What wildlife do you see on your rides?

We encountered a pair of sandhill cranes in the same area we often see them - I guess they nest there - but this time they were in the bike lane and not a bit spooked by our 23 mph paceline. We had to get out of their way as they stood their ground.

Feral Pigs a Crooked River State Park in St. Mary's, GA.
http://www.southeasternphotography.c...37978684_TokpU
We didn't take this photo but this is what they looked like.

We were pedaling out of the campground for a ride on the submarine base when we saw a young couple with some big, black dogs on the side of the road. When we got closer we saw that they were not dogs but pigs! And there were a bunch of them on both sides of the road! Luckily none decided to cross in front of us. They were very shiny and attractive for pigs.

I also saw an armadillo on the base golf course during the ride. The first "live" armadillo I have seen on a ride or run. They make the most disgusting road kill.

We were adjacent to a bird sanctuary for a portion of the ride and saw a huge variety.

There was also a baby deer making the meet and greet rounds at the campground but we only saw it while in the truck or walking Cooper.

The pig photographs are really interesting. Armadillos in Georgia? Seeing the baby deer must be wonderful, though I do have mixed feelings about them being so used to humans. In Shenandoah you see them hoping to be fed and it makes me so sad.

Thanks for posting the pigs!

Armadillos in Georgia?

We are crawling with them.
Before moving here in 1985 I thought the only state with armadillos was Texas.

We had one in the brush beside our camp site making a huge racket on Saturday night. Cooper, our JRT, was all upset about it.

We have alligators in Georgia too. I thought they were only to be found in Florida prior to moving South and East. I have seen them while riding a bike as well. Just not since I discovered this forum.

I had a lot to learn when I relocated to the East Coast. Like you have to attach "State" on the tail end of Washington when you tell people where you are from or they think you grew up in Washington, DC.

We have several red tail hawk hatches in Manhattan -- two are within my biking range. These photos are of the nest in Riverside Park, which I've watched for a year now. Riverside Mom and Dad are so smart -- we silly humans were worried about her nest location, but it survived two Nor'easters. Tonight the photographer of the below photos was kind enough to let me look at babies through his camera.

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_ha...dtailed_hawks/

The hawk nest on the building in the photos below belongs to Palemale and Lola -- their nest was famously destroyed by building management in 2005. After protests, a nest cradle was put up for them to rebuild, but their eggs have never hatched since humans interfered. We think Riverside Mom is Palemale's daughter, so at least he has grandchildren this year!

http://palemale.com/april272010.html

Pam, I see Red-tails often in Tucson. I also see a lot of Cooper's Hawks, as well as Curve-billed Thrashers, Cactus Wrens, Gila Woodpeckers and the ubiquitous Mourning Doves- plus White-winged Doves now that spring is back... Of course, I see more when I am moving more slowly up the hills than when I'm cruising on flats or flying down hills.

We have at least one red-tailed hawk that lives and hunts along my local urban rail-trail. I saw him get a rabbit once.

The best, however, was a week or so ago when DH & I were riding along the same trail and a wild turkey crossed in front of us. I was thrilled. Come to find out, turkeys have been moving back in to our town. It makes sense, once I think about it. The trail corridor is actually pretty good habitat for wild things, with a lack of predators/hunters, the hawks excepted. I'm looking forward to more turkey sightings.

Azfiddle, what a wonderful variety you get to see! We had a Cooper's hawk wintering over in Central Park which was quite a thrill. I even dreamed about Cooper's hawks.

MomOnBike, I would love to see a redtail get a rabbit. I could watch them hunt for hours (in fact, I do).

Three of our redtail babies died in a windstorm Saturday. The nest just gave way (gusts were up to 55 mph). It was so sad -- they were just weeks away from fledging. The parents started rebuilding the nest and copulating immediately, but the experts tell me they are unlikely to produce more eggs.

A couple weeks ago I saw a cottontail mountain biking, he was so cute and terrified of me coming! I also saw the funkiest beetle last weekend, it was sparkly and green. Road riding a few weeks back a saw a road runner, they are probably my favorite bird. I love that they eat rattlesnakes and always seem to be on a mission. Plus they are just darn cool looking. :cool:

Last night I did 16 miles around Lake Miramar and I saw a red tail hawk hunting (it was nearing dusk) and I hoped it wouldn't see the bunny I had just passed hopping quickly across the road. I also heard coyotes howling and yipping at each other up in the hills above the bike path. Pretty neat. This was the same hillside where I heard then saw that golden eagle last year.

Roxy

I saw an Osprey a few days apart at an urban park with a lake. It was gone today...

I was riding on a college campus last week, my son ahead of me on his bike. Deserted road. There comes a nutria up out of the grass, crossing the pavement. Sees my son coming towards him and stops dead in his tracks, and then hunkers down in the street like a cat about to strike. I stopped to watch it, because I didn't want to run him over or get bit if he decided to go for it. A pickup comes along and it takes off running into the grass and back to the creek. It looked like a giant squirrel, running low to the ground. They seem to have a lot of loose skin, like a bloodhound, and it wiggles when they run, and their coat is kind of silky looking. Anyway, it was cool!

eta: A picture of one.

Karen

I saw a wild mink on one ride. :)

I saw a beautiful doe this morning, she was watching me cycle down the road toward her - she was at the forest edge at a T-intersection, as I slowed down to move she turned and disappeared into the trees. It was good to see her!

The other evening, DH suggested a bike picnic. OK, off we go. There is an urban park that has a nice pavilion surrounded by a wooded area. About halfway through the picnic, I looked up and saw 3 white-tailed deer. They crossed the small park and disappeared into some shrubs on the other side.

Not a bad sighting for a decidedly in-town setting.