Two Swans: Courtesy Google Images
Two Swans: Presence and Power on the Waters of Consciousness
Monday, August 4, 2008
The destruction of Whistling Swans in 1908
THE DESTRUCTION OF WHISTLING SWANS (OLOR COLUMBIANUS) AT NIAGARA FALLS
DISASTERS that so often overtake migrating birds are seldom matters of newspaper interest, but in the present case the birds were so conspicuous and the circumstances so unusual that public interest was aroused by the account in the Buffalo papers of March 17, 190S, of a slaughter of wild swans that took place at Niagara Falls on the 15th. It was stated that 12S birds were taken out of a flock that had been swept over the Falls, and the names of several men who had nmdc the largest bags were given. I was able to get confirmation of the story from Mr. J. S. Wallace who was in touch with friends at Niagara, and on receiving two swans and more details on the 19th, Mr. Wallace and I decided to go to Niagara Falls and get the story at first hand, and the following is as nearly a correct account as it was possible to get. On the morning of March 14, 1908, a flock of three or four hundred swans lit in the Upper Niagara River below Grand Island and not far from the village of Chippawa, Ont. All day detached parties of swans were seen floating down the river with the current till danger of being swept into the Canadian rapids caused the birds to rise and fly back to their starting point. They were unable to obtain food, and the constant battling with the swift current no doubt weakened them. They were still in the upper river Sunday morning the 15th. It was a day of drizzling rain. About 11.30 a. a. William Leblond, who lives at the 'Maid of the Mist' landing below the Horseshoe Falls, was on the ice bridge that then barred the river at that point. His attention being called by its cries to a swan struggling at the edge of the ice, he looked up the river towards the Falls. The water seemed covered with a struggling mass of swans that were rapidly being swept towards him. Some were caught in the Bass Rock eddy and detained near the Ontario Power Company's building, but the great majority were carried by the current directly to the ice bridge and either cast up, or ground against it, by the masses of floating ice that were continually coming over the Falls. Some of the birds were already dead, many were injured, and the rest stunned and unable to help themselves; though how any could have remained alive after coming over the falls is difficult to understand; yet many of the birds were able to call loudly in their distress. News of the disaster quickly spread and men went out on the ice bridge clubbing all the swans that could be reached, while others fished the dead and dying birds out of the water with poles, and the Italian laborers at the power works attended to all that calnc ashore at their point. On Monday any birds that could not be reached with clubs and poles were shot. Just how many of the flock came over the falls will never be known but after the disaster it was estimated that something under 200 birds remained on the upper river; at least 100 birds were either slaughtered or picked up between the falls and the ice bridge; some were certainly sucked under the ice and caught in the fissures of the ice bridge, and only two were taken below that point. There seems little doubt that 100 is a safe estimate of the birds taken, and all are agreed that none escaped alive, though it afterwards became apparent that many of the birds would have recovered from the shock had they been left alone, though the town of Niagara Falls would thereby have missed a gastronomic experience much to its liking, for contrary to the usual belief these swans were good eatin Z. We found on arriving at the Falls that Mr. Harry Schmnacker had arranged interviews with some of the principal witnesses of the tragedy, and we were able to get a great deal of information from Mr. Harry Willirons and Mr. Leblonde. At the latter's place we saw 30 swans hanging en masse. The sight was not one easily' forgotten. We were within a few yards of the scene of the killing, it was late when we reached the place, and at first the swans stood out as an indistinct patch of white in the surrounding darkness, but when we were able to examine the mass with the aid of lanterns we understood the extent of the tragedy that had taken place. On the 18th three more swans were taken; one of these was alive and was taken to the Buffalo Zoo by Mr. James Savage, where it fully recovered. Another, Mr. Leblonde told us, had taken refuge in some inaccessible place near the 'Cave of the Winds' and was still alive on the 20th. On the 22d (Sunday) 12 more swans crone over the Falls; six of these were taken at the Bass Rock eddy, and five at the ice bridge, while three were seen to rise from the water between the Falls and ice bridge and fly back over the Falls and on up the river. Mr. Wallace made several subsequent visits to the Falls and cleared up some doubtful points; we were also able to compare our notes with those secured by Mr. James Savage x of Buffalo. Swans come over the Falls occasionally, some were taken in 1906 and 1907, but nothing like the present case is remembered by any one, In all I saw thirty-six birds; of these I was able to secure thirty- three, resulting in a unique series of measurements, and adding to my collection all the sterna, and the skins of twenty-eight birds, while five were handed over to friends for mounting. A careful examination of the swans showed that several had broken wings, others had the clavicles dislocated, and in one or two the sternum was crushed, others had the lungs congested, but it was not possible to examine the birds as thoroughly as I would have wished. A good many of the birds showed no signs of injury except where they had been hit with clubs, or shot, and I am certain that had they been allowed thne to recover from the shock they would have. See Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, IX, 1908, pp. 23-28, for a full account by Mr. Savage of this same disaster. escaped. I found the birds with one exception fat and in excellent condition, but was disappointed to find the stomachs empty; in only three cases I found slight traces of vegetable matter. The birds had not fed since they strayed into the Niagara River. The weights varied from 11 lb. 15 oz. to 18 lb. 10 oz.; a fourth were birds of less than a year old, the remainder were fully white, and some must be very old birds. Mr. P. A. Taverner secured drawings of all the variations in the beaks. The tedious work of nmking up so ninny skins was safely accomplished by Mr. H. H. Mitchell and assistants.
DISASTERS that so often overtake migrating birds are seldom matters of newspaper interest, but in the present case the birds were so conspicuous and the circumstances so unusual that public interest was aroused by the account in the Buffalo papers of March 17, 190S, of a slaughter of wild swans that took place at Niagara Falls on the 15th. It was stated that 12S birds were taken out of a flock that had been swept over the Falls, and the names of several men who had nmdc the largest bags were given. I was able to get confirmation of the story from Mr. J. S. Wallace who was in touch with friends at Niagara, and on receiving two swans and more details on the 19th, Mr. Wallace and I decided to go to Niagara Falls and get the story at first hand, and the following is as nearly a correct account as it was possible to get. On the morning of March 14, 1908, a flock of three or four hundred swans lit in the Upper Niagara River below Grand Island and not far from the village of Chippawa, Ont. All day detached parties of swans were seen floating down the river with the current till danger of being swept into the Canadian rapids caused the birds to rise and fly back to their starting point. They were unable to obtain food, and the constant battling with the swift current no doubt weakened them. They were still in the upper river Sunday morning the 15th. It was a day of drizzling rain. About 11.30 a. a. William Leblond, who lives at the 'Maid of the Mist' landing below the Horseshoe Falls, was on the ice bridge that then barred the river at that point. His attention being called by its cries to a swan struggling at the edge of the ice, he looked up the river towards the Falls. The water seemed covered with a struggling mass of swans that were rapidly being swept towards him. Some were caught in the Bass Rock eddy and detained near the Ontario Power Company's building, but the great majority were carried by the current directly to the ice bridge and either cast up, or ground against it, by the masses of floating ice that were continually coming over the Falls. Some of the birds were already dead, many were injured, and the rest stunned and unable to help themselves; though how any could have remained alive after coming over the falls is difficult to understand; yet many of the birds were able to call loudly in their distress. News of the disaster quickly spread and men went out on the ice bridge clubbing all the swans that could be reached, while others fished the dead and dying birds out of the water with poles, and the Italian laborers at the power works attended to all that calnc ashore at their point. On Monday any birds that could not be reached with clubs and poles were shot. Just how many of the flock came over the falls will never be known but after the disaster it was estimated that something under 200 birds remained on the upper river; at least 100 birds were either slaughtered or picked up between the falls and the ice bridge; some were certainly sucked under the ice and caught in the fissures of the ice bridge, and only two were taken below that point. There seems little doubt that 100 is a safe estimate of the birds taken, and all are agreed that none escaped alive, though it afterwards became apparent that many of the birds would have recovered from the shock had they been left alone, though the town of Niagara Falls would thereby have missed a gastronomic experience much to its liking, for contrary to the usual belief these swans were good eatin Z. We found on arriving at the Falls that Mr. Harry Schmnacker had arranged interviews with some of the principal witnesses of the tragedy, and we were able to get a great deal of information from Mr. Harry Willirons and Mr. Leblonde. At the latter's place we saw 30 swans hanging en masse. The sight was not one easily' forgotten. We were within a few yards of the scene of the killing, it was late when we reached the place, and at first the swans stood out as an indistinct patch of white in the surrounding darkness, but when we were able to examine the mass with the aid of lanterns we understood the extent of the tragedy that had taken place. On the 18th three more swans were taken; one of these was alive and was taken to the Buffalo Zoo by Mr. James Savage, where it fully recovered. Another, Mr. Leblonde told us, had taken refuge in some inaccessible place near the 'Cave of the Winds' and was still alive on the 20th. On the 22d (Sunday) 12 more swans crone over the Falls; six of these were taken at the Bass Rock eddy, and five at the ice bridge, while three were seen to rise from the water between the Falls and ice bridge and fly back over the Falls and on up the river. Mr. Wallace made several subsequent visits to the Falls and cleared up some doubtful points; we were also able to compare our notes with those secured by Mr. James Savage x of Buffalo. Swans come over the Falls occasionally, some were taken in 1906 and 1907, but nothing like the present case is remembered by any one, In all I saw thirty-six birds; of these I was able to secure thirty- three, resulting in a unique series of measurements, and adding to my collection all the sterna, and the skins of twenty-eight birds, while five were handed over to friends for mounting. A careful examination of the swans showed that several had broken wings, others had the clavicles dislocated, and in one or two the sternum was crushed, others had the lungs congested, but it was not possible to examine the birds as thoroughly as I would have wished. A good many of the birds showed no signs of injury except where they had been hit with clubs, or shot, and I am certain that had they been allowed thne to recover from the shock they would have. See Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, IX, 1908, pp. 23-28, for a full account by Mr. Savage of this same disaster. escaped. I found the birds with one exception fat and in excellent condition, but was disappointed to find the stomachs empty; in only three cases I found slight traces of vegetable matter. The birds had not fed since they strayed into the Niagara River. The weights varied from 11 lb. 15 oz. to 18 lb. 10 oz.; a fourth were birds of less than a year old, the remainder were fully white, and some must be very old birds. Mr. P. A. Taverner secured drawings of all the variations in the beaks. The tedious work of nmking up so ninny skins was safely accomplished by Mr. H. H. Mitchell and assistants.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Oxford, Hurdle Mills, Greenville, NC
We're not far from Hurdle Mills or Greenville, NC... where are you?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
"A Glimpse of Oregon" set by Arnold Pouteau
"Calling them out of the sky..." by Arnold & friends, Oregon
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Manorbier Castle, Pembrokeshire, South Wales
photo by Shawn McLaughlin, September 2006. "Much like our previous Wales trip in 2003, this one emphasized castles and other antiquities... Enjoy!" QSOV - Travel Photos - England & Wales, Manorbier Castle. 1155Manorbier.JPG
• Manorbier Castle
• Manorbier Castle - Wikipedia. Manorbier Castle is an 11th century Norman castle located five miles south-west of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, in the village of Manorbier. ... (more)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Memories of Lisbon / Recuerdos de Lisboa
It looks like the convent in Lisbon is in the background; the peace of the open walls and sky... I have the convent photo by Victor on this blog or another one. It is one of my favorites.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Snow & Ice & Winter Storms, still cozy in our warm, winter beds
Is this in Poland? Beautiful. Posted on Pixdaus.
White trees in a white beach in the snow?
WHAT is this? WHERE is this? HOW is this? Gorgeous, incredible, unpredictable world.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Snowflakes ~ Wilson Bentley
Snow flakes by Wilson Bentley ; http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/nws/wea02087.htm ; Plate XIX of "Studies among the Snow Crystals ... " by Wilson Bentley, "The Snowflake Man." From Annual Summary of the "Monthly Weather Review" for 1902. Bentley was a bachelor farmer whose hobby was photographing snow flakes. ; Image ID: wea02087, Historic NWS Collection ; Location: Jericho, Vermont ; Photo Date: 1902 Winter
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration www.photolib.noaa.gov/
Found on humanitecture.com and wikipedia
Caryatid and Telamon wall sculpture
Caryatid & Telamon Wall Sculpture
Ancient Greeks carved the human forms of their gods into the support structures of their buildings to give them strength and protection. In doing so, they made some of the most beautiful sculptures ever created. DesignToscano.com
Large Caryatid Column from Porch of Maidens
Egyptian Wall Sculptures · Fairy Collectibles · Fairies, Jewelry ... The male counterpart of a caryatid is referred to as a telamon or Atlas (plural, ...
www.mysticunicorn.com/GRE-G11.html
Around & Around We Go ~ foxes
Fox Kits having some fun.
Note: so foxes do a lot more leaping and jumping than I was aware of! Wonderful...
Note: so foxes do a lot more leaping and jumping than I was aware of! Wonderful...
Fox Leaping in Snow
I swear, I've never seen fox (or any other animal) dive-bombing head first in the snow! Pixdaus has some pretty incredible photos.
posted by tiadoc.com on pixdaus.com, pixdaus.com/single.php?id=59513#first_new or pixdaus.com/?fun=2&name=tiadoc.com
Monday, July 7, 2008
Seagulls Reflections
Originally uploaded by Seagulls' ReflectionsArnold Pouteau, Seagulls Reflections, A Glimpse of Oregon (set)4
Lonely are the Brave
By Carlos Serrano (Coco), Trek Earth, Easter in Spain
Date: 2006-04-12.
"It was the 1962 year.
The 20th Century Fox make a movie with Kirk Douglas called “Lonely are the brave”.
It was one of the first big steps of the film music Jerry Goldsmith.
Some one said about him, that the film was horrible, but the music not only was the best of the film: was really a very good music.
Bernard Herrmann was who said it.
Here, a lonely and brave tree, very near of the path of Robledo, is just in the begin of Robledo.
Look what colours.
Look the long shadow of the tree, almost out of the photo.
I hope you like it.
Also two WS."
Sunday, July 6, 2008
References / Referencias
As each morning, when the sun comes out, sunflowers get ready to follow their light, their strength and their source of life, shining and following their reference.
Which is yours? Which is the reference that you follow?
Como cada mañana, cuando sale el sol, los girasoles se preparan para seguir su luz, su fuerza y la fuente de su vida, brillando y siguiendo su referencia.
¿Cuál es la tuya? ¿Cuál es la referencia que sigues?
~ Victor Nuno, photographer, flickr
Which is yours? Which is the reference that you follow?
Como cada mañana, cuando sale el sol, los girasoles se preparan para seguir su luz, su fuerza y la fuente de su vida, brillando y siguiendo su referencia.
¿Cuál es la tuya? ¿Cuál es la referencia que sigues?
~ Victor Nuno, photographer, flickr
Explosion / Explosión ~ Victor Nuno
Expansion. Looking for the growth, for the limits. Maybe, ... to leave them behind?
It is our soul, in the wish to overcome our limitations.
Expansión. Buscando un crecimiento, buscando los lÃmites. Quizá, ... ¿para dejarlos atrás?
Es nuestra alma, en el deseo de superar nuestras limitaciones.
~Victor Nuno
Thursday, July 3, 2008
WALL-GRUNGE11
Thanks milk.tea.girl ... I wondered how you got these beautiful backgrounds on some of your photos! I thought you made them up yourself, and was thinking "it must have taken so much time." Now I can give this a try, too! Thanks so much. And best wishes on your upcoming marriage! Your friend, Catherine
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Temple Tree, Ta Prohm shrine in Angkor Wat, Cambodia
This photo is from Ta Prohm shrine, an 800 year old abandoned temple in Cambodia. The Asia tree roots now hold the structure up, which is a major archaeological site & tourist attraction. Uploaded by Czarina369cz on pixdaus. www.pixdaus.com/single.php?id=27092
• Temple tree - Yahoo! India News
The 800-year-old Ta Prohm shrine in Cambodia - better known as temple of trees - will soon be restored and conserved with the help of Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute (FRI)... The trees are more than a hundred years old (more)
• Ta Prohm temple, Angkor, Cambodia,archaeological site in what is now northwestern Cambodia... (more)
Na Pali Coast and the Blue Pacific
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arno-4m/2497790377/
Na Pali Coast and the Blue Pacific, Originally uploaded by Arnold Pouteau, on flickr.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Guests of the Fog
Silhouette of Deers by a foggy day - as seen on the top of Hurricane Hill - Olympic NP
Part of the Olympic Peninsula set (in progress)
Uploaded by Arnold Pouteau's on 1 Jun 07, 1.04PM PDT.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Blue Whale ~ largest tongue in the world
"Yes sirs, the Blue Whale is in town. One hundred ten feet and two hundred metric tonnes of seafaring muscle. A leviathan with a tongue that weighs as much as Volkswagon and an aorta a scuba diver could swim thru." Great blog by Travis Beacham, screenwriter from Los Angeles, "City of Angels." Graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking in 2005. See more of his writing and read more about him on his blog & imdb.com, and wikipedia.
Plus other info on google search: "50 people could stand on the tongue of the Blue Whale, the largest animal with the largest tongue in the world." Incredible; I just can't imagine something this big. Would have to see this in person one day, or ride on the back of one perhaps? A dream come true... one day... we'll see!
http://travisbeacham.blogspot.com/2007/07/welcome-home-big-guy.html
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Blue Whale - largest animals on earth
See * more * info, photos and a video at: http://maha.droplets.org/2007/03/largest-animals-on-earth.html
Herding Turtles
Photos by the same birdman who took the "blackbird hitching a ride on the hawk" photos. He and his wife have a most interesting and lovely cordwood house at daycreek.com with a sustainable life. Story about the turtle here.
Blackbirds hitching a ride on Hawk's back
BIRDER'S JOURNAL, by Alan Stankevitz
May 30, 2007
SUBJECT: Red-Winged Blackbirds Hitchhiking on a Red-Tailed Hawk
I must say I am amazed by all the attention I have gotten with these photographs of Red-Winged Blackbirds hitching a ride on the back of a Red-Tailed Hawk. I had first presented these photographs on the Minnesota Birdling List and within one week my photographs had been lifted off of my web site and published on other bird bulletin boards around the world. All of a sudden I was getting emails from people as far away as Australia commenting about my photographs. Most of them were positive, but I did receive a few negative comments accusing me of "doctoring" the photographs with Photoshop.
I can guarantee you that the only processing that was done to these photographs was to crop, sharpen and brighten the photographs.
Not only that, I now have witnesses to the event(s) because one week later we were having a gathering at our house when the same hawk came flying by with a red-winged blackbird in hot pursuit. Sure enough, the bird landed momentarily on the back of the hawk.
As it turns out, I don't think this is too uncommon. I have since seen the same thing occur along I-90 in Wisconsin. Red-winged blackbirds are extremely protective of their nests and it is quite often that humans are dive-bombed by protective males. So if they will attack humans, they will surely harass a hawk (and occasionally land on them too.)
So the next time you are out watching red-tailed hawks during nesting season, keep a keen-eye on those red-winged blackbirds and watch for them landing on the backs of the hawk. They do not land for more than a couple of seconds, so you have to watch closely. ... —Alan Stankevitz (more)
CT Note: I never heard of this before!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
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