Garden Pests and Diseases: Crazed Bird Destroying House - Can Anyone Help?, 1 by DreamOfSpring

DreamOfSpring wrote:
It has been quite a while now since those aweful (albeit sometimes amusing) days when Mr T the crazed tufted titmouse spend his days working feverishly to take my house apart one window screen at a time. I've almost gotten beyond the trauma such that I can see and hear the little grey birds now without cringing. They are almost starting to look cute and friendly to me again.

Last week as I was surveying my little garden I saw a plant that I had not noticed before. Since it had berries I was particularly intrigued. I took a picture, and went online in search of an ID. Quickly, I found that it was Polk Salet. Moreover, and even more pertinent to this thread, the literature indicated that if you observed a bird acting very strangely you should look for this plant because birds are inclined to eat the intoxicating berries. Hmmm. AND it turns out that the plant is growing directly behind the willow tree - the one where Mr T sat taunting me whenever I'd chase him from the window, the one BESIDE the bird feeder where Mr T picked up the seeds he brought over to the window time and again. AND the berries are maturing at EXACTLY the same time of year in which Mr T behaved so badly and so atypically. I know this because in one of the posts above, one of the early ones where I am frantically seeking to understand his absurd behavior, I mention that the grapes are bearing; I go on to ponder the posiblility that he may be intoxicated perhaps from bad or fermented fruit. Well, both the grapes and the Polk Salet berries are green now, and both will be ripe soon...at the same time. Hmmm. May be the closest thing yet to a possible explanation for such bizzare behavior from such an otherwise timid creature.