@enhydra lutris

including the mighty Osprey. We are all flawed and sometimes make fatal mistakes.

That is an interesting vid by Mark Smith, but his interpretation is questionable. I'm not 100% sure about Osprey (I bet Dysto is), but I am about Eagles. Their feet lock, and they cannot let go of or drop prey when airborne or in deep water. When they land on solid ground or a branch or nest, the lock releases and they can let go of the prey. Every year eagles drown, especially in Alaska, grabbing fish too heavy to lift in water too deep to touch bottom and too far from shore to struggle to land. That Osprey looked to be in the shallows so once it gave it trying to lift, it could've touched bottom and released the lock, assuming that it is the same as with eagles.

be well and have a good one

@enhydra lutris

I just love looking at his stuff which is usually of osprey. I’ve never seen one and just can’t imagine how big they are. Heh…maybe I’ll plan a trip to Florida. If gas ever comes down again.

That is an interesting vid by Mark Smith, but his interpretation is questionable. I'm not 100% sure about Osprey (I bet Dysto is), but I am about Eagles. Their feet lock, and they cannot let go of or drop prey when airborne or in deep water. When they land on solid ground or a branch or nest, the lock releases and they can let go of the prey. Every year eagles drown, especially in Alaska, grabbing fish too heavy to lift in water too deep to touch bottom and too far from shore to struggle to land. That Osprey looked to be in the shallows so once it gave it trying to lift, it could've touched bottom and released the lock, assuming that it is the same as with eagles.

be well and have a good one

@enhydra lutris

1) Eagles and some other raptors have a locking mechanism involving their tendons and the tendon's sheaths. It acts like a ratchet so that they grip on prey and perch is automatic and they don't need to think about it. To let go of something they have to fully extend their leg and then consciously open their talons. When lifting anything they unconsciously pull it up toward the body, so, unless they land and stand, they have to first relax their lifting muscles and lifting reflex, and then relax their feet.

2) Osprey. I don't know if Osprey have the above issue or not, but they have another type of problem. Their toes have a special gripping surface that we may thing of inward or upward. Their talons are incurving. If they grip their prey tight enough, they can sink the talon so deep that the up and in action of the toes grip surface keeps them from extracting the incurving talon.

sorry about that

be well and have a good one

That is an interesting vid by Mark Smith, but his interpretation is questionable. I'm not 100% sure about Osprey (I bet Dysto is), but I am about Eagles. Their feet lock, and they cannot let go of or drop prey when airborne or in deep water. When they land on solid ground or a branch or nest, the lock releases and they can let go of the prey. Every year eagles drown, especially in Alaska, grabbing fish too heavy to lift in water too deep to touch bottom and too far from shore to struggle to land. That Osprey looked to be in the shallows so once it gave it trying to lift, it could've touched bottom and released the lock, assuming that it is the same as with eagles.

be well and have a good one

@enhydra lutris

The light and colour is dazzling, especially the seed pods against the perfectly clear blue sky.

I recognise the cluster of orange flowers but don't remember their name. The white flowers with yellow centre are definitely Plumeria/Frangipani. I hope you smelled them.

Mazatlan.

Our favorite eatery in Cabo is right on an esplanade where one can watch the birds and seals on the fishing boats while eating fish tacos and drinking beer:

Dont know what this is, not too good of a picture, either

Don't know exactly what this is either, it's related to Mesquite, but the seed pods are between 14 and 18 inches long

Further south, an unknown plant in Mazatlan

Nice slogan on a restaurant wall

A Cool company name and Logo above doorway

Another mystery plant

This is some cool, imho, church architecture. It is identified on a plaque as an Iglesia Sinodal, meaning it is a synodal church, whatever that means, but it is full of icons and such on the inside

be well and have a good one

@enhydra lutris

My 2nd favorite bird. Is that tree a hawthorn? Nice photos.

Mazatlan.

Our favorite eatery in Cabo is right on an esplanade where one can watch the birds and seals on the fishing boats while eating fish tacos and drinking beer:

Dont know what this is, not too good of a picture, either

Don't know exactly what this is either, it's related to Mesquite, but the seed pods are between 14 and 18 inches long

Further south, an unknown plant in Mazatlan

Nice slogan on a restaurant wall

A Cool company name and Logo above doorway

Another mystery plant

This is some cool, imho, church architecture. It is identified on a plaque as an Iglesia Sinodal, meaning it is a synodal church, whatever that means, but it is full of icons and such on the inside

be well and have a good one

@enhydra lutris cool pix EL! I don't know that first flower/plant. The orangish-red flowers might be Tropical Milkweed. The others' ID of Plumeria is right on the yellow/white one, what a scent! There are some acacias with long seed pods like those in those pics. Usually with Legume looking leaves/leaflets. Ceviche and cerveza sounds good...

Thanks for the images!

Mazatlan.

Our favorite eatery in Cabo is right on an esplanade where one can watch the birds and seals on the fishing boats while eating fish tacos and drinking beer:

Dont know what this is, not too good of a picture, either

Don't know exactly what this is either, it's related to Mesquite, but the seed pods are between 14 and 18 inches long

Further south, an unknown plant in Mazatlan

Nice slogan on a restaurant wall

A Cool company name and Logo above doorway

Another mystery plant

This is some cool, imho, church architecture. It is identified on a plaque as an Iglesia Sinodal, meaning it is a synodal church, whatever that means, but it is full of icons and such on the inside

be well and have a good one

@enhydra lutris  
which is a pest / invasive species, now considered naturalized, in Hawai‘i.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucaena_leucocephala

https://hawaii.wildflowersearch.org/forest/Leucaena_leucocephala.html

Mazatlan.

Our favorite eatery in Cabo is right on an esplanade where one can watch the birds and seals on the fishing boats while eating fish tacos and drinking beer:

Dont know what this is, not too good of a picture, either

Don't know exactly what this is either, it's related to Mesquite, but the seed pods are between 14 and 18 inches long

Further south, an unknown plant in Mazatlan

Nice slogan on a restaurant wall

A Cool company name and Logo above doorway

Another mystery plant

This is some cool, imho, church architecture. It is identified on a plaque as an Iglesia Sinodal, meaning it is a synodal church, whatever that means, but it is full of icons and such on the inside

be well and have a good one

@The Liberal Moonbat

Thank you for the interesting collection. My eyes are rolling, in an entertaining way, by the Obama fresh kill, and 'god is dead' additions.

@soryang

Thank you for the Tiger art, history and mythology. The prints are too beautiful to be bad of spirit.

I also enjoyed the music you posted, especially how animated the sound and performers are. In some way I was reminded of David Byrne and Talking Heads. I guess because it was quite quirky, and mysterious to my unfamiliar experience.

Really enjoyed the photos posted here! We have ospreys in local area from time to time, and on occasion get to see one.

I realized the primal nature of the fascination with big cats a long time ago. I made a new acquaintance yesterday when the subject of the Florida panther came up as we both discussed accidental encounters with big cats in the wild areas outside the local urban sprawl. I had the good fortune to see a large adult panther two times in the wild by chance from the safety of my car.

In Korea tigers used to roam the mountains, reportedly until some time in the 20th Century. Koreans claim during the Japanese imperial administration, deforestation of the peninsula and unrestricted hunting by colonial officials resulted in their elimination.

Tigers played an important traditional role in fables and childhood upbringing. If children didn't mind their parents wishes, or wandered too far off, they were told the tiger might carry them away. Years ago I was fascinated with the cultural focus on tigers. They had many qualities in art, whimsical, fantastic, dangerous, and strong. It's bad karma I guess to have too many images of tigers in one's home, but I collected some anyway. Images of a tiger apparently have some shamanistic property. A lot of young US soldiers I saw in South Korea, had the ubiquitous ferocious tiger embroidered on black jackets. I actually wasn't too found of this aggressive image, but what the hell, maybe it keeps the bad spirits away, I don't know.

Below are three differing styles, the traditional folk painting (min hwa) of a tiger with an animist, whimsical style; a "realistic" style painting from the 18th Century by Kim Hong-do, a famous court painter (a copy by my wife's aunt) ; and a modern realistic rendition of the tiger coming down the mountain on white celadon:

The band Lee Nal-chi does a performance of Tiger comes down with the Ambiguous Dance Company in a Modern folk fusion performance. I haven't taken time to do the translation yet, but I'm gathering that it comes from the myth of a sea turtle that called a rabbit down the mountain, for a deceptive purpose. He erroneously called the rabbit "Ho" (tiger) instead of "Do" (rabbit). As a result the sleek, powerful, tiger came down the mountain inspiring mortal fear in the sea turtle.