Imping The Magpie

[den]

Tonight I was asked to help stick flight feathers onto another bird. It's a young magpie someone wanted to keep as a pet, so they clipped its wings. Then they let it go. Whee!

We'll use araldite and toothpicks this time. It'll be a lot easier than imping the eagles. And this bird won't try to rip off my face. Actually, it will try because it'll be really pissed off, but it's a lot smaller than an eagle and I'm not shit-scared of magpies.

Comments

[tygermoonfoxx.livejournal.com]

What a shame you can't simply hunt down the idiot who did that and defeather THEM.

Still, it must be rather interesting. I've always liked jigsaw puzzles, just not ones that fly.

[elynne.livejournal.com]

What a shame you can't simply hunt down the idiot who did that and defeather THEM.

That's what I thought. >:( Good luck, Batty dear, and tell us how it goes/went!

[greyman.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed that you can even do such a thing. Does the bird eventually grow its own flight feathers, or does it use these prosthetic ones forever/require re-"imping"?

I'm either fascinated or horribly confused.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

The bird will shed the replaced feathers at his next moult. Feathers are like hairs in that they're just dead skin and need to be replaced periodically.

[weyrdbird.livejournal.com]

Maybe someday I'll find a shed repaired feather.
People who do that to birds are the ones who are insane. There was a young crow I used to see here that had lost 3/4 of the feathers of his/her right wing but could still fly around here last spring.Lost as in *gone, and the upper feathers were clipped straight across:(. It took longer to take off and a wider arc to land but could still hunt worms and ants and tidbits. And it had to adjust for the wing difference when it picked up hunks of roadkill. Plucky little crow.

[makovette.livejournal.com]

So can you still count to 10 ok? ;-)

I used to have crows and flying squirrels as pets growing up. Never once did we snip a single feather or harm a single hair on a cuuute furry little head.

Crows are phenominally cool birds to have as pets, they are great strong flyers to watch, although they are far to enamored of shinies for thier own good - think of women's ear rings and hair barrettes and you can get an idea of just how much trouble they can get you into :)

CYa!
Mako

KAWK! KAWK-KAWK-KAWK!

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

Tonight I was asked to help stick flight feathers onto another bird.

*rattle* Kawk! *clack-clack!* Kawk-kawk!

It's a young magpie someone wanted to keep as a pet, so they clipped its wings. Then they let it go.

*CLACK-CLACK-POP!* KAAAAAR! KAAAAR!! *flapflapflap*

We'll use araldite and toothpicks this time.

*ruffles* Ka-ka-karck. *whistle*

Actually, it will try because it'll be really pissed off, but it's a lot smaller than an eagle and I'm not shit-scared of magpies.

*FLUFF!* Kaaaaa! *wingspread* Kerrrkt-kt-kt-kt. *preen-preen*