Broad Daylight Thieves!

[pnolan48]

These days in Alabama I'm doing as much painting outdoors as I can, because I don't have the air exhaust I had in Ohio.

Last week, working on a Z scale towboat, I grabbed two resin cast stacks, cleaned them up, and attached them to a loop of masking tape, sticky side out. I stuck the bottom of the loop to the large cardboard box I use as a table, and sprayed them a nice gloss blue. It was a beautiful painting day, clear and dry, about 80 degrees, no wind. Went inside to work for 15 minutes, then back to the driveway.

The stacks were gone! There was no wind to speak of and I checked to make sure they hadn't somehow fallen into the box.

Well, OK. Got two more stacks, cleaned them up, stuck them to a new loop of tape, stuck them to the box a little more firmly, and painted them.

My neighbor was out, so we stopped to talk.

And a magpie swooped down from the tree and grabbed the stacks! They were stuck on a bit better so I could shoo her away, but not before quite a loud protest, which I am sure was profane in the magpie language.

For months I've been putting out twenty little parts like ventilators and coming back with 17 or 18--thinking I had just miscounted. No, the magpie had been raiding my stash of bright shiny things.

[Kisatchie]

Hmm... I thought this
was gonna be about
Kiz...

[basementcalling]

Find her nest and you'll have a plethora of detail parts.

[pnolan48]

I misidentified the bird. She is a mockingbird. Same intelligence and behaviors. The same one who has two or three cell phone rings down perfectly.

[djconway]

She's building one fine model boat.

[pnolan48]

Actually, she has a few completed Z scale sailboats. I thought I had just lost them. I am busy, and getting older, and it's easy to misplace a small boat amid the big ships. Now I know better.

[PAL_Houston]

Bird obviously knows quality models when she sees them...

[Missaberoad]

Note to self... He's on to my trained magpie scheme, need to devise a new ship detail part collection plan. 

[robert3985]

Hahaha!!  Great story!!

Time to make yourself a spray booth!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Snark45]

I dunno  --  sounds like a job for B.B. Gunn...   Harry

[thomasjmdavis]

When you get up to the nest, let me know if you find a socket set.  Mine seems to have disappeared, but I often leave the garage door up when I am working out there.

[pnolan48]

A spray booth is on my list. Right now, I don't want to think about cutting through the brick walls. Painting outside has another problem: tiny flying things that leave a gossamer wing right in the middle of a mirror finish. These creatures weren't in ABQ or Ohio. It's like Tinkerbell lost a wing.

[Blazeman]

sprayed them a nice gloss blue.

Must be Auburn birds. Had you painted them crimson, none would be left.

[u18b]

Maybe you can catch her when she tries to turn a profit.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=mockingbird&ftab=AllFeedback

[pnolan48]

Must be Auburn birds. Had you painted them crimson, none would be left.

Hahaha! Kay is an Auburn grad. Moving to Alabama moved her back home.

Absolutely hate to think what would happen if I attracted a Red Hawk (she taught at Miami of Ohio for 40 years). Could probably carry away an entire cargo ship. I saw a prairie falcon, about the same size, carry away a four-pound koi from my pond in ABQ.