Carl
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Don't stand under a flock of Barnacle geese when they take off
It was a grey, unispiring day today, or at least it was by the time I managed to get out and onto the bike. A big flock af Barnacle geese were on a field high above a rough bank near Lyrabus Croft, and this meant that I could get up quite close, creeping up the bank before they saw me. Its best not to be directly under a flock of geese when they take off though - the wee black sausages flying through the air in the photos are goose droppings - released to lighten their take-off weight. It can be quite a shower...
Carl
Carl
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Hmm, "released to lighten their take-off weight"? I don't really think so. Average weight of Barnacle Goose 1.4 to 2.4 Kg. Weight of dropping (and they can only release one prior to take off because the next one is too far back up the gut) 4 to 5 g (0.0035% of body weight). I think it is purely involuntary - the dropping was just about to be released before they took off. For the cognoscenti, Barnacle Geese produce about one dropping every 2.5 to 3.5 minutes! Now there's an (interesting) fact you really didn't think you would ever need to know and probably would rather I hadn't told you.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm