Eagles and cougars and, uh...cows, oh my!

[Roland98]

So, I'm back. Whether you noticed I was gone or not. :) I am (somewhat) settled in here in the Hawkeye state ( *glancing around in denial at the ocean of file folders in my office). The move was pretty smooth but I won't ever have anyone pack for me again. I was freaking out because I couldn't find my camera (the only expensive toy I own or care about); for some reason, it got packed with a bunch of junk from the attic. But I didn't have it for Christmas. :( Which didn't really matter, because I was sick with the flu anyway and infecting my sister's house, where I was camping over the holidays since all of our stuff was in Iowa. And thanks Mother Nature for those 13 inches of snow leaving me snowed in at my mother-in-law's house, with whom I was seriously squabbling (and as soon as they lifted the snow emergency, I left to head to my sister's house...anyway...)

So, yeah, Iowa. Actually I'm liking it here. Now, I grew up in rural Ohio, but I've never actually lived on a farm, or this far away from other people (our nearest neighbor is .8 miles away according to my odometer--down a gravel road). We're living way out in the boonies, which is bad (no cable for the computer, and not sure yet if we can get DSL, and I will cry like a baby if I have to deal with dial-up again) but good (4 eagles literally in our backyard; we watched them feast on a racoon the other day. Unfortunately, this means no unsupervised time outside for our wee doggies, as that raccoon was at least double their size). Apparently there is at least one cougar that roams the area as well. Unlike most cougar sightings in the area, this one was photographically confirmed; the landlord also pointed out tracks near the creek that runs behind our house. Freaky. We did have cows in the pasture out back when we first arrived, but the landlord moved them to a different pasture for now. He promised the kids they'd be back in the spring with calves.

I am feeling a bit out-classed, however. I just realized today I'm the youngest in my department by a full 14 years. I totally suck at judging ages, and the one person I thought was early 30s is actually 10 years older than that. :eek: I think I understand somewhat how GW must have felt in January of 2001. Getting the job was cool, but now I actually have to do stuff? :) Anyhoo, I'll get over it; just too much emphasis on the stupid human resources crap and getting organized here, and not enough on the science, is making me cranky. (Not to mention that dealing with the parking people here alone is enough to shatter one's self-esteem.)

So, yeah. That's been my month. How the hell are all of you doing?

[viscousmemories]

:woohoo:

Welcome back, Roland! :)

I'm exactly the same in every way after this holiday season, but fatter.

It's great to hear you're alive and kickin' it in the cornfields.

[livius drusus]

Of course I noticed! I think your surroundings sound groovy as hell. (For a vacation. ;) ) What do the kids think of the Grizzly Adams lifestyle?

I'm glad you're back, safe and doing stuff. :glomp2:

[Roland98]

I'm exactly the same in every way after this holiday season, but fatter.

Yeah, well there's that too. The influenza diet rocked for about a week, but I really need to get to a gym. Of course, it will probably be another freakin MONTH before Joe Schmo in HR decides to actually activate my ID so I can, y'know, get into buildings and non-important stuff like that.

liv, the kids are digging it so far. The hubby came out here with me ('nother long story, but we're hangin' in for the meantime) and took Zav out to shoot stuff yesterday. Brought back a squirrel and a woodpecker hoping to get the eagles to come back and dine. And Aurora was supposed to start preschool today, but we had an ice storm and the schools were closed. Poor thing was all psyched up too. And of course, anyone's welcome to drop by! :) Apparently there's some kind of Beef Festival in the summer...NYC tourism bureau, eat your heart out!


Heh, and I swear I didn't even see this thread (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1340) when writing my title. Oops.

[Socratoad]

O hell yes Roland, I for one have missed you very much. Welcome back.

I'm glad to here you have lots of wildlife about. Nothing like being in the idst of nature to give one a sense about what life is all about.

Sometime I shall share with you and others here stories about my pet cougar Shane. well actually I was his pet.

Good to see you, metaphorically that is.

[Ymir's blood]

So, I'm back. Whether you noticed I was gone or not.

Welcome back. I had noticed actually, having gotten at Christmas some of the books you recommended on history and disease. Haven't read them yet, but was meaning to thank you.

Which didn't really matter, because I was sick with the flu anyway and infecting my sister's house,

Doubtless you used the time for introspection? :verysick:

I'm trying to get over my annual sinus infection. Started with a sore throat the day after Christmas. :cold:

[viscousmemories]

I'm trying to get over my annual sinus infection. Started with a sore throat the day after Christmas. :cold:
On my first read I saw "anal sinus infection". :eek:

Which reminds me... I'm sorry you were sick, Roland. :(

Duh, and you too Ymir's Blood. :(

[Ymir's blood]

I'm trying to get over my annual sinus infection. Started with a sore throat the day after Christmas. :cold:
On my first read I saw "anal sinus infection". :eek:

Which reminds me... I'm sorry you were sick, Roland. :(

Duh, and you too Ymir's Blood. :(
Talk about your Freudian slips, and you call US sick? :giggle:

[LadyShea]

Welcome back! I would put your pups a dog run outside, one with a top on it so the eagles can't get em! If they're truly bitty, a good sized cage kennel would prolly suffice. I wouldn't leave them outside when you aren't home still, but at least they can lay out in the sun a bit.

The cougar shouldn't bother you too much, just don't go being stupid like the people in Colorado who put out salt licks to attract the deer, then were all pissed that the cougars followed the deer down!

[Dingfod]

I, for one, have missed you. I was just thinking yesterday and this morning "I wonder if Roland got moved yet?" It's good to hear from you.

[Shake]

I just knew something wasn't right on the boards! I remembered that the move had been coming up, but never got a handle on exactly when. Yeah, I missed you, but then I missed everyone since I wasn't here a whole lot the last week+ or so, either.

Glad to hear you're moved in OK, and that the kids are enjoying it!

I'd once said I'd never go back to Iowa, but now I've got two reasons to go:
1. Well, duh, Roland's there.
2. The wife said, "Oh, we've got to go to Iowa some time!" ... Apparently, she's never been.

So, I'll let you know, but it won't be anytime real soon.

Welcome back! :)

PS. How do you like your post count display? That was my idea! (See the "M" thread)

[Roland98]

O hell yes Roland, I for one have missed you very much. Welcome back.

I'm glad to here you have lots of wildlife about. Nothing like being in the idst of nature to give one a sense about what life is all about.

Sometime I shall share with you and others here stories about my pet cougar Shane. well actually I was his pet.

Good to see you, metaphorically that is.

Thanks! I'd love to hear about Shane. As I understand it, cougars usually stay away from humans, so I'd love to hear how you were his pet. :)

Welcome back. I had noticed actually, having gotten at Christmas some of the books you recommended on history and disease. Haven't read them yet, but was meaning to thank you.

You're very welcome. That reminds me, I have a B&N gift card that's just burning a hole in my wallet...may have to swing by there later today. Not that I really have time to read for pleasure right now, anyway.

I'm sorry you were sick, Roland.

Thanks. (And I read "anal sinus" too at first...I was wondering what kind of fucked-up physiology he had! :D )

Welcome back! I would put your pups a dog run outside, one with a top on it so the eagles can't get em! If they're truly bitty, a good sized cage kennel would prolly suffice. I wouldn't leave them outside when you aren't home still, but at least they can lay out in the sun a bit.

The cougar shouldn't bother you too much, just don't go being stupid like the people in Colorado who put out salt licks to attract the deer, then were all pissed that the cougars followed the deer down!

Heh heh. I will keep that in mind. :) The doggies are 5 and 7 lbs, so it doesn't take much space for them to exercise. Talking to people around here, they've said it won't be a problem as long as we're around outside too, so they can roam some when we're out with them. I've already thought about getting an outdoors kennel when it gets warmer; we'll just see how much we're outside and if we'll need it.

Glad to hear you're moved in OK, and that the kids are enjoying it!

I'd once said I'd never go back to Iowa, but now I've got two reasons to go:
1. Well, duh, Roland's there.
2. The wife said, "Oh, we've got to go to Iowa some time!" ... Apparently, she's never been.

So, I'll let you know, but it won't be anytime real soon.

Welcome back!

Thanks! Take your time...I should be out here for awhile. :) There is actually a lot of cool stuff for kids here, especially in the summer--a kids' museum and ice skating rink right in the mall, and a gorge where there are tons of fossils to scope out at the reservoir, just for a few. I'm sure Tray would have a blast with my kids.

PS. How do you like your post count display? That was my idea! (See the "M" thread)

I was reading through that yesterday. I first saw it on Zoot's post count, and thought it was some cool thing he managed to rig or something. Very nice. :yup:

So, we also just discovered an old pontoon (sp?) boat out in the barn, which our landlord said we can use on the nearby lake. (http://www.iowadnr.com/parks/state_park_list/lake_macbride.html) Has a BBQ grill on it and everything--I forsee lots of weekends out on the water. Life is good... :)

[Socratoad]

O hell yes Roland, I for one have missed you very much. Welcome back.

I'm glad to here you have lots of wildlife about. Nothing like being in the idst of nature to give one a sense about what life is all about.

Sometime I shall share with you and others here stories about my pet cougar Shane. well actually I was his pet.

Good to see you, metaphorically that is.

Thanks! I'd love to hear about Shane. As I understand it, cougars usually stay away from humans, so I'd love to hear how you were his pet. :)



Hi again Roland, I hope to be able to start a threat about creature stories in a few days and I will include Shane's story.

And yes you are correct, normally cougars avoid humans, normally being the operative word, because they are very intelligent. Which reminds me of one of my favourite sarcastic interjections: I bore very easily with endless discussions concerning the possibility of intelligent life somewhere out there, so to speak, and so when I am unable to contain myself I blurt out, "Of course there is intelligent life out there, otherwise they would have contacted us humans." That usually makes me about as popular as a skunk at a garden party. If that little bit of sarcasm does not work, I add, "Why would I be interested in speculating upon the possibility of intelligent on some fucking distant planet when I'm still searching for intelligent live in our nation's capital."

There are good reasons why I'm a hermit. :D

But if I can possibly remain serious for a moment: When my wife and I moved to our log cabin in the forest one of the many projects we became involved in was being foster parents for various offspring of the big cat families. Quite often mothers will not accept their newborn babies, even after having been injected with oxytocin, and so compliments of the Toronto zoo and a couple of smaller ones we became designated parents of of quite a few rather large kittens. Bottle feeding the whole bit. Now like any mammal or bird these members of the large cat families soon imprint upon the person who feeds them. So although your information regarding cougars avoiding humans is inoperative in such cases, same with tigers, etc ..... or even BB the woodchuck.

Now there was a professional understanding that we could not keep any of these big cats as they must be returned to the zoo when they became self sufficient. Therefore we did our best to try to limit the imprinting process with these kittens.

Shane was a quite different story: we rescued him as a tiny spotted baby from a grubby little private zoo before we became instrument in having it shut down. Shane was not about to go anywhere within the foreseeable future and so we, mostly me, lashed love on him until he actually thought he was just another member of the family ....... enough already

[Ex-zombie]

Hey Roland welcome back.

Isn't Iowa full of bears? Huge roving maniac bears? :faint:

[Roland98]

Hey Roland welcome back.

Isn't Iowa full of bears? Huge roving maniac bears? :faint:

Um... :eek: No?

'Course, I didn't know we had big cats here either, so I guess anything is possible. :)

(ETA: Actually, there have been confirmed sightings of black bears in 3 of the counties surrounding mine (http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/pdfs/bear%20log%202003%20complete.pdf). Damn you for making me find that out! :) No word on if they are actually maniacal, though. ;) )

And I suck because I left out warren before. Thanks for the welcome back! Did you have a good Christmas with da grandbaby?


Thanks for sharing some of the Shane story, Socratoad. Very cool!

[JoeP]

Welcome back! Idahohiowa, it's all one big muddle to me.

(our nearest neighbor is .8 miles away according to my odometer--down a gravel road). We're living way out in the boonies, which is bad (no cable for the computer, and not sure yet if we can get DSL, and I will cry like a baby if I have to deal with dial-up again)
Nooo! I will cry too. (Liv - we need a pathetic internet connection sympathy smilie...)

I just realized today I'm the youngest in my department by a full 14 years.
OK, but what do you actually do? (And don't say microbiology, we need details.)

Joe

[Socratoad]

I love black bears and apparently they have a pretty high opinion of me.
Any day before they retire to their winter dens I can go into the woods and meet several of them.
I've never had one even try to attack me.

However don't try this at home :yup:

[livius drusus]

liv, the kids are digging it so far. The hubby came out here with me ('nother long story, but we're hangin' in for the meantime) and took Zav out to shoot stuff yesterday. Brought back a squirrel and a woodpecker hoping to get the eagles to come back and dine.

Oh... Um... Great? :shifty: Is that the kind of thing Grizzly Adams did?

And Aurora was supposed to start preschool today, but we had an ice storm and the schools were closed. Poor thing was all psyched up too.

It's cool that she's excited to go to preschool. Sociable kids rule. Is the icestorm still keeping her from it or was today a school day?

Heh, and I swear I didn't even see this thread (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1340) when writing my title. Oops.

Great minds and all that. ;)

[pescifish]

Welcome home, Roland98! Good to see you back posting on the boards, too. :)

[godfry n. glad]

Yo, Ro....

I'm glad to see you are posting again and glad to hear that the move came off with only minor hitches. And glad the flu was as transitory as it was. But then I'm always glad....heh.

I missed you, but I had remembered hearing that you'd be on the move.

<Oh...Joe? East to west, Ohio is rolling farmland north of the Ohio river and east of the confluence with the Mississippi. Iowa is rolling farmland and prairie west of the Mississippi, just south of Minnesota. Idaho is way out west in the Pacific northwest, inland of Washington and Oregon. The north half (aka panhandle) is mountainous (as in continental divide) and forested; the south half, arid high plateau.

'Zat help?>

godfry n. glad yer back

[bobeh]

Welcome back...
I wasn't sure of what the post would be about from the title...I am somewhat proud of myself for having heard about cougers, but in the context I was thinking I was feeling a bit insecure in that I hadn't heard about eagles...and the term "cows" didn't really seem to fit...anyway, forget that line of thinking.

The real stuff. Real cougars are dangerous. My daughter was almost lunch for a female cougar this spring out in the Rockies. Turned out it was a hungry mommy couger and my daughter was out joggin on a road somewhere near her den. The couger tried to stare her down...and that is not a good position to be in. My daughter backed slowly around a corner out of sight...and then ran like hell back to town (Waterton park townsite). The couger later (that same month) came into town, killed a deer in front of one of the hotels, and so ended up having to be removed. I think she (the couger) was then accidentally killed in an attempt to tranquilize her and get her out of town.

Enough about that. Hope you settle in well. Don't worry about the cougers. As long as there are lots of dogs and cats around you'll never see the couger.

And bears...I had a bear consider me for breakfast one time...but fortunately he wasn't very decisive and I got my hands on a hatchet and amused him enough that he walked away - totally ignoring me. He was a nice looking bear though...jet black...very smooth shiny fur...about 5 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide at the shoulders (at least he looked that way to me).

Cows. I grew up with them. Stupid stupid animals.

Enough animal stories. I only recount them because I'm not really a person here yet and have nothing better to say...yet.

Good luck in the new job...and may the new year grant you ..KEYS.

[livius drusus]

You seem quite person-like to me. Got any chicken stories? I know how to hypnotize them. For real.

[Ymir's blood]

I'm sorry you were sick, Roland.

Thanks. (And I read "anal sinus" too at first...I was wondering what kind of fucked-up physiology he had! :D )

Eek! :wash:

[JoeP]

<Oh...Joe? East to west, Ohio is rolling farmland north of the Ohio river and east of the confluence with the Mississippi. Iowa is rolling farmland and prairie west of the Mississippi, just south of Minnesota. Idaho is way out west in the Pacific northwest, inland of Washington and Oregon. The north half (aka panhandle) is mountainous (as in continental divide) and forested; the south half, arid high plateau.

'Zat help?>

Well, I have maps so I was kind of joking. Couldn't they have chosen more differentiated names when they were carving out the states than Iowa and Ohio, four-letter three-syllable combinations of 'i' and 'o'? But the insight into the terrain is good, thanks.

[godfry n. glad]

<Oh...Joe? East to west, Ohio is rolling farmland north of the Ohio river and east of the confluence with the Mississippi. Iowa is rolling farmland and prairie west of the Mississippi, just south of Minnesota. Idaho is way out west in the Pacific northwest, inland of Washington and Oregon. The north half (aka panhandle) is mountainous (as in continental divide) and forested; the south half, arid high plateau.

'Zat help?>

Well, I have maps so I was kind of joking. Couldn't they have chosen more differentiated names when they were carving out the states than Iowa and Ohio, four-letter three-syllable combinations of 'i' and 'o'? But the insight into the terrain is good, thanks.

I suspect they are all variations of the theme "our home" in the languages of the indigenous peoples.

godfry

[freemonkey]

Welcome back, Roland. When I think of Iowa, I think of corn, not cougars. Who'da thunk? Actually, I liked Iowa, what I saw of it. What part are you near? Show us some pics!

About the eagles, we've got them out here, and although its not something you hear about all the time I've heard enough stories of small dogs & cats being taken by eagles. Some when their owners were near enough to witness it. Those eagles are BIG.

[JoeP]

I suspect they are all variations of the theme "our home" in the languages of the indigenous peoples.
That makes astonishing good sense

[JoeP]

(4 eagles literally in our backyard; we watched them feast on a racoon the other day. Unfortunately, this means no unsupervised time outside for our wee doggies, as that raccoon was at least double their size)
They weren't big eagles were they? Huge eagles 'dominated NZ skies' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4138147.stm) ... When I saw this item I thought - but they're not extinct - Peter Jackson filmed them right there in NZ for the Lord of the Rings!

[Shake]

Thanks! Take your time...I should be out here for awhile. :) There is actually a lot of cool stuff for kids here, especially in the summer--a kids' museum and ice skating rink right in the mall, and a gorge where there are tons of fossils to scope out at the reservoir, just for a few. I'm sure Tray would have a blast with my kids.
Cool! It's nice to know there's more to the state than my foggy mid-teen memory can recall. Fossils? Heck, even I think that's cool!

Yeah, Tray's 4 now, so he does pretty well with other kids, especially when they make an effort to include him. Although, he does have some preconceptions on the "right way" to play with certain toys. I don't know where he gets that from. Maybe it's just part of being 4. How old are yours now?

[wade-w]

I doubt your dogs have much to worry about from eagles. A Bald Eagle's primary food source is fish, though they will eat carrion as well. Also, a Bald Eagle's lifting power is only around 4 pounds. All things considered, the raccoon probably died from something else, and the eagles you saw took advantage of the opportunity.

I've been told by locals that there are 4 mountain lions living in this general vicinity. I don't know if I believe that, but my parents regularly find sign and scat from a mountain lion on their property, so there is at least one. There are also bears and coyotes.

Given that you also have bears and a cougar nearby, it is probably a good idea to keep an eye on them during the day, and have a dog run for their use if they have to go out after dark.

[maddog]

Oh, and Iowa did spectacularly well in, ummm, uuuhhh, hmmm, errrr, ONE of them thar bowl games (can't think which one).

#143

[Roland98]

Nooo! I will cry too. (Liv - we need a pathetic internet connection sympathy smilie...)

Definitely. I still have nuthin' at home! Stupid weather...


OK, but what do you actually do? (And don't say microbiology, we need details.)

Hooo boy, you asked for it. :) I'm in the Epidemiology department, and officially my title is "infectious disease epidemiologist." What I do right now is study potential virulence genes (genes which make the bacteria actually cause disease) in Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus, which generally causes disease in newborns and in the elderly). I will also be working with another investigator here studying influenza and adenovirus, but I'm not 100% sure what my role will be on his research. I'm also writing grants to do some other stuff too, looking at the bacteria Moraxella catarrhalis (which causes ear infections in kids) and Streptococcus pyogenes (group A strep, which causes strep throat and necrotizing fasciitis ["the flesh-eating disease"] among other things--I did my dissertation work on gene regulation in this bacterium).

Welcome home, Roland98! Good to see you back posting on the boards, too.

Thanks! It is still strange to have such limited access. I think I'm going through withdrawal. :)

Oh... Um... Great? Is that the kind of thing Grizzly Adams did?

Dunno. :) I'm soooo far from any Grizzly Adams behavior, meself--I just sit back in the heat and let the others tromp around outside. I did shoot a rifle for the first time, though. But just at cans, not at anything that actually moved.

It's cool that she's excited to go to preschool. Sociable kids rule. Is the icestorm still keeping her from it or was today a school day?

4 days and no school. Icestorm for 2 days, now we have over a foot of snow on the ground (I didn't even venture into work yesterday). Hopefully tomorrow, poor thing.

Yo, Ro....

I'm glad to see you are posting again and glad to hear that the move came off with only minor hitches. And glad the flu was as transitory as it was. But then I'm always glad....heh.

I missed you, but I had remembered hearing that you'd be on the move.

Hi godfry! :wave: I missed everyone here too and am glad to be back (even though I'm still not up to speed yet).

Enough about that. Hope you settle in well. Don't worry about the cougers. As long as there are lots of dogs and cats around you'll never see the couger.

That's what I'm counting on. I hope. :eek:

And bears...I had a bear consider me for breakfast one time...but fortunately he wasn't very decisive and I got my hands on a hatchet and amused him enough that he walked away - totally ignoring me. He was a nice looking bear though...jet black...very smooth shiny fur...about 5 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide at the shoulders (at least he looked that way to me).

Yikes! The only bear I've seen outside of the zoo was roadkill along a Pennsylvania highway, driving through the Poconos on the way home from college. I'm not too worried about seeing one though, since sightings are rare and one still hasn't been seen in my county. Good to know they're around though, just in case...

Cows. I grew up with them. Stupid stupid animals.

Yeah. Fun for the kids to watch, though.

Good luck in the new job...and may the new year grant you ..KEYS.

Thanks! Got here this morning and my ID is actually in the system...I exist, yay!

Welcome back, Roland. When I think of Iowa, I think of corn, not cougars. Who'da thunk? Actually, I liked Iowa, what I saw of it. What part are you near? Show us some pics!

I'm in east central Iowa, near Iowa City. Definitly lots of corn. I'll have to get some pics of my backyard, which is actually very pretty: creek followed by fields with some woodlands behind that. For now,

http://www.llbean.com/parksearch/parks/images/full/ls001503.jpg

This is the lake near my house.

About the eagles, we've got them out here, and although its not something you hear about all the time I've heard enough stories of small dogs & cats being taken by eagles. Some when their owners were near enough to witness it. Those eagles are BIG.

I wish I had a good telephoto on my camera. 2 of the eagles were definitely bald eagles; brown body, white head and tail, very distinctive. The others, I'm not sure. I assume they were golden eagles because they were all brown, but I couldn't see their faces good enough to be sure, and don't know if there are other similarly colored birds of that size here that they could be instead. Talking with some people here, they also mentioned that juvenile bald eagles are mostly dark brown, so that could be the case too, but if so, they were damn big juveniles, since they were even bigger than the white-headed bald eagles. I've never seen a bird that big in my life, and I've seen some pretty huge vultures up close and personal. (But no, Joe, they weren't quite that big. Cool article). Anyway...

Cool! It's nice to know there's more to the state than my foggy mid-teen memory can recall. Fossils? Heck, even I think that's cool!

Yeah, Tray's 4 now, so he does pretty well with other kids, especially when they make an effort to include him. Although, he does have some preconceptions on the "right way" to play with certain toys. I don't know where he gets that from. Maybe it's just part of being 4. How old are yours now?

[url=http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/coralville/devonian_fossil_gorge.htm]Here's[/url[ a bit on the fossil gorge. I've only visited it for a minute on a recruiting visit; will probably have to wait until spring to take the kiddos out there. Mine are 5 and 2 1/2, and Aurora is already quite the hostess. :) Although I'd have to warn you, she's bossy as hell. No idea where she may get that from. :innocent:

We're going to play putt-putt later this afternoon at the place in the mall: indoors and glow-in-the-dark. Then we might hit the skating rink if the kids aren't too tired.

I doubt your dogs have much to worry about from eagles. A Bald Eagle's primary food source is fish, though they will eat carrion as well. Also, a Bald Eagle's lifting power is only around 4 pounds. All things considered, the raccoon probably died from something else, and the eagles you saw took advantage of the opportunity.

Could very well be. But if the others were indeed golden eagles, they prey on small mammals--and those were the two who were more aggressive in tearing apart the racoon; the other two were mostly onlookers and jumped in occasionally for a bite. Either way, Koojo is right around 4 pounds; Spike is a chunkier 7 lbs, so he probably is safe. :)

I've been told by locals that there are 4 mountain lions living in this general vicinity. I don't know if I believe that, but my parents regularly find sign and scat from a mountain lion on their property, so there is at least one. There are also bears and coyotes.

Yeah, there have been varying reports as to how many cougars are actually here. Based on track size I guess it's thought there are at least two, but only one has been photographed. Coyotes we're used to, though I'd mostly heard and not seen them in Ohio.

Given that you also have bears and a cougar nearby, it is probably a good idea to keep an eye on them during the day, and have a dog run for their use if they have to go out after dark.

Yeah. Right now with a foot of snow on the ground, it's not an issue. I have to literally push them out the door or drag them out on leashes. :) Pretty sad when the snow is taller than they are.

Oh, and Iowa did spectacularly well in, ummm, uuuhhh, hmmm, errrr, ONE of them thar bowl games (can't think which one).

Heh. Yeah, actually the Hawkeyes ended up 8th in the nation in football after their last-minute, come-from-behind, Hail Mary pass victory in the Capital One bowl. We happened to be driving through town after it was over and people were literally in the streets celebrating.

[wei yau]

I did shoot a rifle for the first time, though. But just at cans, not at anything that actually moved.

She hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!

Welcome back, it's good to see you again. Sounds like you're on one helluva adventure.

[JoeP]

Great looking lake!

Hmm, necrotising fasciitis. I find this a fascinating (fasciiting?) concept. But I don't suppose you'd better describe it, with pictures and case histories, in the interest of Liv's well-being.

[Ymir's blood]

Great looking lake!

Hmm, necrotising fasciitis. I find this a fascinating (fasciiting?) concept. But I don't suppose you'd better describe it, with pictures and case histories, in the interest of Liv's well-being.
A Google Image Search (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&q=necrotizing+fasciitis&spell=1) turns up quite a few pictures, which are not for the feint of heart. :firstaid:

[JoeP]

And quotes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrotising_fasciitis) like this:
tissue may be consumed at a rate of three centimeters per hour
Even under world best care practices today, necrotizing fasciitis has a mortality rate of around 20%. Mortality is nearly 100% if not properly treated.
Holy freethought.

[livius drusus]

I thought I had flesheating bacteria once. Turned out it was just a rash from excessive scratching at a mosquito bite. Anyhoo, ain't no way in hell I'm clicking on those pictures.

[Dingfod]

Could very well be. But if the others were indeed golden eagles, they prey on small mammals--and those were the two who were more aggressive in tearing apart the racoon; the other two were mostly onlookers and jumped in occasionally for a bite. Either way, Koojo is right around 4 pounds; Spike is a chunkier 7 lbs, so he probably is safe. :) Safe from being carried off high into the air, maybe, but not safe from getting snagged by one. When I lived in Wyoming I saw a golden eagle flying off with a lamb. Of course, it wasn't getting very high off the ground and in fact, kept hitting the ground, kind of bouncing along. I'd guess that little lamb was of a size that would've probably been 10-12 pounds. I suppose it was carrying only far enough to eat it unmolested by a mad mama ewe.

I don't know how big golden eagles get, but in Wyoming they seemed like they were huuuuge, the one we saw carry the lamb was sitting on a rise by the road, standing about four feet high and when it was flying, it had an 8 or 9 foot wingspan. It looked to be about twice as big as the average bald eagle. They've been known to attack livestock and even coyotes, they aren't really afraid of anything. One time I saw a pronghorn doe jumping up in the air, pawing madly. I didn't know what was going on until I saw the golden eagle swooping down trying to get the antelope fawn hidden in the sagebrush. Naw, they're not afraid of much, pretty close to the top of the food chain.

Interesting tidbits in the news: A 13 pound dachshund was carried off (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/03/15/eagle.attack/) by a bald eagle. And, in another case, witnesses in Norway saw an eagle carry off a small bear cub??? (http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=53152) Widdy-biddy dogs? No problem.

[wade-w]

Interesting tidbits in the news: A 13 pound dachshund was carried off (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/03/15/eagle.attack/) by a bald eagle. And, in another case, witnesses in Norway saw an eagle carry off a small bear cub??? (http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=53152) Widdy-biddy dogs? No problem.

Here is what snopes (http://www.snopes.com/critters/mishaps/dognap.htm) has to say on the issue. They even mention the CNN story. There are major inaccuracies in the story, especially the 300' claim.


In March 2002, CNN reported on the case of a bald eagle's making off with a 13-pound dachshund in Maine. According to CNN, the dog was lifted three hundred feet into the air before the eagle lost its grip on it. The two-year-old dog survived the encounter, but infections festering in wounds caused by the predator's talons have left it in a fight for its life.

We don't know how CNN arrived at a figure of 300 feet, because news accounts reported by the local paper the day after the attack stated "the dog dropped from about the height of a tall tree nearby," a height clarified in a later article by that same source as "perhaps 40 or 50 feet." A fall of 40 or 50 feet is far more in line with the dog's having lived through the ordeal -- 300 feet is equivalent to a 30-story building, and a dog that fell from that height would not have survived.

How a bald eagle could manage to take off carrying a 13-pound animal defies what is known about eagles; they don't have that kind of lift power. That the fierce predator couldn't successfully carry its load away fits what we know of these birds: they're not built to make off with small dogs even if one of them is ambitious enough to try it. (The dog's owner credits his pet's escape to the dachshund's having bitten the eagle, but considering that the talon wounds were in the abducted pooch's hindquarters, the dog wouldn't have had a chance to turn on its captor. It fell because the eagle dropped it, not because it attacked its attacker.)

So where are we with this tale? We have an eagle that grabbed a small dog and apparently got it up into the air to about the height of a tree before losing it. That the bird tried and succeeded even this much is phenomenal, but it's still nowhere close to being the effortless "flight into the sunset bearing its prey in its claws" of legend.

We're right back to where we started: Eagles do not swoop down and carry off small dogs as an ordinary matter of course. Some may attack a dog on the ground, and some may even get it temporarily airborne, but they do not ultimately succeed in making off with it.

[Dingfod]

Yeah, it was probably more like my golden eagle and the lamb, kind of just bouncing along not too far off the ground. But, imagine this, an eagle can dive at up to 100 mph. Momentum alone could explain how a 15 pound bird could swoop away with something larger than they could normally lift off the flat ground from a standing start.

[Roland98]

And quotes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrotising_fasciitis) like this:
tissue may be consumed at a rate of three centimeters per hour
Even under world best care practices today, necrotizing fasciitis has a mortality rate of around 20%. Mortality is nearly 100% if not properly treated.
Holy freethought.

:) Can you see why I love giving lectures on this stuff? For my dissertation defense, I had about 6 slides of gory pictures, followed by one of Pinky and the Brain to demonstrate the injection procedure we used on the lab mice. :)

warren and wade, thanks (I think! Poor little weiner dog :eek: ) for more eagle updates. I'm going to keep an eye on the wee pups just in case, but I won't be excessively paranoid about it. I'm not even sure how long the birds will be around this area, as it's where they winter. I think they go farther north when it's warm out.