We have a guy trimming some trees for us as I type here, and we noticed a birdnest in one of them. I got up on the ladder with my 6 year old daughter on my shoulders, and as we watched, a newbord baby bird just hatched, and had half of the egg on top of its head like a helmet.

With its wing, it took the helmet off its head as we watched. One of the coolest things I have ever seen, and a bonding moment with my daughter.

Then we took the baby birds and stir fried them with garlic and butter.

(just kidding Xero) :D

great shot doc- what kind of birds are they?

Bluejays I think, there's a couple raising a fuss up there now.

Any other cool nature pics any of you have taken (not googled)?

Here's another:

And here is the doc now...showing his daughter the bird nest...

they look like baby velociraptors.

Excellent.

I've liked the way some of my nature photos have turned out. Here's one I posted on a different thread here...

Here's one taken at a place called Monkey Jungle, near Miami.

The excellent experience from this place is that you are the ones in a cage walking through a maze-like path while the monkeys are out playing freely in a huge area.

This is from a place called Devil's Postpile, near Mammoth ski resort, California...

Out hiking in Sedona, Arizona...

An unusual fruit found near the Sacramento River...

She does

Based on the egg color and clutch size (four), looks like jays... especially if mom and dad were raising a ruckus while you were there. Do try not to visit the nest too much, though... you could drive the parents to abandon the nest and then you'd end up having to hand-raise the babies yourself.

Ma and Pa Jay would appreciate any handouts you could provide to keep the brood fed, too. They're omnivorous and will eat just about anything... soaked kitty kibble, boiled egg, bits of meat, peanuts, etc. They're clever birds and pretty fearless -- you might be able to convince them to accept goodies from your hand.

Oh, and please keep your cat(s) indoors when the babies fledge, unless you want another bonding experience with your daughter when Kitty drops a dead jay baby at her feet.

Sheesh... I forgot to attach my nature pic!

Volcanoes Nat'l. Park, Big Island:

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc

Then we took the baby birds and stir fried them with garlic and butter.

(just kidding Xero) :D
A long time ago my aunt used to breed pigeons. Have you ever had deep-fried baby pigeons? I remember they were very yummy. Unfortunately for my palate, I've changed my ways since.

Never baby pigeons, but the full size ones taste a lot like dove. They even sell them (pigeon) in the meat markets in the Middle East

Great pics, everyone, got any more? I will post more tomorrow. :)

Of the one's that I've got scanned, here's one more before I hit the rack...

Originally posted by HIX8
An unusual fruit found near the Sacramento River...

Anyone know what kind of fruit this is? My backyard is covered with them.

I should have some soon...my brother is on his way back from a "safari" in Africa..supposedly has taken numerous pics and has some great photos...hell he's had my damn Canon Dig Rebel for 3 months now, he better have some good pics...

pigeon actually was good, back in the day....when I ate meat...very closely resembles dove as stated...

Here is a pack of wild RX-8s in their natural enviroment, a long twisty two lane highway with little traffice. :D
Photo courtesy of kristopher_d

We used to catch and eat sparrows. When I was a kid. My grandma would cook them up and they had little handles to eat them with (legs)

Originally posted by hotpot
A long time ago my aunt used to breed pigeons. Have you ever had deep-fried baby pigeons? I remember they were very yummy. Unfortunately for my palate, I've changed my ways since.

Originally posted by guy321
We used to catch and eat sparrows. When I was a kid. My grandma would cook them up and they had little handles to eat them with (legs)

Ooooh, flashback... When I was in Japan many years ago we were treated to a traditional Japanese dinner consisting of literally dozens of allegedly edible items that I'd never seen before and were impossible to identify.

There were these little meatball-looking things with what looked like two toothpicks stuck into them, like an hors d' oeuvre. I had picked one up and was trying to figure out what it was before popping it into my mouth. I asked our host what this little delicacy was, and he said, "Sparrow!"

I put it back down.

The next thing I asked about turned out to be fish gonads, followed by bee larvae.

I stopped asking after that.

HA HA Aratinga! I had to read that one out-loud to Jon!! You must have been hungry that evening!!! Reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!! LOL

We have a breeding pair of Canada Geese that return to the pond at my office every year. Just today they hatched their brood for the year. Six perfectly adorable little yellow fuzzy babies.

They spent all day today alternating between eating and sleeping under momma's wings. I expect in a couple days swimming lessons will start. The greatest is when momma and daddy teach them to fly. It's so cute. :)

---A

Originally posted by livitup
We have a breeding pair of Canada Geese that return to the pond at my office every year. Just today they hatched their brood for the year. Six perfectly adorable little yellow fuzzy babies.

They spent all day today alternating between eating and sleeping under momma's wings. I expect in a couple days swimming lessons will start. The greatest is when momma and daddy teach them to fly. It's so cute. :)

---A

Oooh ooh ooh -- pictures, please!! Take your digital camera to work with you and snap a few photos if you can. They sound too cute for words.

Geese are such attentive and protective parents, and they mate for life.

Keep that in mind, hunters, next time you take aim...

Originally posted by Meowloud
HA HA Aratinga! I had to read that one out-loud to Jon!! You must have been hungry that evening!!! Reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!! LOL

Well, it would've been rude to refuse to eat everything, so....

Enough sake makes everything yummy. ;)

Originally posted by Aratinga
Based on the egg color and clutch size (four), looks like jays... especially if mom and dad were raising a ruckus while you were there. Do try not to visit the nest too much, though... you could drive the parents to abandon the nest and then you'd end up having to hand-raise the babies yourself.

Ma and Pa Jay would appreciate any handouts you could provide to keep the brood fed, too. They're omnivorous and will eat just about anything... soaked kitty kibble, boiled egg, bits of meat, peanuts, etc. They're clever birds and pretty fearless -- you might be able to convince them to accept goodies from your hand.

Oh, and please keep your cat(s) indoors when the babies fledge, unless you want another bonding experience with your daughter when Kitty drops a dead jay baby at her feet.

I'm sure doc will fatten them up real nice.....so he can blast 'em with a shotgun.:( :mad: :D

Originally posted by Aratinga
Oooh ooh ooh -- pictures, please!! Take your digital camera to work with you and snap a few photos if you can. They sound too cute for words.

Geese are such attentive and protective parents, and they mate for life.

Keep that in mind, hunters, next time you take aim...


I REALLY wish I could take pictures, but we're a no cameras allowed facility... if anyone caught me at it I'd probably get fired. They're just sooooooo cute.

The same breeding pair return to our pond every year. Also, we have one lone duck. Somebody that works here has a sister that works for the Department of Natural Resources. They had a male mallard that got hurt somehow. After the DNR had nursed him back to health they let us "adopt" him. Originally they clipped his wings (for his own protection more than anything else) but I know he can fly now. I don't think he ever leaves though. I think he camps out in the back part of the building, near some HVAC stuff over the winter. We call him Mr. Quacks. :)

---A

Originally posted by MadRonin
Anyone know what kind of fruit this is? My backyard is covered with them.

Yes, we call them Horse Apples in Texas. They're everywhere back home. I believe the actual name is osage orange, though.

Livitup, do you happen to work for General Dynamics in Woodbridge?

Oh, and nature pics...
I took these in Alaska last summer...
http://bobafettm.bobafettm.com/j1mx99/files/Pictures/Alaska%20Trip%202003/P1010042.JPG
http://bobafettm.bobafettm.com/j1mx99/files/Pictures/Alaska%20Trip%202003/P1010039.JPG
http://bobafettm.bobafettm.com/j1mx99/files/Pictures/Alaska%20Trip%202003/P1010038.JPG

-JiM

Originally posted by j1mb0x99
Livitup, do you happen to work for General Dynamics in Woodbridge?

Oh, and nature pics..

-JiM

Nope. I work in the middle of nowhere in an ultra-secret underground cave. Well, the ultra-secret and nowhere parts are true. Though an underground cave would be cool.

Awesome pics.

---A

Is it as cool as the Batcave?

Just got back from Snowbird/Alta Utah. They have more snow now than they have ever had in November, I believe. About 60 inch base, total snowfall to date over 120 inches. Sweet skiing, and one of the prettiest spots imo.

A couple of years ago I also ran across a nest of newborns while trimming some bushes which had become badly overgrown. As I plowed through the foliage, I just barely missed the nest. With their cover gone I was worried that the sun would end up killing them or they'd be exposed to predators so I was out there building a canopy out of sticks and an old pillowcase to keep the direct sun off of them, while Mama bird scolded me. They ended up making it though. Every so often I went out and lifted the canopy for a pic... The bushes remained half-trimmed for a few more weeks.

A couple more, and then one day I went to get a pic and they were out of the nest, but I could hear them under some other bushes. Mama (or Papa?) bird was nearby watching over the fledging.

Keeping with the bird motif, this is an actual picture from the rental-car shuttle in Salt Lake City. Look how proud her husband is (I don't know why he has only one pant leg rolled up).

Nubo, your nestlings are mockingbirds. You're lucky Ma and Pa weren't dive-bombing your head -- I've seen mockers go after cats fearlessly. Glad to hear the family made it OK!

And Doc, we were wondering where the heck you were. Welcome back!

Here's a picture of me inside the crater of Mt Fuji a few years back. The hike took 4 hours and 32 minutes, and was one of the most physically challenging endeavors I ever undertook.

I'll add my own bird:

and yes, the water really is that color.

couple more nature shots

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16101

Winning_BlueRX8 is correct. We call them hedge balls or hedge apples. They grow on hedge (aka Osage Orange, aka Bois D'Arc) trees. They're eaten by cows and squirrels, and also sold to tourists :D :D :D .

I can't believe the jays didn't bomb your head. Last ones we had would dive and smack the top of our heads with their claws. I'm green with envy that you've been skiing already!

Some pics from the Blue Ridge Mountains, Magens Bay - St Thomas and Secret Harbor - St Thomas.

One of my favorite pictures ever....

http://www.elysianplains.com/album/trotternish/trotternish_image_1.jpg

and another...
http://www.elysianplains.com/album/dunvegan/dunvegan_image_23.jpg

and one more...
http://www.elysianplains.com/album/eilean/eilean_image_14.jpg

Pheasant, anyone?

http://www.elysianplains.com/album/oban/oban_image_73.jpg

Taken this summer while on vacation. Long way for an Alabama boy to be in Yosemite. :D Also another photo taken of a 350 OR Mitsu doing high altitude testing at Mt. Evans, Colorado
om-nc

Just got back from Snowbird/Alta Utah. They have more snow now than they have ever had in November, I believe. About 60 inch base, total snowfall to date over 120 inches. Sweet skiing, and one of the prettiest spots imo.


Have to agree with ya Doc, I was raised right at the Mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, grew up skiing both Snowbird and Alta quite a bit among many of the other resorts in Big Cottonwod and in Park City. No more skiing for me, (Two ACL surgeries) I just snowboard now plus I live in NC and that does not help.

You guys I just used Zaino to wax my snowboard..........it slowed it down.
But it sure looked good.

Dang possum eating my cat's food.

Dang possum eating my cat's food.


I am all about animal rights, but possums are some of the most disgusting creatures on the face of the earth- I don't think I would have shot that one, Doc, but I would have been right behind the little bastard with a big stick. Ick ick ick ick!!

An unusual fruit found near the Sacramento River...
Attached Thumbnails

Ahh, the Hedge Apple. people around here use them to repel insects

Possums aren't that bad! Even though they look like giant rats.

My boyfriend's dad lives right in the heart of Los Angeles, near Griffith Park. He leaves cat food out at night and gets not only possums, but raccoons and skunks as well. The 'coons love to use the dog's water dish to wash the food, and mama skunk showed up the other night with three baby skunklets following right behind, single file. Very cute. The 'coons even use the catflap to come inside the house and snoop around for more stuff to eat; we're hoping the skunks don't learn that trick!

That Possum has a pretty mouth!

That Possum has a pretty mouth!
Dayamm Baller, I thought you left us for good. Don't be a stranger.

This guy hunts in our neighborhood.

When I worked at Perotsystems, we had a family of falcons nesting in one of the atriums. I made excuses to sit in his office, at the time.

I miss you guys, I sold the RX-8 (I loved it and miss it) but I have some new whips (cars) now. Zaino still sucks, Bose still blows but you guys (gals) are awesome.

Here's mine doc...

I love taking nature shots...I have hundreds of cool pics, but they are on my other computer...here are a couple of cool Speedsource RX-8 shots I took at the GT races a couple months ago.
And one of an F-16 I took at just the right second when it was on the verge of breaking the sound barrier...
Also, here's one of my best night shots I've taken...downtown San Diego from across the bay...

wow, just realized this is an old thread!

Yeah, I resurrected an old one for the sake of well... just to do it I guess.