Stuff you don't see everyday

[Chuckanut]

Our home for 10 years was a small A-frame built in a grove of trees on a secluded 20 acres. Because of it's location and a great number of widows we were frequently hit by birds.

What were the widows doing getting those birds to attack you? Hoping to take out your wife so one of them could replace her?

 

[Ronstar]

.....We thought Christmas was a lot better after the visit.

What a great Christmas story!

 

[Bestwifeever]

What a great Christmas story!

+1!

 

[Lsbcal]

New kids on the block (Spring 2016)

 

[MRG]

What were the widows doing getting those birds to attack you? Hoping to take out your wife so one of them could replace her?

Dog gone auto correct. I fixed the widows once.

 

[Ronstar]

Battle going on at our doorstep this morning. Don't know if these are wild turkeys or turkey buzzards.

 

[MissMolly]

Battle going on at our doorstep this morning. Don't know if these are wild turkeys or turkey buzzards.

They are wild turkeys.

 

[Lsbcal]

They are wild turkeys.

And female ones at that. Look a lot like our Northern California ones.

 

[ERD50]

Battle going on at our doorstep this morning. Don't know if these are wild turkeys or turkey buzzards.

I once asked the raptor specialist at a local zoo about "turkey buzzards" in our area. I got a rather stern correction that "buzzard" is not the correct term for the North American bird of this type, they are called "turkey vultures". We have had a LOT of them in just the past few years, a dozen or more circling at a time, and I rarely saw them before.

And while those do look somewhat like turkey vultures, I'll go with the others who are saying wild turkeys.

-ERD50

 

[Bestwifeever]

Let's hope they are turkeys and not vultures waiting for a corpse.

 

[Lsbcal]

"Turkey buzzard" (Turkey Vultures) are the ones that soar in the air thermals. They are not found on the ground much and are very shy of people.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/id

 

[harley]

"Turkey buzzard" (Turkey Vultures) are the ones that soar in the air thermals. They are not found on the ground much and are very shy of people.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/id

They aren't very shy around people around here. You practically have to kick them out of the way if you're walking down the street and there's roadkill around. DW took a picture of a water tower nearby that had about 100 of them perched in it. We considered creating a postcard showing the water tower with the buzzards and a caption saying "Retirees, welcome to Ocean Pines."

 

[calmloki]

I haven't seen this - but how cool!
Hannah Simpson: Kiwi teen teaches cow to jump

 

[MRG]

I haven't seen this - but how cool!
Hannah Simpson: Kiwi teen teaches cow to jump

Heard of cow tipping(like a snipe hunt) never cow jumping.

 

[ERD50]

I haven't seen this - but how cool!
Hannah Simpson: Kiwi teen teaches cow to jump

That's pretty funny! Also, a "Swiss Brown" is actually a very 'pretty' cow, IMO. Some are a very special shade of tan, not a 'mousy brown' at all. Sort of velvety looking with their short hair.

-ERD50

 

[RobbieB]

Rear view;

Just goin' down the road...

 

[brewer12345]

Heard of cow tipping(like a snipe hunt) never cow jumping.

Believe it or not, but people here in Colorado apparently voluntarily go on snipe hunts. I had never heard of doing so, but I ran into a couple of guys this fall who were hunting snipe (specifically Wilson's snipe). It is a legal game bird hereabout. They were not native English speakers, so it took a try or two to get them to understand why I was chuckling when they told me what they were doing.

 

[brewer12345]

They aren't very shy around people around here. You practically have to kick them out of the way if you're walking down the street and there's roadkill around. DW took a picture of a water tower nearby that had about 100 of them perched in it. We considered creating a postcard showing the water tower with the buzzards and a caption saying "Retirees, welcome to Ocean Pines."

Don't know if it still happens, but Hinckley, OH used to have "buzzard day." The swallows come back to San Juan Capistrano; the buzzards come back to Hinckley.

 

[MRG]

Believe it or not, but people here in Colorado apparently voluntarily go on snipe hunts. I had never heard of doing so, but I ran into a couple of guys this fall who were hunting snipe (specifically Wilson's snipe). It is a legal game bird hereabout. They were not native English speakers, so it took a try or two to get them to understand why I was chuckling when they told me what they were doing.

Snipe are a game bird in areas where they exist, marsh birds I think. It's one of those things to really understand who is inviting you to do what?

Actually the first time I would have fallen for the joke as I have seen snipe(game bird), sadly never heard of the semi -friendly hunt.

I didn't know they were in CO. Probably the last place I'd expect. I was thinking costal areas. CO always surprises me.

 

[brewer12345]

Snipe are a game bird in areas where they exist, marsh birds I think. It's one of those things to really understand who is inviting you to do what?

Actually the first time I would have fallen for the joke as I have seen snipe(game bird), sadly never heard of the semi -friendly hunt.

I didn't know they were in CO. Probably the last place I'd expect. I was thinking costal areas. CO always surprises me.

Yes, marsh birds. With the Platte River defining the geography of a fair portion of the state, there is a lot of river bottom, lots of big reservoirs, tons of ponds, and plenty of marsh if you are along the Platte. So to my considerable surprise upon moving here I discovered that there are a LOT of marsh birds and waterfowl here. I was eyeing my beer can with a suspicious eye on the first camping trip to a park that is really just the shore of a 3,000 acre reservoir when I saw big flocks of pelicans there...

 

[omni550]

Don't know if it still happens, but Hinckley, OH used to have "buzzard day." The swallows come back to San Juan Capistrano; the buzzards come back to Hinckley.

Still celebrated the first Sunday after March 15. In 2017, it's March 19.
https://www.ohiotraveler.com/hinckley-buzzard-sunday/

omni

 

[MRG]

Yes, marsh birds. With the Platte River defining the geography of a fair portion of the state, there is a lot of river bottom, lots of big reservoirs, tons of ponds, and plenty of marsh if you are along the Platte. So to my considerable surprise upon moving here I discovered that there are a LOT of marsh birds and waterfowl here. I was eyeing my beer can with a suspicious eye on the first camping trip to a park that is really just the shore of a 3,000 acre reservoir when I saw big flocks of pelicans there...

Thank you. I didn't know of the importance of the Platte River to that part of the state and further downstream. We're on the other side of the divide now so there's even more to learn for me.

I had the same reaction in KS. early, sadly with 3.2 beer. There are a lot of Pelicans and other large fowl. In MO we frequently had blue Heron and even a few cranes.

It's amazing how much wildlife lives close to humans who are totally unaware of their neighbors.

 

[street]

Not sure if anyone has seen Light Pillars. A few nights ago I witnessed this event which was one of the most beautiful skies that I ever have seen. This is about the 6th time I have seen it. Google Light Pillars to understand how this happens. I has to be very very cold for it to happen. It is so unreal it is hard to describe.

https://www.google.com/search?q=lig...OZ1azRAhXH1IMKHWFfAowQsAQIXQ&biw=1093&bih=465

 

[RetiredGypsy]

I was about to walk the trash out one evening in Northern California. Looked out the glass door and there was a tarantula right outside on the patio. I'd never seen one in the wild before outside of my nightmares.

 

[Tom52]

Here is something you don't see every day. Lab nursing a litter of kittens. Mama cat was run over by a car so Mama Lab took over the job.