OT: Interesting bird experience today



Sheldon wrote:

> [snip] My murder of crows are here all winter, I feed them too,
> arrogant big black pricks they are, but highly intelligent, I bet
they
> have higher IQs than 90% of RFCers. In fact this past Christmas I
> bought myself three different copys of Sibleys new bird books,
> including Bird Life & Behaviour. [snip]

You might check out Gerald Durrell, too. Lawrence's brother. As I
recall, his interest in becoming a naturalist was triggered by his
observations of birds, which he discovered were smart enough to train.
I think they were jays, but it's been a long time.... He wrote a bunch
of good stuff, and there are a lot of web references....

-aem
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> elaine wrote:
>> "Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> >
>> > TheAlligator wrote:
>> > > Well, I rarely pay attention to birds, since there are so many
> around
>> > > here. I usually take time to observe the daily geese commute -
>> > > there's a Hunting club nearby that keeps a large group of
>> > > partly-domesticated ones. Every day at sunrise, they fly over my
>> > > house to spend the day at a lake at the back of the property,
> then
>> > fly
>> > > home around or shortly after sunset. And I occasionally notice
> the
>> > > odd mockingbird or two, since they're free entertainment. The
> spring
>> > > migration has apparently begun. Shortly after 6am, I had to make
> a
>> > > quick run down the road. I looked up and thought, "great, more
>> > > thunderstorms rolling in". Wrong. It was an approaching CLOUD
> of
>> > > birds that I could not see either end of on the horizon, left to
>> > > right. Anyway, I got home, and went out to feed 2 of the dogs.
> Said
>> > > bird cloud engulfed us all. Hundreds of thousands of them.
> Never
>> > > seen anything like it, at least not from this perspective.
> Rather
>> > > than go nuts, the dogs were completely frozen in time. In
> contrast,
>> > > the collie-shepherd mix is famous for snatching low-flying birds
> out
>> > > of mid-air and killing them. AT this point I figure, well I
> haven't
>> > > had my shower yet anyway, so I just stood there and waited for
> the
>> > > experience. The bottom layer was so low, and so close to us,
> that
>> > > they whipped up enough wind to make my hair stand straight up.
>> > > Hundreds of them literally passed my head so close that if I had
>> > > moved, they would have nailed me. Everyone should have this
>> > > experience. Cool beyond belief.
>> >
>> > What were you drinking?
>>
>> Or smoking? Sounds like something out of Hitchcock's 'the Birds '
>> movie...
>>
>> I wouldn't think Canada Geese though.
>>
>> Elaine
>
> Nah, Canada Geese always fly in formation... and you'll generally hear
> their honking before you see them... and they never fly low, because
> Canada Geese can't soar except for the last bit of their decent upon
> landing, and then they flap in reverse, they need to flap during their
> entire flight, amazing considering the distances they migrate. When
> Canada geese begin a decent to land they will land, they cannot reverse
> direction once they are in decent mode... they cannot hover, flit, and
> frolic about over your head. But Canada Geese are the absolute masters
> of high altitude flight (they own the stratosphere), which is why
> you'll rarely see them unless they are taking off or coming in... and
> they are always seen in even numbers, when you see one alone it will
> always be on the ground, it has lost it's mate and will not fly (or
> eat) until it finds another... if it doesn't find another mate within a
> few days it will wander off to a secluded place and die of starvation.
>

Since you were once from Long Island, You've probably had your fill of them.
My office property is a haven for these things-rats with wings as far as I'm
concerned. It is not safe even walking on the property during mating season.
The nests are well away from the employees, but those things as so nasty,
they will attack anyone, even if not near the nest.
So they are so bad, I remember seeing one dead in the parking lot. Every
person that went by looked at the bird, said "Good" and kept going.
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Nah, Canada Geese always fly in formation... and you'll generally hear
>their honking before you see them... and they never fly low, because
>Canada Geese can't soar except for the last bit of their decent upon
>landing, and then they flap in reverse,
Did I screw up my post, or what. Exactly why is everybody fixated on
Canada geese? That was nothing but a side note.
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>. I feed the hummingbirds, they are
>truly remarkable... even remind me to refill their feeder by taping on
>my window. And there are all the usuals, blue jays and robins are
>already appearing (gonna be an early spring) and all sorts of vicious
>little woodpeckers make a racket around here. There are all sorts of
>waterfowl; egrets, herons, cranes, storks. And all the raptors soaring
>about... don't let your cat or small dog out. And then the owls are a
>hoot. My murder of crows are here all winter, I feed them too,
>arrogant big black pricks they are, but highly intelligent, I bet they
>have higher IQs than 90% of RFCers. In fact this past Christmas I
>bought myself three different copys of Sibleys new bird books,
>including Bird Life & Behaviour. Got myself a high powered Nikon
>spotting scope too... wish I had this beauty when I lived on Lung
>Guyland, there are no windows to peep into here.
>
Your're right Sheldon. I hate Starings too (infested with them) but I
can't help but admire them - they are so freaking smart. Blue jays
and Robins - chattle as far as I'm concerned. And we had a
"hummingbird feeder" for several years - a waste of time. My wife,
about 6 years ago, planted a stand of Cannis (?) I know that's spelled
wrong flowers - red ones. I have never seen so many damn hummingbirds
in my life. Neat little critters.
 
"Emil" <[email protected]> wrote:

>To God Be the Glory.
>Amen brother your reward awaits.
Well, thank you very much, friend. I've never met you before, but I
appreciate your comment very much.
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]>, if that's their real name, wrote:

>And then the owls are a hoot.

I love it! LOL!

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
Sheldon wrote:

> Quite a variety... have lots of Canada Geese here all summer (my 50 odd
> gaggle should be arriving shortly). I feed the hummingbirds, they are
> truly remarkable... even remind me to refill their feeder by taping on
> my window.

I used to keep a feeder for the Hummingbirds but never say them using it.
They do come for flowers. I make sure to plant lots of flowers with big
bell flowers for them. There are a number of ponds and around so there are
always lots of ducks and geese. Wild turkeys were reintroduced here about
20 years ago and we are starting to see them once in a while, not as often
as we see their tracks. We have lots of hawks, vultures, even the
occasional bald eagle. Blue Herons made a good meal of about $100 worth of
koi in my backyard "water feature" so it is now stocked with feeder fish.
There is a green heron that comes by once in a while. I used to put out
bird feeders but found that I couldn't hand the laundry to dry or else it
would end up covered in bird ****.

>
 
Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>We have lots of hawks, vultures, even the
>occasional bald eagle. Blue Herons made a good meal of about $100 worth of
>koi in my backyard "water feature" so it is now stocked with feeder fish.
>There is a green heron that comes by once in a while. I used to put out
>bird feeders but found that I couldn't hand the laundry to dry or else it
>would end up covered in bird ****.
A town fairly near to me is known as the "paradise of bald eagles" and
people come from all over the country to spend time here and observe
them. This is supposed to be the largest winter nesting ground in the
country for bald eagles. A few years ago, we made the 2 hour,
impossible trek to the top of a several-hundred foot bluff and sat
down to watch hundreds of them soaring at will beneath us. I don't
even know what to say. Amazing.
 
What beautiful experiences! I enjoyed reading them.

After my Mom's best friend died (she was like another mother to me)
these loud crows appeared around here. There is some American Indian
folklore about crows. I have heard that crows are very intelligent.
Marie was a damned good cook and her molasses cookies were to die for.
They had a little bit of jam on top. She was quite loud and outspoken.
We went to many garage sales and she would make loud comments so the
people could hear them, like really rude comments about the **** the
people were selling. At restaurants, she urged me to steal all the
little sugar and cream packets and the paper towels from the bathroom.
I won't begin to say about when we went to an all you can eat place.
She had plastic bags in her purse.

I suppose some bird will symbolize my mother soon. Maybe some sort of
songbird.

It was very odd when my first cat died. I had a new job and felt I had
to work all day. My husband kept on calling me up and I would cry.
Amber was 20 and had kidney failure. I have known people who keep an
animal going for months with IV's and such, but this was not possible
for us at the time. My husband called me at work and told me he had
put Amber down. When I drove home from work on Speer Blvd. at 5 p.m.
the sky was so dark that I could see bats flying. That was awesome.
 
"TheAlligator" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Nah, Canada Geese always fly in formation... and you'll generally hear
>>their honking before you see them... and they never fly low, because
>>Canada Geese can't soar except for the last bit of their decent upon
>>landing, and then they flap in reverse,
> Did I screw up my post, or what. Exactly why is everybody fixated on
> Canada geese? That was nothing but a side note.
========

Nah... everyone was still drinking their first cup of coffee/tea/Coke, etc
and that was the last thing they remembered. LOL

I caught what you said - it must have been an incredible, amazing thing!!
I'm so glad you witnessed one of God's little miracles.

I am also, truly sorry to hear about your illness. I'll keep you in mind
and in my prayers. I'll also be thinking of you in April, while I walk for
the American Cancer Society. Medical Science is always finding wonderful
things... I imagine they're find a cure for cancer before they find a cure
for colds though. ;)

Cyndi
 
TheAlligator wrote:

> Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>>We have lots of hawks, vultures, even the
>>occasional bald eagle. Blue Herons made a good meal of about $100 worth
>>of koi in my backyard "water feature" so it is now stocked with feeder
>>fish.
>>There is a green heron that comes by once in a while. I used to put out
>>bird feeders but found that I couldn't hand the laundry to dry or else it
>>would end up covered in bird ****.
> A town fairly near to me is known as the "paradise of bald eagles" and
> people come from all over the country to spend time here and observe
> them. This is supposed to be the largest winter nesting ground in the
> country for bald eagles. A few years ago, we made the 2 hour,
> impossible trek to the top of a several-hundred foot bluff and sat
> down to watch hundreds of them soaring at will beneath us. I don't
> even know what to say. Amazing.

Several years ago, my (then) wife and I took a float trip down the Skagit
river (in Washington state) to view the bald eagles there.

The entire drive up into the Cascades was grey and drizzly, and I wasn't
feeling very excited about the trip. About 5 minutes after the rafts hit
the river the weather gods looked down and said, "Oh, eagle-watchers.
Cool." The clouds parted, the sun shone, the day was gorgeous. We saw a
LOT of eagles, ranging from circling hundreds of feet over us to perched in
trees no more than 15 feet above our raft.

A truly outstanding day.

---jkb

--
"People in stucco houses shouldn't throw quiche."
-- Sonny Crocket
 
TheAlligator wrote:
> "Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Nah, Canada Geese always fly in formation... and you'll generally
hear
> >their honking before you see them... and they never fly low, because
> >Canada Geese can't soar except for the last bit of their decent upon
> >landing, and then they flap in reverse,
> Did I screw up my post, or what. Exactly why is everybody fixated on
> Canada geese? That was nothing but a side note.

That's how Usenet operates, someone makes a side note and the thread
morphs into a new direstion.... I can guarantee the Canada Geese
thingie won't last long, this thread, if it lives at all, will probably
morph into a direction no one can predict, which is all that makes
Usenet interesting, it's unpredictability. What you or any individual
wants to dwell upon is of no consequence whatsoever, Usenet is dynamic
and that is how it should be.
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]>, if that's their real name, wrote:

>That's how Usenet operates, someone makes a side note and the thread
>morphs into a new direstion.... I can guarantee the Canada Geese
>thingie won't last long, this thread, if it lives at all, will probably
>morph into a direction no one can predict, which is all that makes
>Usenet interesting, it's unpredictability. What you or any individual
>wants to dwell upon is of no consequence whatsoever, Usenet is dynamic
>and that is how it should be.

My feet are size 8-1/2EEEE. What size are yours?

Da debble made me do it,
Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_
 
"Karen" <[email protected]> wrote:
>It was very odd when my first cat died. I had a new job and felt I had
>to work all day. My husband kept on calling me up and I would cry.
>Amber was 20 and had kidney failure. I have known people who keep an
>animal going for months with IV's and such, but this was not possible
>for us at the time. My husband called me at work and told me he had
>put Amber down. When I drove home from work on Speer Blvd. at 5 p.m.
>the sky was so dark that I could see bats flying. That was awesome.
>
Dang, that's sad, Karen. I've always been a dog guy, but still. 20
years old? Isn't that a record of some kind? And by mere anecdotal
evidence, I can confirm your statement that crows are intelligent - to
the point of being eery, actually.
 
Jeff Bienstadt <[email protected]> wrote:
The clouds parted, the sun shone, the day was gorgeous. We saw a
>LOT of eagles, ranging from circling hundreds of feet over us to perched in
>trees no more than 15 feet above our raft.
>
>A truly outstanding day.
So, is it just me, or , despite everything you had already learned
about eagles - were you also utterly shocked at how truly huge they
are?
 
"Rick & Cyndi" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I am also, truly sorry to hear about your illness. I'll keep you in mind
>and in my prayers. I'll also be thinking of you in April, while I walk for
>the American Cancer Society. Medical Science is always finding wonderful
>things... I imagine they're find a cure for cancer before they find a cure
>for colds though. ;)
>
>Cyndi
Well, thank you very much Cyndi. That was very thoughtful.
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>That's how Usenet operates, someone makes a side note and the thread
>morphs into a new direstion.... I can guarantee the Canada Geese
>thingie won't last long, this thread, if it lives at all, will probably
>morph into a direction no one can predict, which is all that makes
>Usenet interesting, it's unpredictability. What you or any individual
>wants to dwell upon is of no consequence whatsoever, Usenet is dynamic
>and that is how it should be.
>
Very true. I used to have a rule of thumb, that if the thread was
indented more than 4 times, it was an indicator that someone yelled
"Nazi" and the thread had broken down by then, so I didn't bother to
look. Usenet is just about the best bargain in free entertainment,
ain't it?
 
"Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I wonder what kind fo birds they were - grackles maybe?
I think you're right Sheldon - They certainly weren't Starlings but
common grackles is the closest I could come by. I know this is pure
BS to most of you, but you can't imagine how cool it was.
 
TheAlligator wrote:
> "Sheldon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I wonder what kind fo birds they were - grackles maybe?
> I think you're right Sheldon - They certainly weren't Starlings but
> common grackles is the closest I could come by.

You need to re-check my post, you misquoted me.
 
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