I do a lot of community outreach soundscape programs in K-12 and
universities throughout the country.
At one elementary school with 4th & 5th graders, I got to the end of
the presentation and asked for questions.
One young fellow trying to hide at the back of the class, raised his
hand. When called upon, he blurted out in a challenging tone,
"And what was the most dangerous animal you ever recorded?"
"Humans," I said without hesitation.
"What do you mean?" he persisted, glaring in my direction and
pounding his pudgy fist on his desk. "My father says a polar bear is
the most dangerous animal."
"Well, maybe so," I responded. "But next time you see him, ask your
dad if he's ever seen a polar bear with an AK47 in his hands?"
Bernie Krause
On Jan 5, 2008, at 6:12 AM, Suzanne Williams wrote:
> I just wanted to say I am enjoying these stories. I have none near
> half as exciting. Keep them coming!
>
> ----------------------
> Suzanne
> Suzanne Williams Photography
> http://web.tampabay.rr.com/swilli41/www
> Florida, USA
>
> --- In Kevin Colver <>
> wrote:
> >
> > One morning in the great basin desert I was sitting on the ground
> on
> > a hillside at sunrise. After it got light enough I noticed I was
> > sitting next to a diamondback rattlesnake who was out to catch the
> > warming morning rays. Wanting to get a recording, I nudged him a
> > little with my parabola. All I got was a single shake out of his
> > chilled rattle. Further nudging only induced him to slither back
> > down his hole. Lucky for me those early mornings are nice and cold.
> > Kevin Colver
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Jan 4, 2008, at 9:25 AM, Scott Connop wrote:
> >
> > > There are lots of mediocre encounters that anyone working in the
> > > field would remember, but a couple stick out in my mind because
> > > both of them were more frightening in retrospect. (I will send
> the
> > > second story later).
> > >
> > > On my first night in Varirata in Papua New Guinea, I spent the
> > > night cruising the roads listening for owls and owlet-nightjars.
> At
> > > the side of the road I noticed a glistening reflection on the
> small
> > > shoulder of one road that headed out to a lookout. Upon further
> > > investigation, this turned out to be a rather large brown python
> > > that I decided to measure. I found his head and upper body
> partway
> > > down the embankment but while I was measuring him he kept trying
> to
> > > turn his head on me and repeatedly banged it against a shrub
> right
> > > beside it. At 15 feet, I thought this was a serious snake and I
> > > felt a tiny pang of sympathy for the numerous wallabies that I
> had
> > > seen that night. Exciting stuff, but obviously a situation I
> > > controlled, and I wanted birds.
> > >
> > > After recording a Large-tailed Nightjar in the picnic area
> parking
> > > lot an hour later, I was walking back to our car with my wife,
> > > flashlight bouncing off my leg as I walked. I was only 20 feet
> from
> > > my car when I caught a movement a meter in front of my feet. I
> put
> > > my arm in front of my wife and stopped us. The flashlight
> revealed
> > > a nasty looking little ( 8 inches) viper that simply had stopped
> in
> > > our path as it was crossing the gravel parking lot. I had my
> > > suspicions but it wasn't until several days later back in Port
> > > Moresby that I positively identified it as a Death Adder. Our
> host
> > > told us that, in 8 years of visiting Varirata, he had never seen
> > > one but that he had not spent that much night time in the park.
> He
> > > then went on to tell us a story about a local politician who had
> > > been bitten by one while working in his garden at lunch time. By
> > > the time he got to hospital for anti-venom, the staff person with
> a
> > > key to the proper cupboard was on lunch and, by the time they
> were
> > > able to administer, it was too late. The time span was about
> half
> > > an hour. And we had been at least 60 minutes from the nearest
> > > hospital at midnight. Flashlights are wonderful inventions.
> > >
> > > Scott Connop
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
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