Ok, not strictly involving sailplanes, but still, some amazing gliding (and flapping) flight:
This morning in cloudy light rain and high winds, I watched out my window here in Seattle the following scene: an extremely tightly bunched flock of smallish black birds (grackles?... something a good bit smaller than crows, and quite fast) perhaps 50-60 of them in a sort of big elastic 'sphere'. They were flying amazingly tight formation and veering and changing direction with incredible speed and unity... then I noticed that the reason for their tight-formation semi-aerobatics was that they were, as a group, harassing a red tailed hawk. I've seen one, two three and four birds all teaming up to give a raptor a hard time, but 60??? And they weren't doing the 'taking turns diving on the hawk' thing... they were acting as a single attacking mass... it was incredible to watch. Totally a new one on me, and just fascinating. The hawk was clearly losing, and really trying pretty hard, it seemed, to just get AWAY. I watched, riveted, until they went out of my field of view. Then an hour later I was talking on the phone, and happened to look out the window, and saw the whole show repeated AGAIN, only this time it was a bald eagle they were ganging up on. A half hour later, I saw it again, with the same or perhaps a different eagle. It was as if they formed a new sport, designated the neighborhood that slopes above Gasworks Park as the playing field, and scheduled three games in a row for Saturday morning. I've been watching birds for what I thought was a long time, but I've decided to quit thinking I won't regularly see something new. Lift, Scobie at Liftworx www.liftworx.com -----Original Message----- From: Steve Meyer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2004 2:26 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [RCSE] Bird attacks vs. airplane color Most of my planes are white on top, a couple of them are red. I have shared thermals with Hawks, Vultures, Seagulls, and once even a Duck. Hawks seem the most compatible. Occasionally they will screech and complain and bully you into leaving "their territory". Once I was in a thermal with a Hawk. In my effort to stay in the "good air" with the Hawk I got a little close and the Hawk had to make an evasive maneuver. Like a "near miss" when flying with other sailplanes. I was sorry, though I don't think he understood me. We continued thermaling together, and when he had position on me, high on my 6, he dove at me in a threatening manner. It was beautiful and humorous. So I decided it was time to put my "tail between my legs" and scoot out of there and let him win. Like what was said before, I was just borrowing his air. Oh I just hope if I can be reincarnated it would be as a Hawk or Eagle so I can laugh at men trying to thermal their toy planes and not a pesky Red Wing blackbird that pops up out of the reeds to peck at passing sailplanes. :-) RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
