neat thing i saw today

While biking through the park today a few hundred canadian geese were flying
around the half frozen lakes. These guys are big, noisy, and clunky birds -
the aviary equivalent of a 747.

I stopped and focused on one as it was decending to the ground - it's body was
slightly nose low, wings spread, planning his landing point.

Then 5-10 feet above the ground he leveled off and slowly pitched up, got
slower and slower, wings out a bit more, pitched up higher, hit the ground
without even a stumble and started walking.

A perfect flare and landing!

While biking through the park today a few hundred canadian geese were flying
around the half frozen lakes. These guys are big, noisy, and clunky birds -
the aviary equivalent of a 747.

I stopped and focused on one as it was decending to the ground - it's body
was
slightly nose low, wings spread, planning his landing point.

Then 5-10 feet above the ground he leveled off and slowly pitched up, got
slower and slower, wings out a bit more, pitched up higher, hit the ground
without even a stumble and started walking.

A perfect flare and landing!


They practice a lot.



www.Rosspilot.com

They rarely miss - but I have seen it happen. One did just what you
described and then slid and flopped to a stop after touchdown due to a thin
layer of new ice on the pond. It almost looked embarrassed when it righted
itself and looked around, like it was checking to see if any of its buddies
saw the landing. Can you imaging the jeering? They probably call a landing
like that "pulling a human".

JimC

"Tune2828" wrote in message
...
While biking through the park today a few hundred canadian geese were
flying
around the half frozen lakes. These guys are big, noisy, and clunky
birds -
the aviary equivalent of a 747.

I stopped and focused on one as it was decending to the ground - it's body
was
slightly nose low, wings spread, planning his landing point.

Then 5-10 feet above the ground he leveled off and slowly pitched up, got
slower and slower, wings out a bit more, pitched up higher, hit the ground
without even a stumble and started walking.

A perfect flare and landing!

JimC wrote:
*They rarely miss - but I have seen it happen. One did just what
you
described and then slid and flopped to a stop after touchdown due to
a thin
layer of new ice on the pond. *

Sounds like the bird equivalent of a ground loop.


--
smccrory
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Not all birds do as well. In particular I remember a TV Documentary
about the "gooney Birds" of Midway Island. They are Laysan Albatrosses
and appear to be a type of seagull. A lot of their behavior is amusing,
but in particular the part about young ones learning to fly. Suffice
it to say they make some of the most awful, ass-over-teakettle,
controlled crashes you ever saw. By trial and error, they eventually
get the hang of it, and make perfect touchdowns like you describe.

David Johnson

Sorry about the nitpicking, but it's Canada geese (Branta canadensis), not
canadian geese.

"Joe Johnson" wrote in message
om...
Sorry about the nitpicking, but it's Canada geese (Branta canadensis), not
canadian geese.

Hey, they could've been from Canada. How do you know they weren't?

("Tune2828" wrote)
snip
I stopped and focused on one as it was decending to the ground - it's body
was
slightly nose low, wings spread, planning his landing point.


Last spring a (large) group of ducks decided to land in an open grassy area
of our townhouse complex. Lawn out back looks like a small Par 3, surrounded
by 7 or 8 townhouse buildings.

There was a pretty good wind that day. These ducks were flying a large,
slow, half circle pattern at more than 40' AGL, then abruptly turning and
slipping it in, down to a spot on the ground where their buddies were all
hanging out. The glide path for that last 40'? Straight down, fast and
hard - thud.

I think they were either playing, um ...chicken, or they were showing off
for the opposite sex - Hey, watch this. Either way, it was the darndest
thing to watch. Never saw ducks playing *elevator* like that before.

I know there were a few turned ankles in that bunch. Ducks have ankles,
right?

--
Montblack
http://lumma.de/mt/archives/bart.gif

("Joe Johnson" wrote)
Sorry about the nitpicking, but it's Canada geese (Branta canadensis), not
canadian geese.


http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art13652.asp
I'm sticking with Canadian Geese/Goose

http://www.audubon.org/bird/BoA/BOA_index.html
These (silly) folks say Canada Goose

--
Montblack
http://lumma.de/mt/archives/bart.gif

Peter Duniho wrote:

"Joe Johnson" wrote in message
om...
Sorry about the nitpicking, but it's Canada geese (Branta canadensis),
not canadian geese.

Hey, they could've been from Canada. How do you know they weren't?

Then they'd be Canadian Canada geese.....Unless they were from Quebec and
then all bets are off.

(This is what too much turkey does...)
--
Frank....H