Drunk birds sober up in Environment Yukon holding tank

Even the birds don't want to deal with winter!

Birds in Yukon are getting tipsy on fermented berries, so Environment Yukon has set up an avian drunk tank where they can sober up safely.

With snow on the ground, birds are eating all they can before the colder weather ahead, and Bohemian waxwings love to eat mountain ash berries.

"What happens around this time of year is that after the frost, the berries will ferment and so the birds actually can get a little intoxicated from eating these berries and they do in fact get drunk," said Meghan Larivee with the animal health unit at Environment Yukon.

Tipsy birds have a harder time controlling their flight movements, and like people, their co-ordination under the influence is wonky. It can even be deadly.

"So they're flying around but they're not as good at avoiding obstacles," Larivee said. "Hitting windows is not uncommon."

If you come across a little bird that is drunk or unconscious, Environment Yukon will take it and put it in a holding tank of sorts — a hamster cage, "so they can sober up until they are able to be released," said Larivee.

If more care is required, like one bird last week, it goes to rehab at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.

"We'll basically try to keep it nice and quiet, away from stress," said Yukon Wildlife Preserve curator Maria Hallock.

Even the birds have to watch for the popo lol

Peace

That's funny....it brings back a fond memory of my dad...

My dad was a large guy that liked his drink and food. It was on one of his visits where we found ourselves having one too many beers in the backyard. After drinking far too many brews we sat around the table to a great meal my wife had prepared. During dinner I looked up, and sitting on a low branch in our walnut tree I saw two morning doves watching us. They were the fattest damn doves I had ever seen. I noticed that they were positioned right above our table. Well I have been shit on by many people and things and I was not looking forward to another gross encounter. I started to shoo the birds away. They gave no notice. I picked up a walnut and tossed it at them, they barely flinched. How odd. They seemed to be looking at me and saying " fuck you, we were here first!"

There are lot of trees in our neighborhood, and right next door is a mulberry tree. We have a walnut and numerous maples. We enjoy the time in the backyard, relaxing in the shade. Well on this particular day we were drunk and hungry. We were ramming down our food like pigs...I glanced up from my plate and noticed what I thought was jam on my dad's forehead. How strange. Too drunk and hungry to make a comment. Then another splat of "jam" hit him in the head. Looking up I saw one of the birds directly above the target zone. " Dad, the doves are shitting on you, move your ass!" I managed to say as I was keeling over in laughter. My dad wiped his head with his napkin and kept eating. I told him to move again, he said " tell the fucking birds to move." I was rolling on the grass now, I haven't laughed so hard before and probably never will again.

I picked up more fallen walnuts and started to get close to the birds with my unsteady throws...the damn birds wouldn't budge, neither would my dad. To this day I wonder who was more drunk, the doves on overripe mulberries or my dad on his eighth beer!

True story, hope you liked it.
RIP Dad