Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:18 pm
beachgirl wrote:Do they bother the cats?
Nah, the owls don't seem to like fatty foods.
Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:49 pm
We had a very large owl that was hanging out in our hanger at NAS Fallon for a bit. I wish my scanner worked so I could post a picture of it. Not that it can come close to Garys shots, those are pretty cool.
We also had the pleasure of finding Rattle Snakes in the hangers and flight line from time to time. That was pretty cool, not big ones but babies about 18" long or so. Never did get pictures of any of the snakes.
Tim
We also had the pleasure of finding Rattle Snakes in the hangers and flight line from time to time. That was pretty cool, not big ones but babies about 18" long or so. Never did get pictures of any of the snakes.
Tim
Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:51 pm
Thanks for sharing the pics Gary and for being kind enough to care about their well being. Most people would've ignored them or tossed the entire nest outside without a second thought. Are those Barn Owls?
John
John
Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:53 pm
retroaviation wrote:We have a couple of full grown owls that still call this place home. But to be perfectly honest, the novelty has worn off and I'm ready for them to leave. You wouldn't believe the size and quantity of owl poop.
Do you also have a problem with the "owl pellets"...those regurgitated balls of hair and bones from digested mice and rats?
John
Fri Jan 19, 2007 2:00 pm
Oh, so you want airport snake pictures now, huh? Well, we came across these nice little fellas when we were moving one of the Mauler fuselages off of the dirt and onto the ramp. It was a nice, cool morning, so they were rather lathargic and weren't aggressive at all (thank goodness).........
Gary
Gary
Fri Jan 19, 2007 2:05 pm
retroaviation wrote:beachgirl wrote:Do they bother the cats?
Nah, the owls don't seem to like fatty foods.
Fri Jan 19, 2007 2:15 pm
retroaviation wrote:Oh, so you want airport snake pictures now, huh? Well, we came across these nice little fellas when we were moving one of the Mauler fuselages off of the dirt and onto the ramp. It was a nice, cool morning, so they were rather lathargic and weren't aggressive at all (thank goodness).........
Gary
Breakfast?
Fri Jan 19, 2007 2:26 pm
Gary, what the world you doing playing with snakes? You ain't right boy! 
When I worked on fling wings down in the oil patch, we used to have to be carefull when the weather started getting cooler them Copperheadedrattlemoccasins would like to crawl up on the warm concrete helipads right after dark & lay up against the skids of the helicopters. I never stepped on one, but I sure pissed off a couple when I accidently ran a two step stand up against them. They always said being around helicopters was dangerous! 
Robbie
When I worked on fling wings down in the oil patch, we used to have to be carefull when the weather started getting cooler them Copperheadedrattlemoccasins would like to crawl up on the warm concrete helipads right after dark & lay up against the skids of the helicopters. I never stepped on one, but I sure pissed off a couple when I accidently ran a two step stand up against them. They always said being around helicopters was dangerous!
Robbie
Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:36 pm
A certain un-named Houston Airport had a deerstrike last year.
The airplane wasn't hurt too bad.
PS... Be sure and ask the linemen about their Special on venison sausage!!!
Sorry, no pictures!
All in all, one of the better off topic threads!
The airplane wasn't hurt too bad.
PS... Be sure and ask the linemen about their Special on venison sausage!!!
Sorry, no pictures!
All in all, one of the better off topic threads!
Airport Critters
Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:51 pm
When I worked for Express Airways in Sanford,Florida,I lived in a room in the very large WWII issues ex-Navy hangar known as Hangar 4.At one time we had an owl living in the rafters there.The owl would fire off an occasional very high volume echoing HOOT! late at night that sounded like a tug boat was coming through the hangar.The owl did help to keep the rodents under control,but the trade-off,as mentioned elsewhere,was that it was very messy.
Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:16 am
Not that this thread that I started has any relevance to Warbirds whatsoever, but I just wanted to add another post regarding some of our airport critters that I've previously mentioned....Mosquito the hangar cat and a rattlesnake that was just passing through. This event happened when I was on the road, working on the Liberator.
The following letter was authored by Mosquito. Since he has no opposable thumbs to type with, he asked me to do the typing. This letter was written to the folks at CAF HQ months ago when this incident took place, to help with funding of the vet bills.........
Hello,
This weekend, while protecting you humans and your aircraft hangar from predators ranging from scorpions, to ground squirrels, and from beetle bugs to birds, I took one for the team. I managed to save the lives of countless CAF workers and Museum guests as I "neutralized" a terrorist rattlesnake that was bent on sneaking past the FSA (Feline Security Administration) and killing any human that he got in contact with.
Lately, my assistant, FSA Agent Shadow, and I have noticed an influx of terrorist rattlesnakes (known as "ratticles".......get it? Ratticles?) trying to infiltrate the CAF property. Although they try to slither through our security checkpoints, we manage to stop them repeatedly. This weekend, however, we found one that went one step further.
While walking my perimeter, I spotted a young rattlesnake acting suspiciously. When I started to inquire about what he was doing here, he started some ritual dance and coiled up in a circle, started shaking a rattle, and making hissing sounds. Well, your trusty Agent Mosquito wouldn't have any part of that. But as I started to subdue this troublemaker, he revealed that he had managed to sneak two, poison filled syringes past security, inside his mouth.
He lunged at me, engaging these two syringes into my nose. After jumping two feet into the air, I used my altitude to gain airspeed and pounced upon this worthy foe with an unrelenting force, then ran......translation: I was scared, my nose hurt, and the fat guy that gives me rides on the golf cart wasn't here, so I had Agent Shadow take care of it. Of course, none of this would have happened if the guy that feeds me would have told me to, "be careful when playing with the tail, because the head is at the other end." Geez!
It was just after this that I noticed a change in my physiology. My skull started to feel as if it were growing outwards. When the fat guy that gives me golf cart rides and his skinny sidekick FINALLY showed up the next day, I wasn't feeling so hot. My head was the size, shape, and weight of what you humans call a softball, and I was in no mood to play. These two human idiots called the guy that got me this job in the first place so that he could take me to the place where they have cold, stainless steel tables and who violate you when they take your temperature. I think it's the same place they took me as a kitten to get tutored...you know, that procedure that gets rid of my manlyhood?
Anyway, the doctor there took good care of me and gave me some shots to reduce the size of my head. The only problem is that I overheard the humans talking to each other and saying how my budget for the year has been exceeded for doctor's bills. This is where you come in.
If you wish to retain my services of me protecting human life by sacrificing my own body, please donate a few bucks to those guys in the hangar that take care of me. If you don't really believe any of this message, I am forcing the fat guy to enclose a couple of pictures of me that he took when he finally showed up (which you'll notice the poison filled syringe marks on my nose).
Thank you for your time (silly humans). Now I'm going to take a nap.
Agent Mosquito
Notice the fang marks on his nose.......
And just as a note, the cat is doing fine and the vet said that since he's been bitten a couple of times now, his tolerance to rattlesnakes is quite high.
Gary
The following letter was authored by Mosquito. Since he has no opposable thumbs to type with, he asked me to do the typing. This letter was written to the folks at CAF HQ months ago when this incident took place, to help with funding of the vet bills.........
Hello,
This weekend, while protecting you humans and your aircraft hangar from predators ranging from scorpions, to ground squirrels, and from beetle bugs to birds, I took one for the team. I managed to save the lives of countless CAF workers and Museum guests as I "neutralized" a terrorist rattlesnake that was bent on sneaking past the FSA (Feline Security Administration) and killing any human that he got in contact with.
Lately, my assistant, FSA Agent Shadow, and I have noticed an influx of terrorist rattlesnakes (known as "ratticles".......get it? Ratticles?) trying to infiltrate the CAF property. Although they try to slither through our security checkpoints, we manage to stop them repeatedly. This weekend, however, we found one that went one step further.
While walking my perimeter, I spotted a young rattlesnake acting suspiciously. When I started to inquire about what he was doing here, he started some ritual dance and coiled up in a circle, started shaking a rattle, and making hissing sounds. Well, your trusty Agent Mosquito wouldn't have any part of that. But as I started to subdue this troublemaker, he revealed that he had managed to sneak two, poison filled syringes past security, inside his mouth.
He lunged at me, engaging these two syringes into my nose. After jumping two feet into the air, I used my altitude to gain airspeed and pounced upon this worthy foe with an unrelenting force, then ran......translation: I was scared, my nose hurt, and the fat guy that gives me rides on the golf cart wasn't here, so I had Agent Shadow take care of it. Of course, none of this would have happened if the guy that feeds me would have told me to, "be careful when playing with the tail, because the head is at the other end." Geez!
It was just after this that I noticed a change in my physiology. My skull started to feel as if it were growing outwards. When the fat guy that gives me golf cart rides and his skinny sidekick FINALLY showed up the next day, I wasn't feeling so hot. My head was the size, shape, and weight of what you humans call a softball, and I was in no mood to play. These two human idiots called the guy that got me this job in the first place so that he could take me to the place where they have cold, stainless steel tables and who violate you when they take your temperature. I think it's the same place they took me as a kitten to get tutored...you know, that procedure that gets rid of my manlyhood?
Anyway, the doctor there took good care of me and gave me some shots to reduce the size of my head. The only problem is that I overheard the humans talking to each other and saying how my budget for the year has been exceeded for doctor's bills. This is where you come in.
If you wish to retain my services of me protecting human life by sacrificing my own body, please donate a few bucks to those guys in the hangar that take care of me. If you don't really believe any of this message, I am forcing the fat guy to enclose a couple of pictures of me that he took when he finally showed up (which you'll notice the poison filled syringe marks on my nose).
Thank you for your time (silly humans). Now I'm going to take a nap.
Agent Mosquito
Notice the fang marks on his nose.......
And just as a note, the cat is doing fine and the vet said that since he's been bitten a couple of times now, his tolerance to rattlesnakes is quite high.
Gary
Mon Feb 12, 2007 11:20 am
Gary,
I'm typing this with a big ol smile on my face after reading "Mosquito's" misadventure with a rattlesnake. The write-up was hilarious but you do have to feel sorry for the little fur-ball. It looks like the rattler had good aim cause he nailed him square on the nose.
Since I'm a cat lover (I have 5! ) and know how much vet bills run, I'd be happy to send a $50 check to help cover some of the kitty vet bills. Just send me your mailing address again and I'll have the check in the mail today. Be sure to give those two cuties a big hug and a nice long rub down for me! 
John
I'm typing this with a big ol smile on my face after reading "Mosquito's" misadventure with a rattlesnake.
The write-up was hilarious but you do have to feel sorry for the little fur-ball. It looks like the rattler had good aim cause he nailed him square on the nose.
Since I'm a cat lover (I have 5!
) and know how much vet bills run, I'd be happy to send a $50 check to help cover some of the kitty vet bills. Just send me your mailing address again and I'll have the check in the mail today. Be sure to give those two cuties a big hug and a nice long rub down for me!
John
Mon Feb 12, 2007 11:43 am
Thanks John, but he's all better and recovered now. I told Mosquito about your kind offer, and he said that even though he appreciates the kind thought, he'd rather see the money go toward the B-24. We make waaaaay too much noise for him and he'd like to see it finished so that he can get some better quality sleep.
Gary
Gary
???
Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:40 pm
Snakes, why does it always have to be snakes. 
I feel his pain has they also bite stupid kids who try and
kick them out of the yard
Jack who has a personal issues with Water Moccasins
I feel his pain has they also bite stupid kids who try and
kick them out of the yard
Jack who has a personal issues with Water Moccasins
Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:49 pm
No problem Gary...I'll agree to send out another donation for Lil just so long as you take care of your little furry body guards when the next "ratticle" attacks them. I'm getting a pretty hefty tax return this year so I don't mind contrubuting a liitle something extra to help get Lil finished. Otherwise I'll just piss it away on ball turret parts or some other goofy project I have going on. Send me a PM with your mailing address so I can send it out.
John
I'm getting a pretty hefty tax return this year so I don't mind contrubuting a liitle something extra to help get Lil finished. Otherwise I'll just piss it away on ball turret parts or some other goofy project I have going on. Send me a PM with your mailing address so I can send it out.
John