Caution flying fish falling
On Monday, Ashcroft BC Fire Rescue shared details of the unusual occurrence in a release on Facebook. Fire officials were called to a fire that charred 6 acres of field and knocked out the electricity to the town of Ashcroft and about 1500 people. The teams from the local power company and the fire department dumped about 4800 gallons of water on the fire from both their trucks. According to the release, authorities found employees from BC Hydro, Ashcroft Ranch and Dawson Road Maintenance putting out the fire when they arrived at the scene. “With the heavy fire being knocked down, Ashcroft fire was able to cool the perimeter and the burned area with Engine 3 and Tender 4,” the release read. “Ashcroft Ranch’s Tender was also on scene.”
“A quick investigation revealed the cause of this fire. It was determined to be a fish, yes, you read that right, the fish had an incredible journey, considering the river is 3km east from the point of origin (the Pacific ocean). As they searched through the burned grass they found an ocean fish that had been badly burned in one spot and completely toasted lying among the black charred grass. The fire department theorized that a fish “had been dropped by a local osprey onto the high tension electrical lines and shorted out the main circuit for a few seconds . The power surge cooked the fish and tripped the big breaker for the power going into town. The investigators theorize since an osprey had already carried the big fish about three miles in the hot sun, the bird got tired and dropped the fish to start the whole reaction. The power line cooked the fish causing embers to drop, along with the fish, to the dry grasses below.”
The osprey didn’t get its “fish hawk” nickname by chance. The raptor is the only bird known to possess specially designed feet and claws for snatching prey from the water. Its talons curve more than other avians, and spines on the pads of its feet work like barbs to grab fish scales. The birds can even rotate their outer toes so that two digits face forward while the other two face in the opposite direction, allowing them to better clasp their prey while flying. While they generally target prey less than 12 inches long, occasionally an osprey catches something a bit larger than it can handle. Take a situation last month in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There, a man playing through a golf course witnessed an osprey drop a sizable hammerhead shark after being beset by crows.
As the osprey flew above the course’s 11th hole, a pair of crows attacked the osprey in what’s known as “mobbing.” The aggressive, cooperative technique is utilized by birds to protect territory against predators during breeding season. Although the raptor escaped unscathed, it gave up its meal during evasive maneuvers. The osprey had given up a hammerhead shark. “We couldn’t believe it and kept asking ourselves, ‘did that really just happen?’” he said. Instead of retrieving it, Marlowe opted to leave it where it lay just in case the osprey returned for its meal.
Drop ins:
I was pretty surprised to learn Elon Musk was born in South Africa.
I thought he was born in Mad-at-gas-car.
Why is everyone surprised at Hasbro’s recent behavior?
They’ve been creating Monopolies for 32 years now.
If you were surprised that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide this morning,
Imagine how surprised he must have been.
A salesman rang the bell of a suburban home. The door was opened by a nine-year-old boy puffing on a long black cigar. Hiding his amazement, the salesman asked the young man, “Is your mother home?” The boy took the cigar out of his mouth, flicked the ashes on the floor and asked, “What do you think?”
September 24th Birthdays
1992 – Colene Garcia, 1962 – Nia Valdaros, 1941 – Linda McCartney, 1978 – Keri Lynn Pratt
1936 – Jim Henson, 1958 – Kevin Sorbo, 1999 – Eddie George, 1982 – Erik Stocklin