[NatureNS] woodpecker, crow, merlin story -- was A bird affair...

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From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:14:00 -0400
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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Manny or most of Nature's creatures, esp. predators and scavengers, =20
are opportunistic, and the crow-mediated damage to the woodpecker =20
plus the escape presented a great opportunity for the merlin.  And =20
I'm sure there are lots of similar but unwitnessed stories like this =20
all around us all the time.

Regarding Richard's comments below, I don't know of algae that =20
consume bacteria, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are =20
some, given Nature's huge inventory of diverse life-cycles.

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: duartess@ns.sympatico.ca
> Date: December 21, 2011 2:45:15 PM AST
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Cc: Dave&Jane Schlosberg <dschlosb-g@ns.sympatico.ca>
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Fwd: A bird affair...
> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>
> Hi All,
>
> Having re-read what I wrote & how it sounded, it was certainly =20
> overly sentimental and guess I might have sounded like one of those =20=

> wacko Animal Rights activist. YIKES!! Must admit, I too wished =20
> someone could have been there to photograph this event too.
>
> Anyway, Cheers to all!
>
> Gayle MacLean
> Dartmouth
>
>  ---- Dave&Jane Schlosberg <dschlosb-g@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
>> What I=92m wondering is, do you think the crow and the merlin were =20=

>> in kahoots?  Perhaps they shared the plunder, back at the =20
>> clubhouse....  just like the boys in Oliver Twist.  I=92m thinking =20=

>> more and more, as I watch the birds at the feeders, that they can =20
>> do telepathy .
>> Oh well, a fun thought...
>> Jane
>> From: Richard Stern
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:35 PM
>> To: duartess@ns.sympatico.ca
>> Cc: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Fwd: A bird affair...
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Personally I don't think it's shocking or sad, and I would love to =20=

>> have photographed or video-d it. But I agree, nature doesn't =20
>> follow what people think of as cute or kind. Merlins like to eat =20
>> woodpeckers, woodpeckers like to eat insect larvae, insect larvae =20
>> like to eat algae, algae like to eat bacteria, and if you're a =20
>> bacterium-lover, you'd probably think algae were cruel or =20
>> shocking.  It's all just nature's way of preserving the individual =20=

>> and propagating the species.
>>
>> Cheers - Richard
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 9:08 PM, <duartess@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
>>
>>   Oh, how shocking and very sad for your friend to have witnessed =20
>> this, but, that's nature, and nature's way. Beautiful, but hard, =20
>> and completely unforgiving.
>>
>>   Gayle MacLean
>>   Dartmouth
>>
>>
>>
>>   ---- Richard Stern <sternrichard@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> A photographer friend sent me this the other day - thought I'd =20
>>> share it
>>> with NatureNS.
>>>
>>> Richard
>>>
>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi Richard:
>>>
>>> Just had to share this story with you....
>>>
>>> Last week I was walking our dog past a neighbour's yard and heard a
>>> commotion.  I turned and saw a crow (raven?) attacking a small =20
>>> Woodpecker...
>>>
>>> The woodpecker managed to escape and flew directly toward me, a =20
>>> little
>>> unstable and chirping the whole time.
>>>
>>> It then flew right by by me and almost across the road, when a =20
>>> merlin come
>>> out of nowhere and snatched it up in midair & up out of sight.  =20
>>> No more
>>> chirping from the woodpecker.
>>>
>>> The whole event took about 5 seconds: I was dumbfounded, alone, =20
>>> and amazed.
>>>
>>> Thought you'd like to know!
>>>
>>> Happy Holidays...
>>>
>>> Gerry
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> #################
>>> Richard Stern,
>>> Port Williams, NS, Canada
>>> sternrichard@gmail.com
>>> ###################
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --=20
>> #################
>> Richard Stern,
>> Port Williams, NS, Canada
>> sternrichard@gmail.com
>> ###################


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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
Manny or most of Nature's creatures, esp. predators and scavengers, are =
opportunistic, and the crow-mediated damage to the woodpecker plus the =
escape presented a great opportunity for the merlin. &nbsp;And I'm sure =
there are lots of similar but unwitnessed stories like this all around =
us all the time. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Regarding Richard's comments =
below, I don't know of algae that consume bacteria, but I wouldn't be =
surprised to hear that there are some, given Nature's huge inventory of =
diverse life-cycles.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers from Jim in =
Wolfville.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: =
</b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px =
Helvetica"><a =
href=3D"mailto:duartess@ns.sympatico.ca">duartess@ns.sympatico.ca</a></fon=
t></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: =
0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" =
color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: =
#000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">December 21, 2011 2:45:15 PM =
AST</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" =
size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: =
#000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a =
href=3D"mailto:naturens@ch