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Post Info TOPIC: Bushfire
Janno


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Had a very scary experience with a bush fire yesterday.  Sitting in the shade at Bridge Creek rest stop between Katherine and Darwin when heard what sounded like thousands of fire crackers all going off.  Looked up to see a bush fire roaring towards us on the other side of the highway.  I can't remember ever feeling so frightened because I thought we were going to be trapped, but thankfully the wind changed and it continued along the highway in the other direction.  One of the other campers here told me that a certain bird (I can't remember it's name) deliberately starts fires by picking up a burning piece of wood from miles away and dropping it into the bush.  It then circles around ready to catch small animals as the run from the fire.  Not sure if it is true, but I couldn't believe how one minute everything was so peaceful and then the next thing a roaring bushfire erupts without warning.



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Gerty Dancer


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OMG Janno! That is really terrifying, thank heaven for the wind change!!! The story about birds seems to be true.

http://www.tennantcreektimes.com.au/story/1492064/birds-spread-fire-says-nt-expert/ 



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GaryKelly


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Seems like there was another fire somewhere in the vicinity, in which case it pays to keep an ear to the radio or check the weather bureau on the web. I can imagine how frightened you were, Janno.

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mongrel


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I believe the bird you are referring is called a kite.When in Central Aus in 2001 there were large fires in the middle of nowhere..One of the guides on the tour we had taken while there told us
of the birds which started fires to bring small animals and flying insects out and they would feast on them. these birds were the Kites .Amazing creatures we have on planet earth. Alan ...

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jimbo


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Seems like it is true....... Kite (bird) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says it all

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jimbo


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Seems like it is true....... Kite (bird) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says it all

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bill12


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We call them " whistling Kites", and you often see them hovering about the fires which occur here every dry season.I have never heard about them starting fires, but its feasible, I suppose.Here on Magnetic Island, there are many predator birds, 5 tyres of eagle, just in Horesehoe Bay.70% of the island is national park....Bill

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spida


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GaryKelly wrote:

Seems like there was another fire somewhere in the vicinity, in which case it pays to keep an ear to the radio or check the weather bureau on the web. I can imagine how frightened you were, Janno.

 Trouble is there are so many main highway areas out West and NT that have absolutely no radio phone or internet connection - unless at a roadhouse and even some of them are iffy. I would love to see a push to get at least radio waves everywhere along a main roadhmm



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hako


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Re birds spreading the fire - think about it - why spread a fire when a fire is there already. Call me a pessimist but I reckon it's an urban myth. See this link:

 

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2011/06/28/birds-of-the-week-firehawks-of-the-top-end/



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Happywanderer


The Master

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That would be really scary, you would want to be on alert at all times.
Remember those people getting burnt in a fire during some marathon out there. A real tragedy.

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jules47


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Oh, Janno - how scary that must have been. Are you heading back over East now?

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mongrel


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Been having lots of trouble posting pics and would like to say thankyou to Sheba and Duh for all their help .Hopefully have the problem solved now .Will try again tomorrow and lets see what happens. Thanks again... Alan

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Janno


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No Jules.  I'm going to gradually head home via Alice Springs.



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Dougwe


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I was involved in the Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday fires in Victoria and saw both coming so know how you felt Janno, very scary indeed. Glad all is OK though.

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