They showed this Andy Griffith Show, Opie the Birdman episode recently on MeTV. Or maybe TVLand., I can never remember between the two.
It’s the one where Opie hand raises the three chicks of a bird that he killed with a slingshot. After some heartbreaking dithering over whether to keep the birds as pets, Andy nudges Opie toward the decision to let them fly free.
This is an episode that is highly praised as heart-warming, although there is some discussion over whether Andy forcing Opie to listen to the chicks’ cries for “their mama’s that’s never coming back.” is too harsh of a punishment for the boy.
However, I’ve never heard discussion of another problem that the episode doesn’t address.
And that’s the likelihood that little Wynken, Blynken, and Nod probably died of starvation shortly after release. After all, the three chicks were never taught how to forage for themselves. They would have no idea what to do in the wild.
Ironically, if Opie had kept them as pets, they would’ve had longer lives.
It’s just a simplistic, sentimental story that I find annoying. And I couldn’t find any discussion of this aspect of it on Google search on the internet.
I’ve been watching Friends of Big Bear Valley on YouTube. I got to watch Sunny spread her wings and fly completely away from the nest. I thought that was the end of it so far as the parents were concerned, but Sunny will remain nearby, might even return to the nest, but her parents will show her how to get food.
I don’t think Opie’s punishment was too harsh. It was reasonable for Andy to make sure Opie understood exactly what he had done. And while I don’t know much about birds, maybe they will die because nobody’s around to show 'em how to get food, I don’t know if that was the point of the episode. I can live with it.
Another 22 minutes we coulda got into what happens “after”.
Miss Crump and Barney could’ve came in with some facts.
Some one might’ve called Howard(birdwatcher?) And he could call a wildlife rescue.
The fun ensues because Barney thinks the place is sketchy and must “nip it in the bud”. So he and Gomer do a stake out.
Yeah, just 22 more minutes of nonsense and Opie learned not one more thing.
The gripper was Andy opening that window. That’s the whole lesson. “Do unto others…”
A lot birds learn nothing from their parents. They fall out of the nest, or get pushed out, and if they survive the fall their instincts take them through life.