Silkie Chicken Chick - 5 weeks old (not a Shama but pic here to show to a breeder for medical advice). Cute in his own unique way!

 

 Bar, the Young Shama Coming in to Give DJ a Happy Birthday Greeting! Nov 6, 2021

Lifesongs of the Shama. Chicks !

 This was written in response to correspondence with a noted ornithologist on the songs that the fledglings sing before they leave home. One word is changed in case any kids  read it. Otherwise verbatim. Warning: if you are a Trump voter you may be offended.  It also refers to something Sue wrote which will be included later.

LIFESONGS OF THE SHAMA CHICKS!

by Don White

One thing I’ll note is that to my ear each bird comes up with at least one lengthy and complex song which is distinct from that of the other birds. This song generally runs from 90-120 seconds and seems to be about setting boundaries or treaties with other Shamas, but as Sue has noted I’ve had it used on me as well. Though in that case he may have been talking to the other birds and claiming me instead of singing to me - that’s what I think was going on, though his behavior dramatically changed toward me pre-song versus post-song, like our relationship status was fundamentally changed. I can expand on that if interested. Basically he hated me beforehand and used the cat-scold when I went into the lower yard, and immediately afterwards he “trusted” me no only with his back turned within my arm span, but to interact with his young chicks. What did I do to precipitate it? I tried to hit him for attacking Peepy3, who was clearly retarded and not going to live much longer. I had never lifted a hand to him before, since I respected his wild behavior, but that time I swatted at him and said “lay off, you ***** He’s no threat”. It wasn’t more than 20 minutes later when his behavior shifted and he gave me “the talk”.

I’ve called this distinctive song a young Shama’s “life song”, for lack of a better term. I think that the extended periods of very quiet whisper-singing (can be hours) may, among other things, be them composing one that’s different from the others they’ve heard and which feels like a good fit. I have no idea in the world what other information may be encoded, but presumably quite a bit potentially in a song that intricate… certainly more info than one would need to differentiate it from other birds it had heard. When Bird claimed me, it was like an extended set-speech that a Spanish conquistador would have given upon landing on the beach and claiming the new world for Spain.

I’ve seen it play out in boundary setting; the boundaries of the territories are constantly shifting, the boundary being the imaginary line outside of which another Shama won’t be summarily attacked by the male claiming the territory. The heuristics in a Shama head of what is valuable and worth defending would be interesting to know. But after a bunch of chasing and air battles, the line will be set in specific places by the birds facing off on either side of the boundary, with the defending Shama giving the 90-second to 2-minute song while both hold their position facing each other with their wings dropped. Once finished, there’s a final aggressive feint by the defender and the birds withdraw. I’ve only seen this done with a male and his male chicks, could be that if two mature Shamas did it they’d each recite their lineage, or whatever the song is.

The female and male chicks both seem to develop a life song, and spend time practicing, but I’ve only seen the males go into intense singing to themselves right before leaving to go conquer the world. The females will also sing, but their leaving doesn’t seem preceded by the day of intense singing, or practice, or whatever it is. As Sue noted, when practicing this “life song” it’s usually after being well-fed earlier in the day, having had a bath, and they will frequently pull up one leg while doing it. I think a certain degree of “contentment and confidence” is necessary, or maybe just bird happiness. Like one year I hoped to save a chick, Cheepy2, from being killed off by his dad by putting him in an indoor aviary to get him stronger. He hated it and told me so; when he was released back outside he flew to the front bushes and immediately started singing his quiet songs. He didn’t hold the captivity against us, we could still approach him, he was just happy to be back in the bushes. I realize that would be called anthropomorphizing, but it’s the most economical explanation, whatever birds have that’s analagous to happiness.. and they do share the deep brain structures where our feelings come from. Existing in pure reactivity, like trump voters, without much dissonance resolution.

Interestingly to me, male chicks from different years tend to choose the same location in our yard, even the same branch, for their day of practice before leaving, which implies that they are using the same fairly exact criteria on where to sit to do it. The females will seemingly do it anyplace they alight, and not as intensively; the one we called “chickie” would do it inside Sue’s office inside the house, sitting on the edge of a drawer with one leg up.

When I say the songs are distinct between birds, I can’t prove that but they are different to my ear. The practice they do is different too… like, the chick “rocket” inserted a lot of profanity (catcalls) into his low-volume practice while the other chicks didn’t.

so there are some musings about what I’ve seen. I’m largely invisible to the chicks so can observe them without disturbing them quite close up, though Bikini gave me stinkeye a bit when I put my cel phone camera 18” from him during his practice, and stopped until I took it away. I recorded some of other chicks in prior years though, despite traffic noise on the street.

Don

Tree Dwelling Feral Chickens in the Shama Habitat !

 Here is a video of Posie and her chicks going into the tree to nest at night.

Feral Chicken Adventures in the Shama Habitat !

This blog is about "shamadramas". But no dramas are complete without intrigues and intruders. So we are adding in a bit about the Feral Chickens Hens who are sharing "our" Shama's habitat.

"Rosie" and "Posie" are sisters who were apparently born in the jungle across the street from us and come over for breakfast, snacks and dinner time. 

"Posie"  has just earned her title as "Most Clueless Chicken Mamma of 2021" by repeatedly putting her chicks in jeopardy. 

Will write more about all of this another day. 

Right now I just want to jot down a few notes about the "Sad Demise of Two of Posie's Chicks and the Remarkable Resurrection of "Chickie" another of her chicks. This is so I can toss my handwritten note and continue this later.

Thursday, July 1 : Footage from the Wyze Camera

Location: Lower Kitchen

Starring:  "Posie"  and her 9 chicks 

TIME:  1:38 PM - "Posie" and her 9 chicks are actually IN the kitchen, pecking about under the cupboards and floor. To get there this feral, living in the jungle Chicken, had to take her brood through the laundry room hallway, make a right turn to the Lanai, through the Lanai to the Living Room, Right turn into the Kitchen. Why??? All 10 of them seen alive and happily pecking about.

TIME:  1:54. Sadly-  one chick body seen on the floor, not moving. No other chickens about. 

TIME: 2:36: Don goes to the kitchen, sees the expired chick. Takes it out to "Posie" who has zero interest in it. None.  She is by the pool with her other chicks acting normal. But now there are only 6 chicks. Where are the other 2? Huh?

TIME: 2:45 Sue and Muppet (on leash) search the house and find two feeble chicks, barely breathing. One under a chair in the Living Room, other one near the chair. 

So what happened here? The camera can't tell us as it is a part of a pair of cameras and the system can only retain the recording of one at a time. And pigeons in the front yard set off the front yard camera. Snap !!! Very frustrating as we don't know if our dog got to them or it was the cat that we had heard earlier in the day  meowing.

Followup in very brief:  1 of the 3 injured chicks survived after receiving yogurt and honey water over night. She is back with her flock. "Posie" the mom has still made efforts to take them all back inside the house AND she is perfectly fine eating out of the chicken feeding tin plate  outside as long as the predator (said border collie who MIGHT have munched on her kids)  is laying down next to it. If he stands up she fluffs up, otherwise she is indifferent. Thus earning "most clueless mom ... ever" award.

And "Posie" is now nesting in the very same  tree that the CAT was in that was the subject of the prior post (the pretty little, yet lethal Siamese mix). That cat that ate 3 of the Shama chicks! The cat that got trapped and whisked away to the animal clinic where it was adopted by the vet! That cat. That is where Posie is nesting. With her vulnerable chicks. And we have no idea if all the chicks were able to climb (seriously, wait until I post the pics of this tree) up to join her. I hope to get up really early and look for them. 

Pics to come

Spunky and A Curious. Bulbul

 

Bowing Down Before the Princess .. odd Shama interaction with a Bulbul

 Little Brandein is a bit of a "Waianae Tita" or better yet a priveleged, spoiled, Maunawili Shama Princess. Yesterday on the balcony she was so peeved that Scruffy, the Red-Vented Bulbul dared to land on the balcony to share in the repast. Previously the Bulbuls would harass the chicks and often chase them away if we were not there to intervene. Yesterday, Brandein was not about to put up with a twice-her size ruffian looking  bird and took him on! She went at him. Don will hopefully describe this in detail as I was not there so this is just a brief description.

Brandein charged Scruffy, mouth open and threatening him. Instead of fighting back he did what can only be interpreted as submissive behavior! He put his head down, wiggled his wings, and waggled his tongue.  Dogs do submissive cues to convey to another dog that they are not a threat so let's get along. Humans too. It is not surprising, really, that birds too have intraspecies communication to de escalate fights. Nevertheless it did surprise us and is fascinating. We humans are very limited in our understanding that other forms of animals are not, in many ways, very different from us.  Yes, birds have traits that differ from mammals and, as tiny dinosaurs, see the world differently  and yet.. and yet.. 

So by capitulating to her,  he won her over and she backed off and both got to have a snack. 

If she is good at threats and recognizing cues and what they mean, Brandein may actually make it into adulthood with her own territory. On the other hand if all she got out of this is that she can threaten and win, we hope she waits until she is much older than Hawkie was when she fought for dominance out in the world after she left our territory.  She came back to us looking very beat up and may not have survived her warrior lust. Maunawili is saturated with Shamas so the kids have a hard time trying to usurp the established pairs. 

In Memoriam to Little Billy

 

Sadly, Billy did not make it overnight. He had what appeared to be "Avian Pox", which is transmitted by mosquitoes and is highly contagious. We consulted with bird rehabbers  (thanks so much Dixon, Terrie, Katie, and others) and gleaned knowledge from the Internet. Because it was around his eyes as well as his beak, and he was so little, we gave him oral antibiotics  and hoped that his immune system could overcome it. AP, itself, is a virus and not curable. However secondary infections usually set in and that is what can finish off these little guys. Billy seemed to be relatively  perky at 7PM, moving around and eating and drinking  so we were surprised and sad to see his still little body in his cage this AM. He had been isolated from the other chicks for several days as it is so contagious and we had to weigh his happiness as a wild bird against the survival odds of his siblings if he continued to eat the same food sources and  co-exist around them.  Interestingly he seemed to take comfort when we would talk to him and that would trigger him eating his meals.  His cage had towels covering the sides facing the jungle so he didn't struggle against the cage to get out. Also very useful to  trigger his eating instincts were for Don to have his siblings land on Don's hand for their snacks and then he would turn and walk up to Billy's cage so he could see his siblings chowing down. Whether the motive was companionship or more likely competition, Billy would start eating too. So we had our fantasies of Billy overcoming the virus (which can take months) and being our friend for the rest of his life. But not to be. 

Billy was a very personable Shama chick in that special way that Shamas have. We miss him! 

While we mourn Billy's passing, his biological parents were already completely indifferent to their bird child and his plight. They would come up to the balcony for their snacks and even though he was peeping at them they gave him nary a glance.  They had already quit feeding him before he was caged and now he  no longer was their concern. Birdlet is already focused on her next clutch to be and Bird is .. over being "The Best Bird Dad Ever," which he really was for awhile. He was so industrious. Now apparently saving up his energy and emotional investment for the next clutch. And Billy's siblings, Bob, Brandein and Bernadette are "so last week" for our beautiful, uncaring patriarch. He is now in his "Bobby Axelrod" phase of self- absorption. 

RIP, Billy

 READ THE NOV 7 2020 blog post

first!  

 

 

2021 :  JUNE 9  -  SURPRISE !!!!!  🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

 2021 had been a bit traumatic for us all. Between a kitty that was snatching up the chicks and attacks on the little ones by big Bulbuls we despaired that any chicks would make it this summer. One, Spunky, a favorite of ours, flew to Don's hand and fell asleep. Too injured to survive. We worried that there might be an avian disease as well  as the chicks this summer just did not seem very strong. 

So we worried  about the latest clutch ... 😟

Until Today !!!  😁

Just yesterday we thought that at most there were 2 survivors of this most recent clutch of 3 chicks and very possibly only 1 (until we saw Birdlet go across the street so maybe one was alive over there?)   Nicknamed Billy, Bob and Brandine these triplets were being raised separately by the parents. Two with Bird, one with Birdlet. As far as we could tell. 

Bird brought two boys to the balcony a few days ago. Yay! Then, sadly, yesterday, we were pretty sure that either Billy or Bob had perished as only one could be seen. So his name became BillyBob. So sad. Then Birdlet resumed flying across the street with her worms so hopefully that meant Brandine was still alive. Yay!  Sue traipsed across the street, called to  Birdlet who appeared and  sat on the street sign. She then came down to the proffered cup of worms, grabbed a few and disappeared into deep brush. Whew ! Sounds of a chick. What a relief. So back to thinking two had survived.  

Then this afternoon both parents seemed to just be hanging around here and  Don saw two chicks. Did that mean that Birdlet had brought over Brandine and had reunited the family?  But an hour later  she flew across the street again. Huh?  Had Birdlet  led Brandeine back across the street?  Hmmm..  😕

AND THEN .. THE REST OF THE STORY (as Paul Harvey would say) 

Don came to me at 5PM while I was out watering and told me to come sit on the lanai while he updated me with the latest "Wildlife Report". On no! I was sure he was going to tell me that only 1 of the boys was still alive.

But no!   He informed me that a few minutes before he had gone down the hill to sit and observe to see if he could find out how many chicks were there. Were Billy  AND Bob still alive?  Probably not but hopeful.

Wait ! How many chicks were leaping about in the tree?  He was thrilled and startled to spy several chicks more or less lined up on the fence and tree limb. 

Who were they you ask?  

He saw Billy AND Bob AND Brandine AND Bernadette!    Yep! A 4th chick !!!  🙌🙌

So now the  family is the 6 B's!  Bird, Birdlet, Billy, Bob, Brandine and Bernadette! 

Say those as fast as you can! 

Below is the angelic looking kitten that ate the prior clutch of chicks. He was finally trapped. He was not happy and we were not sure if he would be adoptable. He was clearly not someone's pet and made it clear he had no intention of becoming one.  Sue spent days trying to find him found him a foster/ adoptive pet parent  who did not live in our area so if he did escape he would not be able to come back here and dispatch more chicks. She sat beside his cage and read him "Becoming" by Michelle Obama while dropping treats into his crate. Finally he stopped trying to scratch her. And a foster/ adoptive mom was found. Yay! Foster mom took him to PetVet for his checkup before she was to take him to her cat sanctuary. And guess what happened! One of the vets fell in love with him and adopted him. What a lucky cat!  Credit goes to the life lessons imparted by Michelle as otherwise there is no explanation as to why this feline actually behaved himself at the vets. Seriously!  From feral bird killer to cushy pet !