OT Things to ponder

[geofflambert]

Well, it is quite curious. On this planet Earth, birds evolved from dinosaurs. On Gorn everything is backward. We evolved from birds. It is not a reversion, however, rather it is a preversion. There is much folklore on Gorn of the Dark Days when birds were a malignant malevolent presence sharing the same planet with us. In those days we hid in caves or burrowed in the ground to escape them. Only the bravest among us venture to Earth to face, once again, our ancient nemesis.

Don't ask me about kittens. We have been much traumatized by them since discovering them on this planet.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Well, it is quite curious. On this planet Earth, birds evolved from dinosaurs. On Gorn everything is backward. We evolved from birds. It is not a reversion, however, rather it is a preversion. There is much folklore on Gorn of the Dark Days when birds were a malignant malevolent presence sharing the same planet with us. In those days we hid in caves or burrowed in the ground to escape them. Only the bravest among us venture to Earth to face, once again, our ancient nemesis.

Don't ask me about kittens. We have been much traumatized by them since discovering them on this planet.

"Sounds like a commie preversion to me" - Colonel Bat Guano.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Well, it is quite curious. On this planet Earth, birds evolved from dinosaurs. On Gorn everything is backward. We evolved from birds. It is not a reversion, however, rather it is a preversion. There is much folklore on Gorn of the Dark Days when birds were a malignant malevolent presence sharing the same planet with us. In those days we hid in caves or burrowed in the ground to escape them. Only the bravest among us venture to Earth to face, once again, our ancient nemesis.

Don't ask me about kittens. We have been much traumatized by them since discovering them on this planet.

This kind of of bird?

[TOMLABEL]

ORIGINAL: reg113
Please take pics and share your ride!

Weather hampered this past weekend so they didn't take it out. They had the event from marina to Freedom Pavilion at museum site. Going back in 2 weeks for the tour.

TOMLABEL

[geofflambert]

First Chipping Sparrow this year.

[geofflambert]

A male Downy Woodpecker. You can tell it is a male by the red patch on the back of it's head. I'm not sure about the sexual dimorphism for this species but the female I've been seeing around is substantially larger. Hairy Woodpeckers are almost indistinguishable from the Downys except that they are more than twice the size. I'm having Chickadees visiting my feeders daily just now and I'll endeavor to film one along with it's call and submit it to canoerebel to see if any of his friends can tell me whether it is a Black-capped Chickadee or a Carolina Chickadee. I live in the zone where their territories overlap.

[geofflambert]

In both pics you can see violets. I really like violets. However I am about to spread some Weed and Feed around and it says it attacks violets. I must do it anyway to knock out the dandelions and other weeds that are always poised to take over my yard. I have a tool I got from Fiskars which yanks dandelions out of the ground taproot and all and it really works. I just don't want to have to do that and there are numerous other noxious weeds I want to knock down. I also like white clover a lot. The Weed and Feed claims to knock that down as well so if it does I'll just have to get some clover seed to spread later. I don't allow it in the front yard as that might affect property values but it has free reign in the back and the bees love it and I love the bees. So there. My yards are also infested with wild strawberry which I object to not one whit. They have pretty and tiny yellow flowers.

[geofflambert]

I'd like to address a misconception about woodpeckers. The myth is, and it is a myth, that when woodpeckers make that tapping sound on trees that echoes for hundreds of yards that they are hunting for grubs hiding in the bark of trees. This is entirely incorrect. Woodpeckers make that sound as a territorial call and they are certainly not hunting when they make it. I have heard and many others as well that they sometimes find some tin or other metal, flanges or actual roofing material and bang on that. It's not that they are stupid and thinking the tin might hold some hiding beetle larvae, but rather they know this metal and the sounds that can be produced with it will penetrate greater distances than the rapping on wood that is typical for woodpeckers. Do not underestimate them, if you hear one rapping on tin you should know that you are experiencing a particularly clever woodpecker.

[wdolson]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

In both pics you can see violets. I really like violets. However I am about to spread some Weed and Feed around and it says it attacks violets. I must do it anyway to knock out the dandelions and other weeds that are always poised to take over my yard. I have a tool I got from Fiskars which yanks dandelions out of the ground taproot and all and it really works. I just don't want to have to do that and there are numerous other noxious weeds I want to knock down. I also like white clover a lot. The Weed and Feed claims to knock that down as well so if it does I'll just have to get some clover seed to spread later. I don't allow it in the front yard as that might affect property values but it has free reign in the back and the bees love it and I love the bees. So there. My yards are also infested with wild strawberry which I object to not one whit. They have pretty and tiny yellow flowers.

Our front lawn is on the NE side of the house and for about 4 months a year it gets 0 sun at all. By spring it's mostly moss. This year I think the moss completely killed off the grass.

The back lawn is mostly dandelions by this point. We're not terribly pro-active with the weed and feed.

Bill

[geofflambert]

.

[geofflambert]

Earlier in this thread (I believe) I pointed out the similarities between Chester Nimitz and Spencer Tracy, in both appearance and personality. I was just reading in Pacific Crucible that Admiral Ernest King's favorite movie star was guess who -- Spencer Tracy.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

A male Downy Woodpecker. You can tell it is a male by the red patch on the back of it's head. I'm not sure about the sexual dimorphism for this species but the female I've been seeing around is substantially larger. Hairy Woodpeckers are almost indistinguishable from the Downys except that they are more than twice the size. I'm having Chickadees visiting my feeders daily just now and I'll endeavor to film one along with it's call and submit it to canoerebel to see if any of his friends can tell me whether it is a Black-capped Chickadee or a Carolina Chickadee. I live in the zone where their territories overlap.

Male and female downy woodpeckers are the same size, as far as I know.

The hairy woodpecker, which looks and sounds remarkably like the downy, is noticeably larger (not to the layperson, but definitely to the experienced birdwatcher).

Pardon me for occasionally popping up to nitpick on bird stuff. Birding is something I enjoy. I've been doing it since I was a teenager, thus not fitting in well with high schoolers focused on sports, cars, and music.

[geofflambert]

Here's a heck of a picture

[geofflambert]

In the long tradition of this forum, what ship is this?

[Canoerebel]

Pardon me for nitpicking, but that's a boy.

[geofflambert]

A BB is named for him. What ship is this?

[Canoerebel]

If that's Angus Mutsu, I know the answer.

[geofflambert]

I think warspite1 would know.

[Chickenboy]

Master John Warspite1 III?

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

In the long tradition of this forum, what ship is this?

King George V? or Prince of Wales.