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The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sat May 31, 2014 7:43 amby BeauV
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sat May 31, 2014 10:38 amby Soñadora
This is great, Beau.
we humans think we're the shit. But take us a way and in no time it would be like we NEVER existed. Nature wins. Always.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sat May 31, 2014 11:06 pmby JoeP
More and more wild animals are venturing into urban areas these days. I live in a medium sized city and 3-4 times a year have deer walking down my street in the morning when I leave for work. There are undeveloped areas where the land is too steep to build on and apparently wild animals live and thrive there. We have deer, raccoons, rabbits and bald eagles all over. Ocasionally there are cougar sightings in the suburbs as well.
The other day I saw an eagle being chased out of our neighborhood by a flock of crows. 15 or 20 crows would fly just below and behind the eagle. They would take turns flying up and diving on the eagle in a big arc. The eagle was jinking and diving to avoid them. It was fascinating to watch.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:09 amby SloopJonB
I once heard crows described as "The bikers of the bird world".
I thought it was very apt.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:29 amby Olaf Hart
They are smarter as well.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:55 amby LarryHoward
We refrain to our resident flock as "the delinquents".
We will put out stale bread, most birds will stop by and grab a bite. Crows will land, stuff their beaks with as much as they can jam in and take it away to gorge on. My mother puts out peanuts ifor the squirrels in a hanging dish that's hard for the crows to raid as it hangs beneath ann close to a branch . Crows love them so the battle ensues. I have seen a male jay stand up to a crow and chase him off to get at the peanuts
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:06 amby SloopJonB
Olaf Hart wrote:They are smarter as well.
That's the one thing that was incorrect about the quote I thought - the average crow is smarter than the average outlaw biker.
I once watched a crow pull a wrapped sandwich out of a dumpster and UNWRAP it - it didn't tear at the wrapping, it inspected it and then unwrapped the folds in sequence.
I was amazed and developed a whole new respect for them. It's a shame they have such ugly voices.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:59 amby Rasp
SloopJonB wrote:Olaf Hart wrote:They are smarter as well.
That's the one thing that was incorrect about the quote I thought - the average crow is smarter than the average outlaw biker.
I once watched a crow pull a wrapped sandwich out of a dumpster and UNWRAP it - it didn't tear at the wrapping, it inspected it and then unwrapped the folds in sequence.
I was amazed and developed a whole new respect for them. It's a shame they have such ugly voices.
I had to think for a moment about the ugly crow voice comment but I guess you are right, it pretty bad as far a bird calls go. They are a bit of Johhny One Notes. Here is an interesting tidbit about crow calls.
Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.
However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.
MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.
The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.
The scientific conclusion was that while all the lookout crows could say "Cah", none could say "Truck."
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:27 pmby Lin
Great photos, Beau and a good topic.
As we encroach on nature's living space they venture further into our urban areas trying to survive. If we made a few changes in our patterns of living, and become more aware of needs & patterns of other species for survival, most of us can co-exsist happily.
Crows and coyotes are very intelligent and adaptable.
Here is a photo of one of the companions found on a golf coourse I play at. The fifth hole greens-keepers, at Northlands.
An interesting video on crows, that I saw a few years back.
http://youtu.be/TtmLVP0HvDg
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Sun Jun 01, 2014 1:59 pmby LarryHoward
We find out local residents very interesting and delightful to have around. A few larger blacksnakes, common water snakes down in the rip rap and no doubt a few copperheads around but they generally keep to themselves. Plenty of birds of multiple varieties. Occasional short lived aerial combat when the hawks decide to dine on the diners at the feeder. Ospreys in the summer and Eagles all winter. Fish, crabs and oysters in the creek (although it's pretty boring to watch oysters). Only 2 that i;d like to invite to leave. Muskrats tear up the bank and the erosion is shoaling around my pier over time and about 18 months ago, we seem to have collected a beaver who has taken out all the pine saplings and girded two medium size (14" trunk diameter) pines. I'd be heavily fined for taking out those pines so I'm not too upset with the beaver.....
May have to set a trap or two before it's over. Dense surburban development (PUD) going in about 3/4 mile away in the firm land above the head of the creek so the original residents before clear cutting are being squeezed our way.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:23 amby Tucky
On both subjects-
There has been a long running debate on Mountain Lions in Maine, including a sighting in Cape Elizabeth, which is decidedly urban. Officialdom insist that there are no big cats in Maine and that people who see them are confusing them with smaller cats, despite the scat in Cape Elizabeth testing as mountain lion.
Read Berndt Heinrich's "Mind of the Raven" for great insight into the corvids- very smart, cooperate with wolves and others, and beautiful as well.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:27 pmby Charlie
This Spring has been a banner year for black bear. We have at least one female with two cubs in the neighborhood, plus a compliment of males wandering through. We've averaged two bears per week in the yard. It's nice to see them - as long as they don't get into the garbage can.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:36 pmby Orestes Munn
Charlie wrote:This Spring has been a banner year for black bear. We have at least one female with two cubs in the neighborhood, plus a compliment of males wandering through. We've averaged two bears per week in the yard. It's nice to see them - as long as they don't get into the garbage can.
http://time.com/2809601/check-out-this- ... d-hammock/
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Wed Jun 04, 2014 12:00 amby Tim OConnell
Beau,
When I lived in Lafayette, just the other side of Berkeley and Grizzly Peak, we often had pug marks of cougars in the garden out the back of the house. In West Vancouver last summer, I hiked up Cypress Mountain behind me just 10 minutes away, and again saw cougar and bear pug marks. We are lucky in many respects to live in a location with big mammals on land and in the water.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:49 amby Britches
Rasp wrote:SloopJonB wrote:Olaf Hart wrote:They are smarter as well.
That's the one thing that was incorrect about the quote I thought - the average crow is smarter than the average outlaw biker.
I once watched a crow pull a wrapped sandwich out of a dumpster and UNWRAP it - it didn't tear at the wrapping, it inspected it and then unwrapped the folds in sequence.
I was amazed and developed a whole new respect for them. It's a shame they have such ugly voices.
I had to think for a moment about the ugly crow voice comment but I guess you are right, it pretty bad as far a bird calls go. They are a bit of Johhny One Notes. Here is an interesting tidbit about crow calls.
Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.
However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.
MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.
The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.
The scientific conclusion was that while all the lookout crows could say "Cah", none could say "Truck."
good one!
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:56 pmby Olaf Hart
The crows around here have learnt to gang up and pull the road kill to the road verge before they eat it.
And there is a lot of road kill, so a lot of crows.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:32 pmby Britches
Olaf Hart wrote:The crows around here have learnt to gang up and pull the road kill to the road verge before they eat it.
And there is a lot of road kill, so a lot of crows.
What I have heard, is that if you heckle or cause trouble for a crow, it doesn't do any good because all they do is gather their friends and become more of a nuisance...crows are a real problem here. Any advice?
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Tue Aug 05, 2014 2:34 amby BeauV
They don't call them a murder of crows for no reason. They are very smart and aggressive. The only "cure" I know of for too many crows is a box of shot gun shells.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:22 pmby Joli
Crows were harassing the shit out of my outdoor cat. It had reached the point that even with the cat sitting inside on the window sill, they would fly to the screen and try to peck through. I opened the back slider door, tossed the cat out, the cat was terrified and hunkered down. Thirty seconds later the crows landed all around him and started to attack. One stayed in a branch cawing, he's the one that died when the air pellet went through his head. Never saw a crow after that, the cat ate crow that afternoon.
Re: The great stuff nearby that goes unnoticed
Posted:
Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:36 pmby LarryHoward
Joli wrote:Crows were harassing the shit out of my outdoor cat. It had reached the point that even with the cat sitting inside on the window sill, they would fly to the screen and try to peck through. I opened the back slider door, tossed the cat out, the cat was terrified and hunkered down. Thirty seconds later the crows landed all around him and started to attack. One stayed in a branch cawing, he's the one that died when the air pellet went through his head. Never saw a crow after that, the cat ate crow that afternoon.
My cats would love crow but settle for grackles and the occasional other species while the crows (we only have about 4 of them that we refer to as the 'delinquents" for the way they stuff their beaks and steal as much food as they can carry.
Out cats do have a feel for where they sit in the food chain and a raccoon in the yard gets a wide berth. Possums get a "what the heck are you?" look. An eagle or a hawk flying over will send them under a bush or patio chair but they seem to understand that Osprey won't bother them. Ducks are interesting but aggressive enough that the cats back off. They still don't (at 4 years old) understand geese. A flock of a hundred or more will fly over honking and they look up at the sky with a puzzled look. Watching them around deer, I think they dream big but the big does just look at them with mild amusement. Slow rabbits and careless squirrels are occasionally on the menu. I think they and the beaver stay away from each other so I really just worry about the foxes that I see in the area but never on the property.
