Yesterday: osprey.
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Yesterday: osprey.
Yesterday I saw 1 coyote and a few birds along the way, including a singing male Pyrrhuloxia. Last year at this time I remember seeing many Sonoran Toads and Tarantulas ( mostly flat ones) but it was on a different route. The summer rains have re- invigorated the desert birds do a lot of species are singing both morning and evening when I ride.
Yesterday, I saw two finely sculpted deer and two hawks. I tried to get pictures but they didn't come out. All of them were so beautiful.
Saturday I saw cows and yesterday I saw a young deer. I also saw a lizard that I unfortunately ran over when it changed directions and ran right into my path. :(
We did a sunset- moonrise ride at Saguaro N. Park, and spotted Lesser Nighthawks, a Desert Spiny Lizard, a singing Black-throated Sparrow, several cottontail rabbits, a tarantula, 4 Poorwills (1 on the road and 3 singing) ... a Tiger Rattlesnake. Fortunately, it was off to the side of the road.
I saw a waxwing today - they are not particularly common around here, I don't think... at least I don't see them often. Then again we seem to have a veritable bird boom around here - lots more birds and more variety than when I first moved here.
Azfiddle, those are great sights. Waxwings are beautiful birds.
I found out there's a nesting tern colony in Manhattan -- on Governors Island.
The sassy, noisy youngsters are lots of fun to watch.
1 coyote, 2 garter snakes, 1 gopher snake and 1 deer freshly killed by a cougar -- that one made me nervous. It's on my regular nightly after work mountain bike route.
Wild mink.
This weekend we saw: roseate spoonbills, great egrets, snowy egrets, great blue herons, green herons, white ibis, turkey and black vultures, american crows, red-bellied, red-headed and pileated woodpeckers, blue birds, robins and 8 deer. I have to say at times we probably looked like drunk riders in the park. It's hard for us to not look at birds while we ride. Thankfully the park was mostly deserted.
There was also a dumped german shepherd that we tried to catch. She just wasn't having any of it. We sat on the ground for awhile and tried to lure her in, but no go. My partner went back to the park later and she was still there and she still couldn't catch her :(
I generally have to stop to really look at birds while I'm cycling, but I'm good with calls/songs. Generally it's easiest to see and hear them going uphill....
I suck at birding by ear. I know a handful of songs/calls, the ones I hear the most, like a cardinal or chickadee, but that's about it. Since we're on MTB that are in a very relaxed position it's easy to look around, but probably not a good idea :)Quote:
Originally Posted by azfiddle
Fortunately I don't see these guys very often. Attachment 15347
Okay, I admit it: I'm happy we don't see those on my rides. I'm happy to see most wildlife, even rattlesnakes (as long as I see them in advance). But I don't want to have to worry about getting past one of those guys....
Great topic! Out here in AZ you see all kinds of wildlife on my ride. I really need to take a camera with me. I saw a huge hairy tarantula in the middle of the road (while out running at 4 a.m. too), rattlesnakes, coyotes, scorpions, ground squirrels, javelina, and one day riding out a Bartlett Lake a Mountain Lion popped out on the road 100 feet in front of me! My first thoughts where (with sweat in my eyes so hard to see) "what in the hell is a golden retriever doing out here in the desert." But, my brain registered "that's too big to be a dog and it's not a coyote!" It started coming toward me and I kept going forward and the mountain lion stopped and ran across the road. This is when I saw it's long body and tail! Wow! That was real neat!
Last Thursday on my ride I came upon a group (about 5-6) of black birds tearing a a road-kill, when I got about 15 feet from them, all of a sudden a hawk comes out of nowhere and grabbed one of the blackbirds. All the paniced wing-flapping and "cawing" scared the beejeezus out of me!!!
I've seen quite a lot of wildlife as I live in a largely underdeveloped rural village... but today was certainly the strangest! I went biking today with two people from the neighbourhood (a cute story in itself) when a dog, followed by three deer, followed by a duck crossed the road. It was the oddest and most amusing thing I'd ever seen, and it had all three of us in stitches. :p
Sounds like the beginning of a joke!Quote:
Originally Posted by Swan
It really does! That was my first thought, but it's absolutely true. It was certainly strange and interesting... Usually we just get escaped cattle or horses and regular deer blocking the roads.Quote:
Originally Posted by Owlie
It does sound interesting (and it does sound like a good start to a joke).Quote:
Originally Posted by Swan
Had a great look at a bobcat on my ride Saturday morning, running across the road and disappearing into the brush immediately.
Love this!Quote:
Originally Posted by Swan
there was a duck that went into a bar....
It sounds like the sky is falling and they are on their way to tell the king.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swan
Did a long ride (83 miles) but wildlife sightings were few and far between. I saw about half a dozen Red-tailed Hawks, a lot of Common Ravens (near the dump!), Phainopepla, Mockingbird, Gila Woodpecker, Verdin, White-crowned Sparrows, Curve-billed Thrashers, Rock Doves, American Kestrel, Mourning Doves. No mammals or herps today.
The male American Kestrel I've been watching for a while appears to have a lady friend. They were interacting and sitting close together for quite a while -- I was thrilled to get such a close view of these beautiful birds.
Beautiful, Pam! What wonderful luck.
Fantastic shot!Quote:
Originally Posted by PamNY
Nice pictures of the Kestrels!Quote:
Originally Posted by PamNY
Good biking morning at Fort deSoto County park in Florida. A wood stork flew overhead. This is my first wood stork so I am thrilled.
In Clearwater, Florida, right off the trail:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7...2/DSC_0097.JPG Tri-color heron
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x...2/DSC_0140.JPG Hooded merganser
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_...2/DSC_0163.JPG Limpkin and moorhens
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v...0/DSC_0225.JPG Woodstork
Goldfinch! You are so lucky. I visited Wakodahatchee Wetlands once and was blown away by all those birds you saw, and many more. Fabulous!
How pretty, Goldfinch! We see some of the same birds down here in Belize.
Goldfinch, those are just gorgeous photos!
Goldfinch, those are fabulous photos! By the way, I saw a goldfinch yesterday...
Two red-tailed (I think) hawks chasing a bald eagle and making a ruckus.
I saw this little cutie just as I was turning the onto my dirt road Attachment 15928
Saw this chickadee with a cigarette butt yesterday.
After I posted it on Flickr, a friend reminded me of these photos taken by one of my favorite bird photographers in Central Park:
http://thebethlenz.blogspot.com/2013...ly-smokes.html
A Google search turned up this article about birds using cigarette materials as insect-repelling nest lining.
I sent my photo and hers to the researcher quoted in the article.
I saw this jackrabbit when I was riding two weekends ago. He crossed the road and encountered a fence then sat for awhile to ponder where to go. They're really fun to watch move. On the same ride I saw wild turkeys and a road runner but they weren't up for a photo shoot.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...59703667_n.jpg
As seen on a local rail trail - an Eastern Water snake trying to suck some warmth out of the asphalt. We almost ran it over, so I got a long stick and pushed if off onto the grass.
They are not poisonous, but it was quite aggressive, coiling up & striking at the stick.
Attachment 16128