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You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Readership Capture / Falconry and Me

Falconry and Me

by John Cole|  July 3, 20213:10 pm| 134 Comments

This post is in: Readership Capture

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So contrary to popular opinion, I do in fact read this website, ANNE LAURIE. And, believe it or not, I actually follow several falconry tiktoks because I just find the entire thing amazing. I would love to have that kind of a relationship with a bird of prey.

The problem, though, is I do not kill things. I haven’t touched a gun since I got out of the army, will wreck my damned car before hurting a chipmunk, and don’t even kill bugs other than stinkbugs. I just feel too guilty about even thinking about killing things, because I think animals are much smarter than anyone gives them credit and I think they have emotions and they definitely have memories.

And one of the major components of falconry is killing small adorable things. So it is never going to be in my future.

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Reader Interactions

134Comments

  1. 1.

    quakerinabasement

    July 3, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    I have a book for you, if you can find it. “The Hawk is Dying,” by Harry Crews. It’s a work of fiction. It’s not directly about falconry, but it plays a major part in the storytelling.

    Harry was a writing instructor at U of Florida many years ago. He published a bunch of novels, plus many long-form articles for Playboy and Esquire. He was very much a gritty, redneck, hardass, mofo, but one with a great storytelling talent.

  2. 2.

    satby

    July 3, 2021 at 3:18 pm

    ? Don’t ever change John!

  3. 3.

    Emma from Miami

    July 3, 2021 at 3:19 pm

    I have the same issue. Love to watch the bird-human interaction, love watching the hawks in flight. Thinking about the prey, not so much. But I am not a vegetarian, so it feels a bit hypocritical.

  4. 4.

    WaterGirl

    July 3, 2021 at 3:20 pm

    Does this mean that Anne Laurie is in the doghouse?  I’m pretty sure she was just razzing you. :-)

  5. 5.

    Uncle Cosmo

    July 3, 2021 at 3:23 pm

    Every marginally literate person knows the reference in Yeats’ “The Second Coming,”, but few know this one, from the beginning of a poem dear to my heart and central to my history, by my Poifick Master And Hero Of The Zeitgeist:

    Moored to the same ring:
    The hour, the darkness and I,
    Our compasses hooded like falcons.

    W.S. Merwin (1927-2019), “The Ships Are Made Ready In Silence”

  6. 6.

    Kattails

    July 3, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    Cole you is a humanitarian.

    I got yelled at by a passenger in my car a couple of weeks ago because I swerved for a butterfly in the road, and feel guilty if I accidentally off a spider while trying to get it outside. I do, however, make an exception for mice. Ask me about the ghastly smell coming out of my heating-up oven because of the unknown mouse nest in the sidewall.
    However, falcons and one’s “pet” nesting birds are not a good mix. My phoebes are in for round two, in fact.

  7. 7.

    ShadeTail

    July 3, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    I guess our host just doesn’t have the wherewithal to be Shogun. Ah well, it’s not like Toranaga needs any more competition.

  8. 8.

    A Ghost to Most

    July 3, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    John lost his fight a while ago. So did his blog.

    I hope I die before I get old.

  9. 9.

    germy

    July 3, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    Falconry And Me sounds like a DNA harvesting company that tells you what bird you’re closest to genetically.

  10. 10.

    Betty

    July 3, 2021 at 3:29 pm

    My nephew-in-law is very big into this sport. While it is fascinating to observe, the small animal thing is troubling. It’s amazing how much you pay for a goshawk. He trains them for other people. One was valued at $40,000.

  11. 11.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 3:30 pm

    don’t even kill bugs other than stinkbugs.

    I’m pretty much the same. I hate ants, but I’ve learned to divert them with cinnamon instead of spraying them with poison. And I’ll cheerfully swat mosquitoes without compunction. But spiders are utterly fascinating, and they do good, so if I come across one I’ll just gently capture it by upturning a plastic cup over it and sliding a piece of cardboard over the mouth and then carefully depositing it outside. And yes, I brake for squirrels and chipmunks.

  12. 12.

    Jay

    July 3, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    Much of the BC Interior is burning,

    The heat bubble and the wildfires, are creating dry lightning storms, sparking more wildfires,

    Absolutely mind-blowing wildfire behavior in British Columbia.Incredible & massive storm-producing pyrocumulonimbus plumes. pic.twitter.com/kH39IuX1ez— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) July 1, 2021

  13. 13.

    Raoul Paste

    July 3, 2021 at 3:39 pm

    Just seeing the title of this post, I laughed

    And you have to admire someone with principle.   Years ago my wife decided she didn’t want to kill animals, and she became a vegetarian .  It’s a personal thing; she’s not preachy about it

  14. 14.

    Kattails

    July 3, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: index cards work well, or those oversized stiff postcards. As long as the thing stays in the cup. I keep small cups nearby on both floors. Heating with wood brings in a lot of spiders. But damn, some of those black ones move fast!
    I have heard that a friend of a friend was actually killed in a skid while swerving to avoid a critter so I temper that reflex.

  15. 15.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 3:45 pm

    @Kattails: Yes, I use index cards or shirt cardboard. Sometimes being a hoarder of odds and sods comes in handy :-)

  16. 16.

    MagdaInBlack

    July 3, 2021 at 3:46 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:  Well, I’m glad to hear that about your spider rescue, because I am regularly doing that at the office, to the amusement of my coworkers. To their credit, they come and tell me if there’s a spider/cricket/bug in the bathroom.

    It’s a life, I figure. ?

    Eta: It nearly broke my heart this spring when I accidentally squished a toad during a rainy morning commute.

  17. 17.

    Almost Retired

    July 3, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    I wish falcons could be trained to engage in minor acts of harassment against execrable humans.  Like swoop in and yank off toupees, or power-shit on Savile Row suits.  Anyone attempting to enter Trump International Hotel or CPAC should have to fear the falcons.

  18. 18.

    NotMax

    July 3, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    The cane spiders keep the cockroaches in check and the geckos keep the spiders (and flies) in check.

    Welcome to Hawaii.

  19. 19.

    CaseyL

    July 3, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    Same here: Love raptors, love watching them in action, could not deal with supplying them with live food.  Same reason I never kept snakes as pets.

    A few decades ago, while volunteering at Miami’s MetroZoo, I had the opportunity to hold a large owl on my arm (can’t remember what species it was).  They only weigh a few pounds, but feel much heavier when you hold them for a while!

    Note about spiders you find in your house:  I have read that those are meant to be indoors, and putting them outside isn’t good for them.

    I live alone, love spiders, and when one decides to live in my house I no longer take them outside. My only concern is that they won’t find enough bugs to live on.  (It’s usually during the winter, when odds of finding any bugs outside to bring in for them are slim-to-none.)  (I should probably stock up on mealworms or something!)

  20. 20.

    O. Felix Culpa

    July 3, 2021 at 3:55 pm

    @Almost Retired:

    Like swoop in and yank off toupees, or power-shit on Savile Row suits.  Anyone attempting to enter Trump International Hotel or CPAC should have to fear the falcons.

    I like the way you think.

  21. 21.

    maeve

    July 3, 2021 at 3:55 pm

    I just recently started following @FalconryFinance on twitter – falconry and finance! what can go wrong?

    https://twitter.com/FalconryFinance/status/1399900569993572354

  22. 22.

    Spanky

    July 3, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    Spring driving down here by the river can get exciting.  The frogs leaping to get in front of your car during rainy evenings. The box turtles crossing the roads any time during the day. Need to be on your toes and free of tailgaters if you’re going to keep your conscience clear.

    And that’s not even taking the deer into account.

  23. 23.

    Spanky

    July 3, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    And what’s the status of the crows at Chez Cole?

  24. 24.

    trollhattan

    July 3, 2021 at 4:06 pm

    Trained raptors I’ve observed are fed with pieces of chicken and whatnot. IDK if one needs to hunt with the bird to participate in falconry, but then my level of falconry knowledge is just ahead that of my polo knowledge. Training includes lures on cords.

    Lady who does the bird show at the local zoo told my daughter and I that her counterpart at the Fresno Zoo had his thumb damaged by an owl, crunched it through the glove. Evidently their grip is off the charts compared to other raptors. Just so you know.

  25. 25.

    Kattails

    July 3, 2021 at 4:07 pm

    @MagdaInBlack: oh God, “frogging suicide season” around here. Fall, cool air warm roads + rain. Night time. Little ones, big ones, all over the roads, virtually impossible to avoid. You dodge one on the right you’ll nail the one 3 feet further on the left.

  26. 26.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    July 3, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    I just came back from a concert with a flautist who played songs by American composers. She played beautiful music but was also interesting. She started with a fife and played late 18th century songs and w worked her way through others composers including Copeland and Joplin.

  27. 27.

    trollhattan

    July 3, 2021 at 4:11 pm

    In other birb news we have our first successful nesting doves in years, in the tree outside our bedroom. Once had two or three nestings/year but more cats, squirrels and rats in the neighborhood made any attempts unsuccessful. I put pieces of hardware cloth far out a couple of branches that were ignored until recently. Only one chick instead of the usual two but it’s getting large and will fledge soon. Need to keep an eye on the bird dog until the nest is empty. He has not figured out they’re even there but does have stern words when one of the parents is waiting on a wire before flying down to the nest to pull their shift.​

  28. 28.

    Kattails

    July 3, 2021 at 4:11 pm

    @O. Felix Culpa: glad to see you back, minus one annoying and unnecessary body part. How are you feeling?

  29. 29.

    MagdaInBlack

    July 3, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    @Kattails: I’ve had that experience…lots of sickening little popping sounds. Ugh.

  30. 30.

    O. Felix Culpa

    July 3, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    @Kattails: Tired, a little tender about the tummy, but otherwise fine. Thanks for asking!

  31. 31.

    realbtl

    July 3, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    Monday I was coming back from a picnic when I came across a mama duck leading her seven 3″ tall fluff balls across the road to the lake 50 yards down the slope.  Stopped with flashers straddling the center lane so they could cross.  This being a Montana non-tourist road everyone was cool though I questions mom’s nest site choice.

  32. 32.

    dopey-o

    July 3, 2021 at 4:21 pm

    and don’t even kill bugs other than stinkbugs

    Stinkbugs, when crushed, emit a hormone which attracts other stinkbugs. So smashing them is an exercise in futility. I keep a jar containing water with dish detergent in which to drown them. Also a handy way to keep score.

  33. 33.

    AliceBlue

    July 3, 2021 at 4:22 pm

    @quakerinabasement: Harry Crews is not for everyone, but I love his work, especially A Childhood – A Biography of a Place and Feast of Snakes.  He wrote a short story called You’ll Like My Mother’s Grave that is get-under-your-skin creepy.

  34. 34.

    Morzer

    July 3, 2021 at 4:27 pm

    How about a falcon-velociraptor hybrid trained to devour Trumpanzees?

  35. 35.

    NotMax

    July 3, 2021 at 4:29 pm

    @realbtl

    with flashers straddling the center lane

    Ooh, kinky.

    :)

  36. 36.

    West of the Cascades

    July 3, 2021 at 4:31 pm

    Is there such a thing as vegan falconry?

  37. 37.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 3, 2021 at 4:31 pm

    @NotMax:

    and the geckos keep the spiders (and flies) in check. 

    But nothing will stop them from repeatedly asking if you want to save 15% or more on your car insurance.

  38. 38.

    raven

    July 3, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:  Janis?

  39. 39.

    does it matter?

    July 3, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    Jesus John. If you feel that way, just stop it with the”I made a rib roast and it was wonderful” BS. You can not compartmentalize the suffering of animals you eat for 15 minutes of pleasure if you feel that way about other animals. Period. Just make the leap and stop eating them. FFS

  40. 40.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 3, 2021 at 4:35 pm

    @Morzer:

    How about a falcon-velociraptor hybrid trained to devour Trumpanzees?

    Clever flying girl.

  41. 41.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 3, 2021 at 4:36 pm

    @West of the Cascades:

    Is there such a thing as vegan falconry? 

    Not much of a hunt there.  Plants can’t run for their lives.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 4:36 pm

    @raven:

    SCOTT!! Lol

  43. 43.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 4:37 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    You’ve never seen a runner bean, have you?

  44. 44.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 3, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    @raven: Scott

    And now I want an ice cream truck to drive by blasting The Entertainer.

  45. 45.

    Booger

    July 3, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    If you have not read “H is for Hawk” you owe it to yourself. Breathtakingly beautiful, haunting writing.

  46. 46.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 3, 2021 at 4:39 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Never heard of them.  Could they beat that dog that beat the humans in that race recently?

  47. 47.

    joel hanes

    July 3, 2021 at 4:41 pm

    Cole: Weren’t you the guy who was going to decoy in and encourage a flock of crows?

    Speaking of which: I’m back at my Mom’s place in Iowa, and if you were serious about wanting crow decoys, I would be happy to send you my grandfather’s silhouette crow decoys.
    I’d guess there’s maybe twenty of them, and they certainly worked for grandpa.

  48. 48.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    I love Scott Joplin. My all-time favourite, if I had to pick one, would be “Solace.”  Just lovely music.
    https://youtu.be/VVG_nVSXPrU

  49. 49.

    Mary G

    July 3, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    The teen’s first girlfriend had a snake and when I was driving them to and from school to try to keep them on the straight and narrow would occasionally ask me to stop at the pet store. She had to buy a live rat and it was scrabbling around in its little paper bag and I felt like I was reprising Tom Hanks in The Green Mile.

    I may have posted this a time or three, but just if you didn’t hear, the teen managed to graduate from high school on time and has a dishwashing job at the most visited tourist restaurant and is raking in the bucks. He is in a libertarian phase because of with holding/SS savings.

  50. 50.

    realbtl

    July 3, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    @NotMax: I knew that was coming when I typed it.

  51. 51.

    Juju

    July 3, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    I thought that when you killed a stinkbug they made a foul odor, hence the name stinkbug. As for not wanting to kill most insects, if a brown recluse spider ever bit you, you might change your mind about those.  I hate those things with a vengeance.

  52. 52.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 3, 2021 at 4:46 pm

    @Mary G:

    She had to buy a live rat and it was scrabbling around in its little paper bag 

    Rat-proof paper bag?  Strong paper.

  53. 53.

    does it matter?

    July 3, 2021 at 4:47 pm

    why on earth did you delete that comment?

  54. 54.

    Morzer

    July 3, 2021 at 4:50 pm

    @West of the Cascades: Yes, but it’s hard to maintain an adequate supply of small vegans.

  55. 55.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    July 3, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    @raven: I have no idea, but I don’t think so. I don’t think Janis was into flute music

  56. 56.

    brantl

    July 3, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    @raven: Probably Scott (Joplin).

  57. 57.

    debbie

    July 3, 2021 at 4:54 pm

    @dopey-o:

    I spray a mixture of Dawn and water. Gets ’em every time.

  58. 58.

    brantl

    July 3, 2021 at 4:54 pm

    @Mary G: They all seem to do that, point out the roads, the schools and the fire department, that comes whether your credit’s good, or not.

  59. 59.

    does it matter?

    July 3, 2021 at 4:54 pm

    seriously, are the rules that you can’t make a mildly critical comment to John? I have a menagerie of rescue animals, did not vote for trump, hold opinions similar to yours, but apparently have crossed the line here, huh?

  60. 60.

    raven

    July 3, 2021 at 4:59 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:  Read em and weep!

  61. 61.

    trollhattan

    July 3, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    The kudzu hawk is a wily hunter and the only known predator of the galloping vine.

  62. 62.

    trollhattan

    July 3, 2021 at 5:02 pm

    @Booger: ​”H is for Hawk” is a Kindle special today: $1.99.

  63. 63.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    July 3, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    @raven: LOL. OK then! But she didn’t appear in this concert.

    The flautist said that one reason the fife fell out of favor was that it was always out of tune but she was going to play it anyway. That made me laugh. I like daring like that–which really applies to Janis too

  64. 64.

    trollhattan

    July 3, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    Watching (on delay) today’s Tour stage, which features this year’s first high passes, the descents of which they’re doing in pi**ing rain. Not completely human, these guys.

    All hail Slovenia.

  65. 65.

    toine

    July 3, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    @JohnCole – any crow updates?

  66. 66.

    quakerinabasement

    July 3, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    @AliceBlue: Yeah, he’s definitely a southern gothic. The Hawk is Dying is one of his best, though–absolutely barebones, nothing wasted storytelling.

  67. 67.

    Morzer

    July 3, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Not completely human, these guys.

    Lance Armstrong raises a sad, genetically-modified eyebrow.

  68. 68.

    trollhattan

    July 3, 2021 at 5:12 pm

    They’re going to demo the rest of the collapsed Miami condo before the hurricane arrives. Sounds…tricky.

  69. 69.

    Hungry Joe

    July 3, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    Yes — “H is for Hawk.” Gorgeous, fascinating, shattering. A must-read.

  70. 70.

    Josie

    July 3, 2021 at 5:21 pm

    And it is raining again in Houston. If this keeps up, we are all going to have webbed feet. In previous years at this time, my brother in Washington State feels sorry for me due to the heat and I feel sorry for him due to the soggy weather there. This year it is all turned around. But climate change is “fake news.”

  71. 71.

    Gin & Tonic

    July 3, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    @trollhattan: It will be well worth your while to watch.

  72. 72.

    Lymie

    July 3, 2021 at 5:27 pm

    I agree about cool cooperation with humans, yet reluctant to see little rodents and birds killed. Then there’s this:

     

    https://youtu.be/wkuo7-sefEQ

    I don’t know how to embed videos, but fair warning of tragic end.

  73. 73.

    realbtl

    July 3, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    “She had to buy a live rat and it was scrabbling around in its little paper bag” sounds like a great first line for a novel.

  74. 74.

    Paul T

    July 3, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    Well, if you admire falcons and hawks…that is what they do. Find cute things, fly down, catch, and eat them.

  75. 75.

    frosty

    July 3, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    @Jay:  One of several climate tipping points: burning boreal forests. Canadian wild fires are Not.Good.

  76. 76.

    Sister Golden Bear

    July 3, 2021 at 5:47 pm

    @Almost Retired: I bet Cole could train the flock of crows in his yard to terrorize Trumpkins.

  77. 77.

    WaterGirl

    July 3, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    @does it matter?: I am not sure what comment you are referring to?

    A person’s very first comment goes into moderation until it is manually approved by a front pager.  I just approved your comment at #53, so if that’s the one you were referring to, it wasn’t deleted, it just wouldn’t show up until I approved it.

    In fact, if you post multiple comments before the first one is approved, they all go into moderation.

    If that isn’t what you were referring to, let me know.

  78. 78.

    WaterGirl

    July 3, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    @does it matter?: Now it’s more clear that it must have been the comment at #53.  Your future comments will show up right away.

  79. 79.

    Yutsano

    July 3, 2021 at 5:57 pm

    @WaterGirl:  I’m just curious: has there ever been food shaming on the blog before?

  80. 80.

    Dan B

    July 3, 2021 at 5:57 pm

    @Kattails: We were in Costa Rica in some land crab mating.  There were thousands on the little gravel road to our place on the beach.  The road was covered with smashed crabs for the week.  Probably four cars drove that road each night.  Thousands!

    We have little interest in visiting in the much more fecund rainy season.

  81. 81.

    Booger

    July 3, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Absolutely. What a beautiful piece of music.

  82. 82.

    DocH

    July 3, 2021 at 5:59 pm

    @trollhattan: keeping a raptor without hunting it is seen in the community as pet keeping, not falconry. And there are a ton of better pets.

    It’s a wonderful sport – 20 years in and it’s still as interesting as it was day one.

  83. 83.

    Frank Wilhoit

    July 3, 2021 at 6:00 pm

    @CaseyL: A two-pound bird is a Hell of a big bird.  Our biggest macaw weighs a bit over 2.5 pounds.  Owls are mostly feathers.

    There is an excellent bird sanctuary/rehab up the road where they have, among many other fascinating specimens, a female bald eagle.  The females are brown, like a larger golden eagle, and they are much bigger than the males.  This one weighs 12 pounds.  I have not seen them handle her — I hope to have that opportunity later this year — but 12 pounds is much more than most people could imagine perched on their forearm.

    But then I have also had my foot trodden upon by a domestic turkey — 30 pounds.  That was very uncomfortable (and not an accident: she was begging handouts).

  84. 84.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 3, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    @Dan B: Dancing crabs?

  85. 85.

    JMG

    July 3, 2021 at 6:03 pm

    I have seen a hawk kill a rabbit in our back yard. Rabbits are cute, but hawks gotta eat, too. It’s nature, lots of animals get eaten no matter how cute they are. If a cute human isn’t careful off the coast of Cape Cod, a shark will eat him/her.

  86. 86.

    Dan B

    July 3, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    @Kattails: The Appendix has a role in the immune system, far from being unnecessary.  Mine’s been gone for many decades so it’s role is not large.*

     

    *He says while hoping that a host of plagues does not plague him tomorrow.

  87. 87.

    James E Powell

    July 3, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    Great opportunity to recommend one of my all-time favorite books, The Peregrine, by J.A. Baker. Really great writing. One of my favorite quotes in all of literature: The hardest thing of all to see is what is really there.

    This review from the New Yorker is a good overview.

  88. 88.

    WereBear

    July 3, 2021 at 6:11 pm

    John’s right. I can’t do falconry either… though I live with five obligate carnivores, I just open cans for them.

    I felt bad enough with the lizard, dumping the weekly box of crickets in there. I got it for Cat TV, but the lizard just sat on his electric rock. But they did like to watch him, just in case, but I imagine it’s like a bad series that never kicks into high gear.

  89. 89.

    James E Powell

    July 3, 2021 at 6:13 pm

    @does it matter?:

    A John Cole post in which he declared & explained his switch to vegetarianism would be the least surprising thing I could read on this blog. I’ve kind of expected it for a while and I can’t say why, exactly.

  90. 90.

    dp

    July 3, 2021 at 6:13 pm

    @Booger: I was scrolling to make sure someone mentioned that book.  Excellent, and it would have moved me to look into it but for my having Cole’s lack of interest in killing small game.

  91. 91.

    Dan B

    July 3, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    @O. Felix Culpa: Glad you on the mend.  It was determined by the experts that I did not have appendicitis the first go-round.  Having it out the first time is preferable.  I was tired with a sore tummy for weeks both times – back in the bad old days of 6 inch incisions.  It was a relief to me they operated on you the first time.

  92. 92.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 6:15 pm

     

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Itch/Scratch. Itch/Scratch.

  93. 93.

    WereBear

    July 3, 2021 at 6:17 pm

    @trollhattan: I succumbed. Thanks!

  94. 94.

    Suzanne

    July 3, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    @A Ghost to Most:

    I hope I die before I get old. 

    Oh, fuck that.
    I have been working on my salty old lady DGAF since I was a teenager and I am sure that I will be a woman in full in my dotage.

  95. 95.

    Gin & Tonic

    July 3, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    @Suzanne: Why wait?

  96. 96.

    Dan B

    July 3, 2021 at 6:27 pm

    @frosty: Did I read it was 118 in Siberia last week?

    I’m concerned about fires in Seattle metro.  We’re already verging on drought and our neighborhoods are filled with big conifers that are 150′ resin rich potential torches.  Our closest water is next to a hundred+ acre park of old growth forest.

  97. 97.

    Mary G

    July 3, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    @brantl: I told him that if I didn’t live on government money with Social Security and Medicare, he would not have a roof over his head. He’s mostly a good liberal, but hears a lot of shit from tourists from red states looking for the Real Orange County where they think John Birchers are thick on the ground.

    My mom and I had my honorary niece (age 22 or so) staying with us in 2007-2009 or so, and watched a lot of the speeches and conventions with us, She said we sounded like sports fans, because we would cheer Obama and shout rude things at McCain, and I was pleased she was getting indoctrinated into politics at a nice young age. Then she fell into the cult of Ron Paul and Antifa and Bernie. I think she’ll grow out of that, or I hope so.

  98. 98.

    Jay

    July 3, 2021 at 6:29 pm

    @James E Powell:

    He’s tried fruitarianism, pickletarianism and soutkrautarianism

  99. 99.

    WaterGirl

    July 3, 2021 at 6:32 pm

    @Yutsano: Maybe, when we had the front pager who was vegan?  There was lots of talk about food then.

  100. 100.

    SFBayAreaGal

    July 3, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I also will catch spiders with cups, cardboard, or paper, and put them outside. Depending on the type of spider I will catch them with my hands. I’m  known as the spider whisperer.

  101. 101.

    Dan B

    July 3, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: Sure could be.  The numbers were similar to the biggest crowd in the video.

    Quieter though…

  102. 102.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    @Jay:

    What about humanitarianism?

  103. 103.

    Ryan

    July 3, 2021 at 6:36 pm

    Who is John Cole?

  104. 104.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 3, 2021 at 6:36 pm

    @SFBayAreaGal:

    The ones I really love are the kind known variously as “harvestman” or “daddy-long-legs.” They are so cool.

  105. 105.

    Dan B

    July 3, 2021 at 6:37 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I heard it they tasted like pork.

  106. 106.

    zhena gogolia

    July 3, 2021 at 6:39 pm

    Very cool.

    the Vegas strip for the next four weeks pic.twitter.com/VShAmg2qW6— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) July 3, 2021

  107. 107.

    dexwood

    July 3, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    My son’s great pal is a falconer. He has a federal permit allowing him to rescue, rehabilitate, or own raptors unable to be released into the wild again. The Great Horned owl living in a secure, large pen on his backporch is a wonder to see. Two years ago, my son and N took the falcon out to the west mesa for exercise and to hone it’s hunting skills. He uses the rabbits caught, mostly, to feed the birds he cares for. On this particular morning, they could see the hawk returning with its prey, a rabbit they thought. The captured animal was a chihuahua, a puppy, that despite being firmly clutched, was unharmed. They were near one of the city’s Animal Welfare shelters so they took the pup there. It was unchipped, no way to trace an owner. My son said he’d adopt it if it was unclaimed. Two weeks later, the city called him and he immediately went to adopt it. It is a fantastic dog he named Orville.

  108. 108.

    zhena gogolia

    July 3, 2021 at 6:42 pm

    watch this pic.twitter.com/BqWpDiNSrY— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) July 2, 2021

  109. 109.

    Suzanne

    July 3, 2021 at 6:44 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: I’m not waiting. Practice makes perfect.

  110. 110.

    John Cole

    July 3, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    @does it matter?: WHo is deleting what? No one should be deleting comments.

  111. 111.

    SFBayAreaGal

    July 3, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I love Daddy Long Legs.

  112. 112.

    Dan B

    July 3, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Urban legend or whatever I read that Daddy Long Legs poison is equal to Black Widow’s but they can’t penetrate skin.  I imagine most spiders have poison to subdue their prey.  I still like them.  Tarantulas, which we saw regularly in Arkansas can be elegant, like the blond one with black outline that was crossing the road one day – gorgeous critter that choreographed its eight legs.  So precise!

  113. 113.

    SFBayAreaGal

    July 3, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    @zhena gogolia: I like this very much.

  114. 114.

    JMG

    July 3, 2021 at 6:52 pm

    I’m old, but aside from the aches and pains (knees, back, etc., still minor) and a variety of surgeries, I don’t feel much different than I did, well, to be honest, when I was 30-35 (20-25 me was not ready for monogamy and proved it). Biggest differences are I can’t stay up late, DEFINITELY can’t party, and have lost my taste for travel. Otherwise, the thoughts in my head could’ve been and probably were there in 1980.

  115. 115.

    J R in WV

    July 3, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    I have and use guns on the farm — have shot to put down two deer which were fatally injured, yet alive and suffering! First was an 8-point buck, beautiful deer, had been savaged by coyotes, was wounded in his abdomen, intestines out. Killed him quickly, buried in the bottom.

    Later on, the neighbors up the hill, they share the road and well with us, called to ask me to look after a fawn with a broken leg. Same, shot it to end the suffering, left in the woods, some years back.

    This spring a tiny fawn was left by the tiny pond outside our front door. It was against the rock hillside, no doubt stashed by mom. At first we thought mom would show up in the evening to take her fawn away, so we kept the dogs inside long after sunset to give the deer a chance to get their act together. it’s pretty typical for a deer mom to stash a fawn for the day and to come back to reclaim the kid in the evening.

    But that didn’t happen, and I found the larger dog with the deceased fawn on the back porch. Only the perfect face was left, I gathered it up and put it into the trash. Sad. I expect it was injured, ill  or otherwise not going to make it, thus abandoned by it mother. Nature, red in tooth and claw, someone famous once said.

    I try to save spiders in the house. Wolf spiders are especially huge and easy to rescue and drop into the ferns outside. But not everyone makes it…

  116. 116.

    zhena gogolia

    July 3, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    @John Cole:

    It was a misunderstanding. Explained by WaterGirl above.

  117. 117.

    Mary G

    July 3, 2021 at 6:57 pm

    Rain, that is:

    It’s poring at Trump rally in Sarasota pic.twitter.com/Nbv4sTAgfe— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) July 3, 2021

    Not much prettier than a fairly sparse crowd of MAGAts standing around in oilskins because TFG is afraid for his hair,

  118. 118.

    debbie

    July 3, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    @Mary G:

    Even the famous Gaetz hair is soaked!

  119. 119.

    glc

    July 3, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    @Ryan: Not sure if that’s an Ayn Rand reference or just a natural reaction hereabouts.

    I believe he is very much as he ever was.

  120. 120.

    SFBayAreaGal

    July 3, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    I was outside at my sister’s house last year and saw a hawk fly down capture a small bird (feathers flying). The hawk landed in the street, then took off and landed on the neighbor’s roof across the street. The hawk then lost its grip on the bird. The bird started rolling down the roof, the hawk caught it and flew off. All of this happened in less than 30 seconds.

    I was stunned, fascinated, and in awe of being able to witness this.

  121. 121.

    J R in WV

    July 3, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    We have a large group of Barred Owls who mostly roost up on the high ridge behind the house. They call in the evenings with the standard Barred Owl call, which I can reproduce pretty well. Well enough for them to respond and talk to me until one or the other of us needs to go on with our evening.

    I have pics of one of them perched just outside the kitchen solarium, I intend to sent them in one of these days. I saw one swoop down the hollow just this afternoon, came and gone in instants.

    They did in our neighbor’s small flock of guinea hens in just a few days, and when we kept yard bird chickens one would disappear every week or two…scream in the middle of the night, streak of feathers from high up on the cedar tree they roosted in. Amazing birds to see when you get a chance.

  122. 122.

    Josie

    July 3, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    My post retirement gig was teaching school children at a bird sanctuary. I had a group of third graders enthralled at one station with my patter about what the birds liked to eat when a cooper’s hawk swooped down into a group of sparrows and took off with one amid much fluttering and loss of feathers. It was an unfortunate depiction of the circle of life.

  123. 123.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    July 3, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    And one of the major components of falconry is killing small adorable things. So it is never going to be in my future.

    I respect those feelings, especially seeing as how it’s not a hobby you can just screw around with for a year before moving on. That said, without judgment, I read an essay I appreciated, saying basically, “if you’re a carnivore, you need to be able to boil a lobster.” Why? Well – eating meat means things are being killed. You should admit that (said the article). And sure, it’s really hard to kill some animals, even when it seems like the compassionate thing to do.

    Ah, but a lobster? It’s not cute; it’s not cuddly; in fact, if you saw it in your driveway, and had big enough feet, encased in sufficiently protective boots, you’d probably strongly consider stomping on it.

    And it won’t bleed (nor will it scream – that’s steam from inside the shell), and literally doesn’t have enough brain to feel pain more than momentarily, to the extent of our knowledge. Essentially, the essay said, you probably haven’t really considered your moral choices, if you won’t participate in one of the most distanced acts of killing possible.

    I don’t agree with the article entirely, but I do like how it pushed the need to own the moral choice.

  124. 124.

    does it matter?

    July 3, 2021 at 7:40 pm

    @John Cole: it’s up, #39 where I beg you to apply your compassion to your diet.

     

    I totally agree with your sentiment re:critters and cannot square eating ones who have suffered more fear and pain than you could stand to think of in your own animals. Plus the lovely “fuck your feelings” blind spot most lefties show vegetarians and hippies etc.

  125. 125.

    karen marie

    July 3, 2021 at 7:56 pm

    @John Cole: I’d have thought you’d be more concerned about someone asking “who’s John Cole?”

  126. 126.

    JMG

    July 3, 2021 at 8:02 pm

    @does it matter?: I have total respect for vegetarians. My son’s fiancee (wife in five weeks) is one. We had no animal whatsoever in dinner tonight (a brown rice, black bean, shredded carrot, pineapple, lime juice and ginger salad Alice makes). And tomorrow I’m grilling hot dogs for the 4th. I am an omnivore like most of my species and I’m not ashamed nor proud of it. It just is, like nature.

  127. 127.

    glc

    July 3, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    @JMG: 

    It just is, like nature.

    And that’s a bingo.

  128. 128.

    The Pale Scot

    July 3, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    You could go after drones like they’re doing in the EU

  129. 129.

    Wvng

    July 3, 2021 at 8:52 pm

    @Booger: Wonderful book.

  130. 130.

    Tazj

    July 3, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    @Mary G: My 16 year-old just got a job at the local supermarket and spent the first day of orientation signing a lot of paperwork. He complained to me that they tried to hide the fact that they were taking one dollar a week from his salary for the union.He said he wasn’t giving anyone his money and wouldn’t sign for it and was very proud of himself for catching it. I told him that he would be free loading off other people who were paying for it and that the union provided a lot of protections and benefits for workers. I said that he would appreciate unions if he had worked for places that had no unions like I had. Of course, my talk my no difference at all to him.
    I think all of you are better than I am when it comes to insects. I am bug phobe and the best I can do is try to get them outside regardless of the weather. Live or die, that’s the best I can do. This spring I had all kinds of spiders in my house. Many in my shower and one I found curled up in a checkbook. Not fun for me at all.

  131. 131.

    HeartlandLiberal

    July 4, 2021 at 7:16 am

    Anyone interested in falconry should check out UK based YouTube Channel “Falconry And Me.” Especially enjoyable are her videos interacting with huge adorable smart Raven named Fable.
    Viewers send her toys they have made for Fable, she has a couple at least videos reviewing these.
    Fable “talks” a lot, especially saying “boop, boop” to get attention of her owner.
    I think of Fable every time I back my Volvo SUV out of the garage, because its proximity alarms sound like Fable’s “boop, boop”s.

  132. 132.

    Miss Bianca

    July 4, 2021 at 9:53 am

    @Booger: And if you had any idea what that woman put her bird through, including killing it before publication through sheer ignorance (per my UK falconing acquaintance), you would never say so. I hate that book.

  133. 133.

    TriassicSands

    July 4, 2021 at 7:40 pm

    Wild animals should not be held captive.

  134. 134.

    monoglot

    July 5, 2021 at 9:30 am

    I cannot recommend highly enough a new book on caracaras:  A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg.  Truly, they are remarkable creatures, and the last chunk of the book detailing his walk through the Amazon is so beautifully written it was transformative.

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