Snowfall and Birds of Prey

[44Smokeless]

Another night of snowfall here in Chicago, and while it might keep the murder rate down a bit, other creatures are not so lucky this morning. First the flock of pigeons came to my window, I do my best to help them, especially in the winter, and then they were gone.

Sitting on my balcony was the peregrine falcon, she's been up here regularly, for years, with her newest offspring which apparently just took flight. And the hunt in on this morning.

 

[jackpine]

It must be exciting to see representatives of the wild in an urban environment- I live in a wooded area close the national forest and hardly every get that close to anything other than typical bird feeder visitors- thanks for sharing.

 

[44Smokeless]

I live on the very northwest corner of Chicago, literally walk out my door and across the north canal and it's a nature corridor. We've got falcons, coyotes, deer, this year we got white owls and rumors of eagles now.

It's a bit ironic that in the wild, nature avoids humans unless it's capable of eating us, but here in the urban setting they just adapt and even get a little friendly. Especially the coyotes, they've started following people around here. Seems like nature's wildlife is finally encroaching on us.

 

[green_bean]

...Especially the coyotes...

Yep

Yote going thru the yard here last month around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

 

[StoneCarver]

Coyotes can really have some expressive personalities. One time I was hiking in the Smoky Mtns and came across a coyote on the trail. The trail was on the side of a steep mtn and was the easiest route. I was heading one way and the coyote was going the other. We met face to face on the trail and had a stare down competition which lasted about 10 minutes. Neither of us wanted to step off the trail. The coyote sat down and would look at me. Eventually, the coyote sagged its head down and reluctantly stepped off the trail, went around me, got back up on the trail and continued to head on its way. Because of that, some Leni Lenape friends I had started calling me Tanktametet Pwemskan, not sure if I spelled that right, but it roughly translates to "wolf goes around him."

BTW: anyone else see the news report about the racoon in Virginia who broke into a liquor store, got drunk, then passed out next to the toilet?

View: https://youtu.be/g5su4ne_FDw?si=4om1NuGOk6szkFJ5

Drunk raccoon found passed out in Virginia liquor store

Store employee found masked bandit sleeping off a bender after invading booze store and tippling a tad too much

www.theguardian.com

 

[deluxestogie]

Humans are built for nature not modern life

Bob

 

[StoneCarver]

Bob, I couldn't agree more. I used to spend a lot of time camping and backpacking out in the woods. During college, I'd go backpacking on the weekends instead of attending the drinking parties on campus. In the summer between school years, I could be out in the woods for a couple weeks at a time. A number of us would do that since it was cheaper to camp out in the woods than rent a place to stay till the next school year started. I always met more people out in the woods than I did in town. People act differently when they are out in the woods vs on the side of a street in a city.

 

[green_bean]

Yep

Yote going thru the yard here last month around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Looks like the picture disappeared. Here it is.

 

[44Smokeless]

As winter grinds on, 10 degress today, Farenheit, and people ask me why I don't smoke on my balcony, because I am afraid of the birds.

The second picture is out my front door, the North Canal, and two very old native paths, Chippewa and Potawatomi. The paths are there still there for long stretches, when I was a kid I would go camping along the trail, we had a makeshift camp out there. You forget you are living in a major city sometimes.

BTW; been thinking about planting tobacco next year, field of dreams.