Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and Recurrent thoughts about ....
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Aboard the Toronto Airport Ferry
I never flew into the Toronto Island airport before, but I did so for the first time on Sunday. After you land, a ferry takes you across 120 meters of water in 60 seconds. This is what the view looks like from the ferry. Not bad, eh?
Last time I flew out of the Island airport, there were more interesting things than even the TO skyline. Lots of cormorants skimming over the water and some sort of merganser. I passed the time timing their dives in the strip of water the ferry plies.
The cormorants all stayed down 45 seconds +/- 2 seconds in my entirely unscientific 'study'. The mergansers all stayed down one minute, +/- 5 seconds. I was able to time about a dozen dives, of several of each type of bird.
The mergansers were in male/female pairs and always dived at the same instant and surfaced within a second of each other and just a couple of feet apart. The cormorants were all alone.
It's about the only wait I've ever had for a flight that I'd wished had been longer.
Last time I flew out of the Island airport, there were more interesting things than even the TO skyline. Lots of cormorants skimming over the water and some sort of merganser. I passed the time timing their dives in the strip of water the ferry plies.
ReplyDeleteThe cormorants all stayed down 45 seconds +/- 2 seconds in my entirely unscientific 'study'. The mergansers all stayed down one minute, +/- 5 seconds. I was able to time about a dozen dives, of several of each type of bird.
The mergansers were in male/female pairs and always dived at the same instant and surfaced within a second of each other and just a couple of feet apart. The cormorants were all alone.
It's about the only wait I've ever had for a flight that I'd wished had been longer.