canberrabirds

Most famous Canberra bird?Re: [canberrabirds [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

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Subject: Most famous Canberra bird?Re: [canberrabirds [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
From: "Paul Fennell" <>
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 18:09:09 +1000

Well I’m a prize gawper.  Love it, mouth open, the lot.

 

Was gawping some time ago out at the Molonglo Potable Water Plant (early phase) just after sun down trying to spot the comet.

 

A little later on, after dark, with comet not too visible, my gawping was redirected to what was obviously an alien space craft -  a brilliant orange-white light hovering some miles away, very bright, right over Canberra central.

 

Turns out it was an F-111 or near relative showing off its afterburner for some memorial aerial pageant.  (Wish I could remember details better –gives greater reality to the fable).

 

I must have been looking at it from absolutely the aft end, since the phenomenon appeared to be stationary.

 

But there I was, in all innocence, gawping at an F111 fuel dump.

 

So much for astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology.

 

Paul

 


From: Ian Fraser [
Sent: Wednesday, 30 May 2007 4:47 PM
Cc:
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Most famous Canberra bird?Re: [canberrabirds [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

 

Now Geoffrey, you are being unfair. I do NOT believe that the good folk who came to pay respectful homage to the owl equate it in any way with anit-social activities like F111 fuel dumps. While many indeed (myself included) looked 'wonderingly' I didn't notice anyone doing so 'stupidly'. (Well I suppose I might have been doing so, but then of course I wouldn't have recognised it!)

In support of the owl's claim to BFI primacy is the longevity of interest it has aroused; I was walking in the NBG on Sunday (ie well after the peak of interest) and two different strangers, basing the question purely on the fact that I had binoculars, asked "do you know where it is?".

Nice bit of wondering thanks Julian!

cheers all

IF

---
Ian Fraser, 
Environment Tours; Vertego Environmental Wordsmithing
GPO Box 3268, Canberra, ACT 2601
ph: 61 2 6249 1560  fax: 61 2 6247 3227
---

 

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