Tripod sketch
felt tip pen
I have two new studio companions - Jack and Vera - a couple of young parrakeets or budgies. I haven't had birds for a very long time and at one point I used to breed birds of all sorts and had many from parrots down to finches.
There is an uneasy alliance between Tripod and the birds. He's curious and stares at them, but knows that he's not allowed to get close and he's at the point now where he can be left alone in the room with them and he simply goes to sleep in his bed and ignores them. I wouldn't trust him alone while no one was in the house at this point, but he's getting there.
Birds in the barn are another story where cats are concerned. Yesterday morning 70 day old turkeys were picked up and yesterday afternoon a black cat that keeps coming by decided they'd be good fare and killed 20 of them. Needless to say, no one is very pleased. This cat has been wandering around for the past year or more and he and Tripod have ongoing wars. He keeps going into the barn and even eats the duck feed out of their bowl. Usually mass killing like that is the signature of a mink or weasel, but there was none in the barn and if one were in hiding, the rest of the poults would have been killed by morning but none were.
The black cat turned up again this morning, sitting by the barn door waiting to go in and finish off some more poults. Trap for removal or shotgun is next in its fate. I'm an animal lover, but when they cause financial loss and livestock suffering, I am very happy to remove the intruder in one way or another. Straying animals, whether pets or abandoned, cause major problems in farming at many levels.
8 comments:
I once had parakeets the same colors. Now just a cockatiel and have to keep it in a room where the door closes as I have a bird dog inside. Not a good match.
I'm sorry to hear about the turkeys Jeanette and sad to think about the likely fate of the culprit... a tough decision.
On a more cheerful note - I look forward to more Tripod and future budgie studies.
hopefully you can trap the black cat, better fate then the shot gun but understandable if that is what happens.
i wish more people would fix their cats, would go a long way in helping with the stray problems.
your new budgies are very pretty :) going to show up in some drawings like tripod has?
Yes, there are many animals that don't get along. However, Tripod so far is doing ok with them. Touch wood.
It is frustrating Hedera. we're trying to contact the cat's owner now to find out what action they are willing to take. It may be a long shot but you never know.
Yes there may well be budgie sketches before long. :)
I know its hard to control cats wandering, not all are indoor animals, especially in the country. I'll try the easy route first.
Yes, the colours in these birds are lovely, very soft and delicate. I see a watercolour in their future...
The robin's egg blue parakeet on the right looks like one I had as a child, named "The Blue Tango"! He talked and whistled and sounded exactly like whoever he mimicked!
We used to raise chickens and had problem with hawks, fox and dogs, so I understand your cat problem - but that's strange that one cat could do so much damage. Good luck.
Love your little birds and glad you can keep an eye on Tripod :) I think it's wrong to let cats roam - we have a few in our neighborhood and it hurts when I see one (also black) romping over the yards, baby bird in mouth!!! If they are "pets" then they should be treated as pets. Hope you come to a conclusion that will save the rest of the turkeys.
The parakeets are adorable! I'm so sorry about your losing all those poults. Normal cats don't usually kill a swath like that in prey, you really are going to have to deal with him, it sounds like aberrant behaviour.
I've been admiring your coyote sketch and Tripod's too.
Sorry I haven't been here in a while.
How awful about the cat; people are so inconsiderate when they abandon animals or neglect to get them spade.
The sketch of Tripod is fantastic, I can't believe it's felt pen as you've got such a depth of tones. I like the start on the coyote too.
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