PELICANS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[goat starer]

I know I posted this inside another thread but I dont think it is getting the attention it needs. This is a frightening leap in animal evolution (but one which may have some much needed short term impacts in terms of public health and the cleanliness of our streets).

"To what does the Goat refer?" I hear you ask! why the only important news from England today.....

WARNING: Toadfish of a delicate nature may be upset. It is perfectly clean, very funny but a little disturbing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/england/london/6083468.stm

[Griffin NoName]

This may be the Jamesian Explosion. The reign of Charles II was no time at all ago.

Or..... has Red Ken been secretly training the pelicans?

Goat, you are right. This needs serious research funding.

[Sibling Spoffish]

That. Is. Really. Scary. 

Can't you just imagine an army of pelicans raging through the land, chomping up ever small bird and rodent? Lock up your hamsters... 

[goat starer]

I know  Pelicans were always a bit of a worry. the evolutionary exemplar of greed with their big flapping beaks. Having decimated OUR fish stocks (yes that was pelicans not trawlers with drift nets - ask a fisherman  ) they are moving on to other prey.

How long before one takes a small child?

What will it take for the authorities to act and exterminate this menace?

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Since I consider pigeons basically "rats with feathers" I applaud anything that will reduce their over-populous numbers.

In NYC, birds of prey are returning to the New York area for the first time in a very long time.

It seems that certain raptors have learned that the very tall buildings mimic their natural high-nesting areas (window ledges provide shelter and safety for their nests).  The buildings are not unlike deep canyons.

And, there is an over-abundant food supply for these birds:  the lowly pigeon.

Hooray for Birds of Prey!

[goat starer]

we have had peregrine falcons in london for ages feasting on the pigeon populace. Much as I would like to see a reduction in pigeon numbers 20 minutes in a pelicans beak followed by being swallowed alive head first seems to come under the heading cruel and unusual punishment.

My concern about pelicans goes further.....

this is Izzy the hungry pelical


and this is the hungry pelican stuffed toy



this is part of their dastardly plan to lull CHILDREN into a false sense of security around hungry pelicans and then.....

[size=24]SNAP!!!![/size]


this one has actually grabbed a child and they are willing to put it on the BOX!!!!


5 seconds after this photo was taken she this woman had been SWALLOWED!!

[goat starer]

PS. anybody who thinks I am kidding....

[Aggie]

Oh, what of the pumpkin in the tree?  I've not been able to find pictures; Lammo was talking about it on the BBC.

[Vita Curator]

Oh man, that is just not right, I am not that found of pigeons either but that does seem to be an awful way to bite the dust.

We have peregrine falcons in Harrisburg also, nesting atop the Rachel Carson Building.  Their main diet is also pigeons.

[Sibling Chatty]

A wonderful bird is a pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week;
But I'm damned if I see how the helican.

    * "The Pelican" (1910) by Dixon Lanire Merrith

(No, not Ogden Nash.)

[goat starer]

and whilst we are doing seabird rhyme....

The common cormorant (or shag)
Lays eggs inside a paper bag,
You follow the idea, no doubt?
It's to keep the lightning out.

But what these unobservant birds
Have never thought of, is that herds
Of wandering bears might come with buns
And steal the bags to hold the crumbs.


Christopher Isherwood


PS.Agujjim. As I cant find a picture of the real pumpkin incident which I read about yesterday I will post this instead...

[Aggie]

Cheers.  I can't find a photo either.... you'd think someone would have grabbed a camera.  Perhaps the elderly lady who spotted it in her tree is waiting for the film to be developed and will post one later.  I must send her the postal address... 

[Griffin NoName]

The picture of the pumpkin growing in the tree is in the Daily Mail (according to whatever program I was half watching on the BBC) and in the interests of our community I have done something I never thought I would do. I have allowed the Daily Mail web site through my firewall. I can't see the pic there, presume it must be in tomorrow's edition (no pics for that on their web site yet).

[goat starer]

I saw it too and cannot remember where last night! was it Have I got news for you?

[Griffin NoName]

Almost certainly HIGNFY. Although both that AND JRoss showed the pic of the queen oops Queen.

[The Black Spot]

video of pelican eating pigeon. Not for the squeamish:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/249287/pelican_eats_pigeon/

[goat starer]

Eeeeeuuuuukkkkkkk!!!!!

What a monster.

[goat starer]

Ang about!!! looking at the dates on that it is another pelican not the original one! this must be becomming epidemic!

[Sibling Chatty]

Pelicans are not very discriminating eaters.

Almost 50 years ago, I watched one eat a snake that happened to be alive at the time, and tried to get out repeatedly. They'll basically try to eat anything that doesn't try to eat them first.

When I was about 7, I left my shoes sitting uncovered on the beach, and a pelican ate one of my stupid orthopedic shoes. I never thanked him for it, either....

Mom wasn't amused, but it was the last time she forced me into stupid orthopedic shoes, too.

[Aggie]

Yet another.  It purports to be a 'second angle' to the other video, but looks like a different incident to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T569Z8t8ZA0

[Sibling Chatty]

With water that near, i'm amazed that it didn't drown it. That's what they'd do with wharf rats.

And orthopedic shoes.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

With water that near, i'm amazed that it didn't drown it. That's what they'd do with wharf rats.

And orthopedic shoes.

Yes, but RATS are considerably smarter than snakes, and RATS BITE.  (don't ask ..   )

[Aphos]

Oh my.  I live near Lake Keystone, which is just west of Tulsa.  We have a significant pelican population.  Are we about to suffer grade-B horror movie moments with mutant pelicans?

[goat starer]

almost certainly!

but on a lighter note and showing that nature has a softer (if bizzare) side.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZUSGyInE5Y&NR

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

It will take a while but...

Pelicans eating the protein of pigeons will get smarter.

And bigger.

And try bigger pray.

Like children.

Should we act now? (or start taking more kids to the petting zoo? )

[Sibling Chatty]

Nope, pelicans eating pidgies will get dumber. They're accustomed to nice fish protien, not nasty pidgie feathers and crap.

They will start trying to eat poodles.

It's a win-win situation.

[goat starer]

they will not get all the omega 3 and fish oils that they get from Mackerel. certain to produce dumb pelicans which will then simply become a larger and more aggressive version of the pigeon.

[Sibling Chatty]

As long as they attempt to eat little anklebiter beasties, it's OK with me...

Unless we can teach them to attack Rush Limbaugh instead.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

As large as a pelican's beak is, I don't think it's THAT large.

Likely need a steam-shovel to "eat" something as large as Rush's head ...

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

This thread and the fossil Terror Bird one made a click in my head:

Leave pelicans alone, we need to introduce Rush to a live (cloned?) Terror Bird. First Rush will like it, and after the Terror Bird will like Rush.

How's that for a happy ending?

[Sibling Chatty]

Speakin' of Rush...

If you let out all the hot air, and empnied out the bullsh!t, you could bury him in a matchbox.

Or feed him to a pelican.

[goat starer]

He certainly has that wet fish thing going on!

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Speakin' of Rush...

If you let out all the hot air, and empnied out the bullsh!t, you could bury him in a matchbox.

Or feed him to a pelican.

Yes, but what to do with all that toxic waste? The Yucca Mountains storage facility is not yet complete ...

[Sibling Chatty]

Wrap a bow around it and give it to the Preznit's mother for her birthday. After what she and Big George gave us, it's a fair exchange.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Wrap a bow around it and give it to the Preznit's mother for her birthday. After what she and Big George gave us, it's a fair exchange.

LOL!  I'm still laughing about that.  (and, then upon sober reflection, I'm sort of crying, too)

((only ONE MORE STUPID DAY of STUPID POLITIC ADS! Yaaay!))

[goat starer]

In England the political parties do not advertise on television. The major parties are allowed 5 minutes each of televised time on all terrestrial channels (which the channels are required to give) to present a Party Political Broadcast. Each parties broadcasts happen on one day so you can miss all the television electioneering of any given party by eschewing the TV on that day. There is an article about them here....

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1672344

and more info from the UK electoral comission here...

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/files/dms/Partypoliticalbroadcasts_17063-6138__E__N__S__W__.pdf

try getting the republicans to change the rules like this!

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

try getting the republicans to change the rules like this!

Oh, they'd implement the rules in a heart-beat.

Then, immediately ignore it with carefully crafted loop-holes.

Which after a month or three, the democrats would finally figure out how to emulate (and likely it'd take them that long to grow a pair large enough to take advantage of it).

Then, we'd be right back where we started ...

[Griffin NoName]

The major parties are allowed 5 minutes each of televised time on all terrestrial channels (which the channels are required to give) to present a Party Political Broadcast.

I could swear they get more than 5 minutes. How the dickens do they make it seem like an hour? 

[goat starer]

by carefully putting politicians on screen!

[Sibling Chatty]

I'd rather peruse pelican partaking of pigeons that put up with politicians.

[ivor]

Let's genetically engineer a larger pelican and train them to eat politicians.

MB