Althouse: “A Fish Falls From the Sky and Sparks a Brush Fire in British Columbia.”

Agosto 2, 2025

“A Fish Falls From the Sky and Sparks a Brush Fire in British Columbia.”

“Officials say a flying osprey dropped its catch, which then struck power lines, causing sparks that ignited dry grass.”

NYT.

40 komento:

Fritz ayon kay ...: I pretty much guarantee there was a Bald Eagle involved.; 8/2/25, 2:29 PM
Bob B ayon kay ...: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thinks, why didn’t I think of that excuse?; 8/2/25, 2:30 PM
Quaestor ayon kay ...: Someone must have been watching very carefully to witness that turn of unlikely events that could not have spanned even half a minute, which begs the question: Why did that witness fail to extinguish that nascent conflagration when it just matter of stomping it out?; 8/2/25, 2:43 PM
hawkeyedjb ayon kay ...: Poor osprey just tryna cook his fish and ends up starting a grill fire. I can relate.; 8/2/25, 2:49 PM
Smilin' Jack ayon kay ...: “Officials say a flying osprey dropped its catch, which then struck power lines, causing sparks that ignited dry grass.”

And that osprey learned how to cook its dinner. Others will learn from its example— ospreys are smart birds.; 8/2/25, 2:51 PM
Josephbleau ayon kay ...: Big Windmill is out to create bird hate. That way they can kill more birds. I knew it.; 8/2/25, 3:06 PM
Ice Nine ayon kay ...: The gods got a little crazy, didn't they.; 8/2/25, 3:14 PM
narciso ayon kay ...: thats the story they are going with, a little Rube Goldberg; 8/2/25, 3:17 PM
n.n ayon kay ...: A whale tale handmade for publishing.; 8/2/25, 3:20 PM
narciso ayon kay ...: I betcha they blamed global warming not british columbia's forest management program,; 8/2/25, 3:24 PM
n.n ayon kay ...: The gulls must be jesting.; 8/2/25, 3:32 PM
n.n ayon kay ...: This reminds me of Frank's encounter with a corkscrew pasta. A hundred to one, doc. Publishes on Seinfeld's guide to planet Gaia.; 8/2/25, 3:35 PM
Eva Marie ayon kay ...: That’s why we have cats.; 8/2/25, 3:36 PM
narciso ayon kay ...: yeah but no one keeps ospreys as pets,; 8/2/25, 3:48 PM
Leland ayon kay ...: Holy mackeral.; 8/2/25, 3:53 PM
Wilbur ayon kay ...: I'd love to know how many NYT comments appeared before Trump's name was evoked.; 8/2/25, 4:03 PM
stlcdr ayon kay ...: Sounds like we 'ave a Final Destination plot point!; 8/2/25, 4:10 PM
Jaq ayon kay ...: I can only picture Maxwell Smart after telling this story saying "Would you believe...?"

I have seen osprey's carrying some decent sized fish. They screech with pride and climb, showing them off, saying, I guess, "Look what a great provider I would be for your hatchlings!" in osprey speak, but it almost seems like it would take a good sized musky, or a sturgeon to do this, and those fish don't hang out near the surface where an osprey or bald eagle, or whatever, could grab them. This fish would need some serious length. A 30 inch northern would not do it, I don't think, and I doubt that an osprey gets airborne with one of those.; 8/2/25, 4:16 PM
Jaq ayon kay ...: Maybe a bald eagle that snagged a floating dead walleye or something.; 8/2/25, 4:17 PM
mezzrow ayon kay ...: ...and that's what happened to my homework assignment.

Act Of God.; 8/2/25, 4:58 PM
Quaestor ayon kay ...: "I have seen osprey's carrying some decent sized fish."

As have I. However, I point out that osprey's aren't born with the competence of breeding adults at catching and holding on to their prey. At this time of year, at least half of the osprey's we observe are juveniles–independent but sexually immature birds who nevertheless lack the fully honed skills of their parents. On average, an adult osprey misses more often than it succeeds. In the majority of tries either the fish completely escapes or is dropped after being caught. Sometimes–I would say rarely–the prey is lost due to harassment by a competitor, typically an eagle. More often the loss occurs while the osprey endeavors to get a firm grip with both feet on the struggling and very slippery prey. Ornithologists may disagree on the odds, but they're no better than one chance out of three that a fish will be caught and eaten by an adult, by a recently fledged juvenile, call it one chance in five if not worse.

The only thing unusual about this is the sparks and the brush fire.; 8/2/25, 5:43 PM
rehajm ayon kay ...: They screech with pride and climb, showing them off, saying, I guess, "Look what a great provider I would be for your hatchlings!" in osprey speak

Ha. I can attest they all do this.:; 8/2/25, 5:47 PM
Dr Weevil ayon kay ...: Bob B:
Karen Bass probably shudders whenever she hears of a fish being snatched away by an eagle or osprey. Wouldn't you if you had a fish name? (Assuming you don't. From statistical probability, I'm guessing the third B in 'Bob B' does not stand for Bass, Barb, Barracuda, Blowfish, or Blobfish.); 8/2/25, 5:48 PM
tcrosse ayon kay ...: "A FIsh Falls From the Sky" would be a good title for a Hoagy Charmichael song.; 8/2/25, 6:38 PM
Wince ayon kay ...: That story sounds fishy to me.; 8/2/25, 7:03 PM
rehajm ayon kay ...: I was fishing on the Madison- wading. Second hook up of the day an osprey swooped down and stole my fish off the line. For a brief moment I wondered what would happen when the slack went out- mary poppins? No- hook fell out. The guide had to call her husband- never saw before. Later in the day we’re floating and some trash is in the river. Guide rows over and I fish it out- a Big Sky pilsner type beer in a Simms coozie. Fish paid me back I say. Good trade the natives would say…later the story regaled to and printed by Big Sky magazine- I was one half of ‘middle aged couple’ as reported by our guide…; 8/2/25, 7:28 PM
Rabel ayon kay ...: You have to think about the turtle on the fence post. It didn't get there by itself, so, the surmise about the bird.

More importantly, you have to think about who had it worse.

1. The turtle on the post slowly dying while waiting for help.

2. The fish on the high wire. Flash fried like Captain D's.

Never give up, Mr. Turtle. At least he a chance.; 8/2/25, 7:39 PM
tommyesq ayon kay ...: If a fish falls into power lines in the forest with no one to hear or see it, does it make a sound (or a bullshit obviously fabricated but unquestioningly reported NYT story)? Was Christopher Steele the source?; 8/2/25, 8:08 PM
Anga2010 ayon kay ...: As we all know by now that "birds aren't real," I think we need to ask who would profit by having their robot cause this conflagration?; 8/2/25, 8:10 PM
Aggie ayon kay ...: Your odds of encountering pescapyromania are small, but greater than zero.; 8/2/25, 8:22 PM
MadTownGuy ayon kay ...: I think it was an owl. Hootie and the Blowupfish.; 8/2/25, 8:41 PM
Mr. Majestyk ayon kay ...: “A Fish Falls From the Sky and Sparks a Brush Fire in British Columbia.”

I hate it when that happens; 8/2/25, 10:28 PM
Bob Boyd ayon kay ...: Must have been a steelhead.; 8/2/25, 10:59 PM
Iman ayon kay ...: That Meghan Mackerel will do anything to get attention.; 8/2/25, 11:56 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit ayon kay ...: Ave Maria.; 8/3/25, 4:26 AM
Deep State Reformer ayon kay ...: I agree with Quaestor @ 2:43 above. A little too convenient for the responsible party.; 8/3/25, 7:54 AM
Cappy ayon kay ...: Just in time for the King of the Hill reboot.; 8/3/25, 8:21 AM
Aggie ayon kay ...: "...The fish struck power lines, producing sparks that landed on dry grass and ignited the blaze, which took up less than an acre....."

Yes, there's a picture of a charred fish there. There's no comment saying anything about feathers though. Although there's a picture of the evidence, it's hard to fathom how a fish caused sparks. Wouldn't it have to be large enough to span between two lines, to cause a short? Not seeing how it happened - I think it's more likely that the osprey landed on a transformer, where the high-tension leads are actually pretty close together. Now that would have caused some sparks, maybe blown up the transformer, too. Lots of oil in transformers.; 8/3/25, 10:47 AM
Southern Pessimist ayon kay ...: During snook season I fish along the bank of the intercoastal waterway using 8 to 10 inch live mullet as bait. I have learned to look for osprey before casting but they will spot the mullet if they get back into water less than 6 feet deep. It does create momentary excitement when he tries to fly with the fish. The osprey can pull a rod out of a rod holder very quickly if the bail trips.; 8/3/25, 11:10 AM
JIM ayon kay ...: The subject of power lines causing wildfires is big here in California. I'm very skeptical about the possibility of that happening, however 2 of the Electricity providers in the state have been found liable for that very thing. The Eaton fire is being blamed on a power wire structure. The Palisades fire was also blamed on power wires initially, but now they think it was fireworks that sparked the calamity. The Governor now wants all ratepayers to pay a little extra to buff up a Damages fund.; 8/3/25, 7:13 PM

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Agosto 2, 2025

“A Fish Falls From the Sky and Sparks a Brush Fire in British Columbia.”

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Agosto 2, 2025

“A Fish Falls From the Sky and Sparks a Brush Fire in British Columbia.”

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