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This Week's Meaningless Topic (#59) (Oct 23)


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I like Graeme's suggestion, so I'll respond to it.

 

The time a Red Tail Hawk flew less than a foot in front of me at knee level.  I was walking across a lawn at work.  A tree was some distance to the right, A barn to the left.  The hawk was in the tree, but wanted to go to the barn roof.  The fact that I was walking across his flight path bothered him not at all!

 

Ken

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7 hours ago, boetie said:

Thank you Rodger.

What's the most interesting interaction you've had with wildlife?

Cheers

Graeme :)

 

4 hours ago, Ken Q said:

I like Graeme's suggestion, so I'll respond to it.

 

The time a Red Tail Hawk flew less than a foot in front of me at knee level.  I was walking across a lawn at work.  A tree was some distance to the right, A barn to the left.  The hawk was in the tree, but wanted to go to the barn roof.  The fact that I was walking across his flight path bothered him not at all!

 

Ken

I'll snap-link myself into this discussion :) 

 

So, during the mid 90's, while conducting a jungle ops training mission in the Panamanian jungle, my Recon partner and I were conducting surveillance of an objective, laying real quiet on the jungle floor on the side of a ridge overlooking the objective. We heard some slight rusting above us, but it did not sound human at all. Being the jungle, there are all kinds of strange noises up in the trees and what not. Concerned that it might be a snake of some sort, especially since there are poisonous types that hang out in trees in Panama, we slowly took turns scanning the tree limbs above us. A snake was not to be seen, but what was making the noise was a three toed sloth, slowly munching away on some leaves, about 6 feet away from us. They should be called 3-clawed sloths, because on his/her toes were long curved claws, about 3-4 inches in length. Definitely looked like something not to mess with. We just went back to our surveillance, and after nightfall and when the next morning came, the sloth had moved on, ever so stealthily. Was one of the coolest wild animal things I ever saw.

 

Landon

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16 hours ago, Sniper31 said:

 

I'll snap-link myself into this discussion :) 

 

So, during the mid 90's, while conducting a jungle ops training mission in the Panamanian jungle, my Recon partner and I were conducting surveillance of an objective, laying real quiet on the jungle floor on the side of a ridge overlooking the objective. We heard some slight rusting above us, but it did not sound human at all. Being the jungle, there are all kinds of strange noises up in the trees and what not. Concerned that it might be a snake of some sort, especially since there are poisonous types that hang out in trees in Panama, we slowly took turns scanning the tree limbs above us. A snake was not to be seen, but what was making the noise was a three toed sloth, slowly munching away on some leaves, about 6 feet away from us. They should be called 3-clawed sloths, because on his/her toes were long curved claws, about 3-4 inches in length. Definitely looked like something not to mess with. We just went back to our surveillance, and after nightfall and when the next morning came, the sloth had moved on, ever so stealthily. Was one of the coolest wild animal things I ever saw.

 

Landon

You've gotta watch those vicious sloths Landon, they're also pretty swift, you can't outrun them. Close call!

:)

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22 hours ago, Ken Q said:

I like Graeme's suggestion, so I'll respond to it.

 

The time a Red Tail Hawk flew less than a foot in front of me at knee level.  I was walking across a lawn at work.  A tree was some distance to the right, A barn to the left.  The hawk was in the tree, but wanted to go to the barn roof.  The fact that I was walking across his flight path bothered him not at all!

 

Ken

I googled your hawk Ken. Beautiful little hawk. Obviously no fear of a human walking where it needed to traverse. Little moments like these are priceless.

Cheers

Graeme :)

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My most memorable moments with wildlife took place in the water. Number one, swimming in the South China Sea and looking down to see a school of sharks below me. Number two, swimming in the Atlantic off Bermuda and looking out to see a good-sized barracuda floating a few feet away from me just watching me. In both instances, I felt the atavistic fear of being potential prey.

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2 hours ago, BradB said:

Hold my beer gents , wait to you see what happened to me :

 

 

Cheers 

John

Wow that was amazing John. He couldn't care less about anything.

Just taking in the tranquil scenery like everyone else.

You could have given him a bear hug.???

I love them.

cheers

Gumby

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When I was in the Boy Scouts, having crossed a stream we rested during the walk. One of the guys sat on a mound.  It was an Ants nest!  Next thing we knew we had Ants all over us.  the whole patrol (six of us) jumped in the stream to get rid of them.  Our parents were not best pleased when we got home soaking wet and covered in mud!

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Seriously for me , I was on a outing up at Camp Cowles on Davis Lake here in Eastern Washington . I was with my Dad and several other Dad’s with there sons . I was in one canoe and my Dad was in another, he netted a large Turtle and decided 

it would be a great idea to throw it over to me ……..well I missed the catch and the Turtle hit me right in the head . I often drive by that lake and think of my Dad and that day on the lake . :(:)

 

Cheers

John 

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When I worked and lived in Houston, Texas myself and a couple of fellow workers would do a three mile run along one of the bayous in Houston. One day while running we came across an alligator laying across the path and we decided to take a different route. 

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On 10/24/2021 at 6:52 AM, boetie said:

I googled your hawk Ken. Beautiful little hawk. Obviously no fear of a human walking where it needed to traverse. Little moments like these are priceless.

Cheers

Graeme :)

Not a "little hawk" at all, Graeme.  The red tail is among the largest North American hawks, with a wingspan of almost five feet (females).  This one was about that size.  We have a lot of them around.  Some years ago we had one at work that would fly to the roof of one building near where the staff gathered at the end of the day, then follow us as we walked the half mile to the Reception Center.  Would fly ahead to the roof of a building along our way, wait for us to pass, then fly ahead to the next one. Did this all summer long.

 

We do have other, smaller hawks, in particular Cooper's Hawks.  One day two of them were perched on hitching posts a couple of feet from the road as we drove by.  Watched us go by, completely unfazed.  Top predators, with lots of rodents to eat.  No reason to be concerned about mere humans. Magnificent birds!

 

Ken

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