Wildlife, living next to nature

[Carruthers]

This is why I was late for school.

Nine-year-old Axel Moss faced a staunch obstacle on his way to school in Orlando, Florida, yesterday.
The Sandhill Crane lunged forward to protect its young, but did not attack him.

Big buggers, aren't they?

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

Big buggers, aren't they?

Kentucky Sandhill Crane Hunting Season Dates: Dec 13 2014 - Jan 11 2015.

Just sayin'.

[BigV]

If he can make it here, he can make it anywhere.

Big City, Big Surprise: New York City's Newest Species Is a Frog

The amphibian stayed hidden in plain sight for decades, only to be discovered on Staten Island.

[orthodoc]

Fantastic pics! I have no fabulous pics to contribute, just a sighting of Mr. Bambi crossing my driveway, trotting up the property line, and stopping to give me a long look (sorry, but I knew that if I moved for my phone he'd be gone instantly) ... the MOST gorgeous, cutest young buck ever, rambling around my few acres. He's just a baby, his rack isn't worth anyone's wall. I hope he finds deep cover before Thanksgiving. What a treat this morning, though.

[fargon]

This Bald Eagle has been hanging around all day. I will try to get a better pic. My friend took that with his iPhone.

[BigV]

Nice! You have a pretty clear view with the leaves gone from the branches. Around here, the evergreens make shots like this rare, though we certainly have plenty of Bald Eagles. They're majestic.

[Gravdigr]

We have them around Land Between The Lakes Nat'l Recreation Area (about a hundred miles west of me) and over at Lake Malone State Park (about forty miles).

If I ever see an eagle in one of my trees (they have been seen around here), Ima have a plaque made, and put it on the tree.

[Carruthers]

On Nov 4th there was a BBC Report from West Virginia about your mid-term elections.

I always take an interest in events on your side of the Atlantic but there was a small bonus in the form of two Bald Eagles perched in a tree beside the railway, sorry 'railroad'.

You can see them at about the 1.20 mark in the video.

US mid-terms 2014: Is West Virginia on the right track?

Incidentally, it's the Potomac Eagle Train of the South Branch Valley Railroad.

[Carruthers]

This afternoon whilst walking my canine guest, I was aware of a number of Red Kites close by. They were unusually vocal and it was difficult to see them all at once.
On returning home I could see that four of them had settled in a big Ash tree in the paddock at the bottom of the back garden.
They are birds which were persecuted almost to extinction by Victorian game keepers and a small number in mid-Wales were the only surviving examples of the species in the UK for decades.
In 1989 a re-introduction project was started with chicks brought from Spain and Scandinavia. Since then numbers have increased markedly.
They are not a species inclined to move too far from their breeding grounds but when numbers become too great for the available food they tend to spread out.
The local site for the initial release was the John Paul Getty Estate in South Oxfordshire about twelve miles from here and since then they have slowly spread along the Chilterns escarpment.
We've become used to seeing them in the last few years but to have them perch so close to the house was a privilege. They tend to follow the plough and upwards of twenty can be seen in such circumstances.
As my neighbour's back lawn was reduced to the state of a ploughed field by marauding Badgers last night, this might explain their presence.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a photo but these two are included by way of illustration.





Magnificent creatures.

Feeding red kites: a view from the Chilterns

[xoxoxoBruce]

Lovely... when they're ripping the flesh from your screaming, writhing, carcass.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Lovely... when they're ripping the flesh from your screaming, writhing, carcass.

They're mostly carrion feeders, but will take small birds and mammals from time to time.

Your humble correspondent isn't into either writhing or screaming. Far too much effort involved.

[fargon]

Here is a not very good pic of the last loon. It should have taken off last week with the rest of them, but it stuck around.

[BigV]

I see. Good links, xoB, thanks. I see some important differences in the two scenarios. The first and most significant difference is that the sky burial has a substantial spiritual component and that aspect is missing entirely from the operation in Texas (and other body farms in the US). The two different procedures spring from different motivations. In Texas, there's no shortage of resources to bury the dead unlike the steppes of Mongolia. There isn't the necessity in Texas to process the bodies in this way that there is in Mongolia.

But the process is largely the same. I don't know what happens with the skeletons in Texas, though I'm sure they're under continued observation. Both processes serve a higher purpose. Both processes are deliberate. Both processes involve the knowledge of the deceased. I think they're more alike than they are different.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I'd read several articles about Tibet's sky burials, it was a coincidence I ran across those links last night. No, not the same. Not because of the spiritual aspect of proper disposal, but the method of employing the body breakers, who are basically lunch ladies for vultures and other flying creatures.

[Undertoad]

It was an IotD once!