Rognvald said:
Here's my take on the lesson
“The gannet, has a 1.8 m wingspan & is the largest seabird breeding in UK waters. It feeds primarily on surface-dwelling fish such as herring and mackerel that are taken by diving from heights up to about 43 m and plummeting into the water at great speed and considerable force. The bird’s skull is especially strong, and a system of air sacs also helps to absorb the shock of these plunges”
The gannet is a much larger bird than the crow and has a fearsome beak. It normally flies high above the sea looking down for its prey that attacks in swoops from about 120 ft up. It dives at high speed and its diving speed is increased by it furling its wings behind it to make it more aerodynamic and faster through the air
It would be unusual to see a gannet on a rooftop as described but Socrates has correctly described how the gannet would flop down the steep roof.
In one sense I would suggest that the crow was unlucky. However – it was intimidated solely by the size and appearance of the gannet and, although the gannet took no action to make it do anything, it was frightened into an action that resulted in it losing its prize.
The gannet was out of its accustomed environment and flopped down the roof slope but was neverthelessable to take the toast from the crow.
In another sense the crow was lucky – why - well it was crow and had a chance to make a decision and do the right thing. If it had been a fish quietly swimming along it would have known nothing when the gannets bill travelling at high speed speared it.
The crow was embarrassed. We do not know whether the embarassment would translate into learning a lesson but as humans we can learn the lesson
OOOOH ! Rognavald, I think you have confused a Gannet with a Cormorant.
The Cormorant does the diving from a great height.
In the Navy a Cormorant is called a Cormorant and what land people (landlubbers)
call a Seagull is what is called a Gannet.
Therefore I am sorry to have confused you all.
Those of you who are sailors a Seagull is a Gannet.
Those of you who are not sailors a Gannet is a Seagull.
And whether you are a sailor or not, a Cormorant is a Cormorant.
And if you are an amphibious person either will do.
Aplogies for the confusion caused
Some of these nautical things can be very confusing.
Like the Sextant for example;
All sextants have errors on the graduated arc.the rule is:~
when calculating a reading after having carried out an observation,,
"when its off , its on,
and when its off its on"
This is a frightful riddle to anyone who is not a navigator,
and thankfully is not relevant to this discussion, but I thought I would mention it as a curiosity
Are any of you Yachtsmen BTW ?