It was birds, Janet. A youtube video of a crow using a plastic lid as a sled down a rooftop in Russia.

Love that crowboarding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dWw9GLcOeA&spfreload=10

You can see a process going on, too: on one side of the roof it doesn't work; he/she figures that out.

I once watched ravens or crows riding thermals off a cliff in NM. They'd just fly back up and ride it down again.

Legs dangling. That's what clinched it.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26726#.VJaLRAlU

Wishing everyone a warm, peaceful, and . . . yeah, FUN . . . holiday season!

Thanks so much, Paul - I would have missed this if not for your posts!

Barb Baldinger said it may have been the Evanston pair!  

It could have been, but that's about 4 and a half miles from the Library; Loyola Beach is closer to the long-time territory of another pair, on N. Broadway.  Not sure if those birds are around. There are a lot of peregrine sites in the area not far from the lake, all the way north and south.

Such an amazing video.

Found it on WBEZ page:

"This weekend's Car Talk is a tribute to Tom by his brother Ray.
It will not be somber. Get ready to laugh with a tear in your eye."

I read that this week's Car Talk will be Ray reminiscing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h03QBNVwX8Q#

Fat Prairie Dog Stuck In A Hole Is Rescued

I don't know about opposite, but close; I orient to whoever is carrying smoked pork belly.

http://www.reuters.com/video/2014/08/18/mystery-of-starling-flock-formation-expl?videoId=340519101&videoChannel=118169&channelName=Editors%27+Picks

and predators

Wish I could have seen that, Carol. I never ever ever see those...and Donna, that is one scary image!!  We do have about a zillion peregrine nests in the city, but none make ginormous dive-bombing eyases.  That chick will ding its bill seriously on the Bean, if it doesn't watch out!

Thank you SO much for all the wishes!  (Nora, SWALLOWS!)
I got a huge rush translation to do yesterday, and spent the entire day and most of the night working. Will have to reschedule that birthday, maybe in a year or two.

I haven't posted an "urban wildlife" account for years, so here's one --

Sunday I was walking down a shady side street and heard a squirrel utterly BESIDE itself (which I always find hilarious). This, one, however, was about 2/3-scale, underage, sitting on a low branch, absolutely frantic; it wasn't just scolding but barking and clucking and honking and grunting -- apparently trying to express its disapproval as other species as well. At what?

Squirrels direct their scolding at the offender, so I followed the trajectory of its hysteria and found an absolutely enormous fledgling robin on the ground under a bush, next to some porch stairs. I'd say it was "cowering" there, but it wasn't smart or lucid enough to cower. It was dazed. Flummoxed. Maybe it was waiting by the stairs for the UPS man to deliver its red and felt naked without it.
If it had done something to offend that particular squirrel, it didn't remember.
I suspect its very existence was the problem.

Since fledgling robins belong under bushes and adolescent squirrels are always insane, I left them to their business.

Thanks again for the good wishes and a good day to all of you!

https://www.wnyc.org/radio/#/ondemand/390309

Gayle,

Wishing you a wonderful year!

Very, very best to a wonderful human being.

Dale

Ei,
here - if your connection's too slow at work to watch streaming video, here is a picture of the Ultimate Predator to look at instead - it's almost as good