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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 17931
Loc: Oort Cloud 9
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Recently I was awakened from a deep slumber, early in the morning on my day off. The ruckus was a rowdy murder of Ravens (the big guys, not the crows) loudly swarming around a large oak tree in a nearby yard. I went out the backdoor and around the side of the house to see. The ravens were furiously attacking and harassing something in the tree. There appeared to about 8-10 ravens actively harassing their prey with 4-5 more circling the area and relieving/substituting members of the active-harassment team. By this time my wife had joined me and we stood outside, in pajamas, about 7:00am local time. I run inside and grab my tripod and 15x70 Skymaster binocular. The crows are still furiously attacking/defending something in the tree and I manage to get my binocular set up. Before I could focus in, something large swoops out of the tree and flies directly towards us at low height. It appeared at first glance to be a very large hawk. Several crows were in noisy pursuit of the "hawk" and it flew right over our heads at a height of about 15 feet and then landed a nearby tall pine tree in the yard behind our own. I wheeled the binos around and focused in on the bird, as the crows continued their merciless assault. It was a Great Horned Owl. A massive one. The largest predatory bird I have seen with my own eyes outside of a mature adult Bald Eagle. He was huge. He sat perched on a limb, eyes wide and scanning about frantically, I can almost sense fear on his behalf. He stayed put for several more moments, allowing me a good look with the binoculars. My wife had grabbed the 8x42 bird glasses by this time and had seen it as well.
Then he jumped up and flew away further south, past more neighbors and towards a local public park at the end of the street. About a dozen enraged crows followed him, relentlessly attacking and divebombing him until the whole noisy procession passed out of sight. It could still be heard long after it had vanished.
Quite a sight. Pity I had no time to grab the camera!
Regards and clear skies,
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
☄ ⒼⒶⓁⒶⒸⓉⒾⒸ ⓈⓉⓄⓃⒺ ☞ www.galactic-stone.com
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Mark9473
Postmaster
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 6459
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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that was a thrilling story, Mike! Owls are always impressive to see, aren't they, with their noiseless flight. I've only seen them in the wild a few times in my life. Once very recently at our new house! Couldn't identify which one it was if my life depended on it.
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Nikon 7x35; Vixen 8x42; Orion 15x63; Docter 15x60
WO Megrez II 80 FD / APM 107mm f/6.5 / Mewlon 210 on DM-6 + Berlebach Planet
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KennyJ
The British Flash
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 20139
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Thanks for the unusual and interesting report Mike .
It was a little ironic actually !
Only two days ago when walking close to the coast with friends , I commented on how PEACEFULLY all the different species of birds seemed to be getting along together as they hopped , chirped and appeared to exchange " friendly " squawks , reminiscent of multi - cultural children in a school playground ! :-)
The species involved included blackbirds , thrushes , rooks , magpies , seagulls and pied wagtails .
Only when one of our yorkshire terriers , Poppy , decided to try to join in the fun did the little party appear to break up .
I've booked Poppy an appointment with an animal psychiatrist since the indicent , as I think that kind of behaviour by the birds could easily cause her to suffer exclusion inferiority complex .
Regards , Kenny
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Milton Wilcox R.I.P
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DblVision
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/11/06
Posts: 650
Loc: Louisiana
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Kenny,
Maybe pm a query to Dr. Brockenlittle re Poppy before the scheduled visit?
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Neal
G.O. Sig 10.5x70
Swift 761 8X42
60mm Spotter
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sparrow
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/10/06
Posts: 1002
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Mike
given the time of year, your location and the size (assuming by "massive"
you mean larger than most other Great Horned Owls) your he was probably
a she. In Owls females are larger than males by quite a bit.
This time of of the year in your area the owls already have fledglings to feed so
your owl may very well have been a mother forced to go outside her
normal hunting range to feed her huge and demanding young.
Being any kind of mother is always a demanding job.
Just a guess.
Sparrow
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For the animal shall not be measured by man. They are not brethren,
they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in
the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail
of the earth.
Beston
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ngc6475
Fearless Spectator
Reged: 03/02/02
Posts: 5024
Loc: 38°21'N 120°55'W
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Great story, Mike! Owls are magnificent creatures and the rare occasions when we see them are always memorable.
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Walter
"There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls."
-George Carlin
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brocknroller
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/16/03
Posts: 1983
Loc: Bedford Falls, Pa.
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Leider wird meine Praxis auf Hinterhofwildnis, einschließlich Vögel, Eichhörnchen, chipmunks, Wühlmäuse und verschiedene Formen der Pilze begrenzt, obwohl ich vor kurzem auf zwei marmots geraten habe, die versuchen, die häßliche Gewohnheit des Essens der jeder des anderen Junge zu brechen.
Jedoch passend zum LAUTEN Abstreifen Belizean meines Nachbars des wilden Hundes, der mich oben vor Sonnenaufgang aufweckt, habe ich vor kurzem mich eine Studie der Hunde- Psyche aufgenommen. Ich habe dem Hund für Weg jeden Tag gedauert und eine Stunde draußen mit ihm verbracht und ihm beigebracht, daß die jungen Kinder, die hinter sein Haus gehen, NICHT eine Drohung wie die Drogelords sind, die er seine Inhaber vor in Belize schützte.
Leider wenn ich nicht herum dieses Verhalten verstärken soll, wie 5:15 a.m. heute morgen, als das Papiermädchen kam, schaltet er zu seinem gebürtigen Training um und bellt SEHR LAUT aus dem geöffneten vorderen Fenster und weckt mich oben von meinem Melatonin verbrauchten hellen Schlaf auf. Ich kann einige Schlaftabletten in seinen Hundechow-Chow gleiten müssen und arbeiten sie zu hoffen auf ihm besser, als mich tun Sie.
Dr. Freudenlittle
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Les
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/22/06
Posts: 859
Loc: Maryland
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Don't know whether this is Pennsylvania Dutch or a Sid Caesar imitation. 
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Les
Canon 10x42L IS
Oberwerks BT80/45, Helix Hercules mount on Oberwerks Standard Tripod
Swift 8x44ED Ultralite
Questar 50th Anniversary Model, 501 head on Manfrotto 475 tripod
Stellarvue SV90T 90mm Fluorite refractor Bogen 3236/Televue Tele-Pod Head
Questar 7 Astro
Vixen GP-DX on Baader Surveyor Tripod
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Mark9473
Postmaster
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 6459
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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That surely is not Dutch, it's German, with the exception of the odd chipmunk here and there.
Care to tell us how you use binoculars to look at mushrooms, Brock?
Good luck with solving the dog issue; they can be a nuisance.
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Nikon 7x35; Vixen 8x42; Orion 15x63; Docter 15x60
WO Megrez II 80 FD / APM 107mm f/6.5 / Mewlon 210 on DM-6 + Berlebach Planet
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Les
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/22/06
Posts: 859
Loc: Maryland
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Mark,
Pennsylvania Dutch IS German.  You may want to look up the history of that moniker.
Les
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Les
Canon 10x42L IS
Oberwerks BT80/45, Helix Hercules mount on Oberwerks Standard Tripod
Swift 8x44ED Ultralite
Questar 50th Anniversary Model, 501 head on Manfrotto 475 tripod
Stellarvue SV90T 90mm Fluorite refractor Bogen 3236/Televue Tele-Pod Head
Questar 7 Astro
Vixen GP-DX on Baader Surveyor Tripod
Edited by Les (03/28/07 09:10 PM)
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brocknroller
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/16/03
Posts: 1983
Loc: Bedford Falls, Pa.
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Good guess Les, Sid Caesar cracks me up, but Mark is correct, it is Deutsch. I was very tired heute morgan, I mean this morning, and was having trouble channeling Dr. Freudenlittle auf english, and I was hoping that our Swiss Marmot Spotting Champion would translate it for me.
I tried Babel Fish, but got the usual broken English babel, so here it is in English:
Quote:
Kenny,
Maybe pm a query to Dr. Brockenlittle re Poppy before the scheduled visit?
Unfortunately, my practice is limited to backyard wildlife, including birds, squirrels, chipmunks, voles, and various forms of fungi, though I have recently counseled two marmots who are trying to break the ugly habit of eating each other's young.
However, due to the LOUD barking of my neighbor's Belizean wild dog, which wakes me up before sunrise, I have recently undertaken a study of the canine psyche. I've been taking the dog for walk each day and spending an hour outside with him, teaching him that young children walking past his house are NOT a threat like the drug lords he protected his owners from in Belize.
Unfortunately, when I'm not around to reinforce this good behavior, such as 5:15 a.m. this morning when the paper girl came, he reverts to his native training and barks VERY LOUDLY out the open front window, waking me up from my Melatonin depleted light sleep. I may have to slip some sleeping pills into his Dog Chow and hope they work on him better than the did on me.
Dr. Freudenlittle
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Press: Are you a mod or a rocker?
Ringo: I'm a mocker
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Les
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/22/06
Posts: 859
Loc: Maryland
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Brock,
Thanks for the translation. I just wanted to make sure you weren't talking about ME.
Checked the Wikipedia for "Pennsylvania Dutch". It didn't seem to catch all the nuance that I had associated with it, namely a term of derision that the rich Dutch community in New Amsterdam (later to become New York City after the British took control) applied to their poorer German "brethren" that settled in Pennsylvania. I don't remember where I read that - maybe in Richard Rhodes' "Audubon, Making of an American", - I dunno.
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Les
Canon 10x42L IS
Oberwerks BT80/45, Helix Hercules mount on Oberwerks Standard Tripod
Swift 8x44ED Ultralite
Questar 50th Anniversary Model, 501 head on Manfrotto 475 tripod
Stellarvue SV90T 90mm Fluorite refractor Bogen 3236/Televue Tele-Pod Head
Questar 7 Astro
Vixen GP-DX on Baader Surveyor Tripod
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brocknroller
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/16/03
Posts: 1983
Loc: Bedford Falls, Pa.
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Les, Thanks for that Wikidpedophilia explanation of the origins of the name "Pennsylvania Dutch." Professor Yoda must know what he's talking about, being a Jedi Master, however, I'm more apt to subscribe to Herr General Hostetler's theory that "Dutch" is simply a b-a-stardization of the word "Deutsch" (misspelled in the article), which means the German language and is pronounced "Doich". Deutsch becomes Dutch, as creek becomes "crick."
We have a community of Pennsylvania Dutch north of here. In fact, I got behind a buggy on my trek to Miller's Gun Shop.
Mike, Thanks for that great Great Horned Owl story. I have one of my own, which I told not long ago in a thread not far far away, but I may pete and repeat it here in this thread for posterity if I'm not too busy hacking out my prosperity to sit on my posteriority long enough to write it.
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Press: Are you a mod or a rocker?
Ringo: I'm a mocker
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Mark9473
Postmaster
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 6459
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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Thanks Les for clearing up the etymology of Pennsylvania Dutch.
Brock, isn't it curious that what the Germans call "Deutsch" get's translated by the English into "German", and what the Dutch call "Nederlands" becomes "Dutch" in the English language?
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Nikon 7x35; Vixen 8x42; Orion 15x63; Docter 15x60
WO Megrez II 80 FD / APM 107mm f/6.5 / Mewlon 210 on DM-6 + Berlebach Planet
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