Flapping squatters!

[nebulatech]

While my boat is currently being renovated to be habitable for humans, a family of Carolina Wrens set up housekeeping in the cockpit cubby midships, next to the helm. They laid 4 eggs, and I'm happy to inform you that the wrens are now proud parents to 4 baby chics. Not much context in the picture, because it was dark in the cubby so I had to get my camera pretty close:

20200316_193319.jpg

[Bob Noodat]

Great story and picture. If there's any paintwork or metal just in front of the nest you'd best put something to cover it. That bird urea is pretty acidic... as my quad will tell you from being under a barn swallow nest.

[WillieC]

So that's what's under the gelcoat! It really telescopes through paint and now I see why.

[hetek]

I read of an Osprey building a nest on a Sport Fish's flybridge. The owner called the Audibon Society to ask how to remove it.

The answer: "You can't".

Laws state that you must maintain a distance of 50' from any Osprey nest and must not remove the nest until the nesting season ends.

The owner couldn't even go on his boat and evidently, the "nesting season" ended at the same time as the boating season. He was SOL for the year.

He also had MUCH Osprey poo to clean up after they left.

[DesertAlbin736]

You think that's bad, let me tell you about sea lions in Monterey, CA. Not sure if they still are, but back in 2003 they were considered a protected marine mammal species. They tend to be herding animals, and when they decide to pick somewhere to haul themselves out of the water they do so in large numbers. I had taken my Montgomery 15 sailboat out there to race in a Small Craft Advisor magazine sponsored event. That year a large group of sea lions decided they liked boats that were out on moorings, which were mostly sailboats. They were able to get aboard these boats in numbers that took up every square inch of deck space nearly sinking the boats. And of course crapped all over them. Also some of the docks and the dinghies tied up there. You did not want to be downwind! It was illegal to bother them in any way, not even try to shoo them away (federal law). I don't know if the law has changed since then, but back then that was the case. You just had to leave them be and wait until the moved on when they felt like it.

[Bob Noodat]

The Osprey victim had better get a lot of newspapers before next breeding season!

There is a video of sea lions doing their best to sink a little sailboat. They seem to have a sense of humour.

I found it:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AeWxaXYFn04

20200322_063630.jpg

Poor wee boat! Looks like an early Alacrity 19.

[nebulatech]

Ha!

I saw a clip of that on "boneheaded boaters of the week" on Youtube. I was wondering where it came from.

[DCatSea]

My slip neighbor (in 2019) had a family of ducks on his helm station. Being an avid fisherman, he eventually decided to carefully unslip and went out complete with ducks. Once the ducklings hatched he carried extra towels and the adults were quite happy to fly off and do what ducks do as long as the little'uns were covered. They rejoined as he came back into the creek, and stayed that way until the ducklings could follow mom around in the marina. 2 of 4 survived.

[DesertAlbin736]

Bob,

RE sea lions. Yep, that was about it. Except lots more on larger boats. It's a wonder the boat in the video didn't capsize with all that weight up on the bow. The stink of sea lion excrement is not unlike human feces, enough to gag a maggot.

[Bob Noodat]

Gag a maggot.. nice expression. I shall use it. Years ago in Oregon I heard an elderly lady say that something was "cute as a bug's ear", and it became a favourite of mine.

OK, you put me off sea lions as boat guests.

[Bob Noodat]

Cannot go off-topic with this thread, right?

Woke up this morning to more snow, so took a picture from our living room window. To my surprise and great affright, when I looked at the picture I saw that alien spaceships were hovering over the fields to our south! By the time I got my britches on and rushed outside with the .30-30 they had gone, luckily for them, but I think I may have found what's behind this whole Cocomo virus thing.

20200328_071336.jpg

No, I don't know why the thumbnail is upside down. Aliens again?

[DesertAlbin736]

OK, you put me off sea lions as boat guests.

They're cute & adorable....from a distance & not on someone's boat. Nav buoys yes, boats no.

[DesertAlbin736]

Woke up this morning to more snow, so took a picture from our living room window. To my surprise and great affright, when I looked at the picture I saw that alien spaceships were hovering over the fields to our south!

Interesting optical effect. I guess that's a reflection the light in your living room bouncing off the window, but makes it look like two moons. Or are we on the ice planet Hoth (Star Wars Empire Strikes Back reference)?

Hoth_d074d307.jpeg

Come on down to AZ (but keep your social distance). Gonna be sunny & +/-29* C all this coming week. Won't be long before we look back on 29C as a "cold snap".

https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/u ... KAZPEORI96

[WillieC]

Looks like Nancy has worked her magic once again.
I was kinda enjoying the squaters, wondering when they were going to start flaping!
(Not picking on anybody, I was born with the speling jene. I used to think it meant something, but there are a lot of way smarter people than I who strugle with speling.)

Thank you, Nancy!

[Bob Noodat]

Looks like Nancy has worked her magic once again.
I was kinda enjoying the squaters, wondering when they were going to start flaping!
(Not picking on anybody, I was born with the speling jene. I used to think it meant something, but there are a lot of way smarter people than I who strugle with speling.)

Thank you, Nancy!

Eye ewe's two halve sum pore  blames wit spilling butt thane abort ass pill jigger an May probe lames seized.