Urban wildlife

On 12/8/04 9:31 AM, in article , "Wolfgang"
wrote:

very nice report snipped

I work at a major medical complex (employing well over ten thousand
people) in a major metropolitan area. A few minutes ago, I was
standing outside watching a peregrine falcon as it sat on a liquid
oxygen container waiting for a sparrow or a mouse to make a mistake.
Evidently its patience was rewarded, as it suddenly hopped off the
tank and disappeared into a small hidden courtyard.

http://falconcam.apk.net/

Red tail and rough legged hawks are common sights along the freeways.

One reason I like the leaf-less seasons. It seems especially in late fall
and late winter/early spring the roadways become hawk sighting places. On a
drive to eastern Iowa last February, I lost count of the various species of
raptors that I saw along the way on light posts, fences, etc.

Two Novembers ago a friend and I were standing in my kitchen slurping coffee
when he sighted a ring-necked pheasant in my back yard. Suburbia. Like any
other suburb, deer are common.

Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home.

And four (?) years ago, I sighted this fellow taking a break on his way
north:

http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg

(That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.)

Bill

"William Claspy" wrote in

One reason I like the leaf-less seasons. It seems especially in late fall
and late winter/early spring the roadways become hawk sighting places. On
a
drive to eastern Iowa last February, I lost count of the various species
of
raptors that I saw along the way on light posts, fences, etc.



A number of years ago I found a falcon in my driveway. As I drove in, it
flew a few feet and was dangling something long and skinny. My first
thought was that is was that it was badly injured and dragging it's
intestines. I immediately went into internal debate mode about breaking
the law and shooting the bird to stop it's suffering, letting Nature handle
the situation, etc. I took my binoculars out and it was dragging a
leather thong and was, obviously, someone's trained hunting bird.

I grabbed a dead pigeon ( I'm a hunting dog trainer, having a dead bird in
the truck wasn't really that odd :-) and waved it around and soon I had a
falcon sitting on my wrist :-) I called DFG and was soon on a four hour
round trip journey to take the rare, very valuable, highly regulated, bird
to them, so they could track down the owner.

A couple days later, I got a call from the owner, a lawyer from Stockton.
He thanked me and offered a reward, and told me how lucky he was that the
bird was found by a dog trainer carrying dead pigeons, as he had had another
very valuable bird die from the hotdog that the finder had used to lure the
bird ( think about that one next time you buy Ball Park Franks ).

I declined the offer of $$$ BUT suggested that I'd love to see his birds
work ( it was still falconry pheasant season ). Now, that worthless,
****ing, slimeball, ****head lawyer ( I never believed the stuff about them
being scum until this happened ) told me that he couldn't do that because he
" hunts in very special, , private, places and he couldn't trust me to take
me there because I might come back and trespass to poach them"
..... this after I spent most a full day rescuing and returning a bird
probably worth thousands of dollars.

You know why New York has so many lawyers, and New Jersey has some much
toxic waste? ?? ...........
..................
................

New Jersey got first pick

"Larry L" wrote

Now, that worthless,
****ing, slimeball, ****head lawyer ( I never believed the stuff about
them being scum until this happened )

and i never believed that a single, living organism could display as much
cognitive shortcoming in one post, until i read your abysmally shortsighted
buffoonery.
congratulations, dumbass.

wayno

"Wayne Harrison" wrote


and i never believed that a single, living organism could display as much
cognitive shortcoming in one post, until i read your abysmally
shortsighted buffoonery.
congratulations, dumbass.

wayno

lol, are you trying to say there may NOT be a direct relationship between
the bird owner being a scumbag, and his profession ?

I know that, but, the post about raptors prompted a memory, which I shared.
That memory included my "dumbass" prejudicial response as it happened. I
really did have a "lawyers must really be pricks, like the jokes say"
reaction, at the time. I felt it was part of the story, and included it,
even though I was aware that it would display some of my poorer qualities.
I'm pretty comfortable with who and what I am, at this stage of my life,
and, certainly, "dumbass" fits, at times.

You, don't seem too bad, though ....ah, for one of them :-)

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 16:55:56 GMT, "Larry L"
wrote:

......... Now, that worthless,
****ing, slimeball, ****head lawyer ( I never believed the stuff about them
being scum until this happened ) ....


... present company excluded, of course ("*you're* not like *them*")

"William Claspy" wrote in message
...
On 12/8/04 9:31 AM, in article ,
"Wolfgang"
wrote:

http://falconcam.apk.net/

Nice, but it appears no one is home right now.

Red tail and rough legged hawks are common sights along the
freeways.

One reason I like the leaf-less seasons. It seems especially in
late fall
and late winter/early spring the roadways become hawk sighting
places. On a
drive to eastern Iowa last February, I lost count of the various
species of
raptors that I saw along the way on light posts, fences, etc.

Becky discovered a Great Horned Owl nest here late last February or
early March. She wasn't aware that they nest and hatch their young
that early. Imagine her surprise when I pointed out three or four
fuzzy white heads.

Naturally, they moved on and she hasn't seen an owl since early in the
spring. I have assured her that they......or others.....will be back
in a couple of months.

Two Novembers ago a friend and I were standing in my kitchen
slurping coffee
when he sighted a ring-necked pheasant in my back yard.

We had half a dozen of them roosting in a red maple next to a house I
used to rent on the outskirts of Kenosha back in the early eighties.
It was a bit disconcerting at first to look out one of the second
floor windows and see a pheasant staring back about four feet away.

Suburbia. Like any
other suburb, deer are common.

Rats......they ain't nothin' but tall rats.

Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home.

Haven't seen any mink in the streams around here. But then, I don't
often see them even in places with clean water and abundant food.
There used to be a lot of mink farms in the area thirty of forty years
ago. There were a lot of escapees. Wouldn't surprise me much to
learn that some of their descendants are still around.

I forgot to mention earlier that we also have fresh beaver sign along
a ditch no more than four blocks from the house.

And four (?) years ago, I sighted this fellow taking a break on his
way
north:

http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg

(That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.)

Too cool.

I went back out a little while ago. The bird I had seen was back on
its perch. I managed to get much closer this time. Either I
misidentified it earlier or it's an immature bird. I managed to get
close enough (within thirty feet) to get a couple of pictures. I'll
see if I can ID it properly when I get home. I'll be happy to send a
copy to anyone who's interested.

Wolfgang

On 12/8/04 12:11 PM, in article , "Wolfgang"
wrote:


"William Claspy" wrote in message
...
On 12/8/04 9:31 AM, in article ,
"Wolfgang"
wrote:

http://falconcam.apk.net/

Nice, but it appears no one is home right now.

Like you mention with the owls, they'll be back in a few months!

Check the "news" link:

http://falconcam.apk.net/news.html

We had half a dozen of them roosting in a red maple next to a house I
used to rent on the outskirts of Kenosha back in the early eighties.
It was a bit disconcerting at first to look out one of the second
floor windows and see a pheasant staring back about four feet away.

I went out to try and get a picture and MAN did that thing take off-
running, not in the air. Ran like a ROFFian faced with a hungry black bear.

http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg

(That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.)

Too cool.

It and two pals hung around for two or three days, then were gone. Just
across the street from my office. Nice little reminder of Traver country.


I went back out a little while ago. The bird I had seen was back on
its perch. I managed to get much closer this time. Either I
misidentified it earlier or it's an immature bird. I managed to get
close enough (within thirty feet) to get a couple of pictures. I'll
see if I can ID it properly when I get home. I'll be happy to send a
copy to anyone who's interested.

Sure!

Bill

William Claspy wrote in news:BDDC94C7.5D37%
:

Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home.


When I was throwing darts in Cleveland, the league would send us to all
kinds of bars in all kinds of neighborhoods, and the only bar we ever had
any trouble in was a yuppie sports bar in Rocky River.


And four (?) years ago, I sighted this fellow taking a break on his way
north:

http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg

(That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.)

Bill



How long have you been hanging out at the Lagoon?? I used to avoid the
place, but I did spend some time on the other side of the museum.

Scott

On 12/8/04 3:18 PM, in article
, "Scott Seidman"
wrote:

William Claspy wrote in news:BDDC94C7.5D37%
:

Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home.


When I was throwing darts in Cleveland, the league would send us to all
kinds of bars in all kinds of neighborhoods, and the only bar we ever had
any trouble in was a yuppie sports bar in Rocky River.

Not surprised. Them yuppies can be tricky to handle.

I usually fish further upstream, near the nature center, which I believe is
not in the city of Rocky River.

Closer to my house is even further upstream- steelhead can't get above the
Berea falls (which is just north of Bagley road). In this section (above
what used to be Baldwin Lake), they do put-and-take rainbows in March and
April. Again, not my favorite kind of fishing, but...

Word has it that in the upper-most portions of the Rocky east branch there
are some brook trout. This would be near Hinckley. I'm not going to even
try to find them, but I hope they are there.

And four (?) years ago, I sighted this fellow taking a break on his way
north:

http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg

(That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.)

How long have you been hanging out at the Lagoon??

Well, since my office is right across the street, I do tend to hang out
here... fairly often :-) And for quite some time. I have a picture of me
and my dad on the day he got his PhD hood- the ceremony was in Severance
Hall, and I was 4 or 5. I take lunch time walks pretty frequently and was
delighted to spot that loon.

I used to avoid the
place, but I did spend some time on the other side of the museum.

They've cleaned it up quite a bit. In fact it is full of bluegill, bass,
and the koi. Which is probably why the loons stayed for three or four days!
And turtles.

You might not recognize Wade Oval on the other side of the museum. The
Botanical Gardens expanded and did some re-landscaping. Not quite as much
open green lawn unfortunately.

Bill