In the last letter I recounted the excitement in getting to California but I neglected to spend any time discussing some of the amazing stuff to be found in that storied land.
I’ve never been to or heard of the Lindsay Museum, but it seems like a good place to observe wildlife and find material for a blog or cartoon. I haven’t any bird lore to share. Our neighborhood is overrun with noisy crows, but at night I hear owls hoo-hoo-ing in the Eucalyptus trees. Never have seen one, but the sound is more welcome than the revving engines of late-night partygoers.
They can indeed - I've watched and listened to them a fair bit. BUT, to humans pretty much all birds fly silently. Just watch the gulls gliding around. No noise. What they mean by owls especially flying silently is that they're silent not just to us crummy hearing humans but also to EXCELLENT hearing prey. Tips of the feathers soft and rounded to preclude vortex formation and the resultant (small) amount of noise. Owls are worthy of the term "awesome"!
I’ve never been to or heard of the Lindsay Museum, but it seems like a good place to observe wildlife and find material for a blog or cartoon. I haven’t any bird lore to share. Our neighborhood is overrun with noisy crows, but at night I hear owls hoo-hoo-ing in the Eucalyptus trees. Never have seen one, but the sound is more welcome than the revving engines of late-night partygoers.
Very local. A fun place for nature education.
Apparently owls can fly silently.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1fPg0hrMMI/?igsh=MWI0dzE0eGFwbjQxMA==
They can indeed - I've watched and listened to them a fair bit. BUT, to humans pretty much all birds fly silently. Just watch the gulls gliding around. No noise. What they mean by owls especially flying silently is that they're silent not just to us crummy hearing humans but also to EXCELLENT hearing prey. Tips of the feathers soft and rounded to preclude vortex formation and the resultant (small) amount of noise. Owls are worthy of the term "awesome"!