Bird Watching: Search for a new Papa, 0 by 2dCousinDave

2dCousinDave wrote:
GP: I would have been able to tell the difference right away. Probably no one else would have. When you get as involved with individual birds for as long as I did with him, you just know, in much the same way a parent can tell identical twins apart. He had his unique personality and ways. For example, he would come to the branch by the breakfast nook every morning and look in at me while I was eating breakfast. If another bird was already there, Papa would sail in, and bump the other bird off the perch. When I went to the nest box to check on eggs or nestlings, he would fly down to a particular perch behind me and watch. I rarely saw or heard him approach but when I closed the nestbox and turned around, he was always there.

Physically, he had a broken middle toe on his left foot and the toe turned to the side instead of extending straight to the front. His beak was shorter than this new bird's and I think he was older, his eyes seemed not as buldged and he seemed a bit heavier. However, this last difference may not hold up over time. The birds can look so sleek and thin one minute and as round as a baby chick the next. This new bird may look differently once he becomes more comfortable.

Here are both birds, side by side. The new bird is on the right. There is a remarkable similarity in their appearance but if you look closely, you can see little differences, and in particular, the broken toe.

Dave