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5/1/2016
Bird Brain
gravitational wave theory and principles of physics
Sorry to bore with the bird pictures again but this week they literally flew TO ME to be photographed. It is Karma. Took some outstanding examples that I never thought I could achieve. Even got grandson interested in the subject (Melissa wants credit for this photo Galaxy cell). Lucas has subconsciously mastered the delicate touch to apply just enough force to grab the chip with out squeezing it so hard as to crumble it.
While sitting on the edge of the swamp a Great Blue Heron came close to me then posed in various ways. Kind of a balletic example here. She is letting gravity and wind currents do the work of aligning her feathers. Then it assumed the more traditional hunting pose that I've captured probably too many times.
Next in was an Osprey with a fresh perch catch. The pair lost their nest and tree in a windstorm a few weeks ago. When they are in a dive they pull in their wings to minimize surface area and drag resulting in a high velocity plunge into the water for their prey.
From my kayak on earlier trips I could get real close to the Tree Swallow nests in dead trees bored out by woodpeckers. Have to take bunches of shots and hope for the sun to illuminate the dark head and get the reflection in the eye. Amazing display of balance here. A free body diagram would show a resultant vector force coincidental with the diagonal lines of the legs which could be broken down instead to horizontal and vertical balancing forces.
This Red-bellied Woodpecker male and his mate has spent a lot of time clucking away from inside and outside the nest hole shown above. I get plenty of them at my feeder but it's nice to get them in their more natural surroundings. The woodpecker cannot make a vertical takeoff and thus drops with gravitational forces pulling him down. The Snowy Owl can, however, achieve a vertical takeoff using their super strong springy legs. This dead tree is right near the observation bench above.
OK, it's just a common Robin. But in an uncommon capture. I stalked this one freezing my movements for about twenty minutes so it could become comfortable with me, knowing I was near his Stag Horned Sumac seeds that he wanted to eat. Birds know that a body at rest tends to stay at rest and is thus not a threat. Hunting for photo shots is a lot like hunting with a shotgun. Stealth wins the day.
I swear my SU Physics 3B & 3B, Basic Physics sophomore year course was taught by Professor Peter Bergmann at Physics Lab in Link Hall. I always though that he mentioned it or somehow I heard that he was an assistant to Albert Einstein and had come from Princeton. So it jogged my mind when this Spring's SU magazine mentioned him in an article regarding the recent detection of Gravitational Waves proving Einstein's theories from 1915.
He was primarily involved with research and mentoring advanced degree candidates at SU. Why would he be teaching my simple class of basic physics? I think he was just filling in for someone or he had a little time available. I two A's in the course which was directly aligned with the scientific principles I was attuned to. I primarily remember that the Prof said he would be grading us based on the amount of garbage in our waste baskets. If the baskets were full, that meant a lot of scratch notes, errors, thow-aways, effort and an A grade. I still have waste baskets full of rough drafts from my web page development and my photograph notes. I write voluminous thoughts to myself and throw them away. Thank you Professor.
Bergmann gravitational waves SU
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