THIEF!!!!!!!!!!!

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 8:49 pm

Bill owns a company that manufactures and installs car wash systems. (Magic Wand Car Wash Systems, just in case you want to buy one.) Bill's company installed a car wash system in Frederick, Md.

Now understand that these are complete systems, including the money changer and money taking machines.

The problem started when the new owner complained to Bill that he was losing significant amounts of money from his coin machines each week.

He went as far as to accuse Bill's employees of having a key to the boxes and ripping him off.

Bill just couldn't believe that his people would do that, so they setup a camera to catch the thief in action. Well, they did catch him on film!

That's a bird sitting on the change slot of the machine.

The bird had to go down into the machine, and back up inside to get to the money!

That's three quarters he has in his beak! Another amazing thing is that it was not just one bird -- there were several working together. Once they identified the thieves, they found over $4000 in quarters on the roof of the car wash and more under a nearby tree.

And you thought you'd heard of everything.

Best wishes,
Jerry

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:00 pm

Were the quarters grouped by state? 50 for each bird perhaps? Perhaps they would be interested in my kid's stack of old Pokemon cards.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:10 pm

I used to have a starling that I had hand-raised after he fell out of his nest in the roof of my apartment building. This behavior doesn't surprise me at all, those guys are really persistent, and are real characters! Talk about boundless energy. The males can also learn to talk and imitate all kinds of noises. My bird was really attached to me and would rocket through the apartment at 90 miles an hour trying to find me, then bank a hard 90 degree turn and land on my head.

They like to nest in holes, which is probably how the bird found the money in the first place.

Robin

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:21 pm

I wonder if you could train homing pigeons to do that?

jonharl · Post by **jonharl** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 12:14 am

This is the best off topic post bar none.

CHIFF FIPPLE · Post by **CHIFF FIPPLE** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 2:44 am

Brilliant

Jerry

Thanks for sharing

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 6:23 am

I also had a starling before.

Many animal rescue groups will not take them in when injured, because they're a non-native species that threaten the native songbirds, so if you find one injured you're all but left to care for it yourself.

I agree with Robin - they're some of the most intelligent, quirky animals out there.

And this is where I step in and remind people not to eat them or their parrot or chicken cousins.

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 6:54 am

There was a similar case in Charlottesville, VA, several years ago. Teachers in a middle school kept finding their windshield wiper blades stolen. Not the full wipers, just the rubber parts. They did the same thing, set up a camera in the parking lot. It turned out to be a raven that was eating the rubber. Evidently this isn't such unusual behavior; ravens can develop a mineral deficiency that gives them an urge to eat rubber.

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 7:26 am

Thank God my cats are trustworthy! Almost ten years and they haven't taken a dime...

PhilO

fiddling_tenor · Post by **fiddling_tenor** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 7:35 am

They're Mafia birds!!!! Wait until they send out the goon-ey birds!!!

I agree: Best post thus far for OT!

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 9:13 am

PhilO wrote:Thank God my cats are trustworthy! Almost ten years and they haven't taken a dime...

PhilO

Phil, you expect us to believe you haven't been paying them in kind?

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 9:25 am

Thinking twice about my former distaste against public video-spying...

What kind of boyds are these? I thought--cf. La gazza ladra--only magpies were addicted to bright shiny toys? This beside us poor humans, of course--I gather some still prefer metal whistles

antstastegood · Post by **antstastegood** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 11:38 am

That is FUNNY!!!

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 12:13 pm

That's a great story!!!!!!! My WhOA list just changed, I would like to buy one of those birds, say $1,000.00?

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Thu Feb 05, 2004 12:21 pm

Ok, Wombat, so I've actually been toiling for years for my cats without any remuneration at all - obtaining and preparing and serving them meals every day, brushing them, petting them, letting them sit on my lap whilst trying to read (I'm the one reading), and cleaning up after them! And what do I get in return? Just constant love and affection and eternal amusement (I guess I still owe them after all).

PhilO