leonardcohenforum.com

I just received this as an LC google alert and ....."I thought I saw an eagle" and I did!
https://www.npr.org/2017/11/20/56182874 ... sic10-2008



I can't recall seeing LC wear that tie before.

Well ... your eyes are probably better than mine, Bev, but might it not be a vulture?

I think it is a dove! But I currently have sick eyes so Leonard's lyrics about doves may be making me want it to be a dove

ah Hartmut, I thought of adding that for fun!
But I think Gwen, with not sick but sharp eagle eyes could be right and it is a dove!
In fact, I think the bird is carrying an olive branch!




Or maybe it's an eagle with the same unlikely message

I've been doing a lot of family research lately and my ancestors have coats of arms with eagles so that could account for my enthusiasm and pre-occupation with eagles at the moment

Well Roman, Yes, I thought I saw an eagle and although related, it turns out they are Black Kites. So, I thought this would be the most appropriate place to reply to your request for a photo of my local "sea eagles" and view
So far, I can’t get a suitable photo of both together. Below is a photo published in my local paper that prompted my memory about the species of the birds. That made me do some research and I found both classes belong to the same Falconiformes order and Accipitridae family. http://www.differencebetween.info/diffe ... -and-eagle


It’s the same beach as in this photo on the left-hand side taken from the hill where I live. https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewt ... 27#p370516

While doing my research I did see an eagle I had never seen before
Russian sea eagle

Eagles are despicable creatures. For a strangely fun (and true) article about these feathered felons (and other rather nasty birds), one may wish to check out the story, "The 6 Most Disturbingly Evil Birds" (link below). You will be regaled with tales that make Hitchcock's film seem like family fun from Disney. This is what it says about eagles:


"Birds are the most majestic creatures on Earth -- we plaster them on our cars, flags and coins. You see them soaring up there, and think they're above all the petty savagery down here on the ground.

Well, it turns out they're dicks.

Golden Eagles Will Drop Your Ass

The golden eagle is perhaps the most revered bird in the entire world. It is the national bird of five countries and has been featured on the coat of arms of nearly a dozen others. It is the very symbol of animal majesty and might. Also, it is a shithead.

Ornithologists consider the golden eagle to be the "guido" of the Animal Kingdom.

Why? Well, let's say you're a turtle. You're minding your own business, taking it slow. Suddenly, holy shit, you are flying! Just effortlessly soaring through the air. Whee!

Ah, but now, you are dropping to the ground, your slow turtle brain barely able to register the horror as the rocks rush up at you from hundreds of feet below. Congratulations, you have made the acquaintance of a golden eagle:

Rather than bothering to pry the tender tortoise meat from the shell, the eagle simply grabs the whole creature, soars as high as it can and drops it, letting gravity and the rocks below do the shell-shattering work.

For such a badass bird, it seems like an awfully dickish way to hunt. Keep in mind, in Mongolia they use golden eagles to hunt wolves. Not to harass wolves, mind you -- they don't flush out wolves so a guy with a rifle can snipe from a safe distance. No, these raptors will fearlessly dive in, throw down with and kill wild foxes and wolves that can be several times their size (the bird is only 15 pounds, max). The golden eagle pierces the victims heart with its talons, killing them instantly. To get the kill away from the bird, its handler has to distract it with a piece of meat. It's like a fucking shark with wings. One that torments turtles.

Oh, and if it finds a mountain goat way up high on a cliff? If video evidence is to be trusted, the eagle will grab it and give it the ol' turtle treatment. WARNING: Do not watch those videos unless you enjoy seeing innocent animals dropped from great heights and splattered mercilessly upon the rocks below.

The golden eagle, kids. It has strength, speed, keen senses, lightning reflexes ... and it uses them to toss petting-zoo-grade animals over a sheer precipice for the sake of an easy meal.

When you think about it, this really is the perfect bird to symbolize America."


https://www.cracked.com/article_19263_t ... birds.html

WoW. What an amazing (and disturbing) commentary on Golden Eagles.
I don't remember ever seeing that tie, either! It would've been a great item for the merch stand.

I knew that story about those eagles' practice reminded me on something:

In 455 BC, Aeschylus, the great playwriter known as the Father of Greek Tragedy, died in a most unexpected way. He was said to have been killed by a tortoise which was dropped by an eagle that had mistaken his head for a rock suitable for shattering the shell of the reptile.
In his Naturalis Historiæ, Pliny adds that Aeschylus had been staying outdoors to avert a prophecy that he would be killed by a falling object.

Some other sources claim that the bird in question was the Lammergeier vulture, which were apparently more common in southern Europe 2,000 years ago than they are today. As carrion feeders, they feast on the bones of deceased animals that other vultures leave behind. Lammergeiers carry large bones high in the air and drop them on rocks before descending to feed on the exposed marrow. This method apparently also works for tortoise shells. According to legend, the top of Aeschylus' head and its marble likeness are similar, at least from a vulture's point of view.

https://www.oddee.com/item_99118.aspx

Dennis

DennisBerlin wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 2:27 pm I knew that story about those eagles' practice reminded me on something:

In 455 BC, Aeschylus, the great playwriter known as the Father of Greek Tragedy, died in a most unexpected way. He was said to have been killed by a tortoise which was dropped by an eagle that had mistaken his head for a rock suitable for shattering the shell of the reptile.....

Now it's my turn to say, Wow! I love bizarre facts like that -- thank you!

Whoa!! Amazing.

B4real wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 3:48 am Well Roman, Yes, I thought I saw an eagle and although related, it turns out they are Black Kites. So, I thought this would be the most appropriate place to reply to your request for a photo of my local "sea eagles" and view

Thanks a lot, Bev! I really appreciate your efforts!
This truly amazes me: you're watching kites or eagles in Australia and remember our recent discussion. Oh Internet, mighty you are...

That's a story from me: yesterday morning on the route from Vologda to Ferapontov monastery (a great atmospheric place from the UNESCO World Heritage List) I saw... a Bactrian camel. (≈59°20' N)
The regular bus went slowly enough to distinguish a camel from a horse, which was grazing nearby (and to get surprised), but not enough to take any picture of it.

That's a random non-LC moment I am currently adoring

Goldin wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 11:04 pm The regular bus went slowly enough to distinguish a camel from a horse, which was grazing nearby (and to get surprised), but not enough to take any picture of it.

That's a random non-LC moment I am currently adoring

Ha! you just never know what sort of an animal you'll find in a place you never expected it to be!
That reminds me of a couple of kangaroo incidents far, far from home, in England and America.
You can imagine the looks on the faces of the residents of those places when faced with such a situation

Escaped kangaroo keeps UK police on the hop -
https://www.smh.com.au/world/escaped-ka ... jw309.html

London: A crafty kangaroo has avoided police capture after going on the hop in the English countryside.

Kangaroo in custody in Florida -
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 23591.html

A daring escape attempt by a kangaroo came to an end when police in South Florida captured the rogue Aussie on Thursday morning.
The wanderer from Down Under was taken into custody after leading police on a low-speed hop chase through the streets of Fort Lauderdale.

btw - we have a football team here in Australia called Manly Sea Eagles

I'm not surprised by Florida at all (well, it has its reputation; mean no offence!), but Gloucestershire...

As we are into discovering animals doing things and being in places you never thought they would and kangaroos being the current ones; here are the same species of Eastern Grey kangaroos in their native land in two very opposite climates. They are at home everywhere in Australia, from snow to beach. I'll bet you all thought they only roamed the Aussie outback

https://www.redbubble.com/people/dbigwo ... -australia

https://www.austockphoto.com.au/image/a ... -wav-wWzU0