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Grieving Robins

Shyra

Rollerblading along the road
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Every morning I go out and fill the bird baths with fresh water and if there are any nests in the trees I check around them to make sure all is fine. It's late in the season but a pair of robins hatched two babies last week. Today I was outside washing my shed getting ready to paint it and the tree with the nest in it is about 40 feet from my shed. The two parents started screaming and one barely missed me with it's wings. They kept going back to the tree and then flying while screaming. I saw the baby on the ground. It had fallen from the nest and I guess they were asking for help. I picked it up, looked it over, and the only thing I noticed was it couldn't keep it's eyes open. As I was trying to figure out whether it was fine enough to be put back in it's nest, it passed in my hands. I felt so bad not being able to help it. I set it back on the grass for the parents to see that it was gone and went back to the shed to give them some peace before burying it. The dad sat in the tree above it and made some sad clickish sounds while the mom came and sat on a branch near me and made the saddest chirps. They did this for about an hour before going back to care for the other chick. I've found a lot of dead baby birds in the yard but usually way after the fact but this was the first one that I got to mourn with the parents.

The more I really pay attention the more I realize humans don't give animals/birds enough credit for all the emotions and intelligence they really have. We're told not to anthropomorphize them but why should we think their grief, happiness, or other emotions are so different than our own? Food for thought anyway.
 

SLRbirdlady

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I read an interesting account of a peregrine falcon apparently grieving the loss of its mate. The female had died (sadly I think she'd been shot.) A biologist observing the nest wrote that for 3 days the male didn't hunt for himself or the chicks. He spent his time searching for his lost mate. He'd go to her favorite perches and watch for her. The biologist was just considering taking the chicks to feed them so the clutch wouldn't be lost, but then the male started hunting again and successfully raised all the chicks on his own.
 

Tyrion

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We dont give them enough credit thats for sure ..my wolfdog Nymeria has had two hits with grief ..the first one was when my Godrik passed away she mourned him for months ..she tore apart our fence trying to get out and she had 2 other dogs in the house ..she did this until we got her a puppy Rhaegar ..once she had him to look after she calmed down ..then Rhae went missing 64 days ago and she mourned him terribly she stayed in her dog house and only came out for food and water... this time she was the only dog in the house ...she tested our new fence several times ...now that we got her a puppy she has come out of her dog house and is doing much better ..she still howls every now and then for Rhae but she is feeling much better with Torrhen there ...people just either dont watch animals close enough to see the signs or dont care enough to but I can say for 100% that they do mourn for their lost ones :(
 

Birdbabe

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@Tyrion , I'm so glad that Nymeria is doing better with her buddy to watch over.
 

Donna turner

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Now I know some of you will think I'm bonkers but I promise I had a sword tale fish that grieved when his favorite female died. When she was sick she went into a corner behind a rock and rested on the bottom. The male repeatedly nudged her and tried to get her to swim. He hung around her till she died. Treatment didn't work. After I removed her he spent days hanging in the corner with his dorsal fin and tail droopy. He would eat but go right back to the corner. At first I thought maybe he was sick too but he slowly spent less time there and joined the other females. I'm convinced he was grieving.
 

Tyrion

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Now I know some of you will think I'm bonkers but I promise I had a sword tale fish that grieved when his favorite female died. When she was sick she went into a corner behind a rock and rested on the bottom. The male repeatedly nudged her and tried to get her to swim. He hung around her till she died. Treatment didn't work. After I removed her he spent days hanging in the corner with his dorsal fin and tail droopy. He would eat but go right back to the corner. At first I thought maybe he was sick too but he slowly spent less time there and joined the other females. I'm convinced he was grieving.
I cant see why not ..I believe they all have the capacity to grieve :)
 

Shyra

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I think all animals possess every emotion imaginable just bothers me when I'm told I'm trying to humanize them when I mention I saw one showing feelings of one sort or another, especially if it's a wild bird or animal.
 
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