What wildlife do you see on your rides?

[bcipam]

Nanci:

You must be a real bird lover to think vultures are "cute"... interesting maybe but cute NO!

[Aggie_Ama]

On our normal ride the other day I BAFFLED to see elk. I guess that is what they were, sure as heck were not white tail deer. There is a large barbed wire area on the side of a busy road and there they were. Huge antlers, big animals. I googled Elk and that is my guess of what they are. If I can find my digital camera I will HAVE to take a photo. Talk about a shock, isn't it too hot for elk here?

[SadieKate]

Vultures are too cute!! Have you ever seen them skipping? And in the mornings, they are so slow to warm up and start flying...

Yeah, ever so cute when they're lined up on a fence in the morning sun with their gargoyle loom and glare.

[bikerz]

lined up on a fence in the morning sun with their gargoyle loom and glare.

Lovely turn of phrase, SK!

[bcipam]

On our normal ride the other day I BAFFLED to see elk. I guess that is what they were, sure as heck were not white tail deer. There is a large barbed wire area on the side of a busy road and there they were. Huge antlers, big animals. I googled Elk and that is my guess of what they are. If I can find my digital camera I will HAVE to take a photo. Talk about a shock, isn't it too hot for elk here?

After doing Hellweek (Fredericksburg, TX) several years ago I'm not amazed or surprised you saw elk. We saw all sorts of exotic deer and antelope - all escapees from local "hunt club" or whatever you call the drive in and shot 'em places. The friend I did the ride with, is a zoologist and runs a zoo. She commented there was more exotic critters running around then they had in the zoo. Sortof cool, but weird!

[Deanna]

After doing Hellweek (Fredericksburg, TX) several years ago I'm not amazed or surprised you saw elk. We saw all sorts of exotic deer and antelope - all escapees from local "hunt club" or whatever you call the drive in and shot 'em places. The friend I did the ride with, is a zoologist and runs a zoo. She commented there was more exotic critters running around then they had in the zoo. Sortof cool, but weird!

From an ecological standpoint, this is kind-of scary. You have to wonder what it's going to do to the food chain of the native flora & fauna.

[Aggie_Ama]

After doing Hellweek (Fredericksburg, TX) several years ago I'm not amazed or surprised you saw elk. We saw all sorts of exotic deer and antelope - all escapees from local "hunt club" or whatever you call the drive in and shot 'em places. The friend I did the ride with, is a zoologist and runs a zoo. She commented there was more exotic critters running around then they had in the zoo. Sortof cool, but weird!

Yeah there are a lot of exotic hunting ranches in the Hill Country, South Texas and East of Austin (where I went to college). This isn't really a big enough area for one of those, so I am not sure if they are just visiting or what they are there for. It was bizarre.

[Aggie_Ama]

This time I managed to get DH to look at the field in time, he confirmed they are elk. And there is a lot of the beauties out in the field. They are so gorgeous! I_need_to get a photo.

The next few minutes of our ride was debating why there are Elk along Parmer Lane. DH's theory is they are being bred for meat or to be shipped to an exotic game ranch. I guess they wouldn't be pets, would they? There is one big guy with a huge set of antlers, he is so beautiful. At least it is cooling down a bit for them.

[Aggie_Ama]

This morning's ride had a new sighting- blue heron. Though not rare for Texas, I can't recall seeing any lately. I rolled down a hill over the river and there they were. Luckily I was curious to see how high the river is or I would have missed them. There was four of them, one wading, two flying and one swimming (or maybe wading in deeper water). What beautiful and majestic creatures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Heron

I unfortunately saw four dead armadillos as well and all were pretty fresh (ick). Poor little guys, doesn't seem to have been a good night for them.

[shootingstar]

Where we live...one morning I thought I saw a coyote..which is not totally impossible. But it was in a park by a university campus. The "dog" looked abit strange. I've seen coyotes from a car elsewhere.

Other wildlife...in I've seen at home... big huge purple starfish in the middle of bike path. Bullfrogs blurping away. Bald-headed eagles wheeling above do occur if one is paying attention... One would have to be off bike, to spot the rare seal..in water near a city..

And elsewhere on travels, elk, baby black bear, herd of bighorn sheep..all of this was in Alberta.

The creepiest incident was when we were in Vermont. We got off our bikes and eating at a restaurant by a river. Then my partner aimed his camera..he thought he saw a white cougar. I thought he was nuts. Then the big white stone...disappeared when I looked again. One of the locals did confirm there had been rare sighting of a white cougar in area.

And I could never the time of seeing a moose just outside of Montreal ..but from a train. Near major highways. Everyone stared through the window. I think it was real....

[OakLeaf]

Yesterday there was a large-ish hawk sitting on a fencepost very near the road. (I'm not good at hawks, maybe a red-shouldered, but really not sure. Could've been a redtail, too, since I didn't see the tail.) Hawks are a common sight around here, but they usually choose a higher perch, so it was cool to see him/her so close up!

Shootingstar... a starfish? On the bike path?!

[shootingstar]

Shootingstar... a starfish? On the bike path?!

A raised bike path (well-known to locals) that runs through Stanley Park, runs near the ocean water. Actually I've seen live, occasional starfish (or maybe they recently died) on the bike path. Not clear, how each starfish got there, but the waves can occasionally get high (in a storm..) to fling stuff onto the path.

another thing that I have seen...elsewhere is the occasional banana slug crawling across path. they are slugs that are a bright yellow, shaped like a banana. Kinda beautiful and strange.. When I was new to the Pacific coast, never saw them before. They tend to hang out in woodsy areas...obviously.

Of course always dread the skunk streaking across in the twilight..

[jobob]

A bald eagle soared over me yesterday on Calaveras Road.

Its nest has been on top of a nearby power line tower for a year or two now, and I've seen the eagle (and some eaglets) perched on the nest or on the tower, but this is the first time I saw the eagle outside of the nest.

It was such a cool sight.

[Aggie_Ama]

While in Fort Davis, pronghorn antelope!

[OakLeaf]

On Saturday, a red fox - first one I'd seen in about four years - a blue heron trying to swallow a fish three times as big as its head - and a yellow Lab who had ahold of a raccoon.