fowl, game or ---

[ron l edmiston]

do you come across on your rides..

yesterday on the RS cx, back in the groves & round the ponds, covey of quail / some wild turkeys (damn big long beard'd jake with his bitches) and wild swine..
today on the jggp, most beautiful eagle perched on huge turpentine pine limb, hanging over the lake road --- felt like i could almost reach out and touch..

life is sooo good with many smiles,

ronnie

[bigbill]

Saw these yesterday on my ride, probably not wild.

[Zen Cyclery]

Used to see black bear and moose all the time when I was living in MT. A ton of bald eagles as well.

[thollandpe]

Yes, many smiles. Saw a big bald eagle nice and low this week. Two big white geese on a dam, heard a gaggle of wild turkeys just off the road.

But the prettiest this week were the big domestics, Belgian draft horses and Scottish highland cattle.
Belgian drafts.jpg

No quail or grouse, but man those flying footballs startle the bejeezus outta me when you flush em just off the singletrack.

[ron l edmiston]

Saw these yesterday on my ride, probably not wild.

what's them white faces mixed in with the angus --- polled herefords??

ronnie

[MarkC]

This morning, 7 or 8 wild turkeys smack in the middle of the road. They apparently haven't gotten the memo about what goes down a bit later this week.

Utah trip this year - four moose. Two were sighted well in advance but I came upon a mom and a kid resting just off the side of a down hill trail. Mom popped up very quickly and I managed to get whoaed up about 30 feet away and then went back the way I came.

Couple years ago along the Delaware river in NJ, black bear. Just hopping along in the woods several hundred feet from our group.

[ABiCi]

I passed a wallaby on my Saturday 200km. No chance for a photo, it was by the side of road and as soon as I realised it was there (and it realised I was there) it bounced off into the bush.

[vertical_doug]

turkey.jpg

This smart ass bird is no where to be found now 4 days from The Day.

Since it is cold now, I am thinking about cooking a goose, making some goose lard butter and putting some vodka in the freezer.....

[EFHeath]

IMG_0127.jpg

[steve garro]

Coolest lately was my 2nd otter sighting in my many years in AZ.
- Garro.

[caleb]

what's them white faces mixed in with the angus --- polled herefords??

ronnie

Probably black baldies (angus/hereford cross).

[simple]

Seeing wildlife is yet another reason I spend much more time on the trails than on the road. The sad thing is that I like cars....I just don't like their operators.

[vertical_doug]

The automobilis horriblis is the new apex predator in North America.

[brucew]

Nine or ten wild turkeys on this morning's commute. And a hawk. Couple of bluejays fighting. Plenty of deer scat, but no deer.

[rowdyhillrambler]

No doubt, black baldies.. I have had hundreds of the old girls. Herefords-red with white face. Angus-black (although there are some red varieties), but for this photo they were not involved.. Get those two together, pour a bottle of wine.. BOOM! black baldie.

I saw, what i thought was a bobcat last week, however on further inspection it was a very lightly colored fox. Pretty good size

Probably black baldies (angus/hereford cross).

[JitteryJoe]

turkey.jpg

This smart ass bird is no where to be found now 4 days from The Day.

Since it is cold now, I am thinking about cooking a goose, making some goose lard butter and putting some vodka in the freezer.....

Haven't seen so many wild turkeys lately. A cute little red fox scampered across the road a week ago.
And the next day I apparently disturbed a redtail hawk's roadside snack. As I rode past he took flight
with an unfortunate chipmunk in his talons.

About the wild turkeys, they seem less and less skittish about their human neighbors. A few years ago
I came home from the City mid-day, stepped off the train and in the parking lot several turkeys were
lounging on the hood of someone's car.

[j44ke]

A couple years ago, I had a buck with a full rack of antlers standing in the middle of the road turn suddenly and come directly at me. I don't think he was charging me as much as reacting to movement and panicking a bit. When he finally figured out I was coming towards him, he put on the brakes and fell directly on his ass with an audible "oof!" Quite embarrassing moment for him I am sure.

Squads of turkeys are a frequent event in parts of East Hampton out on Long Island. Like vertical-doug says though, they seem able to disappear entirely during hunting season. Then the day after it ends, suddenly they are all over the place. Literally. I rode slowly through a flock of 30+ a couple winters ago. They really didn't seem too inclined to get out of the way.

Saw a ring-necked pheasant last week. Male with his full plumage and extra long tail. Beautiful bird.

[chancerider]

A couple years ago, I had a buck with a full rack of antlers standing in the middle of the road turn suddenly and come directly at me. I don't think he was charging me as much as reacting to movement and panicking a bit. When he finally figured out I was coming towards him, he put on the brakes and fell directly on his ass with an audible "oof!" Quite embarrassing moment for him I am sure.

Squads of turkeys are a frequent event in parts of East Hampton out on Long Island. Like vertical-doug says though, they seem able to disappear entirely during hunting season. Then the day after it ends, suddenly they are all over the place. Literally. I rode slowly through a flock of 30+ a couple winters ago. They really didn't seem too inclined to get out of the way.

Saw a ring-necked pheasant last week. Male with his full plumage and extra long tail. Beautiful bird.

They, (wild turkeys) are some of the wiliest forest denizens you'll ever run into. One particular fellow comes to mind for me; I was turkey hunting on-stand...here comes Mr. Tom into a nearby clearing. He steps behind a small bush, and...GONE. I sit motionless for almost 1/2 hour...waiting him out..then I hear a small rustle behind me. I break cover and slowly turn my head to the rear. 20 yards behind me, at the crest of a small rise..is the same goddam Mr. Tom, who glances in my direction, then saunters over the crest of the rise and out of my life.

[Jonathan]

my pal I share office space with lives on the northwest side of Metro Orlando where gated community suburbia meets up with the Wekiwa preserve. He was camping in the back yard with his 3 yo Son and a decent sized black bear walked between his house and the neighbors. He saw the whole thing and was a bit spooked. Most people can camp their whole lives in FL and not see a black bear.

[caleb]

my pal I share office space with lives on the northwest side of Metro Orlando where gated community suburbia meets up with the Wekiwa preserve. He was camping in the back yard with his 3 yo Son and a decent sized black bear walked between his house and the neighbors. He saw the whole thing and was a bit spooked. Most people can camp their whole lives in FL and not see a black bear.

Don't you have gators, and snakes, and other creepy crawly stuff down there? A bear is nothing compared to insects and overgrown lizards that can kill you.

Reason #132 I could never live in the South: Gators.