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comment by Foveaux
Foveaux  ·  126 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: August 7, 2024

The burdened tree reminded me..

In NZ we have this wood-pigeon, the kererū.

They're hefty lil guys. And they love to roost in the kōwhai tree.

We had a kōwhai in our backyard, prior to buying our current house. One spring, I watched as one bird sat on a thin branch, extending from the otherwise sturdy trunk. Then another bird sat on it. The branch began to dip. Then a third bird joined in, and it dipped further. I didn't move away from my spot as it was in clear view of the tree and I was worried I'd chase them away, so I stayed very still and didn't try to find my phone.

A fourth bird hopped on the branch, and at this point it was inching towards a 45 degree adjustement downwards, then, I moved to scratch my nose. Two of the birds took flight, and the change in weight flung the branch up, dislodging the other two in a flurry of feathers.

Laughed so damn hard. They're delightful birds who sometimes eat fermented berries, get drunk and topple out of trees, but these guys didn't need any booze for this.