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Messing with Mother Nature Pics


Jimmypooh

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Why is it that whenever we get the chance, we like to mess with mother nature?

JimmyandtheSwan.jpg

Well this example is because I was chased twice by a swan as a young kid. There's nothing like getting even. Although when I thought I was going to hit it, I let go of the rope and it started swimming my way. Luckily it saw my ski and thought better of the situation.

I thought people might have some other fun pictures to share where they messed with things they shouldn't. My favorites are the surfers on waves that could swallow sky scrapers. That's guts!

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That's funny as long as nobody or animal was hurt, I was chased by a couple of huge birds at our neighborhood park not to long ago. But I've never done that before, afraid I could actually hit it :)

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That's funny as long as nobody or animal was hurt

Funny ?

So it's ok for someone to scare the heck out of another person, or animal so long as the victim isn't physically hurt ?

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That is actually very funny Biggrin.gif

Ive sprayed a few ducks myself,no camera though,maybe next time.

This reminds me of almost hitting a seagull a few weekends back. The stupid thing flew directly in front of us,scary part is i had 3 people in the bow Shocking.gif

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Well,

Yesterday I physically destroyed and therefor removed a squirrel nest in a tree about 15' above my deck.

I didn't hurt anything (although, I had the pellet gun ready) I just wanted the squirrels to stop pooping on my nice new deck.

Oops, edit, I didn't take any pics. but, when I got home tonight, I took a look at the tree to see if there was any squirrel "action"

Edited by Pistol Pete
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As agressive as swans are you better not fall and hope the boat can get back to you in a hurry.

If you were in Michigan and someone sent that pic to the Michigan DNR you would be in deep doo doo.

Edited by MalibuNation
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I learned first hand that is something that is not a good idea. When I was 19 I was cruising around on my uncles jet-ski on Labor Day. There was a lot of boat traffic, with about 1'-1.5' chop. I came around a bend and over some waves to find I was heading right for a flock of ducks just sitting in the middle of the boat lane. Being new to a jet ski I did what seemed natural, turn the handle bars and released the throttle. All this did was bring me closer to them, and when I realized I needed gas to turn, I floored it, spinning right before them and spraying all of them. Worried that I hit one, I circled back around at an idle to check it out. That gave time for the people on shore get my number and call me into the DNR. The next day the DNR showed up at my college, pulled me out of class and arrested me on the spot for harassing wildlife. I was lucky however. the charges were eventually dropped, the states attorney thought the case was ridiculous. I still learned my lesson though, I stay away from the animals I encounter - you never know who maybe watching and what it might look like from their perspective.

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As agressive as swans are you better not fall and hope the boat can get back to you in a hurry.

If you were in Michigan and someone sent that pic to the Michigan DNR you would be in deep doo doo.

Plus1.gif and Plus1.gif

Swans can be aggressive no doubt, but generally speaking, it is only in response to what they interpret as a threat to their territory. You leave them alone, they leave you alone. A few years back there were a couple swans that were nesting in an area of our lake not too far from where we would typically start/end our free ski runs. It is quite an intimidating feeling to drop in the water and be waiting for the boat to take up 60 feet of slack in the rope, then realize a swan is maybe 30 yards away and closing in on you. Shocking.gif They don't look like it, but man they can move fast! And those things are not small birds either - especially when your eyes are at water level looking over at them. Help.gif Needless to say, I hollared to my driver to get moving and get me the heck out of there. :) We found a different place to launch/drop that season.

As for your pic, I'm not a big fan of the action. I don't consider myself a tree hugger or an environmentalist of any sort, but I do think we have a responsibility to respect nature. I have no problem with taking out a squirrel nest to keep it from crapping on my deck. I will do the same thing with a bird nest over our deck - unless there are eggs already laid in it. But a swan on a lake? I just think there are too many alternatives available to avoid disturbing it without affecting my fun. And I'll add that aside from the legal and moral implications, our neighbors already have enough reasons not to like skiers, wakeboarders, and surfers. We don't need to give them another. JMHO.

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Actually, Swans are not on the list in Michigan, they are considered Invasive species, and you can do what you want to them, short of touching. These swans eat, digest, and expel 7-8lbs. of food a day. Multiply that by 10 birds, and you have a pretty good recipe unhealty water. My lake assn. actually pays to have the swans and geese round up and relocated. We used to have a problem. Not anymore!

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Touchy subject. Point taken.

We also have a major problem with large birds.

Actually, Swans are not on the list in Michigan, they are considered Invasive species, and you can do what you want to them, short of touching. These swans eat, digest, and expel 7-8lbs. of food a day. Multiply that by 10 birds, and you have a pretty good recipe unhealty water. My lake assn. actually pays to have the swans and geese round up and relocated. We used to have a problem. Not anymore!
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Actually, Swans are not on the list in Michigan, they are considered Invasive species, and you can do what you want to them, short of touching. These swans eat, digest, and expel 7-8lbs. of food a day. Multiply that by 10 birds, and you have a pretty good recipe unhealty water. My lake assn. actually pays to have the swans and geese round up and relocated. We used to have a problem. Not anymore!

ZT, I disagree with you on the law ... agree with you on them being a pain.

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Actually, Swans are not on the list in Michigan, they are considered Invasive species, and you can do what you want to them, short of touching. These swans eat, digest, and expel 7-8lbs. of food a day. Multiply that by 10 birds, and you have a pretty good recipe unhealty water. My lake assn. actually pays to have the swans and geese round up and relocated. We used to have a problem. Not anymore!

Wanna bet?

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-1...31228--,00.html

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My favorites are the surfers on waves that could swallow sky scrapers. That's guts!

I don't have pics of it, but I've gotten on some 15' waves (which is a joke compared to the 30'-50' monsters at Maverics, GhostTrees, Jaws, etc). The ride is unreal (esp when you get tubed), but when you get caught inside and you take the pounding of those big faces, you realize just powerful mother nature is (as you tumble through the wash). I've seen boards get snapped in half from getting pounded by the wave.

A funny side note: sometimes the seagulls dive at us while we are sitting on our boards out in the line-up. It's both funny, yet intimidating (unlike when you see a dorsal fin surface 15 yards away)

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I don't do it with the boat, but I like to put on the snorkel and fins and dive under a flock of ducks and pop up in the middle of them. I can usually drive a few the way of the dog who likes playing with them.

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Huh, that's funny. I stand corrected. My lake assn. had a meeting, and the DNR officer is the one who told us this. He was obviously mis-informed!

He told us to stay away from geese, but swans were fair game.

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I did a bit more reading on the DNR site. It states that MUTE swans (like the one pictured) are not native. The Trumpet Swans are, however native, and protected.

It says that Mute swans (Orange bill) are generally the ill tempered ones and to stay the hell away from them. The Trumpet swans on the other hand are a bit more docile

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I did a bit more reading on the DNR site. It states that MUTE swans (like the one pictured) are not native. The Trumpet Swans are, however native, and protected.

It says that Mute swans (Orange bill) are generally the ill tempered ones and to stay the hell away from them. The Trumpet swans on the other hand are a bit more docile

That's good info to have. I didn't know about the Mute Swan myself. All I ever knew was that it was illegal to kill/harm a SWAN in MI. I remember a few years back a swan was killed on Clark Lake (I think it was Clark Lake) out East. There were signs all over the lake, $1,000 reward for the information leading to arrest....

J

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