Those things that you don't know why happen... but they happen.

MauricioB

Excellent observation my brother

We share Mauricio, only my device was a bicycle not an umbrella.  Results the same, damaged me and the bicycle.

Like Ken we have owls here in West Virginia, I hear them but do not see them.  They love mice, much to my joy.  Here we have Vulchers, ugly creatures but beautiful in flight soaring in circles at about 300 feet.

In Florida we had Sandhill cranes.  Also beautiful.  Each Spring they would have chicks in the pond behind our house and  show them to us.  Same pair for years.  I have feathers in the garage from them.

My wife feeding them in our front yard.

I too am drawn to the avian community.

One morning a few years ago, this Marsh Hawk/Northern Harrier was sitting on the railing of our back deck. It's the largest raptor that I've seen perched in our yard. I wish that I could have gotten a clearer image.

How's this?

roddie wrote:I too am drawn to the avian community. One morning a few years ago, this Marsh Hawk/Northern Harrier was sitting on the railing of our back deck. It's the largest raptor that I've seen perched in our yard. I wish that I could have gotten a clearer image.

I used auto white balance and altered exit color levels in GIMP Photo Editor (free - available for Windows but I'm using the Linux version).

I live on the outskirts of a small town and a short walk from surrounding farmland. Wildlife is abundant! Coyotes, skunks, possums, coons, armadillos, foxes and deer have all crossed my yard at one time or another.

We also have both black and turkey vultures, kites, owls and hawks in all sizes. About 3 weeks ago, while I was standing in the yard, a Coopers hawk came through and knocked a bird out of one of my apple trees then landed in the neighbors yard to eat it. I've also seen Red Tails take and eat squirrels in my back yard and had a black vulture land in my front yard, only to waddle into the street to swallow a small possum. Another time, a pair of geese crossed the yard with a string of goslins in tow.

Almost all of my friends have hit deer with their vehicles; one hit two deer in one day. Luckily, I've never hit one, but have missed several by a few feet to a few inches.

Living in a small town can have some disadvantages, but I would not want to live anywhere larger. I consider myself lucky and blessed.

andrew wrote:I live on the outskirts of a small town and a short walk from surrounding farmland.  Wildlife is abundant!  Coyotes, skunks, possums, coons, armadillos, foxes and deer have all crossed my yard at one time or another.

We also have both black and turkey vultures, kites, owls and hawks in all sizes.  About 3 weeks ago, while I was standing in the yard, a Coopers hawk came through and knocked a bird out of one of my apple trees then landed in the neighbors yard to eat it.  I've also seen Red Tails take and eat squirrels in my back yard and had a black vulture land in my front yard, only to waddle into the street to swallow a small possum. Another time, a pair of geese crossed the yard with a string of goslins in tow.

Almost all of my friends have hit deer with their vehicles; one hit two deer in one day.  Luckily, I've never hit one, but have missed several by a few feet to a few inches.

Living in a small town can have some disadvantages, but I would not want to live anywhere larger.  I consider myself lucky and blessed.

This is probably a stupid question, especially from someone living in Oz where people from overseas seem to be under the wrong impression that most wildlife here is dangerous. Its just not the case. But some is, and they will kill you no doubt about it, but rarely happens. Anyway my qestion: Are Coyotes dangerous? I have the impression, maybe wrongly or not, that they hunt in packs and will attack humans, or have I been watching too much Tv ?

Yabby

My wife and I are very amateurish birders…. We drive the surrounding county roads nearly every weekend …. Usually the destination is a mom and pop cafe or second hand store in some small rural town….We take the off the beaten path to get there and enjoy the Creation along the way…. Always take binoculars and camera in case we see something interesting….Owls are always special…. And challenging to find…. A female Great Horned Owl on a cold drizzly day….



Mauricio, Friend, It is pleasant how you have made the connection with the flight of the owl that inspired your own involvement with flying….It is interesting to read very early aviation history, before man carrying machines, that several successful flying models were made…. A tribute to modelers in general I think….Some used feathers just like you are holding……

Hello friends!... everything you comment here is beautiful... it is evident that something magical unites us.
The photos you have posted there are beautiful.
The photo of his wife feeding the birds is incredible! ... how beautiful to be able to do that and what a story with these birds!
The town where I was born is called Maggiolo, it is small and surrounded by countryside, about 35 km from the city where I live now, but we are always surrounded by countryside and that is really beautiful because in minutes you can be directly in nature at outdoors and enjoying rural roads... is what I like.
I'm waiting to recover from my butt so I can get back on the bike and go places. There are many types of birds, there are also aguiluchos (small eagles), but big enough to impress a lot and get excited when you see them spread their wings. When I can I'll be taking photos so you can see what it's all about. Thank you for all this contribution you make!

Yabby wrote:

........... Anyway my qestion: Are Coyotes dangerous? I have the impression, maybe wrongly or not, that they hunt in packs and will attack humans, or have I been watching too much Tv ?

Yabby

Yabby --
I've seen some videos where a coyote attacked a human, but in almost all cases the animal was either rabid or injured.

In my experience with coyotes, they have always been very wary and impossible to approach if they were aware of my presence. They are very aware of their surroundings and, at least for me, difficult to hunt. Where I live, there are a couple of packs close by and I frequently hear them howling at night, but my only worry is that my dog might run into one when she is out at night. Personally, I have never been worried about my safety, even when walking in the evenings.

a--

Dangerous animals exist everywhere. Probably reason why Australia is considered notorious for this is well, AU does have them. The saltwater crocodile is an example as well as the great white shark because of the numerous reefs surrounding the coasts. Plus, there are venomous snakes, both land and sea. In sufficient quantities, I gather that even the dingo dogs can be dangerous, too. Tasmanian Devil, which I guess is a type of badger is there, too. TV has been instrumental through news stories and documentaries. When I was growing up, National Geographic was fantastic reading, had stories of the wildlife of Australia.

Much of Australia is rural. Perhaps this is where people have an impression of animal dangers through the world media. Wasn't it the late ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin (who met an untimely death in 2006 stabbed by a stingray), who helped expose and popularize dangerous animals on his regular TV series?

In US, we have bears, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, cougars, bobcats, badgers, alligators, poisonous snakes, and etc. It just takes being ill prepared in the wrong place at the wrong time. Occasionally, people have been killed, in some cases eaten.

While living in Gallup and working on the Navajo Reservation, we would hear the coyotes. Most of the time that I saw them, which wasn't often, they were road kill. (For a time, I was doing 2,000 miles (3,300 km) a month in a government vehicle, visiting PHS construction projects and mechanical problems at their clinics and hospitals. Reservation stretches from Grand Canyon to western New Mexico.) I suppose if one was by themselves with no shelter or vehicle, there was a large pack and food scarce because of drought, then it could be possible without a way to defend one's self and without others with him (numbers help), I suppose they could wind up being a pack's meal.
But, I don't lose any sleep over it.

Hi MauicimoB,
What a wonderful story. Thanks !
I was ~6 yrs old too. In Canada. Winter and snow.
Never tried the umbrella from the roof, I admire your courage !
Bikes and running, we tried flying and failed at it all...
We knew how balsa gliders worked. And how to wind a rubber band, and get speed to fly.
So, after a Christmas Day, we had somehow it all, all in mind...
There was the big toboggan hill, that day. The old and new sleds , we had to try...
If you have not been ever on a big toboggan hill, there is always is a big jump/ramp at the end...
So, my 7yr old arms held, pizza box sized sized wings...
Hit that ramp, and some say I flew, but,
I never got a chance, to flap my wings...
I appreciate spars, and all the rest of it, to this day...
Cox engines,
Were after that...
Respect,
Dave