Golden eaglet survives wildfire

[Ar-Pharazon]

I haven't seen this anywhere, and it's a cool story & video, so what the hell.

Story

Basically this young golden eaglet, now named Phoenix, managed to survive the flames that engulfed it's nest.

They went to the area after the fires, expecting to only recover the band that was on the eaglet's leg.

The funniest part of the story:

Erickson said Phoenix, now about 70 days old, was a handful Saturday, lunging and using his talons as caregivers fed and provided antibiotics to the animal.

"He's not grateful," she quipped.

 

[Miss Chicken]

What a touching story. I hope that he can fully recover and be released to wild one day.

 

[bbailey861]

Glad to hear this bit of good news.

 

[gturner]

Well, CNN claimed "But this symbol of freedom was found on the fourth of July."

Does it take Colbert to point out that the symbol of freedom is the bald eagle, not the golden eagle, which is the symbol of Mexico, Ghana, Yemen, Nazi era Austria, and Russia? The golden eagle is the symbol of oppression, fundamentalism, genocide, and overpriced tequila.

Also, golden eagles can't fly because the gold makes them too heavy. If they were aluminum they might have a chance. Wing loading is everything to a bird, which is why bald eagles shave their heads to remove redundant, non-aerodynamic feathers.

 

[marillion]

^^ Ahhh.. But what is the air speed velocity of an unladen sparrow?

Neat story... We tend to think that when there's a wildfire, the animals of the wildlands are able to escape it for the most part, but we sometimes fail to remember there are plenty of babies in there who can't get away... Lucky bird!

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

^ African or European?

Yeah, I just ignored the "symbol of freedom" line myself. I try not to let some reporter's ignorance spoil an otherwise good story.

 

[gturner]

^ I just had to go all Colbert on it.

 

[gturner]

^^ Ahhh.. But what is the air speed velocity of an unladen sparrow?

Neat story... We tend to think that when there's a wildfire, the animals of the wildlands are able to escape it for the most part, but we sometimes fail to remember there are plenty of babies in there who can't get away... Lucky bird!

I think animals almost always lose their babies in a fire unless they've dug deep dens.

Smokey the Bear was also a wildfire survivor, and if the eaglet has issues returning to the wild perhaps he can also join the Park Service.

When you see a dog resting contendly by the fireplace, it brings to mind how much we've changed their instincts, and how much of their trust we've gained, or how much we've modified their genes. One of the reasons we build fires is to keep wild animals away, since they instinctively fear it.

 

[marillion]

That's an interesting point.. Never thought about it from the domesticated animal perspective..

Yes indeed.. The real Smokey (no "the" in the name, by the way) Bear is perfect example of that..

You see this any time there is a natural disaster such as a fire, flood, earthquake or tsunami... Animals, by and large, can feel it about to happen and bolt in the other direction.. Humans, thanks to our "advanced" brains, are usually the only animal that goes TOWARD a disaster (usually with our damn cell phone camera out) to see what the hell is going on. The proverbial moth to a flame...

 

[scotpens]

Wing loading is everything to a bird, which is why bald eagles shave their heads to remove redundant, non-aerodynamic feathers.

That's a matter of drag coefficient, not wing loading.

I mean, if we're going to nitpick about species . . .

 

[gturner]

Well true. Wing loading is why they poop on your car instead of waiting to find a bathroom.