Stewart Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 (edited) I'm Climbing an I here a "swoosh." Then I see the Falcon. I'm checking out the bird as I belay my partner up. Then I notice the Falcon swoop back and is heading right for me. He came within 4ft of me and I was eye to eye with him. He did this for a total of 6 times! Each time getting closer to me. I began using my climbing shoes on a sling to wave around to try to scare him. Finally he just floated away. Ever happen to anyone else? Stewart Edited August 7, 2007 by Stewart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 that's what you get for wearing your pigeon feather jacket and matching mouse hat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pink Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Post deleted by pink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_Commander Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 maybe it's the mexico visor he was after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 (edited) Where are these places? Edited August 7, 2007 by catbirdseat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 i had a similiar experience w/ a great horned owl in virginia - i imagine that was even more freaky as those owls are fawking enormous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_Commander Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 no kidding, and they are also pretty much silent so you don't hear 'em coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancegranite Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Interesting, I stepped on a 1000 pound sea lion's tail at work today. "ooops, sorry about that" "RUFT RUFT RUFT!!!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Interesting, I stepped on a 1000 pound sea lion's tail at work today. "ooops, sorry about that" "RUFT RUFT RUFT!!!!" No kidding? Are you a wildlife biologist ? I climb on a rock that sees a yearly Falcon Closure. No Sea Lions, but I often see Falcons and a whole host of other birds during the non-closure climbing season as the birds are at various spots in throughout the gorge. Eagles, Osprey, Ravens, even saw a common barn owl 2 weeks ago fly off of a ledge.! I think it may be living there now. Unfortunately, the Falcons seem to have moved on in a nesting sense, but the closure seems to have stayed. As climbers, it's one of the great joys we share where ever we are, seeing these amazing birds. In all of my years, I have never been swooped on...yet anyway. Earlier this year at Smith I was 3rd pitch up on a route looking down at a Peregrine that took 2 screaming dives at a Raven! I forget who I was with, maybe Ujhan, but we were both like, F*uK, where the F*en video camera! Look at that! The Raven saw the Falcon all the way both times, and was booking to miss it, first time headed to the cliff, second time flew down into the trees to avoid the strike. One effect of a partial year closure here is that climbers who depend on it for training for Yosemite cannot do it, and the level of skill for that style of climbing in young climbers has dropped dramatically. The other effect is that the Falcons, who at various times seem inquisitive and interested in us, see us as showing up as strangers. Before the closure they seemed more habituated to us they were used to seeing us. As we do not bother them, they did not seem to get rankled and we coexisted. It's interesting in that nesting is long over for them, so maybe this one was feeling territorial, or perhaps it's possible that it had just settled down for lunch it had just caught and you surprised it and it wanted to get back to the prey it had left? I often see Peregrines on the way to work too, they inhabit the Fremont Bridge and I cross it daily, and I crane my eyes eyery day for a view of them. I haven't seen them for a while. I suspect they are habituated to the thousands of cars that cross the bridge hourly. Of course, interesting that despite the thousands of cars, any of which could easily kill a bird, they never closed the bridge. They do use the rock for lunch and dinner spots, and it's common to see flesh and feathers of kills. I suspect they like it for the same reason we do, amazing views. They have the added benefit of getting to preview tomorrows lunch from that glorious spot. They get the same kind of thing from the bridge, when I do the bridge pedal where they close it to cars so bikes can have it, I feel the same as I do out there. Incredible views! The wildlife I find as interesting as the birds is the Scorpions. Evidently there are thousands of the lil beasts lurking under all the rocks, all the time, and you will hardly ever, ever, see them. The rangers say that on spring evenings, they will sometimes see them come out in mass at dusk and warm themselves on the still warm rocks. Despite this, I've seen maybe a handful in my 35 years of climbing out there. The lil creatures must be everwhere throughout the gorge though, as they are at Broughtons as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotly Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 My windshield got attacked by a Great Horned owl at 70 MPH a few weeks ago. Hit it like it was aiming for my nose. I ducked - the thing was huge and I expected it to blow out the glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I was picked up by a pterodactyl at Frenchman's Coulie. He carried me up to the concert and set me down on top of the band stand. I didn't have any witnesses but I remember it as well as I remember the rest of the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweatinoutliquor Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I'm Climbing an I here a "swoosh." Then I see the Falcon. I'm checking out the bird as I belay my partner up. Then I notice the Falcon swoop back and is heading right for me. He came within 4ft of me and I was eye to eye with him. He did this for a total of 6 times! Each time getting closer to me. I began using my climbing shoes on a sling to wave around to try to scare him. Finally he just floated away. Ever happen to anyone else? Stewart Yes John.....I have been swooped by those falcons about three times in 11 years of climbing there. There are silent until they are on you..... One time we got swooped on the ledge......matter of fact it was on this day that the group got swooped. This was opening day about 9 or 10 years ago and the bird kept swooping the ledge. We tried to not give the bird any attention, because we love the beautiful birds. The Birds always come first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevino Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I've been attacked by owls while running. They come down after you run past this and claw your scalp. This has happened twice. The second time I punched the owl. In the ovaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I've been attacked by owls while running. They come down after you run past this and claw your scalp. This has happened twice. The second time I punched the owl. In the ovaries. Dude, thats been done already. Alfred Hitchcock 1960's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevino Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Well I did again. 2000s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Sometimes the remakes are as good as the origonals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I have been killed and eaten several times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I have been killed and eaten several times. That sounds like a shitty deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I have been killed and eaten several times. That sounds like a shitty deal. not according to Da Buddha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plexus Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 When any of you see a golden eagle pick up and fly away with a grizzly cub, then you can be the giant ape beating your chest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 When any of you see a golden eagle pick up and fly away with a grizzly cub, then you can be the giant ape beating your chest. Don't know if you've met Ivan but he's already a giant ape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jens Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Interesting post Bill about the scorpions. I've seen em' under rocks in eastern Washington. When I tell folks that we have scorpions here they don't believe it. ------------------------------------------ I was on the upper t.w. at index once and saw a Perigrine pump and go into a 2,000 foot dive toward the river. It looked to be as fast as the blue angels last weekend. The woodland park zoo raptor guru said they've been clocked at 285mph-fastest living thing on planet earth. -------------------------------------------- I was buzzed by a kestrel once. My hair blew up the thing flew so close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_forester Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Don't know if you've met Ivan but he's already a giant ape. he's literate, though. sort of like koko, the gorilla that knows sign language... ha ha just kidding ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_forester Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 yeah, thanks for creeping everyone out with your scorpion stories, bill! I've only seen a scorpion one time, out on the path by the river at smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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