Birds can be so cruel to each other. There is a web-cam of an Osprey nest set up in Lamoine, ME. Last year, there were 3 chicks and they were coming along nicely, when a Bald Eagle swooped in and killed all 3. People were horrified and enraged, but that's Mother Nature.
The winter before that happened a russian eagle which is much larger …
Birds can be so cruel to each other. There is a web-cam of an Osprey nest set up in Lamoine, ME. Last year, there were 3 chicks and they were coming along nicely, when a Bald Eagle swooped in and killed all 3. People were horrified and enraged, but that's Mother Nature.
The winter before that happened a russian eagle which is much larger than an adult bald eagle wintered on Mt. Desert Island around Acadia National Park. And, yes, it killed several Bald Eagles.
We are fortunate to live on a Bay in Maine and we see some amazing things in nature. But, once in a while, we witness predator/prey events.
I am an Occupational Therapist, and was working at a skilled nursing facility on a quiet Sunday morning. My patient needed therapy following a shoulder surgery, which we were doing seated side by side at a table facing a big widow overlooking a beautiful courtyard with flowers trees and bird feeders.
As we chatted about the birds and did the exercises, a large red tailed hawk suddenly flew at one of the feeders. Feathers flew and seeds scattered in a violent rush of unexpected action. We were both silent for a moment, the my elderly patient said, "Well, it is a bird feeder after all." We erupted in laughter.
In the last five years of increasing temperatures Storks have changed nesting preferences from southern to northern Portugal. My friend pointed to a thirty foot palm tree where three stork heads could be seen. I thought that was odd until she said, there's a moma, a papa and baby there...it's a family tree.
Nature indeed, every living creature needs to secure food, and mostly end up on someone else's menu ticket. Being top top predator, us, the most problematic species on the planet, not to mention among ourselves. Pause is good.
I just started a plant based whole foods diet. Not 100% vegetarian, but it is surprising how many things I thought I'd miss and found that I really don't miss them at all.
Gary, we have a bevy of great photographers here in the Salem area who visit parks and reserves almost on a daily basis and they have photographed a lot of attempts to steal food or catching another bird as a meal. My story is about the robins who made a nest on top of a swallow box. The babies hatched and then I heard distress calls. When I came around the house, there were two crows sitting on the roof above it. They winked at me and said yes, we ate them and they did.
Damn crows. We hate them. When we first moved into our place 6 years ago there were a couple dozen crows that were here every day.
The Gulls didn't like them at all and we weren't fond of their incessant crowing. Anyway, at low tide there is a large rock that is exposed. It's probably about 30 feet in diameter and 4-5 feet tall. Anyway, this gull was chasing this crow around the rock. After a couple of times around the rock the crow hopped up on top of the rock and watched the gull run around the rock several more times before it gave up. The entire time the crow watched the gull circle the rock.
But a couple of years ago we had a fox living in a small cave on the shore. The crows would warn each other every time the fox came out of the den. Well, not every time because we saw the fox proudly carrying a crow a couple of times across our back yard. And the Bald Eagles enjoy eating the crows, ducks and gulls. The crows try to intimidate the Bald Eagles, but it's like a Sumo wrestler fighting a first grader.
I think the bird flu decimated the crow population and other species as well around here because now we only have a few crows that come by a few times a week.
We have lots of crows in the neighborhood. They are intelligent and yes talk a lot to each other. We see them sometimes chasing hawks. We also sometimes find feathers in the yard which is some hawk enjoying a finch or some other smaller bird. When they are around, silence prevails and not a small bird in sight. The birds which annoy us are house or English sparrows who vie with the swallows for nest boxes.
We tried for a couple of years to get rid of the sparrows above our front porch. They are tenatious little suckers. We've given up trying to keep them away, but both the dog and the cat spend hours watching them.
Yup. The cycle of life. As a kid, I volunteered at a junior museum in SF, which had a room full of all kinds of critters, and I helped give tours to the public. So I was obliged to know a fair amount about most of them - it was fascinating, and it taught me that they all have to live, and nope, there are a lot of non-vegetarian critters out there!
Worse than that is what we H. sapiens do to Earth and other species with our sheer numbers. There are 8,000,000,000 of us. Almost half the world's habitable land--five times the area of the US--is used for agriculture. More than 3/4 of this is used for livestock.
At any given time, the number of livestock animals is around three times that of people--chickens (19 billion), cows (1.5 billion), sheep (1 billion) and pigs (1 billion) https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture
Most of these animals live lives where they are perpetually squashed together like people on a subway car in a major city. Better to fly free, and go out like a light when the bald eagle strikes.
Small organic farms are definitely the right way to produce meat, eggs, and dairy. they are much healthier for the animals AND the land. With dung beetles to clean up the dung. of course. (If you're interested in the latter, email me at holzmandc@outlook.com, and I'll email you the article I wrote for Smithsonian on the latter subject, years ago.)
Birds can be so cruel to each other. There is a web-cam of an Osprey nest set up in Lamoine, ME. Last year, there were 3 chicks and they were coming along nicely, when a Bald Eagle swooped in and killed all 3. People were horrified and enraged, but that's Mother Nature.
The winter before that happened a russian eagle which is much larger than an adult bald eagle wintered on Mt. Desert Island around Acadia National Park. And, yes, it killed several Bald Eagles.
We are fortunate to live on a Bay in Maine and we see some amazing things in nature. But, once in a while, we witness predator/prey events.
C'est La Vie.
I am an Occupational Therapist, and was working at a skilled nursing facility on a quiet Sunday morning. My patient needed therapy following a shoulder surgery, which we were doing seated side by side at a table facing a big widow overlooking a beautiful courtyard with flowers trees and bird feeders.
As we chatted about the birds and did the exercises, a large red tailed hawk suddenly flew at one of the feeders. Feathers flew and seeds scattered in a violent rush of unexpected action. We were both silent for a moment, the my elderly patient said, "Well, it is a bird feeder after all." We erupted in laughter.
Nature is awesome!
Excellent story! Thanks for the smile!
In the last five years of increasing temperatures Storks have changed nesting preferences from southern to northern Portugal. My friend pointed to a thirty foot palm tree where three stork heads could be seen. I thought that was odd until she said, there's a moma, a papa and baby there...it's a family tree.
Love it!
😂 Every laugh helps in these times and this was a hearty one. Your patient rocks!
Nature indeed, every living creature needs to secure food, and mostly end up on someone else's menu ticket. Being top top predator, us, the most problematic species on the planet, not to mention among ourselves. Pause is good.
As I sit here and eat sausage and eggs for breakfast, washing my hands of the whole predator/prey relationship.
My vegan niece is not nearly the hypocrite I am when it comes to what we have done to the animal kingdom eliminating hundreds of species every year.
I just started a plant based whole foods diet. Not 100% vegetarian, but it is surprising how many things I thought I'd miss and found that I really don't miss them at all.
It does help that I'm a pretty good cook.
Never too old to change!
Gary, we have a bevy of great photographers here in the Salem area who visit parks and reserves almost on a daily basis and they have photographed a lot of attempts to steal food or catching another bird as a meal. My story is about the robins who made a nest on top of a swallow box. The babies hatched and then I heard distress calls. When I came around the house, there were two crows sitting on the roof above it. They winked at me and said yes, we ate them and they did.
Damn crows. We hate them. When we first moved into our place 6 years ago there were a couple dozen crows that were here every day.
The Gulls didn't like them at all and we weren't fond of their incessant crowing. Anyway, at low tide there is a large rock that is exposed. It's probably about 30 feet in diameter and 4-5 feet tall. Anyway, this gull was chasing this crow around the rock. After a couple of times around the rock the crow hopped up on top of the rock and watched the gull run around the rock several more times before it gave up. The entire time the crow watched the gull circle the rock.
But a couple of years ago we had a fox living in a small cave on the shore. The crows would warn each other every time the fox came out of the den. Well, not every time because we saw the fox proudly carrying a crow a couple of times across our back yard. And the Bald Eagles enjoy eating the crows, ducks and gulls. The crows try to intimidate the Bald Eagles, but it's like a Sumo wrestler fighting a first grader.
I think the bird flu decimated the crow population and other species as well around here because now we only have a few crows that come by a few times a week.
We have lots of crows in the neighborhood. They are intelligent and yes talk a lot to each other. We see them sometimes chasing hawks. We also sometimes find feathers in the yard which is some hawk enjoying a finch or some other smaller bird. When they are around, silence prevails and not a small bird in sight. The birds which annoy us are house or English sparrows who vie with the swallows for nest boxes.
We tried for a couple of years to get rid of the sparrows above our front porch. They are tenatious little suckers. We've given up trying to keep them away, but both the dog and the cat spend hours watching them.
We have destroyed eggs and nests. But our neighbor thinks they are cute. I keep telling her they are not native.
Absolutely.
Yup. The cycle of life. As a kid, I volunteered at a junior museum in SF, which had a room full of all kinds of critters, and I helped give tours to the public. So I was obliged to know a fair amount about most of them - it was fascinating, and it taught me that they all have to live, and nope, there are a lot of non-vegetarian critters out there!
Did you see today's BDN where a loon killed a Bald Eagle? Don't get between Mama and her baby!
Worse than that is what we H. sapiens do to Earth and other species with our sheer numbers. There are 8,000,000,000 of us. Almost half the world's habitable land--five times the area of the US--is used for agriculture. More than 3/4 of this is used for livestock.
https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture
At any given time, the number of livestock animals is around three times that of people--chickens (19 billion), cows (1.5 billion), sheep (1 billion) and pigs (1 billion) https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture
Most of these animals live lives where they are perpetually squashed together like people on a subway car in a major city. Better to fly free, and go out like a light when the bald eagle strikes.
Agree! The feeding lots for cattle are sickening.
What little meat, dairy, and eggs I now eat come from local small organic farmers.
I can actually see the farms and the care the folks provide.
Small organic farms are definitely the right way to produce meat, eggs, and dairy. they are much healthier for the animals AND the land. With dung beetles to clean up the dung. of course. (If you're interested in the latter, email me at holzmandc@outlook.com, and I'll email you the article I wrote for Smithsonian on the latter subject, years ago.)