Vox’s posts tagged birds

Tales of Adventures from the Big Smoke

nobody@vox.com(pixler) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:50:03 +0000

Altered State

Episode Nine: Saturday in the Park

Early last Saturday morning, I decided to head out and take some pictures. I hadn't taken a good one in some time. Actually, a very long time.

But Saturday was the day. I could feel it.

So, shortly after seven thirty, out I went, down to the Humber River, right by the lake. It was a gorgeous morning, an absolutely stunning day to take pictures. After about three hours of trekking through the wild, I decided to take a break, sit in the grass for a while and look at the pix I had taken so far.

Suddenly, a scurry in the bushes behind me. As I turned, all I could see was a humongous-ly large telephoto lens and a person running through the brush, almost whispering; 'wow! did you see that, what a magnificent bird that is, where did it go'.

He asked me if I had seen a Grey Heron coming through. He had been tracking it for the last hour or so and was trying to get a few more pictures for a layout he was working on. I was intrigued, so of course, I decided to tag along. After all, he looked like an interesting person to talk to about photography.

I know the suspense is killing you, so I'll get to the point.

Turns out, his name is Larry Kirtley, quite a famous Canadian and Internationally renowned professional wildlife photographer with many awards and accolades to his credit. Perhaps you have seen some of his work in magazines like National Geographic, Outdoor Living and other Nature publications. I'm including a link below.

Very nice person, very knowledgeable, of course, yet almost humble in his way. And his camera equipment, absolutely amazing. The latest dream machine on the planet and worth almost as much as a mid size sedan. We chatted for about an hour, about all sorts of things, yet never once did he make fun of my toy, which it is, by comparison to the marvel of modern day technology he shoots with. He thought it was the perfect starter camera for anyone who wants to learn the basics.

I totally agree.

I must also say that this chance meeting was one of the most exhilarating and personally rewarding experiences I’ve had in some time. It gave me a whole new perspective, outlook and appreciation for the wonderful art of photography and certainly re-ignited my seemingly lost passion, once again.

Amazing how things work out sometime, and often, when least expected.

If you would like to visit his web site, with many spectacular and award winning pictures, click here; http://www.larrykirtley.com/ and select main page to start viewing his collection.

Enjoy the show!

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A visit to my Aunts house...Humming Birds!

nobody@vox.com(Pat) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:22:46 +0000

Humming Birds

Full video to be loaded at a later time on my Utube site
They're sooo cute!

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Nature's Finery

nobody@vox.com(Deena Muzzi) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:33:19 +0000

Winter Jacket

Pretty cool - isn't it? - nature's finery! All dressed up, as if having plans for a night at the opera perhaps? All that's missing is the string of pearls or diamond bracelet! The beauty in nature - a class act!

Nature's Diamonds

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Lake Rupertswood

nobody@vox.com(Deena Muzzi) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:22:19 +0000

Lake Rupertswood

These two geese must have been 'identical twins' if thats at all possible, they were so in 'sync' with each other, it was eerie. Every movement made was perfectly duplicated by the other, or on the odd occasion - the mirror-image instead, it was simply remarkable and completely engaging to watch.

Geese mates

..well, what's good for the goose is good for the gander (as they say)!

See more photos tagged Lake Rupertswood

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Outer Banks, North Carolina August 2008

nobody@vox.com(Jeff D) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:11:20 +0000

I haven't processed all of my photos from the trip yet, but here are a few. I'll get some more done this weekend.

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A Winter Swim

nobody@vox.com(jd) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:32:53 +0000

You wouldn't find me swimming in mid winter especially not this week when morning temperatures have dropped below zero most mornings. But these guys are here everyday.

2008-08-12Northo-000011

This was taken just downstream of the last post. More on the bridge soon.

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When Vultures Attack

nobody@vox.com(Z) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:40:44 +0000

theres been this crazy loud noise on the roof the past couple days, yesterday, I thought someone was breaking in, I got scared, then pissed, so I grabbed my camera, intent on catching this very loud bugler trying to scratch his way through my roof...

I open the back door a smidge..
and a freken vulture flys off the top of the roof into the backyard,

*jawdrop*

I didnt know what the fuck was going on, I was sort of.. spaced for a few minuets,
then I heard that noise on the roof again!
grabbing the camera again, this time with another thought, I peeked outside, and saw the vulture sitting on the old antena!
I stuck the camera over the door, and tried to get some footage... and I did!

part one

DSCF0359

so, after getting a few minuets of footage, I brave opening the door a little more, and he jumps off the roof and flys to the shed! so I try to capture more footage of him, this time on the shed.. and I did!

part two

DSCF0362

and now, while sitting here, deciding if I want tea first, or just to start some cleaning, the roof is banging, yet again.

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My Favorite People

nobody@vox.com(Fairey Fantom) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:47:28 +0000

My favorite people are the four-legged ones. The two-legged ones disappoint you all the time. Cats, dogs, and gerbils are true always. As long as you respect the fact that they are animals and process information differently, you will never be disappointed in furry fellows. No matter how "tame" a tiger is, it is still a wild animal. Any injury to body or feelings would be our own faults for projecting our rationale and holding animals responsible for our assumptions.

We had a family cat when I was very young. His name was Little Shit, I shit you not. When we moved to the United States, Little Shit stayed behind. It didn't bother me. We weren't close at all. I don't think he liked kids. Soon after we moved to Arkansas, we got Arkie. He was an ordinary tabby kitten who grow to mammoth proportions. He was two arms full and then some. He loved to eat. Whatever you had, he was willing to fight you for it. Since he was such a big cat, he had to claws to back him up. He would watch my hand come out of a Dorito's bag and if I didn't feed him any quick enough, he would try to knock the Dorito out of my hand so he could get it. Anyway, my grandmother joked with me that I was in love with the cat. Of course I wasn't in love with him, that would be weird. But the true is that I was in love with that cat. Not in some weird kinky way, but in a way which just filled me with immense joy. Like falling in love with a dress. Or a scent. One you can't get enough of. Or a movie. Or an idea. He knew all my secrets and was the only one who saw me cry.

To this day I have a real affinity for all sorts of critters. I'm partial to cats and dogs. Birds, I can take or leave. Big birds, I'm just plain scared of. Especially abnormally large crows. I had a bad dream once about a crow. And the crow was the Devil's messenger. Also, when I was little my parents had a giant cage filled with parakeets. The cage had to be at least three feet in diameter and it must have had 30 birds in it. I don't know why the cage had to be in my bedroom. When there was a storm, the birds would go crazy and it was very frightening. So I respect birds, but I don't feel the kinship for them that I would a dog. Fish can be pretty and relaxing to watch but I don't want to come home to a fish after a long, rough day. I want my dog. And our cats. They are enough. We couldn't even have kids if we wanted to with the energy our bunch already requires. Which came first the neurotic parent or the neurotic child?

One of my biggest disappointments in mankind is the way we see and treat our animals. Was it Gandhi who said something about judging a society by the way it treats its animals? I hope he never came to rural Arkansas, because he would have thought we are the lowest of the low. From our poultry processing plants in the northwest corner of the state to the overwhelming number of strays, we must have one of the poorest track records. If you have ever lived at the end of a gravel road or far enough down a desolate highway, you have probably taken in lots of dumped animals. I am always on the lookout for people mistreating their animals. I don't have a problem calling animal control. I don't care if I am the only person in Stepford or the whole world who has animal control on her speed dial. I just don't care. And if I see something I don't think is right, it doesn't bother me to stop my car and get out and address the problem.

The worst thing someone can say to me is that there is no law against doing something in order to justify doing it. If there were no law against murder, would it still be wrong. Yes. You have caused grief and suffering for someone else and taken something that is not yours to take. That is awful whether there is a law against it or not. Our laws regarding animal cruelty are not strong enough. Here is it just a misdemeanor. I also would like to see backyard breeders shut down whether they are mills or not. It really pisses me off to drive by Wal-Mart and see a bunch of irresponsible, selfish people with puppies by the carload ready to hand them over to any dumbass who can come up with the money. But what can you do? There's no law against it.

I tried to join PETA. I signed up at their website. They sent me e-mails at least four times a day. They always seemed to say something about and "alert" or something needed "immediate action." I had to remove myself from their e-mail list because I would read one of their e-mails which were always graphic before I went to a meeting and then I was just ruined by what I had seen and no use to anyone. I can't watch the Animal Planet either. That Animal Cops show really bothers me. I can't even watch the ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLaughlin in it. I love those Most Daring shows. Unless they have bullfighting or bullriding. I hate that crap too. Again, there's no law against it.

I like animals because they don't need laws. They don't need all of their kind getting together to tell everyone what to do. We are the only creatures so evolved we need to be reminded what the right thing to do is. We are so tangled up in a crazy web of laws in this country and what do we have to show for it? The safest schools and streets? Animals truly love unconditionally and they deserve our respect and dedication whether they are our own pets or not. I always get so excited to meet a new cat or dog. I am more nervous about whether one of them will like me before I would ever care if another person liked me.

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Cocky want a cracker?

nobody@vox.com(Deena Muzzi) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:08:21 +0000

Cocky (Sulfur-crested cockatoo)

Perhaps best if you read below post first. Can't say I was a big fan of Steve Irwin (see also 'controversies" and/or criticism mentioned at Wiki link just below), but he certainly has brought (mostly) good attention to Australia and wildlife conservatism. Cocky Want a Cracker is a song sung by Captain Feathersword, Steve Irwin, a singing cock-a-too named Cocky, and of course The Wiggles (who also are big out here).

clipped from en.wikipedia.org

Stephen Robert Irwin (February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006), known simply as Steve Irwin and nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an iconic Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. He achieved world-wide fame from the television program The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series co-hosted with his wife Terri Irwin. Together, they also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by his parents in Beerwah, Queensland. He died in 2006 after his chest was fatally pierced by a stingray barb whilst filming in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
The park was a family run business, until it was turned over to Steve. He took over the running of the park, now called Australia Zoo (renaming it in 1992). Also that year, he appeared in a one-off reptile and wildlife special for television. In 1991, he met Terri Raines at the park, whilst performing a demonstration. The two married in June 1992, in Terri's hometown of Eugene, Oregon. The footage, shot by John Stainton, of their crocodile-trapping honeymoon became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. The series debuted on Australian TV screens in 1996, and by the following year had made its way onto North American television. The Crocodile Hunter became successful in the United States and also, after repackaging by Partridge Films for ITV, in the UK. In 1998, he continued, working with producer and director Mark Strickson, to present The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World.
In 2002, the Irwins appeared in the Wiggles video/DVD release Wiggly Safari, which was set in Irwin's Australia Zoo. It featured Irwin-themed songs written and performed by the Wiggles such as "Crocodile Hunter", "Australia Zoo", "Snakes (You can look but you better not touch)" and "We're The Crocodile Band". Irwin was featured prominently on the cover and throughout the movie.
The Wiggles are a children's musical group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991.

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OMG check this link!!!

nobody@vox.com(Brown Suga') — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:42:18 +0000

Birdorable.com!

Soooo many cute birdies!

Soooo many cute birdie goodies!

SQUEEEEEEE!!! WANTWANTWANT!

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Nature Part 2

nobody@vox.com(QtKnee) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:39:20 +0000

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I just met Tom Hanks!

nobody@vox.com(Matt Macfarlane) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:29:03 +0000

I just met tom hanks

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Weekly Sightings

nobody@vox.com(Jaffnut) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:23:17 +0000

Ok, I know it's a bit daggy, but I thought I'd start posting a list of my weekly bird sightings. I've also thrown together some photos of some of the ones I managed to snap. The following list is quite long because I spent Saturday at Cranbourne Botanical Gardens.

Ok, here goes:

Bird Mosaic #1

1.   Australian Wood Duck
2.   Galah
3.   Noisy Miner
4.   Spotted Dove
5.   Red Wattlebird
6.   Little Wattlebird
7.   Pied Currawong
8.   Tawny Frogmouth
9.   Common Starling
10. Australian Magpie
11. Brown Thornbill
12. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
13. New-Holland Honeyeater (Photo 1)
14. Welcome Swallow
15. Little Raven
16. Rainbow Lorekeet
17. Common Blackbird
18. Straw-necked Ibis
19. Pacific Gull
20. Silver Gull
21. Willie Wagtail
22. Bell Miner
23. Golden Whistler
24. Grey Fantail
25. Spotted Pardalote
26. Purple Swamphen
27. Australasian Grebe
28. Superb Fairy Wren (Photos 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 9(l))
29. Masked Lapwing
30. Magpie Lark
31. Grey Butcherbird (Photo 4: Juvenile)
32. White-plumed Honeyeater
33. Laughing Kookaburra
34. Crimson Rosella
35. Common Bronzewing
36. Red-browed Finch (Photo 9(r))

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One Magpie has sorrowful eyes...

nobody@vox.com(Deena Muzzi) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:43:47 +0000

One magpie

clipped from english-rose-lee.deviantart.com

The Magpie poem by ~english-rose-lee

One magpie has sorrowful eyes
Blaring into my own
Two have hearts full of joy
And melt all hearts of stone
Three magpies for a girl
The girl I am deep down
Four for the boy I love so much
With eyes of mysterious brown
Five is a silvery moon
Encased by glittering stars
Six is for a golden sun
As you pass by venus and mars

Seven is a secret I must never tell
The one that covers up my smile
The one that makes my life hell

The seventh magpie chases away
My stars and silvery moon
Darkens the hearts of the joyful pair

And shatters their lullaby tune

He chases away five other magpies
And stands in my garden alone
Alongside the one with sorrowful eyes

Blaring into my own

Two magpies that do not sing
Tunes with meriment and joy
They're the ones that keep away
My dark, mysterious boy

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lake murray sunset = purty!

nobody@vox.com(jelene) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:15:42 +0000

lake murray sunset = purty!, originally uploaded by jelene.

there's nothing like a lovely evening riding in the boat on lake murray, sc. i went out with my brother, sisnlaw and my two nephews to "bird island" to watch the purple martins fly in during sunset. it's a wonderful bird show, seeing them gather and swirl together in the air.

if you are on lake murray, you should definitely see this.

here are my two nephews being silly, before the sunset went down. they took a dip in the lake for about 30 mins. and had a ball :)

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Bee, Humbug!

nobody@vox.com(Lauri) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:04:58 +0000

Hooray, I saw him again today!

The Clearwing Hummingbird Moth. I first read of them in a nature magazine (Birds and Blooms, possibly?). Ooo, I thought, that is something I would love to see! A moth the size of a hummingbird! Wings zipping so fast you cannot even see them.

It was probably 5 years before I saw one. Then I was out pulling weeds in my butterfly bushes.....zzzzz...zzzzzzz....I heard a hummingbird. I looked. Nope. No hummingbird! IT WAS HEEM! IT WAS DE MOTHRA!!! :DDDD

How I love to see, in real life, fascintating things that I have read about!

That was 2 years ago. I did not see anymore CHMs. Until about two weeks ago!!!! YAY!....there's another leetle dewd in my gardens. This guy is quite a bit smaller than the first one I saw. But, he is as impressive as ever. He was out happily doing his moth thing tonight while I was watering flowers! Thanks for stopping by, little dewd! :D

Clearwing_moth

Clearwing_moth_c

Photos from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science Museum website www.naturalsciences.org

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Courtnie's Nature Photos

nobody@vox.com(QtKnee) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:42:20 +0000

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