Poor little birdies....................

[Guest Maj Millard]

Caution : !!!.........don't read this if you can't handle a sad ending !! or really like birds.

 

I work at Shute harbor airport in the Whitsundays. Part of my daily routine is often towing aircraft down the taxiway from the maintenance hangar, to the operations ramp. About three weeks ago beside the taxi way I spotted two adult plovers (Yellow-masked lapwings) with two fresh-born fluffy chicks. It's spring...this is not an unusual sight around a grassy airport. On later passes the chicks hunker down in the short grass trying to play invisible, while the parents make a lot of noise, and head off in a hopefully opposite decieving direction. Not a lot of chance they are going to decieve me when I'm towing a huge Cessna Caravan on whipline 8000 amphib floats !!.

 

A week later there was only one chick, and it had doubled in size. There are dingos around so I just assumed one had got the missing chick.

 

I worked the weekend, and I was closing the hangar doors late Saturday afternoon. It had been a rough day, and I was glad it was all over. I noticed the single chick on the grass with the ever watchfull and protecting parents nearby, just in front of the hangar. I paused a moment to admire the little fluffy chick venturing out on it's own for the first time, and I feel the proud parents were doing the same. It was a lovely moment in the late afternoon light. Suddenly there was a flash of feathers and a hawk swooshed in and grabbed the chick !...and was off headed for high trees on the other side of the runway, with now both schreeching parents in hot pursuit !...This was not what I needed at all after a hard days work !. I was dumbfounded..

 

They returned about 10 minutes later less the chick, and continued to look for the chick in front of the hangar. I finished closing the doors and left.

 

The following morning I had to change a set of brakepads down on the ramp. As I lay on my back changing the pads both Plover parents were down there giving me the stare, as if insinuating I had something to do with the dissapearance of their chick !..They followed my every move !....hell, I was as stunned by it's demise as they were !...nature can be a bitch sometimes.

 

Today, I'm back at work, on the ramp, doing my usual thing. One of our tourist customers came to me and asked if someone was going to move the dead plover off the runway !...a departing Cess 210 had just hit it! .shit !...looks like I was the one to move the bloody carcas.

 

I walked out and grabbed it together with a severed wing a few meters down the runway, and disposed of it in a nearby gully. The remaining last-survivor plover was there watching my every move, standing near it's well-departed mate. It looked at me as if to say.. "you just don't like Plovers do you ?!... Jezz, talk about a Greek tragedy !!!.................................Maj...

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

Argh Jeez, Ross, that's an awful story...

 

How about we change the mood with this one?

 

Kill'em and Eat'e m

 

This came from a gent who runs a 2,000-acre corn farm up around Barron , WI , not far from Oshkosh . He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard, and participated in the first Gulf War. His story:

 

I went out to plant corn for a bit, to finish a field before tomorrow morning and witnessed The Great Battle. A golden eagle -- big, with about a six-foot wingspan - flew right in front of the tractor. It was being chased by three crows that were continually dive bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles rob their nests when they find them.

 

At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver, then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too and took up positions around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird. The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards and forward to keep their distance. Then the reinforcement showed up.

 

I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact, the eagle on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably pre-briefed) and the three crows that were watching the grounded eagle also took flight -- thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on the big bird.

 

The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion of black feathers, and that crow was done.

 

The diving eagle then banked hard left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the energy it had accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two seconds later. Another crow dead.

 

The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude advantage on the remaining crow that was streaking eastward in full burner, made a short dive, then banked hard right when the escaping crow tried to evade the hit. It didn't work - crow #3 bit the dust at about 20 feet AGL.

 

This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to, including the War Birds show at Oshkosh . The two eagles ripped the crows apart, and ate them on the ground; and, as I got closer and closer working my way across the field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me as I went by, and you could see in the look of that bird that it knew who's Boss of the Sky. What a beautiful bird!

 

I loved it. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them. One of the best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

That's a great story Wayne....they don't call them birds of prey for nothing do they ?..............Cheers Maj...

 

 

[Tex]

That time of year... the population is still expanding even though those stupid birds love setting up nests on the grass islands between the slipways and major roads as well. I have seen three different 'live' partners standing sadly next to their fallen partner the last two months. Just the other day I had to abandon a rescue attempt of three of those little cotton buds on sticks who had fallen into a cement storm drain after the parents gave me no end of grief trying to save the little fellas, nearly lost an eye

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Those little cotton-balls on sticks sure are cute though !.........................................Maj...

 

 

[pudestcon]

Caution : !!!.........don't read this if you can't handle a sad ending !! or really like birds.I work at Shute harbor airport in the Whitsundays. Part of my daily routine is often towing aircraft down the taxiway from the maintenance hangar, to the operations ramp. About three weeks ago beside the taxi way I spotted two adult plovers (Yellow-masked lapwings) with two fresh-born fluffy chicks. It's spring...this is not an unusual sight around a grassy airport. On later passes the chicks hunker down in the short grass trying to play invisible, while the parents make a lot of noise, and head off in a hopefully opposite decieving direction. Not a lot of chance they are going to decieve me when I'm towing a huge Cessna Caravan on whipline 8000 amphib floats !!.

 

A week later there was only one chick, and it had doubled in size. There are dingos around so I just assumed one had got the missing chick.

 

I worked the weekend, and I was closing the hangar doors late Saturday afternoon. It had been a rough day, and I was glad it was all over. I noticed the single chick on the grass with the ever watchfull and protecting parents nearby, just in front of the hangar. I paused a moment to admire the little fluffy chick venturing out on it's own for the first time, and I feel the proud parents were doing the same. It was a lovely moment in the late afternoon light. Suddenly there was a flash of feathers and a hawk swooshed in and grabbed the chick !...and was off headed for high trees on the other side of the runway, with now both schreeching parents in hot pursuit !...This was not what I needed at all after a hard days work !. I was dumbfounded..

 

They returned about 10 minutes later less the chick, and continued to look for the chick in front of the hangar. I finished closing the doors and left.

 

The following morning I had to change a set of brakepads down on the ramp. As I lay on my back changing the pads both Plover parents were down there giving me the stare, as if insinuating I had something to do with the dissapearance of their chick !..They followed my every move !....hell, I was as stunned by it's demise as they were !...nature can be a bitch sometimes.

 

Today I'm back at work, on the ramp doing my usual thing. One of our tourist customers came to me and asked if someone was going to move the dead plover off the runway...a departing Cess 210 had just hit it! .**** !...looks like I was the one to move the bloody carcas.

 

I walked out and grabbed it together with a severed wing a few meters down the runway, and disposed of it in a nearby gully. The remaining plover was there watching my every move standing near it's departed mate. It looked at me as if to say "you just don't like Plovers do you ?!... Jezz talk about a Greek tragedy !!!.................................Maj...

I knew there was a big softee under that gruff exterior Maj.

 

Sometimes you would like to intervene but nature has a certain way eh? We have the willy wagtails at it again on our back patio where they have nested for at least 6 years. I count 4 nests out there from previous years, a new one this season after their renovation last season didn't hold up. Sometimes I've seen the first crop of chicks get taken by cats or crows, then the parents start the process again. I'd like to help 'em out sometimes but it just doesn't work - the best I've done is rigged up a shade for them once it gets too hot. That works for the little buggars.

 

Pud

 

 

[pudestcon]

Argh Jeez, Ross, that's an awful story...How about we change the mood with this one?

 

Kill'em and Eat'e m

 

This came from a gent who runs a 2,000-acre corn farm up around Barron , WI , not far from Oshkosh . He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard, and participated in the first Gulf War. His story:

 

I went out to plant corn for a bit, to finish a field before tomorrow morning and witnessed The Great Battle. A golden eagle -- big, with about a six-foot wingspan - flew right in front of the tractor. It was being chased by three crows that were continually dive bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles rob their nests when they find them.

 

At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver, then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too and took up positions around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird. The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards and forward to keep their distance. Then the reinforcement showed up.

 

I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact, the eagle on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably pre-briefed) and the three crows that were watching the grounded eagle also took flight -- thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on the big bird.

 

The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion of black feathers, and that crow was done.

 

The diving eagle then banked hard left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the energy it had accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two seconds later. Another crow dead.

 

The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude advantage on the remaining crow that was streaking eastward in full burner, made a short dive, then banked hard right when the escaping crow tried to evade the hit. It didn't work - crow #3 bit the dust at about 20 feet AGL.

 

This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to, including the War Birds show at Oshkosh . The two eagles ripped the crows apart, and ate them on the ground; and, as I got closer and closer working my way across the field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me as I went by, and you could see in the look of that bird that it knew who's Boss of the Sky. What a beautiful bird!

 

I loved it. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them. One of the best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time.

Mate, that's a great story.

I sure would have liked to see that. Imagine if you could capture that on video.

 

Pud

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

Let's see if I can get this to run... Owl attack in slow motion... The last couple of seconds are intense...

 

http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/

 

 

 

[Ultralights]

too many of those bloody plovers anyway....

 

 

[pudestcon]

Let's see if I can get this to run... Owl attack in slow motion... The last couple of seconds are intense...http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/

 

Yes, seen this one before Wayne, and what spectacular footage.

 

Very interesting to see the little feathers on the wing leading edges becoming disturbed right at the stall.

 

Pud

 

 

[bushcaddy105]

Talking about bird stories!

 

My workshop is currently host to two bird families - a Grey Shrike-thrush is sitting on eggs in a nest in the C-section frame, right at the apex of the roof. 3 bays further along a house swallow sits on her eggs in a similar location. The problem:- Neither family appreciates my tolerance and interest in their activities! The Shrike-thrushes have a beautiful, melodic call, but at what seems to be 130+ dB within the shed. The swallows keep doing low level beatups on my balding head, and also seem insistent on driving out the bigger birds.

 

Maj, like you I enjoy watching more competent aviators than us. Well done with your Plover story.

 

 

[cscotthendry]

too many of those bloody plovers anyway....

UL: Love the quote and agree with the sentiment.

The plovers are a bloody nuisance at one of the airfields I fly into. I've come very close to hitting them on several occasions. I wish they'd just get the message and leave. They sometimes nest in my front yard too and then it's nearly worth your life to go and try to collect the mail with them diving and swooping. They are very aggressive birds.

 

 

[M61A1]

too many of those bloody plovers anyway....

Yep.......chalk it up to natural selection. Given some of the stupid places I've seen them nest,, I'm surprised they're not extinct.

[Wayne T Mathews]

They're tuurff birds...

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

They're tuurff birds...

I was told when I went to school with him, that Tommy (Rowdy) Raudonikis kept a pair as pets.

 

 

[Yenn]

I picked up a young plover years ago, on the reclaimed land that is now the University at Gladstone. Just a tiny ball of fluff and my picking it up killed it, heart failure. Oh I was so sorry and put it down very gently, took a few paces and it came back to life.

 

What religion are birds of pray.

 

 

[RetiredRacer]

UL: Love the quote and agree with the sentiment.The plovers are a bloody nuisance at one of the airfields I fly into. I've come very close to hitting them on several occasions. I wish they'd just get the message and leave. They sometimes nest in my front yard too and then it's nearly worth your life to go and try to collect the mail with them diving and swooping. They are very aggressive birds.

Going to collect the mail the trick is to look at the ground and don't look at them. they will still swoop you but won't come as close as they would if you are looking at them. I don't know if they don't trust you because they can't see your eyes or what.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Wayne, You were in school with Tommy Raudonikis !!!???....I was in the bloody Air Force with him !!...around 1970-71 at 486 Sqn Richmond (Herc heavy maint). He would come around every payday and get everyone for a football pool ticket..never missed ya ! He wasn't a real big bloke then, but I believe they let him out prematurely not long after to pursue his footy career...small world huh ?.....................................................................Maj...

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

Then you would have gone to the same school Maj. It was/is the strictest boarding school in the country. RAAF School of Technical Training (RSTT) Wagga. Rowdy was a framey on 21 intake of apprentices, I was a framey on 22 intake. And you're right, he wasn't a big bloke physically, but he sure as hell punched above his weight. It's one of my bragging points that I got to play League on the same team with him for a season. And in one game between 21 & 22 intake, I got to play against him. It cost me a broken nose, but I've been able to truthfully say to my sons, "I tackled, and brought down Tommy Raudonikis once." I'm not sure they believe me though.

 

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

I was also a rising footy star once also, (winger) but ended up on the end of one of those tackles, by a much bigger bloke !...decided it was wiser to leave the game than toughen up !!.................................:roflmao:I was a safety Equippo Wayne so went to 2AD instead...............................................Cheers Maj...

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Getting back to birds (of the feathered variety), when I was in the RAF, we had a Lightning Mk3 in the hangar for a major service. This meant removing just about everything that could be removed. For some reason, the aircraft became a Christmas Tree, meaning, that if another plane needed a part, it was taken from the one in question. After several months, the C.O. decided enough was enough and ordered that it be made serviceable again. All was going well until the upper jet pipe was to be refitted when it was discovered that a Blackbird had taken up residence and was sitting on eggs. All work stopped until the eggs had hatched and the young had flown the coupe. All in all, the plane was out of action for about six months and no pilot wanted to take her up for her trial flight.

 

It came down to the camp C.O. making the squadron pilots draw lots and then he accompanied the pilot on the walk round and through all pre flight checks, just to make sure the pilot didn't chicken out. It was noted that a Blackbird was watching from the grass nearby. Needless to say, the plane performed faultlessly.

 

 

[Sapphire]

I like storys with a happy ending.