Avian Encounters

Onlooker none@ said:

In my mind's eye I always thought of them as about the size of hawks or falcons, but these dudes
have wingspans in the area of 7 and 8 feet and HUGE nests. I rode out to Eagle Island (not its real
name but what I call it) last weekend and rode the figure 8 twice, there was always 2 or 3 of them
circling overhead anytime I looked up. I hoped to see them swoop down for a fish snack, but they
seemed content to just circle lazily overhead.

I am hoping for a unseasonably warm day in late Oct or Nov, so I can lug my digital camera along
and get some pics (I could *drive* there but whats the fun in THAT?).

Not the same, but I almost ran over a Bald Eagle while driving my pick-up truck one day. I'd have
felt like [censored] and had a lot of explaining to do if I hit it.

I was just tooling down the road doing the limit when one HUGE eagle decided to swoop down and grab
a piece of road kill that was lying in the center of my lane. When he left with the carcass, I was
standing on the brakes and no more than ten yards from him.

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In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Greetings from the midwest's Northland!

As I rode along yesterday, I was startled out of my usual reverie by the flight of a pheasant.
Taking flight from the ditch next to the road, the female pheasant flew about 20 yards, wings
making that whooshing noise that larger birds' wings do. Always a pleasant experience to run into
our feathered friends.

About two miles further on I have my second encounter. Eight turkey in the ditch - six females and
two juveniles! They moved slowly off, not flying like they usually do. Have you ever seen a turkey
fly? Pretty impressive, especially when they go overhead. They really can't go very far, but
still, amazing!

This day is getting good! Seven miles later, I am about halfway up a long climb and I see what
appears to be a group of four very large crows in the road. As I neared them, they took flight and
I realized my error - they were turkey vultures! They took flight and circled above me, some of
them lighting in one of the large oaks lining the road. As I stared up at the tree, I noted that
there were about 12 to 15 of them perched on separate branches. As I looked around, there were
four or five more wheeling about in the sky, and more in the other trees lining the roads. They
appeared to be gathering for migration and had to be at least 30 of them. Very impressive.

This morning on my way to work there was a large (probably 15-20) flock of turkeys in the grass
section in the middle of the interchange where I got onto the highway. I had one fly through my yard
(very big, very noisy) a couple of years ago, but this is the first time I've seen a flock of them.

--
Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

All I ever seem to get anymore are large flocks of buzzards eating roadkill in the middle of the
road and refusing to move.

Alexander Gilchrist

I wish I could contribute to this thread, but my transportation-encounters with birds have all been
in cars. I named my last car The Birdshot because, when it was new, it was like a stealth, rolling
bird destruction machine...for the first year I had it, no less than 5 birds dive-bombed into it
while I was driving, most of the resulting in their death.

There was one on route 95 that flew head-on into the front bumper and exploded; the only thing left
was the beak-mark in my bumper. Oh, and there are numerous land-animal encounters (a coyote or dog
that ran into my rear wheel while on the freeway, for example).

Anyway, since I don't have anything of value to contribute, why don't I recycle some moldy jokes?

Bill Davidson said:

I had a close call like that with a pelican. If you've never seen one up close, they are bigger
than any owl--more like eagle or vulture sized. I was crossing a small isthmus and it flew right
across my path. I missed it by maybe 2 feet at the most. I didn't notice it until it was too late
to stop. It was flying about chest high and I was going about 20 mph. That would have hurt.

Do you have statistical proof that it would have hurt?

Quoted message said:

I had a similar close call with a bat at night. I didn't see it until it flew in front of my
headlight. I was going slower and it's only a mouse with wings so that probably wouldn't have hurt
but it still would have been kind of freaky.

Laboratory experiments have proven that bats are not kind of freaky until they are indoors.

Your ancedotes only perpetuate the myth that flying-animal encounters while on bicycles can happen
and may bother the rider. The concentration on this issue makes people think that birds are the ONLY
animal to worry about while riding, as well as causing them to believe that they are dangerous.
Instead, we should concentrate on riding skills so that riders will avoid birds.

Quoted message said:

--Bill Davidson

--
Rick "Moldy joke recycling? New green initiative!" Onanian

I once managed to "hold" a pigeon in mid-flight. I was riding down a narrow street in Paris. I
startled a pigeon to my right. It took off in the same directions as me at about the same speed. It
was forced to travel between my bike and the wall of buildings up against the street. I put my right
hand out and rested it on the pigeon's back between its wings for a few seconds while riding
(keeping it from ascending and forcing it parallel to me.)

"Appkiller" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message news:
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Greetings from the midwest's Northland!

As I rode along yesterday, I was startled out of my usual reverie by the flight of a pheasant.
Taking flight from the ditch next to the road, the female pheasant flew about 20 yards, wings
making that whooshing noise that larger birds' wings do. Always a pleasant experience to run into
our feathered friends.

About two miles further on I have my second encounter. Eight turkey in the ditch - six females and
two juveniles! They moved slowly off, not flying like they usually do. Have you ever seen a turkey
fly? Pretty impressive, especially when they go overhead. They really can't go very far, but
still, amazing!

This day is getting good! Seven miles later, I am about halfway up a long climb and I see what
appears to be a group of four very large crows in the road. As I neared them, they took flight and
I realized my error - they were turkey vultures! They took flight and circled above me, some of
them lighting in one of the large oaks lining the road. As I stared up at the tree, I noted that
there were about 12 to 15 of them perched on separate branches. As I looked around, there were
four or five more wheeling about in the sky, and more in the other trees lining the roads. They
appeared to be gathering for migration and had to be at least 30 of them. Very impressive.

Further encounters that day included red-tails screeching at me as they took flight from telephone
poles and smaller raptors (forget their name, but with a square rather than fan shaped tail).

I feel sorry for those that have to ride in urban and suburban environs as the chance of these
sorts of encounters are very small.

App

trg said:

I once managed to "hold" a pigeon in mid-flight. I was riding down a narrow street in Paris. I
startled a pigeon to my right. It took off in the same directions as me at about the same speed.
It was forced to travel between my bike and the wall of buildings up against the street. I put my
right hand out and rested it on the pigeon's back between its wings for a few seconds while riding
(keeping it from ascending and forcing it parallel to me.)

Parisian pigeons? Rats with feathers.

Robert Chung said:

Parisian pigeons? Rats with feathers.

How do Parisian pigeons differ from pigeons elsewhere?

They're all winged rats.

--
Rick "Blase cliche" Onanian

Ron Hardin <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Start learning some bird songs and you don't have to see anything to keep track of the seasons.
About February to early July is prime song season.

Large birds are the least interesting.

The turkey vultures were hoping you'd die, by the way.

Nah, not these particular ones - they had plenty of deer carcass to work on. Didn't mention it
because the image of large carrion eaters tearing rotten flesh from roadkill kinda ruined the image
for the original post. My "semi-poetic" license at work.

App

I was descending a windey mountain road when suddenly a whole flock of small birds surrounded me in flight. For a moment I was concerned that I would hurt one of them but then I realized they were extremely agile and completely in control. Then I realized that for a few seconds I was PART of the flock, flying in formation with them all around my head. Then as fast as it started it was all over and they flew off without me. It was almost like a transcendental experience for a short time.

(Papayahed1) said:

Subject: Avian Encounters

I got beaned by a hawk some years ago in Cache Valley, northern Utah. A pair was nesting in a tree
near a popular bike route. They had been harassing cyclists all summer. I had heard that one guy got
his forehead lacerated pretty severely.

I wasn't wearing a helmet that day, first mistake. I passed under the tree as fast as I could go,
which in retrospect was a pointless tactic considering how fast they can fly, second mistake. I was
tired and didn't want to take a lengthy detour to get home, another mistake.

I was already past the tree, still in the drops when WHAM! It felt like somebody had thrown a fair
size rock at the back of my head. I looked over my left shoulder only to see him still following me
a few feet behind and off to my left. Thankfully, he didn't attack again.

I went home to find three little talon marks on the back of my head. I was wearing a baseball cap
which probably helped cushion the impact. He knocked it off my head, but there was no way I was
going back to get it.

"Appkiller" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

...Didn't mention it because the image of large carrion eaters tearing rotten flesh from roadkill
kinda ruined the image for the original post. My "semi-poetic" license at work.

This is another image that those of us urban dwellers who work for large corporations can easily
relate to 😉

"Appkiller" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Greetings from the midwest's Northland!

As I rode along yesterday, I was startled out of my usual reverie by the flight of a pheasant.
Taking flight from the ditch next to the road, the female pheasant flew about 20 yards, wings
making that whooshing noise that larger birds' wings do. Always a pleasant experience to run into
our feathered friends.

About two miles further on I have my second encounter. Eight turkey in the ditch - six females and
two juveniles! They moved slowly off, not flying like they usually do. Have you ever seen a turkey
fly? Pretty impressive, especially when they go overhead. They really can't go very far, but
still, amazing!

This day is getting good! Seven miles later, I am about halfway up a long climb and I see what
appears to be a group of four very large crows in the road. As I neared them, they took flight and
I realized my error - they were turkey vultures! They took flight and circled above me, some of
them lighting in one of the large oaks lining the road. As I stared up at the tree, I noted that
there were about 12 to 15 of them perched on separate branches. As I looked around, there were
four or five more wheeling about in the sky, and more in the other trees lining the roads. They
appeared to be gathering for migration and had to be at least 30 of them. Very impressive.

Further encounters that day included red-tails screeching at me as they took flight from telephone
poles and smaller raptors (forget their name, but with a square rather than fan shaped tail).

Kestrel, maybe?

Quoted message said:

I feel sorry for those that have to ride in urban and suburban environs as the chance of these
sorts of encounters are very small.

Not as small of a chance, as you think. There is great deal wildlife in the urban, suburban
environment. Cyclist are more likely to see them, because they are not going 70 mph, but still you
have to look. I once saw a Peregrin falcon, standing in in a pile of feathers, picking the bones,
of what used to be a Pidgeon. If you lived in a city, you would know, this is a good thing.. I keep
seeing more and more birds of prey, the longer we get from DDT applications. Len, Blissfully
enjoying the first couple of hours of DONOT call.

len said:

I once saw a Peregrin falcon, standing in in a pile of feathers, picking the bones, of what used
to be a Pidgeon. If you lived in a city, you would know, this is a good thing.. I keep seeing
more and more birds of prey, the longer we get from DDT applications.

That's it. We need more peregrin breeding programs.

--Bill Davidson
--
Please remove ".nospam" from my address for email replies.

Support the Electronic Frontier Foundation eff.orgeff.orgOpen ↗ Petition Congress to stop the RIAA
lawsuits eff.orgpetitionOpen ↗

Thanks a lot... (sarcastic) The best I can do here in Palos Verdes, CA is the occasional Red Tail
Hawk, and Kestrel. I've seen Owls over the years but not recently. Plenty of winged rats, mice, and
sea birds though...

Once while motorcycle riding on the beach in Baja,CA. I collided with a small bird at around
50 mph. Darn near belted me off the bike, as it hit me in the jaw.

Appkiller said:

Greetings from the midwest's Northland!

As I rode along yesterday, I was startled out of my usual reverie by the flight of a pheasant.
Taking flight from the ditch next to the road, the female pheasant flew about 20 yards, wings
making that whooshing noise that larger birds' wings do. Always a pleasant experience to run into
our feathered friends.

About two miles further on I have my second encounter. Eight turkey in the ditch - six females and
two juveniles! They moved slowly off, not flying like they usually do. Have you ever seen a turkey
fly? Pretty impressive, especially when they go overhead. They really can't go very far, but
still, amazing!

This day is getting good! Seven miles later, I am about halfway up a long climb and I see what
appears to be a group of four very large crows in the road. As I neared them, they took flight and
I realized my error - they were turkey vultures! They took flight and circled above me, some of
them lighting in one of the large oaks lining the road. As I stared up at the tree, I noted that
there were about 12 to 15 of them perched on separate branches. As I looked around, there were
four or five more wheeling about in the sky, and more in the other trees lining the roads. They
appeared to be gathering for migration and had to be at least 30 of them. Very impressive.

Further encounters that day included red-tails screeching at me as they took flight from telephone
poles and smaller raptors (forget their name, but with a square rather than fan shaped tail).

I feel sorry for those that have to ride in urban and suburban environs as the chance of these
sorts of encounters are very small.

App

--

Tp

-------- __o ----- -\<. ------ __o --- ( ) / ( ) ---- -\<. ----------------- ( ) / ( )
---------------------------------------------

Freedom is not free; Free men are not equal; Equal men are not free.

Glad to see you back posting again.

Cheers, Tp

Claire Petersky said:

[email hidden] (Appkiller) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I feel sorry for those that have to ride in urban and suburban environs as the chance of these
sorts of encounters are very small.

Not as small as you may think. I have had the experience of a family of quail (mama hen and her
chicks) running across the trail more than once. I've also had a small hawk fly with me as flew
down the bike trail, probably hoping I'd flush out small birds and rodents as I went by. For
several seasons I've considered the sight of a gold finch on my ride to be "Good Luck" just
because I feel lucky every time I see one.

There have been herons, redwing blackbirds, and all kinds of ducks and geese by the Mercer Slough;
I've seen bald eagles overhead as I rode down West Lake Sammamish Parkway. I wish that vulture
wouldn't circle over me as I ride up from Factoria to Eastgate -- do I look that close to dying as
I grind my way up the hill?

Some mornings on the way to work I've tried to track the number of robins, wrens, sparrows,
finches, and so on that I've seen or heard, but I always lose count. I've also seen rabbits and
probably too many *&%$ squirrels.

You might see more of these animals on a rural ride, true, but there are plenty in the suburban
and urban environment. You just have to open your eyes and ears, and be aware.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky L'Shanna Tova to everyone!

--

Tp

-------- __o ----- -\<. ------ __o --- ( ) / ( ) ---- -\<. ----------------- ( ) / ( )
---------------------------------------------

Freedom is not free; Free men are not equal; Equal men are not free.