RE: [Utah-astronomy] Stinkin' birds (was Scientists Boycott Evolution Hearings)
Relating this all back to amateur astronomy <g>...and speaking of birds... I am having a difficult time with starlings and my observatory. They keep p**ping all over everything and no matter what I do they can't seem to get it into their skulls that this is a bad place for a nest. I can't shoot them - I'm in city limits (although admittedly at this point - I would like to). Any ideas of how to keep them away? I've already tried a fake owl - which worked for a couple days. I've screened off a lot of things - which has helped. But, they keep trying to make nests along the rail - which I destroy on a daily basis - but they just keep coming back. HELP!! Clear skies, Dale. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+dale.hooper=sdl.usu.edu@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+dale.hooper=sdl.usu.edu@mailman.xmission. com] On Behalf Of Richard Tenney Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 8:07 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Scientists Boycott Evolution Hearings I believe the late Pope John Paul II said something to the effect that "Science can purify religion from error and superstition". I'll give my hearty "amen" to that. I was recently talking with a friend of mine, Duane Jeffrey, a zoology prof. at BYU, about an allegation that is brought up several times in the debate, which is the claim that "there is no direct evidence for macro-evolution", that is, one species evolving into another. He pointed out that there are, on the contrary, countless living examples, including the ones I tossed out recently about horses and donkeys and mules and ligers. In the plant kingdom for example, he said there are times when it's virtually impossible to tell where one species starts and another ends. And one example from the animal kingdom he gave me was of our own State bird, the seagull, which is found in virtually every part of the world. As you go from region to region, the gulls will vary slightly, but remain breed compatible with adjacent regions. So for an analogy, let's start in California with Gull "A". In Nevada you'll have Gull "B", which is breed compatible with A, and in Utah Gull "C", in Colorado Gull "D", and so forth; each adjacent Gull, however slightly different than the previous, remains breed compatible. But what's fascinating is where the ends meet, and it turns out that's someplace in Siberia; Gulls A and Z live in the same region, but are no longer breed compatible! Z however is compatible with Y, Y with X, X with W, and so forth on down the line, but the ends no longer are. For me anyway this is a perfect example of how the process works. The "ends" (Gull A and Gull Z) are no longer the same species. This is a simple example, but I believe it illustrates perfectly how it works. He told me there are hundreds of other examples that could be cited. -Rich --- South Jordan Mom <sjordanmom@yahoo.com> wrote:
Point taken. The Catholics are definitely a good example.
As a long-time parrot owner, I can attest to the intelligence of birds and also their ability to sense what you don't want them to do-- and then do exactly that. Reverse psychology works, but in your case that will be expensive. You need to build a second, nicer observatory. While they poop all over that one, you can sneak into the old one and get some work done ;-) On May 11, 2005, at 9:34 AM, Dale Hooper wrote:
Relating this all back to amateur astronomy <g>...and speaking of birds... I am having a difficult time with starlings and my observatory. They keep p**ping all over everything and no matter what I do they can't seem to get it into their skulls that this is a bad place for a nest. I can't shoot them - I'm in city limits (although admittedly at this point - I would like to). Any ideas of how to keep them away? I've already tried a fake owl - which worked for a couple days. I've screened off a lot of things - which has helped. But, they keep trying to make nests along the rail - which I destroy on a daily basis - but they just keep coming back. HELP!!
Clear skies, Dale.
Dale Hooper wrote:
Relating this all back to amateur astronomy <g>...and speaking of birds... I am having a difficult time with starlings and my observatory. They keep p**ping all over everything and no matter what I do they can't seem to get it into their skulls that this is a bad place for a nest. I can't shoot them - I'm in city limits (although admittedly at this point - I would like to). Any ideas of how to keep them away? I've already tried a fake owl - which worked for a couple days. I've screened off a lot of things - which has helped. But, they keep trying to make nests along the rail - which I destroy on a daily basis - but they just keep coming back. HELP!!
Clear skies, Dale.
Every year I have a similar situation with my observatory and am always reminded of the story of the starlings that were ripping off a car wash ( http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=79&articleId=177 ). Their intelligence makes me wonder if maybe there is something to reincarnation and this is the plight of human thieves after they die... But back to your situation, starlings are persistent (even stubborn) but they do learn. It usually takes a week or so but after removing the nesting material enough times and, more importantly plugging up their access holes, they always give up and move on. Happily, once they move on they don't seem to come back. So by late spring I can reopen the the holes and the birds do not come back (at least not until the following spring). Patrick
Quoting Patrick Wiggins <paw@trilobyte.net>:
Every year I have a similar situation with my observatory.
Happily, once they move on they don't seem to come back. So by late spring I can reopen the the holes and the birds do not come back (at least not until the following spring).
Patrick
Patrick, Tell me, how 'DO' Starlings and 'BAT's' get along, hmmmm??? ;)
Would a potato cannon barrage help? Wayne -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+webfootboat=comcast.net@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+webfootboat=comcast.net@mailman.xmission. com] On Behalf Of Dale Hooper Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 9:35 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Stinkin' birds (was Scientists Boycott EvolutionHearings) Relating this all back to amateur astronomy <g>...and speaking of birds... I am having a difficult time with starlings and my observatory. They keep p**ping all over everything and no matter what I do they can't seem to get it into their skulls that this is a bad place for a nest. I can't shoot them - I'm in city limits (although admittedly at this point - I would like to). Any ideas of how to keep them away? I've already tried a fake owl - which worked for a couple days. I've screened off a lot of things - which has helped. But, they keep trying to make nests along the rail - which I destroy on a daily basis - but they just keep coming back. HELP!! Clear skies, Dale. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+dale.hooper=sdl.usu.edu@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+dale.hooper=sdl.usu.edu@mailman.xmission. com] On Behalf Of Richard Tenney Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 8:07 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Scientists Boycott Evolution Hearings I believe the late Pope John Paul II said something to the effect that "Science can purify religion from error and superstition". I'll give my hearty "amen" to that. I was recently talking with a friend of mine, Duane Jeffrey, a zoology prof. at BYU, about an allegation that is brought up several times in the debate, which is the claim that "there is no direct evidence for macro-evolution", that is, one species evolving into another. He pointed out that there are, on the contrary, countless living examples, including the ones I tossed out recently about horses and donkeys and mules and ligers. In the plant kingdom for example, he said there are times when it's virtually impossible to tell where one species starts and another ends. And one example from the animal kingdom he gave me was of our own State bird, the seagull, which is found in virtually every part of the world. As you go from region to region, the gulls will vary slightly, but remain breed compatible with adjacent regions. So for an analogy, let's start in California with Gull "A". In Nevada you'll have Gull "B", which is breed compatible with A, and in Utah Gull "C", in Colorado Gull "D", and so forth; each adjacent Gull, however slightly different than the previous, remains breed compatible. But what's fascinating is where the ends meet, and it turns out that's someplace in Siberia; Gulls A and Z live in the same region, but are no longer breed compatible! Z however is compatible with Y, Y with X, X with W, and so forth on down the line, but the ends no longer are. For me anyway this is a perfect example of how the process works. The "ends" (Gull A and Gull Z) are no longer the same species. This is a simple example, but I believe it illustrates perfectly how it works. He told me there are hundreds of other examples that could be cited. -Rich --- South Jordan Mom <sjordanmom@yahoo.com> wrote:
Point taken. The Catholics are definitely a good example.
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participants (5)
-
Dale Hooper -
diveboss＠xmission.com -
MichaelCarnes -
Patrick Wiggins -
Wayne