birds
Re: birds
#BirdieSanders https://twitter.com/politico/status/713474676765417477 ...
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Tad Eareckson
- Posts: 9161
- Joined: 2010/11/25 03:48:55 UTC
Re: birds
Continuing from:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post9481.html#p9481
and
http://www.kitestrings.org/post9495.html#p9495
Ears pricked up when this segment:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/a-geological-tour-from-30000-feet-up/
A Geological Tour From 30,000 Feet Up - Science Friday
started yesterday afternoon 'cause I'd been the poster boy for that addiction since the beginning of time. Went from just staring out the window to navigating with Sectional and World Aeronautical Charts, then GPS. And now lotsa planes have the cool nav stuff on personal displays on the back of the seat in front of you.
Had a return flight from my sister's screwed up by the 2003/08/14 cascade blackout and ended up getting put on an alternate in first class with all the privileges. Back then the idiot announcement was that you couldn't use any device that could send OR RECEIVE signals (also couldn't transport explosive gasses - INCLUDING HELIUM) and I said bullshit and was having a blast with my Garmin 76S.
As luck would have it right about that time there was an interference problem with some cockpit instrumentation and the captain sent some idiot bitch of a stewardess back to check for contraband electronic gizmos. I was immediately busted, had to switch off the offending device (a pair of AAs), and was told the captain wanted to talk with me after we landed). She asked me what the device was. "GPS." "Yes, that was what was being interfered with." ("You don't USE GPS, you stupid lying bitch. (And if you DID how come YOURS wasn't interfering with MINE?)
The captain was totally cool, said that there was an interference problem, didn't really think my toy had anything to do with it, just asked me to ask next time. But the next time was next year and by then they'd dropped the idiot bullshit about devices that were capable of RECEIVING signals and you just used them after climbing and before descending through ten thousand feet.
And now you can use anything that doesn't transmit to any significant degree the whole flight 'cept for laptops at takeoff and landing 'cause of their potential as projectiles. And that's really cool 'cause it's a blast to watch takeoff and approach and landing speeds, altitudes, patterns.
But anyway...
http://fc.umn.edu
Flyover Country mobile app
http://fc.umn.edu/assets/img/banner.jpg
http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7683/27579296634_4b419ab34a_o.jpg
The jet routes in that neck of the woods go right freakin' over my brother-in-law's cabin - so right over that you need to lucky to be off a bit in the right direction to be able to see it looking down as much as possible through the side window. And that shot is taken from almost straight over the cabin. A skydiver would have zero problem landing at it after bailing at that instant freefalling to minimum safe deployment altitude.
And the area we hit on 2016/06/15-19 part of the trip was the Rocky Mountain Front from below and a bit to the south of the plane to about what you can see of the mountains to the north. You could probably see a bit of Glacier if the wing were dipped thirty degrees.
Pretty cool that they selected that shot out of everything they might have for their home page banner photo.
P.S. The wind in that area seems to be un freakin' believable a good percentage of the time.
On the morning of the first full day it started cranking up and on a stroll we took into Wagner Basin I estimated we were getting hit be 55 mph blasts that were stopping us dead in our tracks.
Half past the second day we started the Montana Audubon program out of Choteau and the sky downwind of the Rockies was damn near nothing but lenticulars. Never seen anything like it before.
Sunday was again un freakin' believable. Really impressive waves breaking on the downwind shore of a little prairie pothole with spray that was being blasted up somewhere between thirty and fifty feet.
On the 2016/07/09 trip from Essex back to Great Falls for the flight back we were grateful for the legs in which we were driving with a tail- versus cross-wind.
In the morning of 2014/04/09 a record 139 mph gust was recorded at Logan Pass over an average of 66.
Our guide told us that this was a big issue discouraging human encroachment in the Montana Front and that things are getting more severe with global warming.
P.P.S. Belated thanks for the great Cooper's shots, Jonathan. I think that on the Montana trip we totally struck out on accipiters - not to mention falcons save for a few Kestrels. Both flavors of eagles though - the Golden was a young bird taking abuse from a pair of Harriers.
http://www.kitestrings.org/post9481.html#p9481
and
http://www.kitestrings.org/post9495.html#p9495
Ears pricked up when this segment:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/a-geological-tour-from-30000-feet-up/
A Geological Tour From 30,000 Feet Up - Science Friday
started yesterday afternoon 'cause I'd been the poster boy for that addiction since the beginning of time. Went from just staring out the window to navigating with Sectional and World Aeronautical Charts, then GPS. And now lotsa planes have the cool nav stuff on personal displays on the back of the seat in front of you.
Had a return flight from my sister's screwed up by the 2003/08/14 cascade blackout and ended up getting put on an alternate in first class with all the privileges. Back then the idiot announcement was that you couldn't use any device that could send OR RECEIVE signals (also couldn't transport explosive gasses - INCLUDING HELIUM) and I said bullshit and was having a blast with my Garmin 76S.
As luck would have it right about that time there was an interference problem with some cockpit instrumentation and the captain sent some idiot bitch of a stewardess back to check for contraband electronic gizmos. I was immediately busted, had to switch off the offending device (a pair of AAs), and was told the captain wanted to talk with me after we landed). She asked me what the device was. "GPS." "Yes, that was what was being interfered with." ("You don't USE GPS, you stupid lying bitch. (And if you DID how come YOURS wasn't interfering with MINE?)
The captain was totally cool, said that there was an interference problem, didn't really think my toy had anything to do with it, just asked me to ask next time. But the next time was next year and by then they'd dropped the idiot bullshit about devices that were capable of RECEIVING signals and you just used them after climbing and before descending through ten thousand feet.
And now you can use anything that doesn't transmit to any significant degree the whole flight 'cept for laptops at takeoff and landing 'cause of their potential as projectiles. And that's really cool 'cause it's a blast to watch takeoff and approach and landing speeds, altitudes, patterns.
But anyway...
http://fc.umn.edu
Flyover Country mobile app
http://fc.umn.edu/assets/img/banner.jpg
http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7683/27579296634_4b419ab34a_o.jpg
The jet routes in that neck of the woods go right freakin' over my brother-in-law's cabin - so right over that you need to lucky to be off a bit in the right direction to be able to see it looking down as much as possible through the side window. And that shot is taken from almost straight over the cabin. A skydiver would have zero problem landing at it after bailing at that instant freefalling to minimum safe deployment altitude.
And the area we hit on 2016/06/15-19 part of the trip was the Rocky Mountain Front from below and a bit to the south of the plane to about what you can see of the mountains to the north. You could probably see a bit of Glacier if the wing were dipped thirty degrees.
Pretty cool that they selected that shot out of everything they might have for their home page banner photo.
P.S. The wind in that area seems to be un freakin' believable a good percentage of the time.
On the morning of the first full day it started cranking up and on a stroll we took into Wagner Basin I estimated we were getting hit be 55 mph blasts that were stopping us dead in our tracks.
Half past the second day we started the Montana Audubon program out of Choteau and the sky downwind of the Rockies was damn near nothing but lenticulars. Never seen anything like it before.
Sunday was again un freakin' believable. Really impressive waves breaking on the downwind shore of a little prairie pothole with spray that was being blasted up somewhere between thirty and fifty feet.
On the 2016/07/09 trip from Essex back to Great Falls for the flight back we were grateful for the legs in which we were driving with a tail- versus cross-wind.
In the morning of 2014/04/09 a record 139 mph gust was recorded at Logan Pass over an average of 66.
Our guide told us that this was a big issue discouraging human encroachment in the Montana Front and that things are getting more severe with global warming.
P.P.S. Belated thanks for the great Cooper's shots, Jonathan. I think that on the Montana trip we totally struck out on accipiters - not to mention falcons save for a few Kestrels. Both flavors of eagles though - the Golden was a young bird taking abuse from a pair of Harriers.
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Steve Davy
- Posts: 1338
- Joined: 2011/07/18 10:37:38 UTC
Re: birds
Walking out of the upper shop today I saw a big old coyote not more than twenty feet away from me, and the very first thing I thought was what a thrill, and then, what the hell is he doing down here on the ranch? Another second goes by and I see that he is hurt and hurt real bad. Poor thing drug/hobbled himself across the roadway and then disappeared behind a log pile as I watched helpless to do anything. By far the most pathetic and heart breaking incident that I have ever seen. Tears are running down my face again just thinking about it. I wish that I could somehow wipe this terrible memory out of my brain.
I don't want to go to sleep tonight because I know that I am going to have some really bad dreams. I'm so fucking depressed right now that I can't hardly stand it.
PS I wish now that I had done some quick thinking and got in my truck and run him over in order to put him out of his misery.
I don't want to go to sleep tonight because I know that I am going to have some really bad dreams. I'm so fucking depressed right now that I can't hardly stand it.
PS I wish now that I had done some quick thinking and got in my truck and run him over in order to put him out of his misery.
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Tad Eareckson
- Posts: 9161
- Joined: 2010/11/25 03:48:55 UTC
Re: birds
I doubt "quick thinking" would've done your long term emotional state any good. I sure know running over a healthy raccoon and killing him really instantly...
http://www.kitestrings.org/post5297.html#p5297
...isn't a very happy memory for Yours Truly. And I think a lot about a couple of incidents recounted in "A Higher Call"...
http://www.kitestrings.org/post5227.html#p5227
...about the air battles on the Russian Front.
In one a Russian pilot was going down with his plane and the German who'd just scored him couldn't figure out why he wasn't bailing out. Realized he was afraid he'd be shot under canopy if he did. So he pulled up alongside him and signaled him to go ahead and bail, that he wouldn't shoot him. And the guy came down safely under silk.
In another the Russian plane was on fire and the pilot couldn't bail because his canopy was jammed. The German used his guns to save him from burning to death in the cockpit. After he landed the other pilots in the unit asked that if they ended up in the same situation he do the same for them. But he was nevertheless deeply haunted by the incident for the rest of his life.
P.S. Quentin Aanenson - "A Fighter Pilot's Story", "The War" - was in a burning cockpit / jammed canopy situation at high altitude and put his plane in a vertical dive to slam it in. Developed lotsa airspeed and the flames blew out.
http://www.kitestrings.org/post5297.html#p5297
...isn't a very happy memory for Yours Truly. And I think a lot about a couple of incidents recounted in "A Higher Call"...
http://www.kitestrings.org/post5227.html#p5227
...about the air battles on the Russian Front.
In one a Russian pilot was going down with his plane and the German who'd just scored him couldn't figure out why he wasn't bailing out. Realized he was afraid he'd be shot under canopy if he did. So he pulled up alongside him and signaled him to go ahead and bail, that he wouldn't shoot him. And the guy came down safely under silk.
In another the Russian plane was on fire and the pilot couldn't bail because his canopy was jammed. The German used his guns to save him from burning to death in the cockpit. After he landed the other pilots in the unit asked that if they ended up in the same situation he do the same for them. But he was nevertheless deeply haunted by the incident for the rest of his life.
P.S. Quentin Aanenson - "A Fighter Pilot's Story", "The War" - was in a burning cockpit / jammed canopy situation at high altitude and put his plane in a vertical dive to slam it in. Developed lotsa airspeed and the flames blew out.
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Steve Davy
- Posts: 1338
- Joined: 2011/07/18 10:37:38 UTC
Re: birds
I wish that I could escape from that memory.
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Tad Eareckson
- Posts: 9161
- Joined: 2010/11/25 03:48:55 UTC
Re: birds
So predawn this morning it's raining and I roll the stainless steel cage out on the back deck from its normal location in the (front) living room window 'cause a good long soak makes it fairly easy to clean - otherwise I've gotta haul out, hook up, and do a lot of blasting with the electric pressure washer.
During these operations "Quinn" (DNA tested female 2016/06/01) has a little "playpen"...
...platform I've jacked up to seventeen inches that she'll stay on when it's got the extra altitude of the kitchen table. Also keep it stocked with dishes of pellets, peas, scrambled eggs and most of her chowing down happens on the platform - usually on the floor next to the table.
Rain ended sooner than I'd have liked at about dawn and I rolled the cage back in but left the playpen on the table and finished with the cleaning. Bird is back and forth between stations.
At maybe 11:43 local bird's on the platform, I'm by the cage, there's a heart-stopping EXPLOSION from the west facing kitchen window about eight feet away. First millisecond impression is that somebody's fired a fastball full force, second I know it's a big hawk with a lot of speed - probably a female Coopers.
Storm window's demolished, interior's intact. I go out onto the deck dreading what I'm pretty sure I'm gonna find.
First year Redtail, gonna call it a male. Sitting up in the middle of a heap of shards, fluffed, dazed, wings partially open. I approach slowly, fold the wings, bundle him up in my arms against my chest, bring him in. In under a minute he's started to struggle a bit and I'm pretty sure he's gonna be OK - more so a bit later when my left wrist and right hand are cut and bleeding.
Get better control of him and ring the doorbell of the across-the-street neighbor who likes birds, snakes, bees... Let him go after a bit and we watch him fly back across the street and into the top of a high pine, looking perfect. Hopefully has a lifesaving experience under his belt.
Only other attacker here that's really made an effort to go through the glass (twice within an hour) was a Screech Owl at the living room bay window in late November of 2002. I was watching the Masterpiece Theatre Doctor Zhivago and lifted out of my chair both times. Checked the shrubs below with a flashlight both times but came up empty. Thought it was something big (Barred, Great Horned) but in the morning sun I was able to ID it a Screech by the dust imprint on the glass - size, facial disks, ear tufts, leading edges, zygodactyl toes configuration.
I've seen at least one other Redtail and numerous Coopers shots but they've all recognized the glass and pulled off accordingly.
During these operations "Quinn" (DNA tested female 2016/06/01) has a little "playpen"...
...platform I've jacked up to seventeen inches that she'll stay on when it's got the extra altitude of the kitchen table. Also keep it stocked with dishes of pellets, peas, scrambled eggs and most of her chowing down happens on the platform - usually on the floor next to the table.
Rain ended sooner than I'd have liked at about dawn and I rolled the cage back in but left the playpen on the table and finished with the cleaning. Bird is back and forth between stations.
At maybe 11:43 local bird's on the platform, I'm by the cage, there's a heart-stopping EXPLOSION from the west facing kitchen window about eight feet away. First millisecond impression is that somebody's fired a fastball full force, second I know it's a big hawk with a lot of speed - probably a female Coopers.
Storm window's demolished, interior's intact. I go out onto the deck dreading what I'm pretty sure I'm gonna find.
First year Redtail, gonna call it a male. Sitting up in the middle of a heap of shards, fluffed, dazed, wings partially open. I approach slowly, fold the wings, bundle him up in my arms against my chest, bring him in. In under a minute he's started to struggle a bit and I'm pretty sure he's gonna be OK - more so a bit later when my left wrist and right hand are cut and bleeding.
Get better control of him and ring the doorbell of the across-the-street neighbor who likes birds, snakes, bees... Let him go after a bit and we watch him fly back across the street and into the top of a high pine, looking perfect. Hopefully has a lifesaving experience under his belt.
Only other attacker here that's really made an effort to go through the glass (twice within an hour) was a Screech Owl at the living room bay window in late November of 2002. I was watching the Masterpiece Theatre Doctor Zhivago and lifted out of my chair both times. Checked the shrubs below with a flashlight both times but came up empty. Thought it was something big (Barred, Great Horned) but in the morning sun I was able to ID it a Screech by the dust imprint on the glass - size, facial disks, ear tufts, leading edges, zygodactyl toes configuration.
I've seen at least one other Redtail and numerous Coopers shots but they've all recognized the glass and pulled off accordingly.
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Steve Davy
- Posts: 1338
- Joined: 2011/07/18 10:37:38 UTC
Re: birds
I'm wondering what Quinn was doing while all this was going on.
PS- My grandmother had some little stickers placed at eye levels on a sliding glass door of her home. I still managed to slam into that sucker on occasion.
PS- My grandmother had some little stickers placed at eye levels on a sliding glass door of her home. I still managed to slam into that sucker on occasion.
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Steve Davy
- Posts: 1338
- Joined: 2011/07/18 10:37:38 UTC
Re: birds
Then it would be a bad idea to post it on this forum and be reminded of it again. Idiot!!Steve Davy wrote:I wish that I could escape from that memory.
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Tad Eareckson
- Posts: 9161
- Joined: 2010/11/25 03:48:55 UTC
Re: birds
Can't remember Quinn doing anything remarkable. Don't think she even flew back from the platform to the cage.
Redtail had undoubtedly perched high a good distance away out back and checked things out. There was a seven inch deep transparent glass opening between upper and lower white translucent curtains and he'd have been coming through that perfectly aligned slot at about Mach 1.2. Minus the glass Quinn probably wouldn't have noticed anything wrong until a nanosecond or two before the snatch - if then.
I don't think she saw anything. My head snapped a lightning ninety and all I saw was shattered glass, air, daylight.
Previous bird experienced lotsa Coopers attacks at the cage in the front bay window. There'd be a terror call as she'd blast into the kitchen, land on a chair, and be uncharacteristically cuddly when I'd picked her up. I'd know there'd been a Coopers attack whether I'd seen anything or not.
One time I went back to the middle of the window to see what I could see and was coming up empty. Then in a flash I had a face full of super predator. She pitched up and her claws clicked on the glass inches from my face. Then she landed back a few yards away and we just stared at each other for a while.
There was no call from Quinn. I don't think she saw anything more than I did. And she hardly reacted at all when I came back in showed her the thing that had just made a real good attempt at killing her bundled up in my arms. I'm sure she'd have reacted appropriately to a normal profile Redtail however.
My brother lives in some really nice wildlife habitat in Reston, Virginia and has made a lot of effort to make his glass less lethal. Studies have shown that regular decals - black diving falcon silhouettes - aren't worth shit in keeping birds from hitting the glass either. What DOES work, and what my brother uses, is a peppering of UV reflecting (visible to birds, invisible to us mammals) decals.
Bad memories... Maybe they help us keep things in the present in better perspective. But I sure am glad I didn't find what I was expecting to when I went out on the deck.
Had to make TWO trips to the hardware store - Tuesday and Wednesday. The ol' guy who cut the glass the first time was clueless. The kid on the second effort invited me back and we measured and double checked as a joint effort.
I'd spent a zillion hours in that place in my previous life when I was developing and building glider stuff. It was independent then, had everything, and the ol' guys they had back then knew everything about everything and were mega helpful. It was subsequently swallowed up by a chain and homogenized. Left me bummed out a fair bit.
Rain forecast for tomorrow, will do the same cage soak/clean drill. I'll have some shirts obscuring the problematic line of sight this time. That was a disaster waiting to happen.
Redtail had undoubtedly perched high a good distance away out back and checked things out. There was a seven inch deep transparent glass opening between upper and lower white translucent curtains and he'd have been coming through that perfectly aligned slot at about Mach 1.2. Minus the glass Quinn probably wouldn't have noticed anything wrong until a nanosecond or two before the snatch - if then.
I don't think she saw anything. My head snapped a lightning ninety and all I saw was shattered glass, air, daylight.
Previous bird experienced lotsa Coopers attacks at the cage in the front bay window. There'd be a terror call as she'd blast into the kitchen, land on a chair, and be uncharacteristically cuddly when I'd picked her up. I'd know there'd been a Coopers attack whether I'd seen anything or not.
One time I went back to the middle of the window to see what I could see and was coming up empty. Then in a flash I had a face full of super predator. She pitched up and her claws clicked on the glass inches from my face. Then she landed back a few yards away and we just stared at each other for a while.
There was no call from Quinn. I don't think she saw anything more than I did. And she hardly reacted at all when I came back in showed her the thing that had just made a real good attempt at killing her bundled up in my arms. I'm sure she'd have reacted appropriately to a normal profile Redtail however.
My brother lives in some really nice wildlife habitat in Reston, Virginia and has made a lot of effort to make his glass less lethal. Studies have shown that regular decals - black diving falcon silhouettes - aren't worth shit in keeping birds from hitting the glass either. What DOES work, and what my brother uses, is a peppering of UV reflecting (visible to birds, invisible to us mammals) decals.
Bad memories... Maybe they help us keep things in the present in better perspective. But I sure am glad I didn't find what I was expecting to when I went out on the deck.
Had to make TWO trips to the hardware store - Tuesday and Wednesday. The ol' guy who cut the glass the first time was clueless. The kid on the second effort invited me back and we measured and double checked as a joint effort.
I'd spent a zillion hours in that place in my previous life when I was developing and building glider stuff. It was independent then, had everything, and the ol' guys they had back then knew everything about everything and were mega helpful. It was subsequently swallowed up by a chain and homogenized. Left me bummed out a fair bit.
Rain forecast for tomorrow, will do the same cage soak/clean drill. I'll have some shirts obscuring the problematic line of sight this time. That was a disaster waiting to happen.