observations NGC

[SmithSwede]

Here are my two observations. 

The ears of an owl are asymmetrical--they are located on different points on their head.

So that's akin to the arrangement of Moto Guzzi cylinders, which are asymmetrical due to the side-by-side location of the connecting rods on the crank.   I'm not sure which side of an owl's head has the higher ear.

Second, I note that Rodekyll has some very strong, but well-informed opinions about eagles and owls. 

[hidn45]

  But a few minutes of actual eagle observation would convince anyone that they are just a nastier variation of the common pidgeon.......  Now an owl has a respectable scream.  An owl scream has everything the eagle wished his did -- volume, tone, and an ominous unidirectionality that implies "I'm coming for you, and you can't know from where or when!"  The owl's scream is your only indication that he's there. 

I'm feelin' ya, rodekyll....  As an undergrad at WVU, I spent some time as a "technician" (grunt) working on field research with the grad students in the Wildlife Management department.  One study was looking at raptor use of reclaimed strip mines, & part of the field work was to climb the trees where the subject raptors were nesting & collect various data.  Even with eggs or live offspring in the nest, an eagle will sit in a nearby tree, carrying on noisily, as well-described by David, until you are done & leave.  An owl, on the other hand, will make every effort, & I do mean EVERY effort, to tear you bodily from the tree, or failing that, just tear you up in situ.  Just amazing how a 3-4 pound bird can get the best of a very healthy 195 pound human.  They have my eternal respect....

[quota2000]

Does the peppermint soap taste better when you get your mouth washed out with it.
 Childhood memories.

Used to take Dr. Bronners backpacking.  Used it to wash dishes, bathe AND brush my teeth!   

Jeff

[Tom]

 :1:  Beats having to carry a bunch of stuff. 

[oldbike54]

I'm feelin' ya, rodekyll....  As an undergrad at WVU, I spent some time as a "technician" (grunt) working on field research with the grad students in the Wildlife Management department.  One study was looking at raptor use of reclaimed strip mines, & part of the field work was to climb the trees where the subject raptors were nesting & collect various data.  Even with eggs or live offspring in the nest, an eagle will sit in a nearby tree, carrying on noisily, as well-described by David, until you are done & leave.  An owl, on the other hand, will make every effort, & I do mean EVERY effort, to tear you bodily from the tree, or failing that, just tear you up in situ.  Just amazing how a 3-4 pound bird can get the best of a very healthy 195 pound human.  They have my eternal respect....

 Ya ever had a 1 LB Banty hen come off her nest intent on causing bodily harm to anything nearby? 

 Dusty

[Chuck in Indiana]

Ya ever had a 1 LB Banty hen come off her nest intent on causing bodily harm to anything nearby? 

 Dusty

  yep.

[mjptexas]

Ya ever had a 1 LB Banty hen come off her nest intent on causing bodily harm to anything nearby? 

 Dusty

My brother had this pet goose that would strike terror in the hearts of anyone brave enough to exit an automobile in his farm yard.  I also had firsthand experience as to the origin of the term 'being goosed'.

[Sheepdog]

We’ve had aggressive bantams, bossy geese, and overly curious turkeys at our farm at various times. Bad behavior results in a visit to the “killing cone” and the “drum plucker...” Somehow, insolent birds are tastier than docile ones.

[lucian]

As a youngster in the outback wilds of TX I have had some unpleasant encounters with geese, and I agree with RK on the eagles, but Turkeys can be vicious! Beware if you encounter a flock of these birds.

Actually any wild animal even those that are slightly domesticated can be dangerous if threatened!

:-)

:1:
A friend of mine was the caretaker of a nearby estate. He started feeding wild turkeys cracked corn and a large male gobbler became quite aggressive unless you had something to offer.   Then one day they stopped receiving the mail and as it turned out the mailman had gotten out of his truck with a package and got ravaged by the wild beast. He refused to deliver the mail because he was scared shitless of the thing. Didn't end well for the gobbler, caretaker's got a job to do.   

[kirby1923]

OK, quick Turkey story.
I was 15 yo and out checking fences on foot when I encountered s flock of Turkeys. One of the big gobblers rushed me with bad intent (!) and I took off running cause I knew they could be a hand full in a fight. For about 100 yards I was keeping my distance but after that he started gaining on me.

So I stopped and turned around, started yelling and waving my arms and he stopped for a moment then started to come closer with head bobbing up and down as he sized? me up.

I figured this was going to get ugly so I pulled my pistol (1851 navy .36 cap and ball). As I started to raise it for a shot the gobbler abruptly turned 90 degrees and ran for the near by brush and disappeared.(smart!)

No shots fired as I only had 5 shots and I didn't want to waste them unless it was point blank sure thing.

Been wary of Turkeys ever since.

Be warned!

:-)

 

[hidn45]

Ya ever had a 1 LB Banty hen come off her nest intent on causing bodily harm to anything nearby? 

 Dusty

Not a lot of experience with tame fowl, actually, 'tho we did harvest a rather cocky rooster (pun intended) with the Cali II once (Guzzi content) - he won't do that again.....

[Lannis]

As a youngster in the outback wilds of TX I have had some unpleasant encounters with geese, and I agree with RK on the eagles, but Turkeys can be vicious! Beware if you encounter a flock of these birds.

Actually any wild animal even those that are slightly domesticated can be dangerous if threatened!

:-)

Tame animal protecting what he's been taught by humans is his territory - Fair enough, I'll work around them.  Guineas or geese in a yard, dog on the access road, OK, I'm on his turf.

Wild animal doing ANYTHING but running hard away from me, or threatening me or mine in ANY way, he's dinner if edible, SS&S if not.

Gotta respect the food chain; it's the law.

Lannis

[Tom]

Recipe for tough game birds:

After cleaning and plucking or vice versa.  Have tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes in the portions that you want and at least one green papaya.  Clean and prep all veggies for cutting.  Chunk cut all veggies.  Chunk cut up fowl.  Place in pot.  Add veggies.  Add water to level of stuff in the pot.  Put cover on.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to lowest setting and simmer.  Taste broth.  Add Salt & pepper to taste.  Let simmer for at least an hour.  The green papaya is used like a squash.  The papain in the papaya will tenderize the meat.  You could stuff all of the mess into a slow cooker.  Works for pork too.         Serve with green toss salad and your favorite carb.

[Lannis]

Recipe for tough game birds:

After cleaning and plucking or vice versa.  Have tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes in the portions that you want and at least one green papaya.  Clean and prep all veggies for cutting.  Chunk cut all veggies.  Chunk cut up fowl.  Place in pot.  Add veggies.  Add water to level of stuff in the pot.  Put cover on.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to lowest setting and simmer.  Taste broth.  Add Salt & pepper to taste.  Let simmer for at least an hour.  The green papaya is used like a squash.  The papain in the papaya will tenderize the meat.  You could stuff all of the mess into a slow cooker.  Works for pork too.         Serve with green toss salad and your favorite carb.

That's a good way to cook things that could otherwise be tough.   

If you "boil" that bird, he'll end up tough and stringy.    Same as a salt-cured ham - if you "boil" it at 212 degF, it won't be tender and it will "drive" the salt into the ham instead of leaching some of it out.

The trick is to have the water at less than 212 degF but MORE than the 175 degF that you need to bring the meat to in order to cook it well.    Bubbling, it's too hot - if it's too cool, it won't cook.

Thermometer!   The cook's secret weapon ....

Lannis

[Tom]

Bringing it to a boil only raises the temp in the "mess".  Should shift to simmer after the water boils.  The slow cooking or stewing work with time.   :1: on the thermometer for internal temps. on the the meat.  After the long simmer, the meat should fall off the bone. 

[PJPR01]

Why can an owl rotate its head almost 360 degrees?  Let's see if the owl cognoscenti know this one!

[lucian]

To watch out for turkey ambushes. 

I would guess that there eyes are fixed so the need to move there head?

[Huzo]

In my part of the world at midnight I can see the Southern Cross in the night sky about 20 degrees above the horizon.
So I'm looking AWAY from the Sun into the direction of the Earth's shadow....
No worries !!!
So here I am now 6 months later and it's night time .
The Earth has completed half an orbit of the Sun and so I'm now looking at the night sky at midnight into the Earth's shadow.
I MUST be looking out into space in the opposite direction as before, but I can STILL see the Southern Cross in the same part of the sky.
???????????????????????????????????

[Sheepdog]

Our Christmas turkey photo-bombing my Vintage. He weighs over 40 pounds at 8 months old and his feet look like they belong on a Velociraptor. His smaller brother dressed out at 34.5 lbs at Thanksgiving...

[Huzo]

Why do I see on American TV, drivers operating their cars with the seat belt hanging on the hook?
I could name hundreds, American Pickers, The Middle, Cops !!!!!.
AND....
Just the other day I was watching a cop show produced here in Oz and there was a shot looking into the windscreen and something looked strange, then I realised...
The steering wheel was on the right (Aussie side).
Watching so much American TV, left hand drive no longer looks odd on screen.
However when I see an American car in the street Left hand Drive does look strange...
Dunno.

[lucian]

Great picture Beautiful cali.

[Huzo]

Turkey pluckers have a big job...
A very large bird
We used to eat Pheasant on our Estate and my Dad used to pluck them.
But when Dad was away transporting muck in a truck, I plucked them,
I hated the job.
I just told people I'd do it under sufference, I'd tell them


"I'm not the Pheasant Plucker
I'm the Pheasant Plucker's Son,
I'm only plucking Pheasants,
'Till the Pheasant Plucker comes..

[normzone]

Great picture

Yeah, great image - red/black/white - red/black/white

[oldbike54]

Recipe for tough game birds:

After cleaning and plucking or vice versa.  Have tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes in the portions that you want and at least one green papaya.  Clean and prep all veggies for cutting.  Chunk cut all veggies.  Chunk cut up fowl.  Place in pot.  Add veggies.  Add water to level of stuff in the pot.  Put cover on.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to lowest setting and simmer.  Taste broth.  Add Salt & pepper to taste.  Let simmer for at least an hour.  The green papaya is used like a squash.  The papain in the papaya will tenderize the meat.  You could stuff all of the mess into a slow cooker.  Works for pork too.         Serve with green toss salad and your favorite carb.

 You forgot ; "and right before serving remove the bird and throw it outside for the dogs" 

 Dusty

[Huzo]

Yeah, great image - red/black/white - red/black/white

Yeah I really like them, big and strong and will perform all day tirelessly.
You could get to like one pretty easily I reckon and develop a good lasting relationship.
No doubt you have to treat it the right way or it could turn around and bite you,but that's to be expected I guess.
Oh and BTW, that's a lovely Guzzi as well..

[Lannis]

.
The Earth has completed half an orbit of the Sun and so I'm now looking at the night sky at midnight into the Earth's shadow.
I MUST be looking out into space in the opposite direction as before, but I can STILL see the Southern Cross in the same part of the sky.
???????????????????????????????????

Well, you know, it's only about 186,000,000 miles from one side of the Earth's orbit to the other.

Comparing that to the distance from Earth to the stars that make up the Southern Cross, it's like moving your chair from one side of your window to the other and STILL being able to see the tree on the next hill .... !

The big question is how you operate upside down without all the blood rushing to your head.

Lannis

[Lannis]

Why do I see on American TV, drivers operating their cars with the seat belt hanging on the hook?
I could name hundreds, American Pickers, The Middle, Cops !!!!!.
AND....
Just the other day I was watching a cop show produced here in Oz and there was a shot looking into the windscreen and something looked strange, then I realised...
The steering wheel was on the right (Aussie side).
Watching so much American TV, left hand drive no longer looks odd on screen.
However when I see an American car in the street Left hand Drive does look strange...
Dunno.

One thing you will never see on a TV show or in a movie, and that is someone hopping onto a motorcycle, pulling on a helmet ... AND BUCKLING IT!    No one ever buckles their helmet; I guess no viewers have the patience to wait 8 seconds while a rider fiddles with a pair of D-rings ....

On "Down Under" TV shows and commercials, do they ever show anyone actually taking a bite of something and chewing it?    On USA commercials, they never do.   They press their lips up against the Big Mac or Wendy-burger and pretend to bite it, but it's obvious that they never do.   I'm shocked when I watch British TV and people are actually biting off food into their mouths and chewing it.    British actors always look so much more realistic than American actors, many of whom look like they were built in a model shop out of plastic and Bondo .....

Lannis

[Huzo]

Well, you know, it's only about 186,000,000 miles from one side of the Earth's orbit to the other.

Comparing that to the distance from Earth to the stars that make up the Southern Cross, it's like moving your chair from one side of your window to the other and STILL being able to see the tree on the next hill .... !

The big question is how you operate upside down without all the blood rushing to your head.

Lannis

All quite true Lannis, but you are looking diametrically opposite in direction six months later, you haven't just moved laterally, you have essentially "turned around"!

[Huzo]

Well, you know, it's only about 186,000,000 miles from one side of the Earth's orbit to the

The big question is how you operate upside down without all the blood rushing to your head.

Lannis

It doesn't mate, it mainly comes to rest down around the nether regions to service the parts of your body that do your thinking for you...
I gave mine a name, because I didn't want a complete stranger making all my important decisions for me!

[Lannis]

All quite true Lannis, but you are looking diametrically opposite in direction six months later, you haven't just moved laterally, you have essentially "turned around"!

The "Southern Cross" is "in the same part of the sky" at midnight in June and in December, but it's not in the same place, and not in the same orientation.    In June, the "Southern Cross" is on one side of the South Celestial pole, oriented one way, and in December, it's on the other side of the South Celestial Pole oriented 180 degrees from its June position.   

It's like our "Little Dipper" that contains "Polaris".   You can see it every single night of the year, at any time, in "the same place", but not in the same orientation as it moves around the pole star ...

So it's not like it's not moving - it's close enough to the South Pole in the sky so that you can always see it and it never sets ....

Lannis