5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

They . . . . . . have never tried to kill me

I'd bet they have considered it, and would do it if they thought they could.

1 hour ago, Big Hands said:

I'd bet they have considered it, and would do it if they thought they could.

My local Blue Heron population likes to wait until I'm directly under them before launching out of the tree screaching at the top of their lungs while I'm night fishing. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to start wearing depends when night fishing. There hasn't been an accident yet, but there's been a few close calls. ?

4 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I watched a show a few years ago where they were basically giving crows IQ test.  It was scary.  They're smarter than most people so I don't mess with them.   

I don't know if it was the same show, but crows are also very good at recognizing individual humans. Different birds have different strengths, even though some appear stupid.

Watch the videos/ movie of Alex the African Grey Parrot, amazing intellect for a bird.

Tom

 

12 minutes ago, WRB said:

Watch the videos/ movie of Alex the African Grey Parrot, amazing intellect for a bird.

Tom

 

African Greys are VERY intelligent for birds. One of the girls I dated while in the Air Force had one named 'Colonel'...he was a card and very well trained...swore like a Navy enlisted man though.

11 minutes ago, fin said:

I don't know if it was the same show, but crows are also very good at recognizing individual humans. Different birds have different strengths, even though some appear stupid.

 I did some searching on the web and it was an episode of Nova on PBS called “Bird Brain”.  It was very interesting. 

5 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Kinda thankful it's the other way around for me before I head out the door.

Coffee does it for me

12 hours ago, Tatsu Dave said:

Where I fish they are eagles and large fish eating hawks almost big as the eagles. I posted a pic of a SM over 3lbs that was raked and bloodied by these birds. We watched an eagle dive and hit a bass at least 4lbs and he was flipping like they do when jumping with a lure and wriggled free about 40 feet high and splashed into the water. Wasn't floating so probably survived, we were pulling for the bass. They are all protected and both our spots had three nesting pairs of course separated by about a mile. Takes a lot of fish to keep a nesting pair w/2-3 young ones fed on a daily basis.

There are animals with fins and gills that are a greater threat to a smallmouth population than eagles or ospreys.

I'm sure the birds and fish think we are the invasive ones.

9 hours ago, OldManLure said:

There are animals with fins and gills that are a greater threat to a smallmouth population than eagles or ospreys.

Well maybe where you live but not where I fish. What kind of animals have fins and gills in Maine? I don't advocate killing eagles or ospreys, the latter which I've never seen anywhere I fish. I'm merely stating facts about here in Maine where I fish. Otters eat fish but very few compared to eagles, its a nationwide forum and when you get a dozen eagles feeding on fish at one time (after the young are fledged) they kill and eat a lot of fish. Doing what they are born to do (thats why so many nest along rivers and lakes) but its still a fact where I live. We take pictures of the large magnificent birds of prey all summer in fact. You haven't lived till you've seen a heron and eagle face off over fishing territory. I just showed a SM cause I just caught one all bloody from a large bird encounter, actually we catch far more LM with scars and damage cause they are easier to catch in shallows.  

Week ago I watched a young Osprey dive & clutch a big SMB on a shoal. Fish too heavy. So the small Osprey SWAM to a large flat rock just above the water. It flapped & struggled to get the bass on the rock.  MUNCH  MUNCH. I left after a while.

I watched a otter catch & eat fish CONSTANTLY in December in the Delaware river in  N J.  He was at the BEST food spot for all fish.

17 hours ago, OldManLure said:

There are animals with fins and gills that are a greater threat to a smallmouth population than eagles or ospreys.

Found this 19" LM floating belly up last sping. Barely alive. Had a bad encounter with a muskie. I caught a 34" muskie a few weeks later that was all tore up from being T Boned by a giant.

 

I've always accepted the fact that we are one of many links in the food chain.  But those cormorants.....

Follow the birds Daniel son. They will lead you to the fish. 

Everyone wants to find that virgin lake not being fished knowing it will outstanding. Nature keeps itself in balance without man. We are the predator that sets off out of balance conditions, not the native animals or plants.

Enjoy your environment without screwing it up.

Tom

42 minutes ago, WRB said:

Everyone wants to find that virgin lake not being fished knowing it will outstanding. Nature keeps itself in balance without man. We are the predator that sets off out of balance conditions, not the native animals or plants.

Enjoy your environment without screwing it up.

Tom

While I agree Tom, we are experts at screwing up the environment, Mother Nature is a cruel and uncaring wench and doesn’t think twice about cormorants or otters completely cleaning fish out of a body of water and then moving on to the next.  We are the only predator species who cares about “conservation”. 

We import any & every bird. fish and land animal that anyone wants to have. Snakefish are known to bring good luck to Asians.  So California sells live ones to buyers.

13 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Follow the birds Daniel son. They will lead you to the fish. 

Them seagulls lie all the time around here. Diving like crazy into big schools of shad with nothing under them. 

10 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Them seagulls lie all the time around here. Diving like crazy into big schools of shad with nothing under them. 

Shad are fish 

fished under these birds last night. Instead of harassing them I caught white bass yellow bass skipjack smallmouth and walleye near them. 

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

fished under these birds last night. Instead of harassing them I caught white bass yellow bass skipjack smallmouth and walleye under them. 

Fish fry. I’ll bring the adult beverages. 

2 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Fish fry. I’ll bring the adult beverages.