Going to need a good lawyer

[Big RR]

Maybe those are the slower Eastern (East?) Peregrine Falcons?

[Joe Guy]

From the Cornell link, under "Behavior" - "When stooping, or dropping on prey with their wings closed, it's been calculated that Peregrine Falcons can achieve speeds of 238 mph."

Give or take a couple of mph...

[Guinevere]

Fair enough, I didn't see that. Wonder why its not in the summary.


Here's the link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pere ... t_behavior

Peregrine Falcons are very strong fliers and often reported to be the fastest bird in the world. Their average cruising flight speed is 24 to 33 mph, increasing to 67 mph when in pursuit of prey. When stooping, or dropping on prey with their wings closed, it's been calculated that Peregrine Falcons can achieve speeds of 238 mph. One researcher studied trained Peregrine Falcons while skydiving and described their body position while diving at 150 mph and 200 mph. When hunting, Peregrines start by watching from a high perch or by flapping slowly or soaring at great height. Stoops begin 300–3,000 feet above their prey and end either by grabbing the prey or by striking it with the feet hard enough to stun or kill it. They then catch the bird and bite through the neck to kill it. Peregrine Falcons do have other hunting methods, including level pursuit, picking birds out of large flocks, and occasionally even hunting on the ground. Though the Peregrine Falcon is an elite predator, it does have its own predators, including Gyrfalcons, eagles, Great Horned owls, and other Peregrines.

[rubato]

The good folks at the world's leading ornithology lab (Cornell, my alma mater) beg to disagree:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pere ... ifehistory

•The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 112 km/h (69 mph) in direct pursuit of prey. During its spectacular hunting stoop from heights of over 1 km (0.62 mi), the peregrine may reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) as it drops toward its prey

.

It is inherently difficult to measure and the literature has numbers which disagree but one bird was measured at 242 in a direct test.

http://kottke.org/13/05/peregrine-falco ... in-mid-air


I don't see a point in cavilling over such trivia. Perhaps if you were able to calculate the theoretical terminal velocity of a peregrine based on its body weight, aerodynamic cross-section, and Cd and show that it is significantly below 240mph you might have had a scientific point worth making.


For my part, I am content to accept that their measurement is a reasonable estimate of velocity.

yrs,
rubato



For a human body falling as slowly as possible, spread eagle position, it is 120mph, in a pike position it is 300mph.

Speed skydiving
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010)

Speed Skydiving is a type of skydiving in which the goal is to achieve and maintain the highest possible terminal velocity. It was developed in the mid 2000s and is the fastest non-motorized sport on Earth. The speed achieved by the human body in free fall is a function of several factors, including the body's mass, orientation, and skin area and texture.[1] In stable, belly-to-earth position, terminal velocity is about 200 km/h (120 mph). Stable freefall head down position has a terminal speed of 240–290 km/h (around 150–180 mph). Further minimization of drag by streamlining the body allows for speeds in the vicinity of 480 km/h (300 mph).

[TPFKA@W]

I held up a picture of a Branta Canadensis to 25 random coworkers and asked, "What do you call this?" 100% replied, "Canadian goose". Admittedly a few knuckleheads said "a goose", initially but when prompted added canadian. Only one then said, "But that's not right it's really a Canada goose." Turns out she has an ornithologist in the family.

The song of my people may be off tune but we sing it together.

[Guinevere]

I am snorting water, thinking of @Nurse asking her co-workers to "name that Goose."

Didya ask the patients lying in bed, too?

[Scooter]

And did she goose them when she ask (to give them a hint, maybe)?

[Joe Guy]

I think that Meade has caused @W to have brain damage.

It's not healthy for a nurse to run around a hospital playing name that goose.

[TPFKA@W]

Didya ask the patients lying in bed, too?

Well given that the patients have significant cognitive changes it's probably best not to include them in the survey. It leads to having family members saying, "Mom said that there was a goose in her room do you need to call the doctor?"

So, yeah, no.

[MajGenl.Meade]

I held up a picture of a Branta Canadensis to 25 random coworkers and asked, "What do you call this?" 100% replied, "Canadian goose". Admittedly a few knuckleheads said "a goose", initially but when prompted added canadian. Only one then said, "But that's not right it's really a Canada goose." Turns out she has an ornithologist in the family.

The song of my people may be off tune but we sing it together.

Pity they are all (except one) singing the wrong tune, let alone "off"

It's not at all under dispute that people get it wrong.

[TPFKA@W]

Language evolves , sometimes in pockets. A biscuit here is a cookie there and so forth.
It drives humor-challenged hyper anal types crazy and forces the stick deeper into that sort's anal sphincter.

Brilliant!

[MajGenl.Meade]

Birds may evolve but bird names do not. They are sometimes changed by scientific ornithonagamatical personages.

But there you go. The man or woman on the street doesn't get to call a Flamingo a 'Flondingo" (weird animal that would be). And it's only ignorance that says "Canadian" goose - because they don't know any better - which is what ignorance is... not knowing.

Drives them crazy to have it pointed out to them - they wished they'd never axed.

[TPFKA@W]

Birds may evolve but bird names do not. They are sometimes changed by scientific ornithonagamatical personages.

But there you go. The man or woman on the street doesn't get to call a Flamingo a 'Flondingo" (weird animal that would be). And it's only ignorance that says "Canadian" goose - because they don't know any better - which is what ignorance is... not knowing.

Drives them crazy to have it pointed out to them - they wished they'd never axed.

Meade you truly are one of the most contemptible humans I have ever encountered. I thought I didn't like you before and now it is assured.

[Big RR]

Meade--Those distinctions may matter to ornithologists (although they are more likely to use the latin taxonomic names so that even ornithologists who do not speak English could understand what is meant), or perhaps bird watchers (but then, you'd have to ask them), but not to the general public who just wants to communicate. If most people call what you maintain should be called a Canada Goose a Canadian Goose, and nearly everyone can understand what is meant by the latter, then language has served its purpose despite your insistence that only the former is correct.

When I was a kid, we called taxis "cabs"; now they are called "taxis" by most people. Should I insist on using the former name because some authority has not pronounced it replaced by the latter?

[RayThom]

A snake in the weeds
Is an asp in the grass
But a GOOSE
Is a grasp in the ass.

Whether it's Canadian or not. I have spoken.


Next thread please.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Oh good heavens.... why on earth do you take this so seriously? I'm pulling your legs for all I'm worth and y'all get so uptight.

For some reason people seem to think I'm the one that's upset and anal and humor challenged???? Good grief.

Still, it's true that ignorant people don't know any better....

[Big RR]

Well, isn't that what ignorant means?

[TPFKA@W]

Kindly fuck off to another thread Meade.

[MajGenl.Meade]

No

[Joe Guy]

Too bad, Meade. The great sense of humor @W once had has somehow been plucked from her life.

As far as she is concerned, your Canada Goose is cooked...