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Author Topic: Courtship Flight  (Read 4443 times)

Offline KONASDAD

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Courtship Flight
« on: February 29, 2008, 02:50:16 pm »
Today i was lucky enough to be home at lunch and while walking the dog a pair of red tail hawks were doing their courtship flight. Directly above my yard, like it was just for me. Slowly circling higher and higher in unison, then tumbling down and starting over. They never actually touched but were mirror images of each other. Lasted about twenty minutes....they just sailed off into the big blue where I couldn't see them anymore. Just so cool. Even the dog was mesmerized by the sight. He just sat quietly by my side and looked up w/ me. His head would circle w/ their flight paths watching. It was one of those "time stands still " outdoor moments...
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Offline reinbeau

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2008, 09:26:31 pm »
I call that a Cathedral Moment.  It's awesome, isn't it?

Greg and I saw it once when we were driving up to the house.  Right over Great Bay (in Portsmouth, NH) two ospreys were doing the same courtship dance.  Quite spectacular!

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2008, 01:26:07 am »
Living in the San Juan Islands with the Skagit River just a few miles away I see Eagles doing their courtship flights fairly frequently.  The Skagit River has the largest Bald Eagle population in the lower 48 states and people come from all over World just to view the eagles along the river.  I'm going to my pigeon club meeting tomorrow, I have to drive past an Eagles nest on the way.  Darn tourist keep stopping their cars in the road, blocking traffic, just to take pictures of the birds on the nest. 

I also have to dodge the flocks of Canadian geese and Trumpter Swans that call the Skagit Valley home.  Some of those swans are as big as a small car but they sure are regal flyers.

Pigeons and Raptors seem to have the intricate courtships of any birds in the US other than maybe the Sandhill crane.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2008, 11:45:38 am »
Konasdad, wow!!!  Very awesome that you were around to see this event, and the others that have seen these events too.

There is a place nearby to us (about 1/2 hour drive) where the Bald Eagles come in hundreds, during a specific time of the year (that was about a month ago).  My Sister took the children to watch this and she got some cool pictures, along with many many other people that took pictures.  I have to get some of those pics to post here.  But I keep forgetting to ask her for them.  I will try to remember.  Beautiful day, beautiful life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline KONASDAD

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2008, 05:03:10 pm »
I call that a Cathedral Moment.  It's awesome, isn't it?

Jusy love those moments too. Some people refer to it as "transformational". Its what all good art/music/ momenst etc are. Moves you from one moment to another, one emotion to another, brings back memories and just gets you thinking, yeah, transformational events are so awesome.
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Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2008, 07:58:51 pm »
Konasdad, I was blessed with the same gift on Feb 29th!  And it sure is a stand still moment, like today when I watched in awe as the bees swarmed right outta their hive!  What a gift!

Offline JP

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2008, 07:41:32 am »
There are moments when time just stands still and we are caught up and transformed by these special moments where we reflect. Some, even most are bittersweet as they remind us how precious life truly is. Its easy to let these moments pass because life can bee so fast paced in this day and age but we need to grasp these moments and embrace them. I think these moments make us better people, able to better appreciate our place in the scheme of things. I have come to name these moments as well, not as fancy sounding as Ann's cathedral moments, I'm more of a simple type, I refer to them as "magical moments". Just ask my wife, sometimes I can be a little annoying about them as well, cause what I see as a magical moment she may see as simply a bird taking a crap! But hey, to each his own right?

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Offline reinbeau

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2008, 09:45:48 am »
Beautifully put, JP.

Just to explain why I call them Cathedral Moments - I realized one day that I felt like I was in church when I was out in nature.  That was the day I realized I was a Pantheist.  To me, nature is my church, thus, when I am blessed with the opportunity to see something truly special, I think of the grandest church, a cathedral.

One moment I will never forget was a walk I took during lunch.  I walked around Jacob's Pond over in the town I grew up in.  There was a large, moss-covered log blocking my path.  As I looked to go around it, I realized there were rays of sun shining down on the little clearing I was in - one was highlighting the top of the log.  Hovering over that log, highlighted in the sun, was the most beautiful iridescent bee-like creature, just hanging there, in the perfect light....I have no idea what the 'bee' was, but it was truly a beautiful moment, something even the best camera couldn't catch. 

Offline Cindi

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2008, 09:57:33 am »
Ann, what a beautiful picture you painted, so nice.  Beautiful day, beautiful life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2008, 11:14:33 am »
I have many "magical moment, moments" when sitting in the woods, just before dusk when the sun is below the trees and just enough light shimmers throughout and when deer or other wildlife abound, it just completes the picture. Pantheist, now Ann, don't be so hard on yourself, we love you just the same, heehee. All I know is that God is love and I'm stickin' with that! Had to look up pantheism Ann, not a word I use much, in fact ever. Thanks for the education!

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Offline Bennettoid

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2008, 03:07:07 pm »
I never saw a wild Eagle growing up. They were endangered and I lived in the suburbs. My kids see Eagles and Hawks all the time. I try to impress upon them how special those creatures are.

A large Redtail flew past the front of my truck as we came down the Driveway the other day. It was the closest we've ever been to him, we were all thrilled. I usually get to see him take a Dove from our bird feeders about once a week.

A big old Horned Owl has taken up residency here, first one in about 10 years. He was sitting on one of my Brush piles the other day. At first it took me a moment to figure out what I was looking at. He looked like a Keg of Nails sitting on a log.

We have a resident pair of Eagles now. Very, very kewl. I havn't seen a mating flight yet, tho. They seem to like roadkill deer. Its funny to see all the turkey Buzzards surrounding the deer waiting for the Eagle to leave. They know not to mess with him!

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Courtship Flight
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2008, 12:16:30 am »
I have birds all over the place, besides the ones I own.  The drainage pond for the new housing develop is home to a pair of Canadian Geese who have set up a nursery.  The lady across the creek has more bird feeders in her back yard than I have fence posts.   The finches, wrens, sparrows, and chickadees like to clean up after the chickens.  Several sparrows have built nests in the Japanese honeysuckle on the deck.  I was coming into the house yesterday and one of the sparrows dives for its nest in the honeysuckle.  Came so close to me its wing brushed my ear.  The next thing I know is my hat is on the wheelchair ramp ahead of me and a Kestrel is puling 10 Gs trying to swoop and turn to avoid hitting the bathroom window.  Between the hawks, buzzards, and eagles none of my pigeons will live a long life--I just hope they live long enough to win a few races 1st.
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