Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Does He Still Make A Racket?

My post from yesterday about Toronto sent me through photos from my trip down there last year, and this caught my eye. I posted about Linus the Harrier Hawk, who was appearing with his handler at the Royal Ontario Museum before a crowd. He was making a lot of noise that day, reveling in being the center of attention.


My other shots were taken from the above angle. I found an unpublished shot from the other side of the fine fellow. I like the facial expressions of the kids.


And speaking of making a loud racket (in the best of ways), last night while reading a blog I learned of the passing of Joe Cocker. His biggest years as a musician were well before my time, but I got to know his music through soundtracks like Blown Away and The Cutting Edge, and got to enjoy his unique voice. Here is one of my favourites. Rest in peace, Joe.


Regarding my blog from a couple of days ago, I will be writing a review for The Hobbit in my writer's blog, probably a couple of days before the end of the year. I'll post a notice here when it's good to go live.

30 comments:

  1. Good pairing of raucous high-flyers!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  2. I heard about Joe today on the radio. I enjoyed his music.

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  3. Harris Halks come to the UK as well though I have never seen one but if they are as noisy as Red Kites & Buzzards I can understand wht your talking about

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  4. I really like your first photo - hes big isnt he

    agree RIP Joe

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  5. Yep, I saw where The Hobbit is playing "at a theater near" me this Christmas.

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  6. "Up Where We Belong" from an Officer and a Gentleman was another Cocker favorite.

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  7. From Hawk to Hobbit, with a little Joe Cocker in between, you are a busy person. How do you do it all? I love it when children get to learn about things, like hawks, not usually in their lives. Great post.

    Janis

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  8. @Cloudia: I had the bulk of this post prepared, and it seemed oddly appropriate to pair it with Joe.

    @Whisk: such a unique voice.

    @Bill: it's quite a formidable sound.

    @Jen: he was, yes.

    @Revrunner: I may see it again.

    @Marianne: and fierce looking.

    @Birdman: when you start really looking, there's a lot of material from him out there that'll speak to people.

    @Janis: there's a place called Mountsberg in southern Ontario that has birds of prey, ones that have been injured and can't be released again. They serve an educational purpose now, especially for kids. I haven't been there in years.

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  9. nice segue into joe cocker. :) the hawk is gorgeous.

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  10. Yeah, I'm gonna miss Joe too. What a voice.

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  11. So, he was enjoying being the center of attention!

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  12. I AM old enough to remember Joe Cocker singing on the Woodstock album that my brother had. :)

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  13. I was surprised by the hawk and we all are so sad about Joe Cocker...

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  14. Beautiful bird! Happy Christmas, William.

    Regarding Joe Cocker: what a great loss!

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  15. That is one awesome bird!
    Joe had one of those voices that needed no introduction. I could always tell it was him on the radio by his unique voice.

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  16. Nice pictures! If I were there with the kids, I'd be awestruck, too!

    And I never realized Joe Cocker sang in The Cutting Edge soundtrack, even though it's one of my favorite movies!

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  17. It's hard for me to fathom that a hawk can be trained so well. We had 9 of them circling overhead yesterday late afternoon...must have been a run of rabbits in the field behind us or something like that. They'll circle our house sometimes if we have the cats out on the lanai but the lanai is screened so they probably know they can't get to them.

    Joe Cocker was during "my time." I hadn't thought about him in years, but he was a fine artist.

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  18. You pick up something that's quite often lost in a crowd scene...facial expressions. We have Otis the owl who makes many public appearances.

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  19. I saw Joe Cocker in concert once in France. He was definitely a good live performer. May he rest in peace...

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  20. Nice shots of that impressive bird.
    With the death of Joe Cocker another one of my musical heroes of the sixties and seventies passed away.

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  21. I wish I had a hawk and knew the technique of hawking. I'm told that would solve my pigeon problems on the balcony and windowsills... Not going into details, don't want to spoil your dinner... :-)

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  22. A wonderful hawk! Ferocious beasts.

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  23. Aren't the hawks amazing? And, yes, Joe Cocker. Another passing of a gifted person.

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  24. The hawk and the children. It's hard to get excited about someone I didn't know passing when a young man I did know has gone. Sorry.

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  25. We have a group here who helps birds like that.

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  26. @Tex: and the hawk seemed quite comfortable around people.

    @Stuart: such a distinctive voice.

    @Sharon: he was drinking in all that attention!

    @Pamela: I spent some time last evening looking at concert clips from him in more recent years.

    @VP: there comes a point with certain musicians that when they're gone, there's a void left behind. I expect it'll be the same with Leonard Cohen when he goes someday. His work has transcended generations.

    @Jose: I wonder how often that hawk gets brought out for a viewing.

    @Judy: and he had such a rich catalogue of music.

    @Cheryl: it's such a good addition to that soundtrack.

    @Lowell: I imagine it takes a lot of patience to train a hawk.

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  27. @Red: birds like these used for education really help their species as a whole by getting people to appreciate them.

    @Halcyon: I would have enjoyed seeing him in concert.

    @Jan: there'll never be another voice like him.

    @Ciel: that would be a good solution!

    @RedPat: they certainly are.

    @Jennifer: I will have to go back to Mountsberg sometime and photograph the birds of prey there.

    @Mari: when a loss comes much closer to home, it cancels out other things.

    @Randy: it's good for them to do.

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  28. I've never been that close to a harrier!

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