kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Once again, I was thinking that the thing I miss the most is being outdoors around nature.
So, I thought I would start a post on nature. Please feel free to add to it.
We will do a little arm chair traveling for now until we can actually get out and enjoy the scenes again.
California Redwood May Be Tallest Live Thing
The Hyperion tree appears to be slightly taller than other California redwoods like this one, estimated to be 2,000 years old.
REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (Sept. 7) - A redwood in a remote Northern California coastal forest has been tentatively measured as the world's tallest living thing.
The tree called Hyperion stands at 378.1 feet, eight feet taller than the previous record holder, another coast redwood dubbed Stratosphere Giant in a state park about 90 miles south.
Two amateur California naturalists found the tree earlier this summer during a bushwhacking expedition in search of tall trees. Chris Atkins, credited with discovering the Stratosphere Giant in 2000, and Michael Taylor returned later with scientists to obtain more exact measurements of the tree's height using a tripod-mounted laser.
The team also identified two other redwoods in the same forest taller than the reigning record holder: a tree called Helios at 376.3 feet and another called Icarus at 371.2 feet.
Officials would not pinpoint the exact locations of the trees out of concern that too many visitors could damage the delicate ecology of the mild, foggy slopes where the trees live.
Researchers plan to climb Hyperion in coming weeks and drop a tape measure to confirm its height so it can be entered in the record books, Atkins said.
[ 17. September 2006, 07:31 PM: Message edited by: kam ]
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just don
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posted
I cant imagine climbing a tree that tall and dropping a tape measure to the ground. It would hit and be crooked around every limb etc. I just dont think that will work, period!!
With all the fancy gizmoes and gadjets they have these days, doesnt seem it should be necessary.
From one who fell out of a VERY tall tree and survived--just don--,,just slid down the side of a steel post and barbed wire fence. (Why the post was crooked and bent over is the REAL miracle)
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Nice:
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Avenue of the Giants
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
treepatrol
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posted
Crawford Notch New Hampshire:
The Basin:
Not far from where I work in PA:
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Wow. Those pics are great. I can see myself driving down the avenue of Giants and sitting on a boulder at the Basin.
Don't know why, but the pics did not show up for several times...only an x in a square box where they should be....now, the pics are there for me to see. Hurray!
Thanks for posting the story CAVE. I hear the Canadian Geese start coming in here around mid November.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Have been hawk watching today. They are migrating south for the winter. Species seen: peregrine falcons, kestrels, northern harrier, broadwinged hawk, red shouldered hawk, redtailed hawk, sharpshinned hawk. Also saw osprey, vultures, and a bald eagle. Monarch butterflies in a 20 mph wind is quite a sight.
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treepatrol
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posted
QUOTE]Originally posted by kam:
Don't know why, but the pics did not show up for several times...only an x in a square box where they should be....now, the pics are there for me to see. Hurray!
[/QUOTE] When that happens just put mouse pointer over the little squre x and right click and select show picture.[
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
I tried that tree patrol. That didn't work either. Computer has been acting up lately.
Lou...I'd like to join you. That sounds like great fun.
I can ID a red tail hawk, but the others I would need to relearn.
I use to see Osprey when I lived in Northern CA.
I hear we might see a Cardinal here during the winter. And that the Snow Geese fly in the middle of October for a short while where as the Canadian Geese show up in November.
There is something supposed to be going on with the skywatch too but I deleted the email before reading what it was.
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
Tried to copy and paste the above article but did not succeed.
There is a beautiful picture of the aurora lights with the article.
Article is about certain parts of the US being able to possibly see the aurora lights tonight.
Please let us know if you are one of the lucky ones.
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
Thanks Kam, I just read this thread now and did I say thanks?
I only ever saw an aurora borealis once, in Maine, and it was mostly green stripes... nothing as spectacular as those pictures.
I'm gonna look later, it's be way cool to see one from FL. Hey, it could happen.
A while ago I was sitting on my patio and and saw a falling star. It was extremely bright and changed colors as it fell... blue to pink (or visa versa). Either way, I'd never seen that before, way cool!
Thanks for the beautiful pictures you guys.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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Wow! Thanks so much guys! That's so awesome!!!
Posts: 89 | From UT | Registered: Jun 2006
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kam
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Member # 3410
posted
HARVEST MOON TO SHINE ON OCTOBER 6TH
The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. At this time of year, the moon rises at about the same time each night, just after sunset, giving farmers extra hours of light to bring in the harvest. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
VERY COOL TRUE BLUE...I'LL BE WATCHING FOR THOSE SHOOTING STARS MYSELF.
DON'T BELIEVE I HAVE EVER SEEN ONE IN LIVING COLOR.
PS YOUR WELCOME.
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kam
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posted
CRICKEY....A BRETHREN TO THE ANIMALS DIES
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Steve Irwin, the enthusiastic "Crocodile Hunter" who enthralled audiences around the world with his wildlife adventures, died Monday morning after being stung by a stingray while shooting a TV program off Australia's north coast.
Media reports say Irwin was snorkeling at Batt Reef, a part of the Great Barrier Reef about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) from the town of Port Douglas, when the incident happened.
Irwin, 44, was killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest, according to Cairns police sources.
Irwin was in the area to film pieces for a show called "The Ocean's Deadliest" with Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques, according to Irwin's manager and friend John Stainton. But weather had prevented the crew from doing work for that program, Stainton said, so Irwin decided to do some softer features for a new children's TV show he was doing with his daughter, Bindi.
"He came over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand, and the barb came up and hit him in the chest," Stainton said.
Wildlife documentary maker Ben Cropp, citing a colleague who saw footage of the attack, told Time.com that Irwin had accidentally boxed the animal in. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest," said Cropp. "It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger." (Read the TIME.com obituary.)
Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media. (Gallery: The life of the "Crocodile Hunter")
Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin's death and said his family had been notified.
Irwin was director of the Australia Zoo in Queensland. He is survived by his American-born wife, Terri, and their two children, Bindi Sue, born 1998, and Robert (Bob), born December 2003.
"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns, according to The Associated Press. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs Rule!' " (Watch a remembrance of Steve Irwin -- 1:58)
"Steve was a larger-than-life force. He brought joy and learning about the natural world to millions and millions of people across the globe," said Discovery Communications founder and chairman John Hendricks in a statement. "We extend our thoughts and prayers to Terri, Bindi and Bob Irwin as well as to the incredible staff and many friends Steve leaves behind."
Irwin's "Crocodile Hunter" show aired on the company's Animal Planet network.
Cousteau's office issued a statement that he is "still in Australia with the family of his friend, Steve Irwin. It was a tragic ordeal for everyone on the boat that morning. All of our thoughts are now with Steve's family."
Discovery Communications said it will rename the garden space in front of Discovery's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the "Steve Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden."
The company also is looking at the creation of a Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund. The fund will support wildlife protection, education and conservation, as well as aid Irwin's Australia Zoo and provide educational support for Bindi and Bob Irwin, the company said.
Australia Prime Minister John Howard said he was "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death," according to AP. "It's a huge loss to Australia."
Irwin became a popular figure on Australian and international television through Irwin's close handling of wildlife, most notably the capture and relocation of crocodiles.
Irwin's enthusiastic approach to nature conservation and the environment won him a global following. He was known for his exuberance and use of the catch phrase "Crikey!" (E-mail us: How will you remember Steve Irwin?)
"His message is really about conservation: He really wants to leave the world a better place for everybody," Animal Planet's Maureen Smith told CNN.com in April.
"It's unbelievable, really," Jack Hanna, the host of "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventure" and director emeritus of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo, told CNN. "You think about Steve Irwin and you think of people who are invincible."
Hanna, a friend of Irwin's, noted that Irwin's persona of the Crocodile Hunter was no act. Irwin grew up around crocodiles, snakes and other animals at his parents' Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park and had been handling such creatures since he was a child.
"Steve really knew what he was doing. He was one of the finest reptile people in the world. He knew more about reptiles than anybody did. He was raised that way," said Hanna.
Though stingrays can be threatening, their sting -- usually prompted by self-defense -- is not often fatal. The bull ray that apparently stung Irwin was "a one-in-a-million thing," Cropp told Time.com. "I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me." (Watch a marine biologist talk about the dangers of stingrays -- 3:48)
"A wild animal is like a loaded gun -- it can go off at any time," Hanna said. "You have to be careful of that." But, he added, it's not the animals who are inherently dangerous, but the way they may react around humans. "People use the word 'dangerous,' and that sometimes is a word that's not fair to that animal, because that animal is only using the defenses that God gave it," said Hanna.
Rise to popularity Irwin became popular with his show "Crocodile Hunter," which first aired on Australian TV in 1992. Eventually, the program was picked up by Discovery in the United States, establishing Irwin worldwide.
His popularity led to a film, "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course" (2002).
Irwin was caught in a minor flap in January 2004 when he held his then 1-month-old son while feeding a crocodile at his Australian zoo. (Full story)
In 2003, Irwin spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s "Australian Story" television program about how he was perceived in his home country.
"When I see what's happened all over the world, they're looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke," he told the ABC.
"And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing. You know, there's this ... they kind of cringe, you know, 'cause I'm coming out with 'Crikey' and 'Look at this beauty.' "
At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes, the AP reported. Drivers honked their horns as they passed.
"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.
"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate, according to the AP.
"He has left a legacy: That people do love some of the unloved animals like crocodiles and reptiles that people wanted to kill," Stainton told CNN. "He's actually put a position in their hearts for them. I want that to continue. ... I want people to really go out there and remember Steve Irwin for what he really was, which was a great conservationist, saving wildlife and actually promoting wildlife that people didn't love."
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