. This was to get at the cream at the top of the bottle. It's not the milk they were after. The tits lack the enzyme to digest lactose. Drinking milk in fact causes tits to suffer diarrhoea! The milk (full milk) had cream at the top. This cream has no lactose. It is digestible and is very energy rich. The habit spread to London in 1935. Many's a blue tit fell into the bottle and met it's end! With the introduction of semi-skinned and fat free milk and with the decrease of doorstep milk deliveries, this delightful activity of the blue tits has become a part of folklore.

Cork boy 55

The birdman of Glanmire: The bird who trained a human to feed it.

evening echo wrote: »

THE clientele of a fruit-and-veg store in Glanmire have been left all-a-flutter by a charming jackdaw that they now know simply as John.
At first they were shocked to see the bird fly into the Super Pack shop in Crestfield Shopping Centre and land on the cash-till. Locals were even more stunned when the jackdaw — the second smallest in the crow family — answered to the call of store owner Michael Healy, before crawling up his arm and accepting a grape while perched on his shoulder.
Now he is part of the community with shoppers quizzing Michael on the well-being of the bird. This reporter was amazed by the sight of the remarkable bird in action.
“Well, John, you are late today?” said

http://www.eveningecho.ie/2012/04/23/the-birdman-of-glanmire/

Alun

As a child in England in the 60's and 70's, I definitely remember the foil tops of our milk bottles being pecked by the blue tits. It used to annoy me as I also enjoyed the 'top of the milk' as it was known on my cornflakes in the mornings

percy glendening

@ Cork boy 55

Wow ! Great story.
I haven't heard this one before
Interesting read.
Thanks Cork boy 55

percy glendening

Alun wrote: »

As a child in England in the 60's and 70's, I definitely remember the foil tops of our milk bottles being pecked by the blue tits. It used to annoy me as I also enjoyed the 'top of the milk' as it was known on my cornflakes in the mornings

Haha
I hope they didn't ruin too many of your breakfasts !

seagull

Alun wrote: »

As a child in England in the 60's and 70's, I definitely remember the foil tops of our milk bottles being pecked by the blue tits. It used to annoy me as I also enjoyed the 'top of the milk' as it was known on my cornflakes in the mornings

Our dog learnt how to take off the foil cap and use her tongue like a straw to take the top off the milk.