Our prime plumed pals

[storm5510]

Originally Posted by axn

You mean "Freedom town, Alaska" !

I was curious and wanted to see where it was. Homer is the "garden spot" of Alaska, sitting on the south end of the state on the coast. Lots of Pacific Ocean to bee seen. 60°F is typical in the summer months. It might not be a bad place to live.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by storm5510

I was curious and wanted to see where it was. Homer is the "garden spot" of Alaska, sitting on the south end of the state on the coast. Lots of Pacific Ocean to bee seen. 60°F is typical in the summer months. It might not be a bad place to live.

And, of course, from Homer, which is at the S end of the Kenai Peninsula, you can see Russia from your front porch just as clearly as you can from Wasilla, which is just N of the Kenai Peninsula.

What actually does lie across Cook Inlet just west of the Kenai Peninsula is the Lake Clark Wilderness Area. I heard about this area because of a program I saw on PBS entitled Alone in the Wilderness. It was about a man named Richard Proenneke who in 1967 retired at age 50, built a cabin in that wilderness area on the shore of Twin Lakes, and lived there for the next thirty years. The film was made by a friend, Bob Swerer, and as far as I could tell, it was Bob Swerer's voice narrating, apparently reading from Richard Proenneke's diary.

The Richard Proenneke Historic Site is shown on some maps. It is in the western part of the wilderness area. If you locate the city of Kenai on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula, the historic site is almost due west of there.

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

you can see Russia from your front porch just as clearly as you can from Wasilla

So what's the big fuss? From my porch in Thailand, I can see Romania just as clearly as you can see it from your porch in US.
No joke!




Edit: and to be on topic.
.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Turkey that had online fans but real-life haters is killed

<snip>
An Instagram account created for the turkey described it as "a classic wild turkey who enjoys kindness, not being honked at, and bringing joy to humans." The account attracted more than 1,700 followers since its first post in July.

But the bird also had a long history of aggressive behavior, said David Scarpitti, a wildlife biologist and turkey expert with the state's Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

The turkey was known to attack patients and workers at a nearby medical facility, Scarpitti said. Wildlife officials had urged local residents to stop feeding the bird, which can encourage aggressive behavior, he said.

But neighbors kept feeding the turkey and the behavior continued, leading to the decision to capture and euthanize it, Scarpitti said. He called it unfortunate but blamed those who kept feeding the turkey.
<snip>

I've heard of wild turkeys behaving this way in other places after they learned to associate people with food. In one case I heard about, it was a group of three wild turkeys roaming the streets. I couldn't resist asking if they were wearing trenchcoats and fedoras.

And turkeys are not alone in behaving this way. Other wild animals can also become aggressive if they learn to associate people with food. Aggressive human panhandlers are nothing compared to a wild animal that gets ornery because it isn't getting an expected handout. Or maybe if it doesn't come fast enough. I've heard of people who feed other wild animals because they "love" them. Like bears.

[storm5510]

At Dale Hollow Lake. Birds of a feather...

[kladner]

Originally Posted by storm5510

At Dale Hollow Lake. Birds of a feather...

These photos of multiple bald eagles are stunning. Is this seasonal behavior? I had not known of them being so sociable.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by kladner

These photos of multiple bald eagles are stunning. Is this seasonal behavior? I had not known of them being so sociable.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bald+eagle...ages&ia=images

[kladner]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bald+eagle...ages&ia=images

Well I'll be! Thanks for the link.

[storm5510]

Originally Posted by kladner

These photos of multiple bald eagles are stunning. Is this seasonal behavior? I had not known of them being so sociable.

I saw a video of a landfill in Anchorage, AK. There can be hundreds picking through the refuse all at once. The small bulldozer the city uses to move it all around, the eagles will be sitting on the top of the enclosed cab and lined up on the blade in front as it is moving around. They show no fear at all. A still photo from a fishing village on The Bering Sea shows a long building. Bald Eagles are lined up on the gutters of the building waiting for a morsel of fish.

Perhaps all this socializing around people in Alaska is a result life experiences. The eagles do not fear people because they have not had a reason to do so. A lot of the population there are Native Americans we simply refer to as Eskimo's. These people would never harm an eagle out of respect and reverence. Here, in the lower 48, they've been shot, poisoned, and handled by vets. This makes them afraid, so they stay as far from people as possible, and seldom congregate.

[Dr Sardonicus]

I saw a Pileated Woodpecker fly almost directly over me the other day at about treetop level. About all I got a really good look at was the underside of its wings, which were black around the edges surrounding a good-sized white area. I watched it land on the side of a tree. No mistaking that kind of landing. Woodpecker. Unfortunately, it was in shadow so it was just a silhouette, so I didn't get a good look at the shocking red crest. But I had two solid points of ID. Tracking its flight to its landing gave me its approximate height as it passed above me, hence a size estimate - about the size of a Crow. The Pileated is the only woodpecker that big. Besides, as it flew over me it was calling. That call reminds me of a Kookaburra. AFAIK the Pileated is the only Woodpecker that sounds like that.

Someone living nearby got some pics today of Woody Woodpecker hammering away at a rotting stump on their property. Then it visited one of their bird feeders, which is tube-shaped with perches, and is filled with Sunflower seeds. Woody obviously had already learned how to perch on that type of feeder.

[storm5510]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

I saw a Pileated Woodpecker fly almost directly over me the other day at about treetop level...

Back in the '90's, this type of woodpecker killed two big water-maple trees in my dad's yard. I imagine the trees were in the process of dying. Once cut down, the woodpeckers chipped what was left nearly a foot into the ground. They never touched the Sugar-Maples.