I have a lovely natural garden which attracts all sorts of "garden" birds.
Blackbirds, Thrushes, Starlings, Crows, Magpies, Wood Pigeons, Pheasants, Sparrows, Wrens, etc, even Gulls!
As I sit at my computer, mind drifting away,  I can see all these birds landing and taking off from the food which I put out for them every day.
...and I think to myself, (obviously, with nothing better to do)...
...Study these birds and notice the design of them, their wings, tails, etc, and compare the flight characteristics of these birds and the aeroplane design characteristics which we fly.
I notice that the Blackbirds, Magpies, Pheasants, Crows, Gulls, etc, with their long tails and large wing area, have a very stable flight in a straight line with little activity, (Schweizer Glider?), but the Starlings, Sparrows, Wrens, etc, etc with their short tails and small wing area are very good at changing direction very quickly, but involve a lot of activity to keep airborne, (Moony Bravo aerobatics?)....!
A very interesting comparison*...!

Cheers...
Paul.
(England).

P.S. ...*or an I wasting my time and should be doing something more useful...?
LOL...LOL...LOL...!

P.P.S. the Pheasant which landed in my garden today, and popped into my "food trap" has now been feathered and placed carefully into my casserole dish for tomorrow dins with loads of  vegetables, spices, etc, ...Yummy**...!
(Sorry Andrew, (Andrew "Nice Pics" Esselbach), our resident Vegetarian)...!
LOL...LOL...LOL...!

..**only jokin'...!

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Hello Paul, I started to read this and was imediatley transferred to my backyard. I have a few birdhouses I have built along with a Koi pond with waterfall, birdbaths and little bird feeders around my yard. I live in a wooded area next to 82 acres of protected woodlands so the birds that visit me are alittle different from yours. Beautiful bold blue Jays (agressive birds), Bright Red cardinals, Doves (many doves always in pairs), many, many woodpeckers that come in all sorts of colors, (always banging on my back garage). There are also these blue, yellow and black small birds that seem to walk up and down the trees.I sit around in my hammock in the summer and watch all these creatures. In the winter, my backyard is filled with colorful birds against the white snow. At dusk I have 4 owls that go from tree to tree. I will shine my flashlite at them and they don't even move., just look at me and HOOT! Also have some small bats at dusk. I will make high pitched noises and they will dive at me. Very erratic fliers.

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Not a waste of time at all my dear freind, ........time well spent!

As for the pheasant....sounds yummy! Would you like me to send you alittle "Fried Bat"!! LOL

Dave 

Here it comes Paul..........and it is one BIG BAT !!!!!!!



LOL

Dave 

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I think this is where the eary pioneers went wrong. Like Fozzer, they naturally studied the birds & tried to emulate them. It was only when they forgot about flapping wings & added some sort of vertical surface that they started having success. This is Sir George Cayley's glider which in 1853 made the first man-carrying glider flight in history.


Note the conventional design including tail fins which would have been a fixed unit. Presumably the whole thing could be moved for pitch & yaw control. Also that he didn't actually fly it himself but ordered his coachman to do it. The flight covered 900 feet & the coachman is usually referred to as being a passenger rather than pilot.
The 10 year old son of one of Cayley's servants was the first actual person to fly the glider during a short hop in 1849. One of the advantages of wealth.

Foz.....you actually have Magpies in your back garden ?....all the way down from NewCastle ?....well, I never ........imagine that !

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Unless he's eating them

Just kidding

Andrew. This is an in-joke. Magpies is the nickname of the Newcastle United football (soccer) team due to their black & white striped strip. http://www.puresportsart.com/warehouse/newcastlecoll.htm

Magpies are one of the few birds I dislike intensely. They don't belong in an urban environment but we are now plagued with them around here along with those pesky urban foxes. The farmers seem to have successfully discouraged them & they find it an easier life due to people like Fozzer feeding them.
I'm not normally a violent person but would happily shoot every one of them. Pass the 12 bore Ozzy. This is the British term for a 12 gauge.

PS. Have you noticed I get more like Fozzer every day? I also agree with much of what he says which I find a tad worrying.   

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I would hae to disagree, I swear those little buggers are perfecting their 'bombing' techniques. I've noticed around our house things that don't happen by chance, like bird crap dead center on a 4-by-4 post, or on the side of a mailbox door!

They're target practicing!

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You might have something there. They use my car for the same purpose. 

This is an also an effective method used for clearing obstacles in emergencies. Same principle as a glider releasing ballast. We can still learn a lot from nature. 

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I think I saw one of these on a square park in St Louis......in fact there was a battery and three others making sure they had all bases covered, for playing in the park.........they had a ball there too .