10-25-2007, 09:41 PM | #21 | |
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Wow, big flock of birds. Passenger Pigeon? We don't have them. Bronzewing, yes. Crested, Topknot, Victoria the size of a small goose, but no Passenger pigeons. Netting for birds is fun for all the family out here. Okay, call us odd, but we use old tennis racket's, rather than nets. Night time Quail hunting. End of harvest. Beaters at one end of a reaped stubble paddock. "Dabbers" at the other, with spotlighters behind them. We just walk towards each other, the startled Stubble Quail fly up towards the lights and we "dab" them. Just a light tap, great fun for kids, safe, no guns needed. And "Posh people food" on the table tomorrow night, for the family get together. The same technique is used to take Garfish in the shallow bays along the coast. Shine a spotlight into the water, the Garfish stream into the light pool, and we just flick them into the boat with an old tennis racket. Great fun for the kids, every body gets soaking wet. Might even get lucky, and get a few Blue Swimmer crabs, yum. |
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10-26-2007, 01:10 AM | #22 |
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The passenger pigeons used to flock by the millions along the eastern seaboard of the United States. There's a popular (and incredibly absurd) myth that they were hunted to extinction, but the reality of it is that their life cycle required a fantastically huge breeding population and a heavily forested habitat. Cities and land cleared for farms interrupted their migratory path and they died off until they finally became extinct.
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10-27-2007, 12:31 AM | #23 |
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Doesn't pay for some birds to flock together?
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10-27-2007, 12:41 AM | #24 |
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Indeed! They might have done better hand they learned a bit of independence!
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10-28-2007, 11:36 PM | #25 |
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The "Mutton Bird" or Shearwater, almost suffered the same fate here. They migrate from Siberia every year to our Southern coast, to breed. They were almost hunted to extinction for the oil they hold in body fat, the only saver was the remote off-shore island colonies. Nobody likes our southern ocean very much. Too rough apparently.
The Shearwater is now protected, and our offshore islands are now National Parks sanctuaries. The "Roo" however, is in greater numbers now, than when white man first arrived. Thanks to farming. Tricky to farm though. We haven't been able to build a fence they can't jump. |
10-29-2007, 12:34 AM | #26 |
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Holy cow! Siberia to the south coast of Australia is a heck of a migration! If they're a valuable bird, I can see how they would have been exposed to a lot of hunting pressure on such a long journey. Their flyways must have been very predictable, too.
Obviously there must be some limit to the height that a kangaroo can jump, though the cost of such a tall fence might not be economically viable.
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10-29-2007, 08:50 AM | #27 |
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There probably is.
The higher we build fences, the more they smash them down. Build normal fences, at least the dumb sheep and cows stay put. Mostly. The Shearwater still comes back every year. They (the chicks) are the main diet of the Island Tiger snake. He only gets to eat up happy, 3 months out of the year, no wonder he can be a grumpy big deadly poisonous snake. The Southern Right and the Southern Humpback Whales are making a big come back now as well. The entire stretch of the Great Australian Bight, has been declared a Marine Park and Whale sanctuary. |
10-29-2007, 05:05 PM | #28 |
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Aha! And it sounds like the whales have figured out where it's safe to hang out!
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10-29-2007, 05:41 PM | #29 |
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Isn't that where Greg wanted to build his linear accelerator?
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10-29-2007, 10:59 PM | #30 |
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Nah. That's a couple of thousand miles north, of the Bight.
Tis a big country, it truly is a really long way to everywhere. I have actually swam, out in open ocean, in only racing speedo's, with Hump-back Whales. To be allowed that intimacy by the whales themselves. To have a whale surface not 6 feet from you while swimming and know it is looking into your eyes to learn who you are inside. There is a power to their personality, their intellect, that took my breath away. Oh yes, they are a very sentient being, believe me. And yeah, Japanese Whaler's, are not at all welcome in my area. Nor are Long-line Fishermen. |
10-31-2007, 05:40 PM | #31 |
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I suspect that whales recognize humans as kin. Horribly deformed kin, to be sure; maybe they see us as paraplegics and that's why they take kindly to us.
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10-31-2007, 06:37 PM | #32 |
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Deformed and mute kin!
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11-03-2007, 02:20 AM | #33 |
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That's why they keep us safe in this land bound sanctuary we live in.
They know, just how stupid, and fragile, we actually can be. |
12-02-2007, 01:16 PM | #34 |
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I am reminded of what Douglas Adams wrote about human and dolphins, which I won't attempt to quote from memory because I know I'd mess it up.
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12-02-2007, 10:48 PM | #35 |
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So long and thanks for all the fish?
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12-03-2007, 01:52 AM | #36 |
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Before that. Something about how humans feel superior dolphins because we develop mighty things and do great works while dolphins just spend their days mucking about in the ocean and eating sushi. And the dolphins feel that they are superior to humans for exactly the same reason.
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12-03-2007, 02:20 AM | #37 |
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Ah, it's been a while since I needed to refer to "the guide"
Bit like the white man\black man thing.. White man calls black man backward. White man works all year, just to be able to go hunting or fishing for a week. Black man wakes up and says, should I go hunting or fishing today. Someone's got it backwards. See ya, I'm of fissin'. (That's Aboriginal Pidgin English for FISHING.) |
12-03-2007, 02:34 AM | #38 |
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There must be some purpose to building all these farms and cities and stuff.
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12-03-2007, 02:45 AM | #39 |
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Farms I can understand.
How else can you feed city dwellers? It's smelly, crowded cities, I don't get. What's the attraction? |
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