View Full Version : Strange happening
Last night near dark I was starting a small fire to do some grilling. I had just started and while watching the fire burn burn down a strong gust of wind hit my right elbow. I spun around quickly to see if a large animal had run up on me. There was nothing so I didn't think anything else about it. The air was otherwise calm.
I moved to the other side of the fire and within a few seconds the exact same thing happened (same elbow too). After that no more occurrences.
Here it comes: Have any of you had anything like this happen?
My best guess is a bat since they like darkness, don't run into things, fly like a bat out of hell and are fast. Nothing hit me or touched me, just a very close glance causing the wind.
Comments?
Bats aren’t the only possibility. Owls are completely silent flyers. Could you have been standing too close to a nest containing the owlets and were given a gentle warning?
I was pretty much in the open and in an area where I pass through often. If there was an owls nest nearby I would think they would have dive bombed me sooner but I will keep this thought in mind as I walk around.
Aliens,
Can't rule it out.
Major Tom
05-30-2023, 06:12
Ghost
Ghost
Somebody trying to tell me something?
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For some reason I can't get the tune of "The Twilight Zone" out of my mind.
LOL, well in addition to both the natural and supernatural possibilities at the right time of the year it could be a nighthawk, fast flying night hunters that are silent like bats and owls or even a large flying insect, though most big bugs to make noise.
Several years ago, I heard an owl calling from a branch of a tall tree in my back yard. Another owl was answering from far away. They kept up the 2-way conversation for about 2 or 3 minutes before it flew away. I pulled up owl calls on my PC and learned that they were great horned owls. We have several nesting pairs of bald eagles in and around Pittsburgh and great horned owls may be the only bird of prey that’s been observed attacking an eagle.
great horned owls may be the only bird of prey that’s been observed attacking an eagle.
I've only seen one and at a distance. They are huge.
we have Great Horned here, in abundance,
silent hunters, until they start hooting, which can be loud,
People need to be careful of letting their cats and small dogs roam freely in the yard. Even if the large birds can't pick up the pet they could do a lot of injury trying. Having their eyes gouged out and then eaten alive would be an awful bad way to go.
Although meant to be a comedy I often think about the Sandra Bullock movie "The Proposal" where an eagle picks up their small dog, flies high, then drops the dog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG9cbeYxMGA
Phloating Phlasher
05-31-2023, 09:02
It wouldn't need to be a huge bird to create quite a downdraft. I've had it happen with nervy hummingbirds!
We had one last year that got really comfortable getting in real close (3" or so) before "eekking" at me. I could feel a surprisingly large & strong wind from them.
It wouldn't need to be a huge bird to create quite a downdraft. I've had it happen with nervy hummingbirds!
We had one last year that got really comfortable getting in real close (3" or so) before "eekking" at me. I could feel a surprisingly large & strong wind from them.
Hadn't thought of that. There are sweet smelling flowers in the area too that I spoke of but do hummingbirds fly around at night?
People need to be careful of letting their cats and small dogs roam freely in the yard. Even if the large birds can't pick up the pet they could do a lot of injury trying. Having their eyes gouged out and then eaten alive would be an awful bad way to go.
Although meant to be a comedy I often think about the Sandra Bullock movie "The Proposal" where an eagle picks up their small dog, flies high, then drops the dog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG9cbeYxMGA
Mexican eagle in that clip :icon_e_surprised: .
Yes it does happen, our daughter had a big Siamese tom cat that was snatched out of her back yard in Houston by an young bald eagle.
barretcreek
05-31-2023, 10:31
We have Goldens here. Was very careful with the pup until he hit twenty five pounds or so.
Phloating Phlasher
05-31-2023, 06:39
I'm not sure.
I don't think so, but they are very territorial so maybe if you were close to the (golf ball-sized) nest they might?
Many years ago I was camping at about 7K ft. It was just the earliest of dawn, still too dark to see. Sleeping on the ground. This "thing" flew just over my face. It did it about 3-4 times. It buzzed me and made a zipping sound as it went by. One of the stranger things that's happened camping. One of a few.
You have Golden Eagles? They are huge, maybe a little bigger in some countries. Here is a vid that's pretty old. Keep the little kids out of the room. Nice ride while it lasted.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=eagle+drops+goat+off+cliff&view=detail&mid=527D87EB3AE935A1465F527D87EB3AE935A1465F&FORM=VIRE
Well filmed, if you like animals getting killed in a natural state. No question, some of it was pre-rehearsed, so to speak. There was some planning. Right place at the right time. It would'ev happened anyway. Has for the last thousand yrs. We are accelerating faster than nature can keep up with. Last time I watched this vid, there was no sound.
Mexican eagle in that clip :icon_e_surprised: .
Yes it does happen, our daughter had a big Siamese tom cat that was snatched out of her back yard in Houston by an young bald eagle.
couple that live next door to my shop have a handful of free range cats, (and some ducks, the chickens all got kilt)
once in a while you will find a pile of duck feathers somewhere, where something got one for lunch,
and the cats, some have disappeared, and some likely from other neighbors (found a skull in the driveway last year, )
meanwhile a few new kitteh's have become skittish,
one male is very friendly, but also very wary or his surroundings,, if he hears a hawk or bird, he will dive under a bush and look up,
guessing he had a near miss
Like mentioned before: a horrible way of death being pecked and eaten alive.
Snakes, insects and squirrels may deserve it but nothing else.
Animals are neither "good" or "bad" in the ethical sense. They just fulfill a niche in nature, a tiny cog in the great machine. Lots of animals eat their prey alive, I once saw a vid of a bald eagle eating a coot, the coot was still alive while the eagle plucked it (birds of prey don't like feathers apparently) and started tearing its guts out. The coot didn't finally expire until the eagle ripped out its gizzard and gulped that down. Right after the gizzard part of lunch a juvenile eagle swooped in and stole the coot. Its a hard knocks life in the wild. A clean humane kill as a matter of principle is the sole domain of the only animal that can have "ethics" or a "conciense;" human beings.
The problem is: how would you feel if it happen to one of your beloved pets?
The problem is: how would you feel if it happen to one of your beloved pets?
sad, but that is nature and a risk
neighbor that lost a few chickens, one he found out got ate by another neighbors dog,
he commented that the dog would be wise to not cross the property line,
chickens did what chickens do,
dog did what dogs do,
the pile of feathers I mentioned was likely from a hawk, owl, or similar,
our neighbors cat snatched a baby bunny last summer,
I got it away, placed it (it was still frozen) in the woods and an hour later I found the head in the grass, the cat went back, found it, and had a meal
Phloating Phlasher
06-02-2023, 04:06
Morality is a Human conceit.
Animals don't have it.
HONGRY > Catch, Kill, Eat, maybe not in that exact order.
This is "Nature".
I found a pile of feathers a few days back in my yard.
Something died, something else ate, its alive.
Nature is not "bambi".
There's a term: animal politics. There's no revenge or meanness intended.
My point was to be aware of things when your pet is outdoors. If your pet is an outside pet they may need extra shelter. Being in the yard while your pet is out and "doing his business" could prevent an attack by a predator. I was very watchful over mine.
Former Cav
06-11-2023, 05:18
the gov't sent an A.I. spy drone to check you out! :icon_e_surprised:
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