That is, the type of face that encourages attacks by crows. About a week ago I was stirred from my morning-walk-to-work-reverie by a crow dive bombing my head. It didn't rip out my hair or anything. Just buzzed me a bit.
Yesterday, on the walk home from the office, I was buzzed again by a crow. It was at the same intersection, but was it the same crow? We'll never know. I mean, how do you pick out a crow out from a lineup? "Yes officer, the one with the feathers - that's the crow that done it!"
Today, as I set off across the intersection, I kept my wits about me. Sure enough, as I hit the halfway point on the crosswalk, ZOOOOM!
The crow would make two more passes at me before I was out of its attack zone. It did continue to eye me warily as I progressed down my street back to the relative safety of my apartment. (I own a cat, so the term "relative safety" is not one I toy with here - she's not called Demon Kitteh for nothing.)
After the attacks had abated I texted one of my friends with my strange story. His response, "You know crows can remember human faces for up to a year?" What?!?!?!?! Well, it's true. Scientist Bernd Heinrich of the University of Vermont seems to think the behavior is a “byproduct of their acuity" - in particular, their ability to recognize and differentiate between individual members of their own species.
So what does all of this mean for me? It's time to buy a helmet.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Welcome One and All
Hello, my friends, and welcome to Phacton. What is Phacton, you ask? It's my little blog project - my daily attempt to learn a bit of science and share it with my friends, loved ones, and (hopefully) strangers.
As a disclaimer, I am not a scientist. Sometimes I pretend to be, but that's just to pick up guys at the bar. (What?! I live in Seattle. It's nerds ahoy here.) Lack of science degree aside, I am just another gal interested in nerdy scientific stuff. Brought up on a diet of Star Trek, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Mythbusters, it's only natural that my nerdy inclinations would eventually need an outlet.
The name of the blog is a mash-up of "photon" and "fact." (Because, as any good trademark attorney will tell you, the best kinds of trademarks are those devised from made up words.) I also like the idea of a one-word title. It'll look better on t-shirts. You know, if/when I become wildly successful and have Simon and Schuster calling me screaming, "OMG, you are the hottest thing since gamma ray bursts! We want to publish you NOW!"
But, I digress. And daydream. Ooh, look! A butterfly! <Puts down laptop, chases silently after newly found lepidopteran friend.>
As a disclaimer, I am not a scientist. Sometimes I pretend to be, but that's just to pick up guys at the bar. (What?! I live in Seattle. It's nerds ahoy here.) Lack of science degree aside, I am just another gal interested in nerdy scientific stuff. Brought up on a diet of Star Trek, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Mythbusters, it's only natural that my nerdy inclinations would eventually need an outlet.
The name of the blog is a mash-up of "photon" and "fact." (Because, as any good trademark attorney will tell you, the best kinds of trademarks are those devised from made up words.) I also like the idea of a one-word title. It'll look better on t-shirts. You know, if/when I become wildly successful and have Simon and Schuster calling me screaming, "OMG, you are the hottest thing since gamma ray bursts! We want to publish you NOW!"
But, I digress. And daydream. Ooh, look! A butterfly! <Puts down laptop, chases silently after newly found lepidopteran friend.>
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