Pilot Error

[turpentyine]

Pelicans mistake Arizona asphalt for lakes
Monday, July 12, 2004 Posted: 9:51 AM EDT (1351 GMT)

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- More than 30 endangered brown pelicans have crashed onto sidewalks and roads in Arizona, mistaking the heat-induced shimmer of the paved surface for lakes and creeks.

"They try to land on the water, but it's asphalt and it's 'Bam! That doesn't feel so good,"' said Sandy Cate, director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's wildlife center at Adobe Mountain in north Phoenix.

During the past two weeks, the injured pelicans have been found from Yuma to Phoenix, the department said Thursday.

The pelicans have been treated mostly for dehydration and emaciation.

Wildlife experts believe the endangered birds are experiencing a food shortage along the West Coast and are heading to Arizona to find fish. The sun's reflection, mixed with hot and cool layers of air create mirages, and the birds mistake smooth pavements for water

 

[idleclamp]

LOL!!! I'd almost pay money to see that!

 

[turpentyine]

Me too.

 

[Dustin H]

Pay to watch a bird injure or kill itself?


Dam that's just downright mean.
I'm no tree huger, that's for sure, but Dam

 

[mattpilot]

ah comon ... it would be real funny to watch that.. no ?

Like japanese kamikazi's

 

[idleclamp]

ah comon ... it would be real funny to watch that.. no ?

Like japanese kamikazi's

I agree. It's not like they're endangered or anything. Oh, wait......

Besides, wouldn't it be hilarious to be driving along, or on your rollout and see a bunch of them do a swan dive, er, pelican dive into....asphalt? Come on, that's funny right there!

 

[mudkow60]

That is a sad story... and you folks that would pay to see that? Sick! I hit a bird with the boat-hull part of my helo the other day. I landed and really had no sadistic desire to go out and look at the carnage!

 

[Milkdud99]

I think that anyone who wouldn't die from laughing at the "kamikazi" birds should pull the stick outa there a$$ LOL

 

[Duke Elegant]

Sorry.

I cannot share in your enthusiam to see any creature injure itself , especially since the food shortage is probably caused my man's raping of the planet.
I wish I was there to care for them and help make up for the shortfall in the human race.

However , maybe one day I will be on the sideline to watch you clowns make a mistake..... that would be justice.

 

[DenverDude2002]

Anyone got any video clips of this? someone has to have a videoclip of this somewhere

 

[huncowboy]

Pelicans are among my favorite birds. You cannot not like them. You got to watch them while they are trying to steal bait or fish right off your hook on a peer. Then you got to get them off the hook. I have seen them landing several times and they come in fast and I thought they are only water certified so I am sure they got injured on that landing.



Kind of unrelated but I saw these two ducks a couple of months back. I am talking about those black ducks that do not make any noise. They have red nose and are quite big. You can see a few in every park or green area in S FL. I dunno what is their English name. We call them "dumb ducks" because they don't quack but make this hissing sound.



Anyways I am driving between two lakes and I see two of these guys (in formation) zooooming across the road right in front of my vehicle (like 12 yards), then in-between a few trees at max 3-4' high finally landing on a little lake. Now that was cool. They were fast. My conservative estimate would be anywhere between 40-60 mph. I could not even make out what they were only after the landing. Had those big mofos landed on a road...