FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Re: Sharp-shinned Size Illustration

[planetwaves99@xxxxxxx]

> I'm always surprised by how small birds look in the hand.  Must be some kind 
> of optical illusion. 
 
I remember seeing a hawk banding demo at Cape May a few years back and that was 
one of the tricks they showed.  I think they did it with a Merlin but the 
principle is the same.  They held out this tiny bird and said, "Look at how 
small this bird seems when I hold it, but keep watching it when I release it.  
It will get bigger."
 
Well sure enough, they released the bird the its size seemed to stay constant 
or get bigger (!) as it got farther and farther away.  When it was 100 feet 
away, it looked as big as it did from 10 feet.
 
Bart
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: WEalding@xxxxxxx
To: mayhorn@xxxxxxxxxxxx; va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:10:47 EST
Subject: [va-bird] Re: Sharp-shinned Size Illustration


I'm always surprised by how small birds look in the hand.  Must be some kind of 
optical illusion.
 
Wendy Ealding