What wildlife do you see on your rides?

[moonfroggy]

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.

[ame]

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.

[PamNY]

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

[ame]

@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.

[PamNY]

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.

[PamNY]

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.

[emily_in_nc]

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.

Stunning photos of the beautiful warbler - wow!

[azfiddle]

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

[PamNY]

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

[Trekhawk]

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.

[emily_in_nc]

Aww, that's sad about Lola. We have the Pale Male video, and I found the story so incredibly touching.

[PamNY]

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)

[emily_in_nc]

How wonderful! Thanks for posting these, PamNY.

[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.

[emily_in_nc]

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.

What beautiful photos - thanks for sharing the link. The poster called the mate a "person" in one caption! That made me smile.