In 2002 in the West Midlands in dudley in Britain we had an earthquake which was a bit scary for us that felt the tremors. Early this morning at 1 am, I was on the PC in my front bedroom, when it shook for a few seconds. This was because an earthquake hit again but this time in Lincolnshire which is near the east coast. It was 5.1 on the Richter scale.

Yipes! Hope everyone is ok! I've never experienced an earthquake, but it sounds very scary!

Wow... I didn't know they had earthquakes in your part of the world, Met! I hope everything is okay!

Wow, Met, 5.1 is something but I guess you haven't felt it's full magnitude. I also hope every thing there is in one piece!

It is a completely weird sensation, isn't it? One takes it for granted that the ground will stay still, just as the sun rises in the east and water flows downhill. I've felt three mild earthquakes in my life -two in Montreal, Quebec and one near Cleveland, Ohio.

There were no deaths and one only injury fortunately it is mostly property damage.

Originally posted by Firebird There were no deaths and one only injury fortunately it is mostly property damage.

I take it then that everything is okay with you too, FB?

yeah it was felt in London but to be honest I slept through it.

I'm glad that both of you are ok, Met and FB! I've never experienced an earthquake, but I'm sure they can't be fun! Hmmm, earthquake in a part of the world that I didn't even realize got them... Could this be a Galactor plot????

we actually get 200 earthquakes a year but only about 25 are felt. The one today was our second largest. the biggest being 5.4 back in 2006. The last time there was an earthqauke in the market raisen area ewas 1755 .. there ends the trivia

Originally posted by Firebird yeah it was felt in London but to be honest I slept through it.

Quite a lot of people slept right through it. The 2002 was worse and lasted longer than this morning. I told my mum this morning and she didn't really believed me until she saw the news. The only damaged I had was a bit of trim on the inside of my lounge window I think. All I can say is rake, shattle and roll.....not!

It is interesting how many earthquakes we get here in Ontario. Again an area I never thought would get them, I thought I remembered from high school, that it was only on the edge of continental shelves, not in the middle of them. I do not remember what magnitude the earthquakes are we got I think only 3's or 4's. I am not sure I have ever felt a 5. Glad to hear everything is okay with you in the UK.

My house hasn't fallen down around me.....Yet.

I would have to check the Earthquake data base but I think it requires more than a 5 to damage structures. Unless you live in a shack. ***** Oh! I just went and checked here is what the scales says: 2.5 or less Usually not felt, but can be recorded by seismograph. 2.5 to 5.4 Often felt, but only causes minor damage. 5.5 to 6.0 Slight damage to buildings and other structures. 6.1 to 6.9 May cause a lot of damage in very populated areas. 7.0 to 7.9 Major earthquake. Serious damage. 8.0 or greater Great earthquake. Can totally destroy communities near the epicenter. So your 5.1 is close to slight damage to structures.

Originally posted by Metaliant In 2002 in the West Midlands in dudley in Britain we had an earthquake which was a bit scary for us that felt the tremors. Early this morning at 1 am, I was on the PC in my front bedroom, when it shook for a few seconds. This was because an earthquake hit again but this time in Lincolnshire which is near the east coast. It was 5.1 on the Richter scale.

Wow Met it can be scary, I've only ever experienced one and that was the aftershocks when Newcastle was hit by an earthquake many years ago... I hope it didn't do to much damage... The last major earthquake in the Southern hemisphere caused a Tsunami to hit Thailand and further along the coast...

I remember that one vividly Ebony because I was working 12 hour shifts everyday taking calls from people who were concerned loved ones had died.

I'm glad that everyone is OK. I remember 2 here in the Toronto area. The first I remember I was reading in bed. The shaking was just enough that things were rattling,and I couldn't keep the book steady. The second one I was outside and heard this big 'Bang' then shaking and thought that either a truck had crashed into the plant behind us or that a train had derailed into it.

In the 2002 Dudley earthquake, me and most of my neighbours, thought it was probably some one driving trucks in a ram raiding style into our lounges (front rooms). At one point I thought it was a nuke going off somewhere far away. It was a bit scary.

I was more confused than anything....

Originally posted by Firebird I remember that one vividly Ebony because I was working 12 hour shifts everyday taking calls from people who were concerned loved ones had died.

People did die in that one...Newcastle NSW I was talking about just in case...thats right FB you're married to an Aussie.. Did you hear about the one that hit NZ a few months ago, that one did a bit of damage. Is that what happens do you think, one Earthquake set off a chain reaction..

Damn thing woke me and my family up Though technically I was half awake however it certainly shook the house and we are in the Midlands.

Which part of the Midlands you live Cep? In the west and south of the midlands, nobody was bothered by it as they were asleep.

Originally posted by Ebonyswanne People did die in that one...Newcastle NSW I was talking about just in case...thats right FB you're married to an Aussie.. Did you hear about the one that hit NZ a few months ago, that one did a bit of damage. Is that what happens do you think, one Earthquake set off a chain reaction..

I vaguely remember seeing a TV show about the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific...earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis...I believe they said it is possible that large volcanic eruptions & earthquakes can set off a chain reaction. Kind of like the ripple effect with tsunamis, only the energy waves go through the ground. I recall when Mt. St. Helen blew that there was a general increase in volcanic activity all along the western coast. I think the geologists were expecting a major eruption but just not there or the way Mt. St. Helen uncorked herself.

Here's an interesting site....National Earthquake Information Center and one of the links showing the Latest earthquakes in the world

Originally posted by kimiko Here's an interesting site....National Earthquake Information Center and one of the links showing the Latest earthquakes in the world

Yep, that was us. Earthquake

And she's back from a 2 hour Google Tangent.... I get so distracted sometimes...but at least I was getting my "learn-on"... Some neato links... U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Stuff This Dynamic Planet Had fun with this viewer...shows volcanoes, locations of earthquakes, continental plates, meteorite hits etc. Today in Earthquake History Find out what disaster(s) happened on your birthday! Earthquake Facts

Sounds like you had fun doing some learning today Kimi. Are there any interesting facts that stand out that you would care to share?

I am just thankful that no one was killed in it.

From the Earthquake Facts site I mentioned: "Although both are sea waves, a tsunami and a tidal wave are two different unrelated phenomenona. A tidal wave is a shallow water wave caused by the gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. A tsunami is a sea wave caused by an underwater earthquake or landslide (usually triggered by an earthquake) displacing the ocean water."

Either way, I am glad I am living in the Midlands and not at the coast.

Just a blurb I was reading on one of those sites: July 18, 1635 Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England Robert Hooke born. In 1676, the English physicist Robert Hooke published The True Theory of Elasticity or Springiness with the anagram CEIIOSSOTTUU on the title page. The solution to the puzzle is "ut tensio, sic vis" or "as the extension, so is the force." Today we state this as "stress is proportional to strain" and call this Hooke's Law. This is the first fundamental mathematical formulation in modern Seismology. I just thought of you Springie...now is that a mantra or what? WAX ON...WAX OFF BABY!!

Woohoo! I have my own theory! So, there is such a thing as "springiness"? Guess I am on the top end of that scale, huh? Thanks for sharing, baybee...I feel so intelligent now...hmmmm... Dr. Springie, I presume...

August 22, 1949 Queen Charlotte Island 8.1 Canada's largest historic earthquake since 1700. The shaking was so severe on the Queen Charlotte Islands that cows were knocked off their feet , and a geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada working on the north end of Graham Island could not stand up. Chimneys toppled, and an oil tank at Cumshewa Inlet collapsed. In Terrace, on the adjacent mainland, cars were bounced around, and standing on the street was described as "like being on the heaving deck of a ship at sea". In Prince Rupert, windows were shattered and buildings swayed. Canada's largest historic earthquake and the first they mention is cows falling over??? *wondering just how much shaking was needed and how many drunken rednecks would be needed to equal that force?*

Kimi you seem to be particularly interested in this subject. Are you a Science lover or is it more environment based?

I am totally fascinated by natural phenomena as you can tell. I enjoyed science in general in school but I had trouble with the math. My inner Swallow coming out I guess...

Kimi, that sounds so much like me. I love learning and reading about earthquakes, volcanoes, huricanes, tsunami's etc. It fascinates me and I think it would be fun to experience them to a small extent, as long as my life was not put in danger or I could get away when ever I wanted too. *transporter anyone*

Originally posted by clouddancer I love learning and reading about earthquakes, volcanoes, huricanes, tsunami's etc. It fascinates me and I think it would be fun to experience them to a small extent, as long as my life was not put in danger or I could get away when ever I wanted too. *transporter anyone*

The hurricanes are all yours, CD!! I lived through 6 of them (not to mention the countless number of tropical storms) when I lived in Florida, and I am 100% done with it! I seriously could have lived the rest of my life without knowing Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Dennis, Ophelia, or Wilma on a personal basis. My first couple of tropical storms were kinda neat - heck, I'd been through worse Nor'easters than those storms were! But then Charley came and it was a whole different story. Charley was supposed to hit Tampa (west coast of FL, opposite of where I was), but then it curved and hit Punta Gorda, cut across the state, and followed I4 to my area... Luckily I was a little farther north, and Charley lost some of his impact by the time it made it across the state (I think Charey was a Category 1 by the time it made it to our area). But wow the destruction it left in it's path! If you drive I4 from Daytona Beach to Orlando, you'll still see all the trees bent over. That's not they way they grew, that was from Charley... Personally, I lucked out on that storm... I only lost power for 28 hours. But the street behind mine lost power for almost 3 weeks. Frances was a pain in the butt, because it stalled out off the coast of South Florida for 9 hours.... I was home from work (hurricane day - which aren't nearly as fun as snow days!), hunkered down and bored out of my mind before the storm even hit. Then I was stuck inside for another day until the stupid thing cleared.... But minus the howling winds, torrential downpours, threats of tornadoes (which are most likely to occur in the northeastern quadrant of a hurricane, which for almost all them was exactly where I was!), loss of power, the hot and humid conditions, blown off shingles from the roofs, mounds of vegetation debris, and constant worry that those darn pine trees are gonna fall and land on your house, yeah, they're just great... And I haven't even mentioned all the pre-storm prep and post-storm clean-up.... But I did learn alot about them (do's and don'ts) and did develop some nifty tricks for preparing for them! BTW, I find it very interesting that Florida hadn't been hit with so many hurricanes in successive 2 seasons before I moved there, and that they haven't been hit by a single hurricane since I left.... Think someone was trying to tell me something????

Originally posted by kimiko August 22, 1949 Queen Charlotte Island 8.1 Canada's largest historic earthquake since 1700. The shaking was so severe on the Queen Charlotte Islands that cows were knocked off their feet , and a geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada working on the north end of Graham Island could not stand up. Canada's largest historic earthquake and the first they mention is cows falling over??? *wondering just how much shaking was needed and how many drunken rednecks would be needed to equal that force?*

I feel sorry for the cows, probably wondering what was going on. But why just cows, what about the other 4 legged animals?

Originally posted by Hinotori But minus the howling winds, torrential downpours, threats of tornadoes (which are most likely to occur in the northeastern quadrant of a hurricane, which for almost all them was exactly where I was!), loss of power, the hot and humid conditions, blown off shingles from the roofs, mounds of vegetation debris, and constant worry that those darn pine trees are gonna fall and land on your house, yeah, they're just great... And I haven't even mentioned all the pre-storm prep and post-storm clean-up.... But I did learn alot about them (do's and don'ts) and did develop some nifty tricks for preparing for them! BTW, I find it very interesting that Florida hadn't been hit with so many hurricanes in successive 2 seasons before I moved there, and that they haven't been hit by a single hurricane since I left.... Think someone was trying to tell me something????

AWWWWW! Poor Hino. I have heard huricanes can be bad. Why do you think I would like a *transporter?* poof I am there for a few hours get to experience the howling winds and the down pores for a few hours and then *pop out* and not have to worry about property damage or getting bored, or the aftermath of clean up. Same with an erthquake, I would love to "see" the ground as it rolls along and hear the sound it makes but the clean up, heart break of losing my home, injuries etc. I would want to get away from that. Volcanoe, tsunami, tornadoe, same thing if there was anyway I could see it without the personal or human loss I would love to. But I think I am happy to stay right were I am with the few icestorms that come through or the vertical wind shears that blow through the neighbourhood and knock down trees. I am safe and healthy where I am.

Originally posted by Metaliant

Originally posted by kimiko August 22, 1949 Queen Charlotte Island 8.1 Canada's largest historic earthquake since 1700. The shaking was so severe on the Queen Charlotte Islands that cows were knocked off their feet , and a geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada working on the north end of Graham Island could not stand up. Canada's largest historic earthquake and the first they mention is cows falling over??? *wondering just how much shaking was needed and how many drunken rednecks would be needed to equal that force?*

I feel sorry for the cows, probably wondering what was going on. But why just cows, what about the other 4 legged animals?

Cows are top heavy, cats and dogs would know to get low for safety. Horses? Maybe there are no horses on the Queen Charlotte Islands, or were not at the time. As for sheep and pigs, Canada is big on dairy farming not sheep or pigs. Besides which myth is it that says cows can not get up once they are tipped over on their side? (We have stories of drunken high school students going out and tipping over cattle in their fields at night) Horses can get up when they are placed on their sides. Farmers probably did not see the horses that were knocked over they only saw their cattle.

Thanks Cloud, but not another question, what about the 6 and 8 legged kind, eg spiders? Daft question I know, sorry.

Originally posted by clouddancer Kimi, that sounds so much like me. I love learning and reading about earthquakes, volcanoes, huricanes, tsunami's etc. It fascinates me and I think it would be fun to experience them to a small extent, as long as my life was not put in danger or I could get away when ever I wanted too. *transporter anyone*

I agree so much CD...I am totally awestruck by the sheer force of mother nature. I absolutely love watching lightning storms in the summer...that is if I'm not laid out by a migraine..otherwise I am giddy as a schoolgirl. I get so hyper and when the storm's over it's kind of a let down for me! It's like nature's fireworks show!

Originally posted by Hinotori The hurricanes are all yours, CD!! I lived through 6 of them (not to mention the countless number of tropical storms) when I lived in Florida, and I am 100% done with it! I seriously could have lived the rest of my life without knowing Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Dennis, Ophelia, or Wilma on a personal basis. My first couple of tropical storms were kinda neat - heck, I'd been through worse Nor'easters than those storms were! But then Charley came and it was a whole different story. Charley was supposed to hit Tampa (west coast of FL, opposite of where I was), but then it curved and hit Punta Gorda, cut across the state, and followed I4 to my area... Luckily I was a little farther north, and Charley lost some of his impact by the time it made it across the state (I think Charey was a Category 1 by the time it made it to our area). But wow the destruction it left in it's path! If you drive I4 from Daytona Beach to Orlando, you'll still see all the trees bent over. That's not they way they grew, that was from Charley... Personally, I lucked out on that storm... I only lost power for 28 hours. But the street behind mine lost power for almost 3 weeks. Frances was a pain in the butt, because it stalled out off the coast of South Florida for 9 hours.... I was home from work (hurricane day - which aren't nearly as fun as snow days!), hunkered down and bored out of my mind before the storm even hit. Then I was stuck inside for another day until the stupid thing cleared.... But minus the howling winds, torrential downpours, threats of tornadoes (which are most likely to occur in the northeastern quadrant of a hurricane, which for almost all them was exactly where I was!), loss of power, the hot and humid conditions, blown off shingles from the roofs, mounds of vegetation debris, and constant worry that those darn pine trees are gonna fall and land on your house, yeah, they're just great... And I haven't even mentioned all the pre-storm prep and post-storm clean-up.... But I did learn alot about them (do's and don'ts) and did develop some nifty tricks for preparing for them! BTW, I find it very interesting that Florida hadn't been hit with so many hurricanes in successive 2 seasons before I moved there, and that they haven't been hit by a single hurricane since I left.... Think someone was trying to tell me something????

I don't think I would enjoy the hurricanes as much if my property and love ones were in danger....also if I was down there my vacation would be seriously interupted. Power outages, short ones anyway, can be fun. But the blackout in '03 was a pain in the butt because I was living on the 11th floor...no elevator and no running water and sweltering hot...not so fun...

Ohhhh! I love the power of lightning storms. Especially at night, when you can see the lightning flash all around. It amazes me how many children are afraid of lightning. I see a lot of it in school when ever we have a storm. The children are all screaming about the thunder and I am sitting, saying calm down, while I am trying not to bounce off the walls with all the electricity floating around.

Some lightning storms are so beautiful. It always amazes me the power of mother nature.

Originally posted by Metaliant

Originally posted by kimiko August 22, 1949 Queen Charlotte Island 8.1 Canada's largest historic earthquake since 1700. The shaking was so severe on the Queen Charlotte Islands that cows were knocked off their feet , and a geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada working on the north end of Graham Island could not stand up. Canada's largest historic earthquake and the first they mention is cows falling over??? *wondering just how much shaking was needed and how many drunken rednecks would be needed to equal that force?*

I feel sorry for the cows, probably wondering what was going on. But why just cows, what about the other 4 legged animals?

I don't know why they didn't mention any other animals...but here's an interesting blurb that might explain... Animals & Earthquake Prediction The earliest reference we have to unusual animal behavior prior to a significant earthquake is from Greece in 373 BC. Rates, weasels, snakes, and centipedes reportedly left their homes and headed for safety several days befor a destructive earthquake. Anectdotal evidence abounds of animals, fish, birds, reptiles, and insects exhibiting strange behavior anywhere from weeks to seconds before an earthquake. However, consistent and reliable behavior prior to seismic events, and a mechanism explaining how it could work, still eludes us. Most, but not all, scientists pursuing this mystery are in China or Japan. We can easily explain the cause of unusual animal behavior seconds before humans feel an earthquake. Very few humans notice the smaller P wave that travels the fastest from the earthquake source and arrives before the larger S wave. But many animals with more keen senses are able to feel the P wave seconds before the S wave arrives. As for sensing an impending earthquake days or weeks before it occurs, that's a different story. A recent popular theory purports that there is a correlation between Lost Pet ads in the San Jose Mercury News and the dates of earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay area. A thorough statistical analysis of this theory, published in California Geology in 1988, concludes that there is no such correlation, however. The most recent paper published in a scientific journal in the U.S. on this subject by a respected scientist was in 2000, and it is summarized here... The paper poses this question: Is it reasonable for a seismic-escape behavior pattern to evolve, and can such a genetic system be maintained in the face of selection pressures operating on the time scales of damaging seismic events? All animals instinctively respond to escape from predators and to preserve their lives. A wide variety of vertebrates already express early warning behaviors that we understand for other types of events, so its possible that a seismic-escape response could have evolved from this already-existing genetic predisposal. An instinctive response following a P-wave seconds before a larger S wave is not a huge leap, so to speak, but what about other precursors that may occur days or weeks before an earthquake that we dont yet know about? If in fact there are precursors to a significant earthquake that we have yet to learn about (such as ground tilting, groundwater changes, electrical or magnetic field variations), indeed its possible that some animals could sense these signals and connect the perception with an impending earthquake. However, much research still needs to be done on this subject. The author suggests establishing a baseline behavior pattern that can be compared with reactions of various environmental stimuli, and then testing various potential stimuli in the laboratory. Of course, the presence of these stimuli still needs to be researched with regard to precursory phenomena preceding an earthquake, for if these signals aren't present in the environment before an earthquake, a connection is irrelevant.

Here's another reference (kind of amusing at the same time) to animal behaviour before an earthquake: September 29, 1969 South Africa 6.3 This damaging earthquake was centered northeast of Cape Town, South Africa. The shock took 11 lives and left many homes and businesses in ruins. Worst hit by the unexpected event were the towns of Tulbagh, Wolseley, and Ceres, located about 55 miles northeast of Cape Town. Tulbagh was described as a "ghost town," after the shock ravaged 70 percent of its buildings and left most of the population homeless. Pipelines were severed in Ceres, and sixty houses were evacuated due to severe structural damage. Because water pipes had been destroyed, water had to be carted through the streets and distributed to each family for household needs. Damage was less severe in Wolseley, but walls collapsed and some houses were condemned. Several landslides covered the roads in the area, and brushfires were ignited, possibly the result of rock friction caused by the earthquake. Several aftershock occurred through the next few weeks. Buildings weakened by the main earthquake sustained more damage in some towns. An interesting event occurred in the streets of Cape Town on this day, only a few minutes before the earth started shaking. Hundreds of rats suddenly began running through the streets, as if they sensed something unusual was about to happen. One observer said, "Franly, I was more terrified by the rats than by the tremors." The shock caused no damage in Cape Town, and the rats disappeared when the earthquake ceased.

Scratches head. "The mind is boggling away now"

Originally posted by Firebird Some lightning storms are so beautiful. It always amazes me the power of mother nature.

I love watching a lightning storm, along with the wind and the strong smell rain as it pours down from the darkened sky.The cool feel refreshing feeling that slight spray of mist from the rain as you stand on the verandah watching the show is all part of it. Trees being stuck by lightning can be spectacular, and then you cringe when it hits a power pole and you know you won't get power back until the morning...

I typed in Ring of fire into Wikipedia and found a page of the underwater volcano ring in the Pacific. Here's the page .

I was woken up at 5.40 AM this morning, in Indianapolis, Indiana, by an earthquake! The room shook slightly for about 20 seconds or so, and that was it. I heard on the news that it was 5.2 on the Richter scale, and centered somewhere in Illinois. So, that makes three earthquakes so far that I've ever felt -all mild ones, thankfully.

What a way to wake up! I'm glad everything's ok.

Wow, how exciting! I'm glad it wasn't severe.

Oh, it was exciting . It woke my boyfriend up too.

LOL... when I was in undergrad I lived at an all-girls dorm for 2 years. In second year one morning a fire alarm went off at 5:30 am... some kind of electrical short in an ancient building. So all of the girls filed out onto the lawn... not to mention a few sheepish guys in frilly bathrobes!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun LOL... when I was in undergrad I lived at an all-girls dorm for 2 years. In second year one morning a fire alarm went off at 5:30 am... some kind of electrical short in an ancient building. So all of the girls filed out onto the lawn... not to mention a few sheepish guys in frilly bathrobes!

Oh, that is too funny! Let's see, if Ken and Joe ended up in this situation, I could definitely see Ken being "sheepish" but I bet Joe would be smirking.

Originally posted by lborgia88 Oh, that is too funny! Let's see, if Ken and Joe ended up in this situation, I could definitely see Ken being "sheepish" but I bet Joe would be smirking.

Except, both of them probably would have exited the building in a non-conventional manner.

That is true. Dorm life has changed over the decades! My mother lived in a dorm at the University of Connecticut in the early 1960s, and she told me that they had strict curfews, and that there were no men, ever, in any part of a women's dorm except the lobby.

The earthquake was felt here in Owensboro KY too. Thats where I live.

Originally posted by lborgia88

Originally posted by Transmute Jun LOL... when I was in undergrad I lived at an all-girls dorm for 2 years. In second year one morning a fire alarm went off at 5:30 am... some kind of electrical short in an ancient building. So all of the girls filed out onto the lawn... not to mention a few sheepish guys in frilly bathrobes!

Oh, that is too funny! Let's see, if Ken and Joe ended up in this situation, I could definitely see Ken being "sheepish" but I bet Joe would be smirking.

Sorry I think I read that wrong. Joe would be smirking because he would be wearing a frilly bathrobe?

Originally posted by lborgia88 That is true. Dorm life has changed over the decades! My mother lived in a dorm at the University of Connecticut in the early 1960s, and she told me that they had strict curfews, and that there were no men, ever, in any part of a women's dorm except the lobby.

That was SUPPOSED to be the rule at our dorm.... It was built in the 50s so there were lots of lounge rooms on the bottom floor for SUPERVISED social entertaining of young men.

I gather some people here in TO felt it as well. I felt nothing. Although I was sitting outside listening to the morning chorus of bird song about that time and wondered why everything suddenly went quiet. When I think back on it I wonder if this is why it went silent and not that a bird of prey was flying over, or something similar. I have heard it said that animals seem to know when natural events like this are going to happen.

Originally posted by Metaliant Sorry I think I read that wrong. Joe would be smirking because he would be wearing a frilly bathrobe?

I was thinking he'd be smirking because of why he'd been in a girl's dorm in the middle of the night.

Originally posted by clouddancer I gather some people here in TO felt it as well. I felt nothing. Although I was sitting outside listening to the morning chorus of bird song about that time and wondered why everything suddenly went quiet. When I think back on it I wonder if this is why it went silent and not that a bird of prey was flying over, or something similar. I have heard it said that animals seem to know when natural events like this are going to happen.

I have heard that too, about animals. I'm impressed that you were up and outside your house listening to the birds -I have never been good at mornings, and if I have to be somewhere early I will give myself barely enough time to shower, dress and dash out of the house with coffee cup in hand.

I'm an early bird myself! (Hey Thunderbird, what does an 'early bird' birdstyle look like?) Of course, compared to all of you East Coasters, I look like I'm always up late...

Originally posted by lborgia88

Originally posted by Metaliant Sorry I think I read that wrong. Joe would be smirking because he would be wearing a frilly bathrobe?

I was thinking he'd be smirking because of why he'd been in a girl's dorm in the middle of the night.

"Pressing their big shiny red buttons by any chance? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more, say no more." He says in his best Monty Python voice.

Originally posted by clouddancer Although I was sitting outside listening to the morning chorus of bird song about that time and wondered why everything suddenly went quiet. When I think back on it I wonder if this is why it went silent and not that a bird of prey was flying over, or something similar.

I can sometimes hear birds coming from my electric fire and sometimes in the very early hours of about 3 or 4 am in the summer, I can hear the birds singing. Did you know that when there's an eclipse, bireds think it night time and go quiet.

Birds are supposed to be quiet at night??? Would someone please tell this to the Canadian goose who lives outside my window!! This fellow (and his buddies) leave the pond during the day, but always return at night. They must have some exciting adventures during the day, because the one goose doesn't shut-up all night long!!! Hmmm, maybe it's a good thing I'm an Eagle and not a Condor... Otherwise I might take target practice on them with the shiny red button!

Let those feather shuriken fly!

Geese are better guarding your property than dogs, as they are loud at night as Hino says and they are very vicious when attacking you, as I can remember from my encounter of couple at my Uncle's house when I was little in Nottingham in the 70s.

Originally posted by Hinotori Birds are supposed to be quiet at night??? Would someone please tell this to the Canadian goose who lives outside my window!! This fellow (and his buddies) leave the pond during the day, but always return at night. They must have some exciting adventures during the day, because the one goose doesn't shut-up all night long!!! Hmmm, maybe it's a good thing I'm an Eagle and not a Condor... Otherwise I might take target practice on them with the shiny red button!

song birds are quiet at night... Geese??? I would hve thought so as well... I wonder if this guy/gal swims all night serenading the geese and trying to find a mate ... .

I work nightshift and all sorts of wildlife comes out...some within 10 feet of me, like the curious little bunny the other night. There have been deer, foxes, skunk, bats and a very dramatic demonstration of a barn owl's hunting prowess in the middle of our empty parking lot! And then there were the pair of turkey vultures perched on top of McDonald's "golden arches" which I found grimly amusing! Those are quiet ones. The waterfowl seem to always be active...geese, ducks, sandpipers, kildeers, blue herons, gannets, gulls of all kinds and after visiting some sites...Bird Links to the World and North American Bird Sounds apparently what I though were mourning doves are actually Great Horned Owls...What a lousy birder I'd make! But they do sound somewhat similar!

I was surfing and found these pics of the Chaiten Volcano in Chile that recently blew it's lid.