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professor_pat
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« on: January 23, 2012, 02:10:43 PM » |
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Since the "Birders' Thread" is on this board, I thought I'd go ahead and start this one here as well, for discussing animals other than birds - and plants, weather, geology, you name it! I'm currently entranced by the webcam in the den of Jewel, a black bear in northern Minnesota who gave birth to two cubs yesterday. She was mentioned on Prairie Home Companion last week. Her cubs sound amazingly like human babies - just fascinating. My other nest-cam favorite is Phoebe, a hummingbird in California who's raised 4-5 clutches in the same rosebush for years. It's a really high-quality video feed, making it hard to tear myself away to do actual work. Anyone else out there watching natural wildlife these days? |
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To me, forums are more of a relaxing period in which the poster can allow himself or himself to be lost in a sea of wonder.
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professor_pat
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« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2012, 03:03:44 PM » |
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Neat, Theritas, I didn't know there was a manatee-cam out there! I wonder if they're nervous with that alligator directly overhead? (I had a dept chair like that once...)
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To me, forums are more of a relaxing period in which the poster can allow himself or himself to be lost in a sea of wonder.
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peitho
Senior member
Posts: 299
Get your muse on!
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« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2012, 03:05:48 PM » |
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My building has a marmot, but I think it's gone into hibernation for the winter, along with most of the local fauna.
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professor_pat
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« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2012, 03:23:30 PM » |
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Last year during winter term, I took one of my classes out for a nature walk around our urban campus (downtown on one side, residential urban neighborhood on the other) and was startled to see not one but two raccoons in one of the maples - one clambering around the branches, the other curled up and snoozing cutely in between two branches below. I'd been on this campus for over twenty years and never seen a raccoon there before.
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To me, forums are more of a relaxing period in which the poster can allow himself or himself to be lost in a sea of wonder.
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wegie
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« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2012, 10:21:11 AM » |
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Despite being in London, we have a large fox population (and an even larger bin bag problem on Monday nights). Although I haven't seen him yet, we've got a new dog fox staking out territory this year, as he has a very different challenge bark to his predecessor.
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treehugger1
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« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2012, 08:48:14 AM » |
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What I've noticed around these (quite southerly) parts is the early arrival of spring. This is the earliest I've ever seen the trees rebudding and releafing.
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Not a member of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. May we live long and not die out.
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hipgeek
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« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2012, 09:21:07 AM » |
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I can't wait to check out these webcams when I have a little more time.
I live in a wildlife refuge but so far all I've seen are deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, turtles, garden snakes, a barred owl, other various birds (cardinals, jays, etc.), chipmunks, and squirrels. I can hear peeptoads and fishers during the spring and I get loads of frogs and toads in my yard as well.
I actually encountered a frog pooping one day and let me tell you it was half the size of his body!
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I have no tolerance for swinish behavior, except from actual swine.
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professor_pat
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« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2012, 06:22:56 PM » |
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Gee, hipgeek, it's too bad that's all you're seeing/hearing! </sarcasm>
I miss frog choruses so much, especially spring peepers. I grew up with them but there aren't any frogs in the place I live now. Whenever I get out into the countryside, though, I'm just in awe of that huge beautiful sound. Same for turtles and snakes, which I used to have as pets growing up (often catching my own), but which are nowhere nearby these days.
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To me, forums are more of a relaxing period in which the poster can allow himself or himself to be lost in a sea of wonder.
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hipgeek
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« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2012, 06:37:27 AM » |
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Gee, hipgeek, it's too bad that's all you're seeing/hearing! </sarcasm>
I miss frog choruses so much, especially spring peepers. I grew up with them but there aren't any frogs in the place I live now. Whenever I get out into the countryside, though, I'm just in awe of that huge beautiful sound. Same for turtles and snakes, which I used to have as pets growing up (often catching my own), but which are nowhere nearby these days.
You're right. I'm lucky. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I want to see coyotes (which I've heard) or other mammals that might mess with my dog. He's not tiny so I believe he could defend himself but I just wouldn't want him to have to test that. I've also seen rabbits and woodchucks, which are both adorable but I do wish they'd leave my garden alone! What kind of snakes did you catch, Professor_Pat? Did they make good pets? I'm still a little afraid of them myself. |
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I have no tolerance for swinish behavior, except from actual swine.
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drdata
Junior member
Posts: 94
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« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2012, 12:36:38 PM » |
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Our neighborhood is on the ridge of a mountain so we see a lot of wildlife. Squirrels, deer, skunks, possums and raccoon are always around (hate meeting a meandering skunk while running at 5 AM). We also have had gray foxes running around and several of us have seen a bobcat or two. Mountain lions are about but no sightings near us for the last decade. Coyotes are also on the prowl; I haven't seen one on our street (though several others have), yet but I have heard them often at night. Best sighting was a few years ago...a mature bald eagle soared past our deck one afternoon, not more than 30 feet from us.
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professor_pat
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« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2012, 02:09:10 PM » |
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I just caught garter snakes, maybe once a king snake (or maybe that was just in my imagination). I loved having them as pets. Although once in third grade, I took one to school in a shoebox for show and tell, and it escaped. That was REALLY fun - everyone got worried and there was quite a search. I think it was ultimately found in the school cafeteria kitchen and (now as an adult I really appreciate this part) actually returned to me in good health...with a request not to bring in any more snakes to school.
I've occasionally had the pleasure of seeing a coyote in my neighborhood and in the park near my house, and from our neighborhood website they're pretty common. Years ago I had a guest speaker in one of my classes who showed us a map of coyote routes through our city - really opened our eyes! (They often use train corridors, apparently.)
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To me, forums are more of a relaxing period in which the poster can allow himself or himself to be lost in a sea of wonder.
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barred_owl
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« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2012, 01:47:15 AM » |
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Thanks for starting this thread, professor_pat!
I haven't seen them yet, but we have two large carnivores to look out for: mountain lions and wolves. Mountain lion sightings have occurred about 40 miles east of here, and wolves as near as 10 miles or so. The sightings are rare, but they are well-documented ("critter cams" are wonderful things!).
We also have coyotes (I've heard them yipping), red foxes, black bears, river otters, and plenty of the smaller mustelids. I spotted a least weasel in winter pelage not long ago, too. There are moose just a little farther north, porcupines, beaver--you know, the typical northwoods mammalian fauna.
Of course, our most common wild mammalian species is white-tailed deer--we see at least six of them right out back nearly every day, and have seen as many as 23 at one time. Common, but still fun to watch.
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...I can't help rooting for the underdog underbird. |
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hipgeek
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« Reply #13 on: January 27, 2012, 06:39:17 AM » |
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Thanks for starting this thread, professor_pat!
I haven't seen them yet, but we have two large carnivores to look out for: mountain lions and wolves. Mountain lion sightings have occurred about 40 miles east of here, and wolves as near as 10 miles or so. The sightings are rare, but they are well-documented ("critter cams" are wonderful things!).
We also have coyotes (I've heard them yipping), red foxes, black bears, river otters, and plenty of the smaller mustelids. I spotted a least weasel in winter pelage not long ago, too. There are moose just a little farther north, porcupines, beaver--you know, the typical northwoods mammalian fauna.
Of course, our most common wild mammalian species is white-tailed deer--we see at least six of them right out back nearly every day, and have seen as many as 23 at one time. Common, but still fun to watch.
I would love to see 23 deer at once!! The most I've ever seen at once is 3. In fact, seeing 3 at once is pretty common--like they travel in packs of 3 all the time. |
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I have no tolerance for swinish behavior, except from actual swine.
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wegie
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« Reply #14 on: January 27, 2012, 02:25:47 PM » |
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Of course, our most common wild mammalian species is white-tailed deer--we see at least six of them right out back nearly every day, and have seen as many as 23 at one time. Common, but still fun to watch.
I would love to see 23 deer at once!! The most I've ever seen at once is 3. In fact, seeing 3 at once is pretty common--like they travel in packs of 3 all the time. Come to south west London! We have 650 in the park, and it's very common to see them in groups of up to 50 or so. |
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