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#1
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gaggling with migratory birds
so if i join a blob of gaggling pelicans and they leave thanks to my sloppy flying, is it considered harassment if i follow them into the next thermal? What about circling with bald eagles?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...8rT_story.html |
#2
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gaggling with migratory birds
On 5/7/2012 11:51 AM, Tony wrote:
so if i join a blob of gaggling pelicans and they leave thanks to my sloppy flying, is it considered harassment if i follow them into the next thermal? What about circling with bald eagles? http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...8rT_story.html Tony, I may be THE Original Citizen to have been threatened (in writing) by 'The Bird Police.' This was back ca. 1990 when I was (twice, via registered letters) informed by some clueless, chair-bound USFWS bureaucrat that I likely had 'disturbed' various raptors (endangered and otherwise), and any repetition WOULD result in jail time up to 10 years and fines up to $100,000 per occurrence, and confiscation of property (i.e. the sailplane). I wrote the jerk a polite, civil, informative (at least *I* thought it was, ha ha) letter poking holes in his various arguments (starting with it all being no better than 2nd-hand information), which is why I got the 2nd (entirely unrepentant, further threatening) letter. Being SSB's newsletter editor then, I also put all 3 communications into the newsletter without editorial comment. Sadly, pre-internet... Furtherly sad to say, 'the Bird Police' have not gone away or even lessened their zeal. (What a surprise...NOT!!!) Thank 'the drug war' for this sort of expanding abuse of the citizenry and unconstitutional aggression (I was threatened with 'the fact of confiscation' PRIOR to being charged with anything) on the part of government. I wish I'd kept the letters, because today people are skeptical, but about 10 years ago I mailed them to a non-pilot, younger brother...because he didn't believe me! Bob - apparently convicted but not yet charged felon - W. |
#3
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gaggling with migratory birds
I had no idea you were such a miscreant Bob! Obviously I need to do a better job screening my chase crew in the future.
Speaking of bird police I'd like to eradicate the flocks of geese in our neighborhood by the river. They make a mess everywhere and it is claimed they are protected as a migratory species. But guess what? They don't migrate! Another strategy I've considered proposing is that instead of killing the geese we kill the people who feed the geese. There is a reason I'm not in charge On Monday, May 7, 2012 2:26:20 PM UTC-5, BobW wrote: On 5/7/2012 11:51 AM, Tony wrote: so if i join a blob of gaggling pelicans and they leave thanks to my sloppy flying, is it considered harassment if i follow them into the next thermal? What about circling with bald eagles? http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...8rT_story.html Tony, I may be THE Original Citizen to have been threatened (in writing) by 'The Bird Police.' This was back ca. 1990 when I was (twice, via registered letters) informed by some clueless, chair-bound USFWS bureaucrat that I likely had 'disturbed' various raptors (endangered and otherwise), and any repetition WOULD result in jail time up to 10 years and fines up to $100,000 per occurrence, and confiscation of property (i.e. the sailplane). I wrote the jerk a polite, civil, informative (at least *I* thought it was, ha ha) letter poking holes in his various arguments (starting with it all being no better than 2nd-hand information), which is why I got the 2nd (entirely unrepentant, further threatening) letter. Being SSB's newsletter editor then, I also put all 3 communications into the newsletter without editorial comment. Sadly, pre-internet... Furtherly sad to say, 'the Bird Police' have not gone away or even lessened their zeal. (What a surprise...NOT!!!) Thank 'the drug war' for this sort of expanding abuse of the citizenry and unconstitutional aggression (I was threatened with 'the fact of confiscation' PRIOR to being charged with anything) on the part of government. I wish I'd kept the letters, because today people are skeptical, but about 10 years ago I mailed them to a non-pilot, younger brother...because he didn't believe me! Bob - apparently convicted but not yet charged felon - W. |
#4
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gaggling with migratory birds
If they are like most other non migrating geese, a sock with batteries is a
lot quieter than a 10 gauge Pete "Tony" wrote in message news:27320343.2063.1336419510676.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@ynbs30... I had no idea you were such a miscreant Bob! Obviously I need to do a better job screening my chase crew in the future. Speaking of bird police I'd like to eradicate the flocks of geese in our neighborhood by the river. They make a mess everywhere and it is claimed they are protected as a migratory species. But guess what? They don't migrate! Another strategy I've considered proposing is that instead of killing the geese we kill the people who feed the geese. There is a reason I'm not in charge On Monday, May 7, 2012 2:26:20 PM UTC-5, BobW wrote: On 5/7/2012 11:51 AM, Tony wrote: so if i join a blob of gaggling pelicans and they leave thanks to my sloppy flying, is it considered harassment if i follow them into the next thermal? What about circling with bald eagles? http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...8rT_story.html Tony, I may be THE Original Citizen to have been threatened (in writing) by 'The Bird Police.' This was back ca. 1990 when I was (twice, via registered letters) informed by some clueless, chair-bound USFWS bureaucrat that I likely had 'disturbed' various raptors (endangered and otherwise), and any repetition WOULD result in jail time up to 10 years and fines up to $100,000 per occurrence, and confiscation of property (i.e. the sailplane). I wrote the jerk a polite, civil, informative (at least *I* thought it was, ha ha) letter poking holes in his various arguments (starting with it all being no better than 2nd-hand information), which is why I got the 2nd (entirely unrepentant, further threatening) letter. Being SSB's newsletter editor then, I also put all 3 communications into the newsletter without editorial comment. Sadly, pre-internet... Furtherly sad to say, 'the Bird Police' have not gone away or even lessened their zeal. (What a surprise...NOT!!!) Thank 'the drug war' for this sort of expanding abuse of the citizenry and unconstitutional aggression (I was threatened with 'the fact of confiscation' PRIOR to being charged with anything) on the part of government. I wish I'd kept the letters, because today people are skeptical, but about 10 years ago I mailed them to a non-pilot, younger brother...because he didn't believe me! Bob - apparently convicted but not yet charged felon - W. |
#5
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gaggling with migratory birds
Like many soaring pilots, I have shared dozens of thermals with raptors. Mostly, they seem happy for me to show them where the lift is.
Years ago, on another continent, I came across a huge flock of cranes flying between thermals at around 12,000 feet. As slow as I could fly, I still caught up with them. When I was about twenty feet behind them, they peeled away, let me through the gap and then re-formed behind me. I think it's pretty hard for a sailplane to harass birds. Flying single-engine planes ten feet over a lake full of migratory birds is another matter entirely and well worth some ass-kicking. Mike |
#6
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gaggling with migratory birds
On Monday, May 7, 2012 1:51:39 PM UTC-4, Tony wrote:
so if i join a blob of gaggling pelicans and they leave thanks to my sloppy flying, is it considered harassment if i follow them into the next thermal? What about circling with bald eagles? http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...8rT_story.html Hmm, maybe we are looking at this the wrong way. Maybe we can leverage the alleged decline in SSA membership and lobby for 'endangered species' status for glider pilots ;-). Frank (TA) |
#7
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gaggling with migratory birds
On Tuesday, May 8, 2012 2:28:54 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Monday, May 7, 2012 1:51:39 PM UTC-4, Tony wrote: so if i join a blob of gaggling pelicans and they leave thanks to my sloppy flying, is it considered harassment if i follow them into the next thermal? What about circling with bald eagles? http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...8rT_story.html Hmm, maybe we are looking at this the wrong way. Maybe we can leverage the alleged decline in SSA membership and lobby for 'endangered species' status for glider pilots ;-). Frank (TA) that would give me a legal justification for denying all summertime non-soaring event invitations. I wouldn't complain. |
#8
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gaggling with migratory birds
In the 1980's, I was charged with "molesting geese in a federal
wildlife preserve" by a University Rent-A-Cop while riding my bike across a snow-covered soccer field on the campus of Colorado State University. The flock of hundreds of geese parted, I rode through, they moved back to their original location. No flapping of wings, no flight took place. A federal felony. Luckily the judge determined that I had been charged with the incorrect law code # and threw the case out. To say he was ****ed at the waste of his time is an understatement. Never underestimate the stupidity of humans in positions of power. |
#9
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gaggling with migratory birds
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#10
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gaggling with migratory birds
And cats are major culprits, too, far more birds killed (though with
different demographics) than wind turbines. Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me) only tweety birds though, and they aren't protected as migratory species. plus there is no proof that it was the cat because the tweety bird only tawt he saw a puddy cat, he wasn't sure. |
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