Hobby Thread - July 19, 2025 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin and it came up with birds.

Birds? Yes. Birds. Quack, quack.

You might be tempted to say "I'm not really into birds as a hobby." Dig around in the content and soak in the comments. You might find that you're really into birds and didn't know it or you might find reasons to get into birds. Either way, glad you're here.

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Your participation does not need to limited to the theme. All hobbying is welcome. However, politics, current events and religious debates can live in threads elsewhere. Play nice. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls. Pants are optional. Puns are welcome and effectively mandatory.

Birds offer a lot of hobbying possibilities. Bird watchers know the names and species.
The interweb says that something like 11,250 existing and extinct bird species have been identified and classified.

Artists like polynikes find compelling subject matter in the shape, coloring and movement of birds. Likewise for photographers.

Birdhouses come in all shapes and forms. Builders are limited only by their creativity and bird sized scale. Bird feeders and feeding entertains many a human and there are many different philosophies on what bird food is best to attract the winged masses and keep the squirrels and chipmunks at bay (sorry, Perfessor). Hummingbird feeding and watching is a sub-set of its own.

Some people like having birds as pets. Parrots are wild in some parts of the world, but also famously listen and talk back to their owners.

How many people keep chickens at home for eggs? Far more than you might think. Some people hunt birds and are wise in the ways of quail, turkey, and pheasant. Hunters also know about bird or duck calls.

Penguins are very different than robins or cardinals, but they are birds. There are a few places where you can see penguins in the wild and many zoos have penguin exhibits.

We're going to leave Big Bird out of this discussion but you're welcome to talk about Boobies and Tits.

What happens inside a brand new birdhouse? Watch:

Not all bird seed is created equal.

There are countless websites and videos with tips on spotting and photographing birds. Here are three that seem to have abstained from clickbait and pop-ups:

20 Essential Tips for Bird Photography

Backyard Bird Photography - Feeder Setup, Photography Gear, Feeding Options

10 Essential Tips Every Aspiring Bird Photographer Should Know

Anyone into falconry?

African or European?

Smile and wave boys.

You knew this had to be in here somewhere:

There are 82 different types of Tits. Who knew?

Tits are all diminutive, measuring between 10 and 15 cm, and possess small but sturdy beaks. A few of them sport crests on their heads and have a varied diet of seeds and insects. Moreover, these birds have an appetite for other invertebrates, particularly fondly for small defoliating caterpillars.

One distinct characteristic of their foraging technique is hanging, which involves scrutinising a branch or twig and its foliage from all angles while suspended upside down to feed.

They are noisy, very active and social birds. They are very territorial, especially during breeding season. They are also known for their intelligence. Great Tits and Blue Tits in Britain learned how to open foil milk bottle caps to get to the cream.

Tit birds are hole-nesting birds that usually build their nests in trees, but some species have adapted to make their nests on the ground. The number of eggs laid by tit birds varies depending on the species, with a range of three to nineteen eggs.

There has to be a chicken crossing the road joke in here somewhere

Woman attacked driver that hit, killed chicken that was crossing the road, per police

A woman who stopped at an intersection to allow a chicken to cross the road allegedly attacked another driver with bear mace for speeding by her and killing the bird.

According to [the] arrest report, 38-year-old Cynthia Sosa stopped at an intersection on July 9 "to let a chicken cross the road" when another driver "began honking at her and later passed her, running over the chicken."

Sosa reportedly pursued the driver out of frustration about the chicken's death. Upon catching up to the stopped driver, Sosa allegedly blocked the road in front of the victim's vehicle, got out of her car and attempted to open their door.

"They began fighting over the door," the report allegedly said. "Cynthia wanted to 'teach her a lesson,'' so she pulled out her bear mace and sprayed it into the vehicle, spraying [the victim] directly in the face while she was seated inside."

Bird-related practical advice:

How to remove bird poop from a car

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We talked rocks. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

Notable comments from last week:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

Would TRex include a mystery click behind the top photo in a Hobby Thread? Maybe... If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, hijack the thread for your hobbying as you see fit. We will feature a different theme next time. What are you hobbying? We love showing off Horde hobbying. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

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