Love the praying mantis story and the seal, too.
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Love the praying mantis story and the seal, too.
I saw what looked like an enormous grasshopper just sitting on the road ahead. After a while I wondered if it was a large escaped iguana.
It was a piece of twisted rusty metal.
On Wednesday night, a whole BIG flock of turkeys. One of them flew across the road in front of us. There must have been 40.
A little garter snake crossing the road, on my run today. :)
Today I saw 4 deer running across the road. One after the other, about 5 seconds apart - and they seemed to be crossing in the order of their size - the youngest first :)
The cormorant posed for me! Climbed up on a rock and showed off his pretty wings.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8867349@N08/4916094343/
yesterday i saw 2 gray foxes maybe a dozen deer lots and lots of California quail and then i saw a bob cat! and it was right in front of me. i was mountain biking and going pretty slow and i heard some rustling so slowed down and as i was stopping it leaped out of the bushes across the path i was on. i think it was 5 or 6 feet away. was a really great ride. i got a little lost but if i hadn't gone the wrong way i never would have seen the bob cat so i am glad for it.
I spent all of Saturday cruising through the country near my house and saw:
2 peacocks, ostrich (farm), alpacas, LOTS of cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, several squirrels, swainson hawk, barn owl (which was a shock), vulture, a wild turkey with her chicks, a jackrabbit the size of a terrier, a coyote, several chasing dogs (grrrr), and the icing on the cake was a doe and her fawn crossing the road into a vineyard.
It made my work commute and mortgage worth living here.:)
ame, what a superb nature day you had. If you don't mind me asking, where do you live to see all that? And was the barn owl out in daytime?
Our baby hawks still haven't fledged. This video of their baby antics in the nest tree is hilarious. One baby eats a rat at about 3:30 so don't watch if you are squeamish.
http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_ha...rainy-day.html
@PamNY: I live in the country south of Sacramento, CA. About 5 miles from where I live, there is actually a rescue for retired performing animals, so depending on my route I can see some wild stuff.
I saw the barn owl at about 6:30 in the evening. It was quite a bit early, but I think since it was cool Saturday and the field mice were out and about, he (she?) was getting a snack.
The monk parakeet nest that I watch was destroyed recently. Neighborhood gossip says it was vandalism -- that a "group of men" came with ropes and sticks and brought it down.
I don't know if that's true -- the nests do occasionally fall when they get too heavy. Either way, it's sad and I miss my cheery, friendly buddies.
The monks are trying to build on lights at a nearby football field, and they'll probably be chased away. Life isn't easy for these little guys.
As I feared, the monk parakeets were allowed to build nests on the football field lights for two months and now they've been taken down. It's the worst possible thing for the birds -- to be homeless just as it's getting cold.
I am writing letters to the park administrators, but the harm is done. It's so hard to advocate for these birds. Since they are subject to poaching, it's not a good idea to publicize even the general area where there nests are located.
In happy news for birdwatchers, a prothonotary warbler has settled in at the main branch of the public library. He (or she) is eating very well and getting a lot of online attention from the bird bloggers. More photos here.
Good for you on the letter-writing, but a very sad story. Sigh...poor birds.Quote:
Originally Posted by PamNY
Stunning photos of the beautiful warbler - wow!
Javalinas are not uncommon in the desert outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. I enjoy them from a distance, as they are unpredictable, don't smell too great and big enough that you wouldn't want to tangle with one on a bike.
This morning I stopped to give one a healthy distance as it slowly crossed a major street on my ride. The traffic on the other side of the road still waited as it looked back across the road- and then I saw a tiny javalina baby (javalinette?) very cautiously and tentatively picked its way across the street where the mama javalina was waiting and looking very protective.
In case you don't know about javalinas....http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_javelina.shtml
I didn't take this picture, but it was this tiny! http://tinyurl.com/27qryv9
One of our Central Park hawks is missing and presumed dead. Lola was the fourth mate to Pale Male, who became well-known when he moved into Central Park and built a nest on a ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment building.
The building took down the nest at one point, but was forced by public outcry to allow the hawks to rebuild. The pair have been featured in a documentary and movie.
It's a romantic and anthropomorphic point of view, I know, but these two did seem to enjoy each others' company and engaged in courtship behaviors year-round. Pale Male has recently begun flirting with a new mate.
Here's Lola:
http://www.palemale.com/lolal.html
Oh that is sad. Thanks for including the link. I love hawks and enjoy seeing them flying around our valley although not too close to my chicken house.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by PamNY
Aww, that's sad about Lola. We have the Pale Male video, and I found the story so incredibly touching.
Trekhawk, having watched hawks hunt, I can see why hawks around chickens would be undesirable. City hawks mostly eat rats, which is a good thing.
As always, photographer Lincoln Karim has some terrific images.
Pale Male's new mate on the nest:
http://www.palemale.com/january152011s.html
http://www.palemale.com/january152011l.html (same photos in larger size; great if you have a hi res monitor)
These photos show Pale Male courting his new mate with aerial acrobatics. There are also juvenile redtails and a Cooper's hawk in this set:
http://www.palemale.com/january92011s.html
http://www.palemale.com/january92011l.html (same photos; large size)
How wonderful! Thanks for posting these, PamNY. :)
An interesting update to the Pale Male story. He was courting a dark-colored female for a long time. She's disappeared, and he has a new, lighter-colored lady in his life.
Lincoln Karim's photos are here:
http://www.palemale.com/january302011s.html
I don't know if this behavior is usual for hawks or not; I had assumed that a mate is a mate to hawks, but clearly something didn't work out.
Once again, I'm reminded of how lucky we are to observe these birds so closely, even when our observations give us more questions than answers.
What beautiful photos - thanks for sharing the link. The poster called the mate a "person" in one caption! That made me smile. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by PamNY
How neat! We see lots of critters too. Of course, we are passing lots of fields with horses, goats and cows in them. We have seen lots of Whitetail deer. A ground hog. 'Possum. Snakes. Lots of turkey vultures and hawks. Birds of every variety. Do the dogs that chase us count? LOL
:confused: I'm not sure what was up with the green bird-either a ringneck or a rainbow lorikeet- I saw on the path this morning but it was just a wee bit odd...I was heading to a pedestrian overpass where normally there are heaps of these guys squacking & wandering around. One of them was sitting on the path very still but looked as if it was breathing. I stood by it for a few minutes wondering what exactly to do. I spoke to it :o & then thought perhaps i should touch it but decided against it as I'd no idea what it would do...
I moved on but am now wondering if this is normal for birdies..
I don't know what's normal, but it sounds odd. Those lorikeets are beautiful birds. Australia has the neatest birds.
Have you ever seen lyrebirds or bower birds?
Pam, I thought that you might respond :) as i know you're a bird person. It was a bit odd but it was even funnier that i actually said "helloooo birdie..yooo hooo, hello.." :o
Lyrebirds/Bower Birds are mainly found in Tassie & South Eastern Australia http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/...ovaehollandiae
http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/...chus-violaceus
I've never seen them...
Thanks!
I was not riding when I saw this little guy/girl but it was so cute I had to post it.
The snap was taken on a recent trip to Tasmania.:)
My God, that IS cute, Trekhawk.
[QUOTE=crazycanuck;556965]:confused: I'm not sure what was up with the green bird-either a ringneck or a rainbow lorikeet- I saw on the path this morning but it was just a wee bit odd...I was heading to a pedestrian overpass where normally there are heaps of these guys squacking & wandering around. One of them was sitting on the path very still but looked as if it was breathing. I stood by it for a few minutes wondering what exactly to do. I spoke to it :o & then thought perhaps i should touch it but decided against it as I'd no idea what it would do...
I moved on but am now wondering if this is normal for birdies..[/QUOT
He might have flown into something and was stunned for a bit. Very occasionally just this kind of thing will happen when a bird flies into a window here. They'll bounce off and just sort of sit for a while regatheriing their senses, and often end up recovering and flying away.
I talk to the birds, too. It's fun. Some of them seem to pay attention -- especially monk parakeets. I would think a lorikeet might be similarly inclined. Thanks for the links!Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycanuck
Cute for sure! What is it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Trekhawk
Porcupine? Darling! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Trekhawk
That little creature looks like an echidna..
Salsabike, I agree & think it may have just been stunned as it was still breathing. Just a bit funny/odd for a friday morning.
All I could think of for the rest of the day was the dead parrot sketch...
Yep CC is right it is an Echidna.Quote:
Originally Posted by PamNY
http://www.australianfauna.com/echidna.php
This afternoon we stopped at a park that is a desert oasis. There is a natural spring that feeds a large man-made pond. it's always good for wildlife, and there were quite a few ducks (Wigeon, Mallards and Ring-necked Ducks). Today we were watching a Cooper's Hawk chase a Gila Woodpecker overhead in mid-air. I have done a lot of birding over the years, and I have never witnesses such a spectacular chase scene. The hawk caught the woodpecker after a series of mid-air changes of direction.
The Cooper's hawk chase must have been wonderful. I've watched them chase but never seen a catch.
I got very lucky with hawks today -- the juvenile (brown tail) was perched in an unusually low spot, so easy to photograph. The adult is a female who should lay eggs soon. I think she looks very thoughtful about the whole situation.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8867349...th/5475300394/
Wonderful snaps Pam!Quote:
Originally Posted by PamNY
The hawks are beautiful.:)
Snapping Turtle!!
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...2mbcard033.jpg[/IMG]
I saw 13 deer on a short 1:10 ride late yesterday afternoon! Considering I was riding loops in a large park it is probable that there was at least some double-counting, but still :) It is, of course, easier to see them before the leaves return, but they do blend in with their surroundings - all of that brown. They all appeared to be quite young, probably all born last year.
One sighting was interesting. I watched her run up to the road - then she stopped, walked across the pavement, then started running again when her feet hit the grass. It was like she was remembering deer-road-crossing school instructions :D
The usual ducks and geese, a Cooper's Hawk (unusual for downtown), a blue jay (don't usually see them downtown either), and a guy unconscious with his legs akimbo over a ramp at the back of Domino's Pizza.
Brewer didn't see him, but he turned the tandem around to go back; I guess he knew by listening to me that we had to.
We shouted at him; the guy moved a little bit (quite a relief to see that he wasn't dead!), but was unresponsive with his cell phone on the ground next to him. Called 911 and everyone came, ambulance, police, fire truck and then we left and finished our ride.
Glad that doesn't happen very often.
Ooh, the turtle is gorgeous. Was he heading across the road (I hope not)?
Catrin, I have seen deer do what your describe. Always makes me wonder what, if anything, they understand about cars.
Malkin, I am hearing more and more about Cooper's in urban areas. Don't know if it's coincidence, or if they are moving into cities due to lack of habitat.