Rootman

I saw a few skinks a few weeks back, never seen any before then suddenly see three dart across the road / MUP in just a few days.

I also saw a roadrunner on a ride a few months ago, very rare, especially around here as we wer as about as far north as they go.

lapcon

The coolest would have to be the bear that ran across directly in front and near us in East TN. Within 30 feet of him/her. They sure can move fast when they want to.

OldTryGuy

An American Bald Eagle on the ground 10' away looking at me as I cycled by. It didn't flinch a bit as it had a kill in it's claws.

Myosmith

A bald eagle flying, over backwaters along the road, at about my eye level was probably the coolest. I've also had close encounters with whitetail deer and the occasional fox, raccoon or skunk. There are moose, wolves, and the occasional cougar or black bear in some of the areas where I ride, but no luck yet.

10 Wheels

Bear

Machka 

I've seen a lot of wildlife, but the one that got my full attention was the cougar (mountain lion).

I was cycling along just out of Canmore on a 400K. The sun was almost down when something ran across the road in front of me. I didn't know what it was, but ran through all the possibilities in my mind ... deer, elk, bear, dog, horse ... but nothing fit. Then it ran up on the embankment on the other side of the road, and crouched ... and looked at me. As soon as it crouched, I knew what it was. A very, very large cat.

I had a helmet light on my helmet, and it was on. So I rode past slowly, turning my head to shine my light at it. I was hoping I would appear big. A little ways past it, I had a sudden burst of energy, and rode like I've rarely ridden before.


[HR][/HR]

While cycling in Australia I've seen ... just to name a few ...

-- kangaroos
-- wallabies
-- wombats
-- possums
-- echidnas
-- emus
-- birds of all sorts (parrots, rosellas, cockatoos, kookaburras, magpies, ibis, herons, etc. etc.)
-- snakes
-- frogs
-- a blue-tongued goanna
-- bats of various sizes

Here's a koala I saw and photographed on Rowan's and my February 2008 tour in Australia:



Here's a kookaburra at Wilson's Prom:




Here's a photo set of animals I've seen here in Australia ... some while riding, some where I live, some on other travels ...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7623280801300/


On some of my other tours and rides I've seen ...

-- bears (black, brown, and grizzly)
-- a cougar (mountain lion)
-- foxes
-- coyotes
-- deer
-- elk
-- mountain sheep
-- rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, muskrats, rats, gophers, porcupines, and lots of mice
-- all sorts of domestic creatures including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, and buffalo
-- swooping owls
-- a great blue herron that rose up out of the ditch and scared me half to death
-- wild turkeys
-- turtles

Some mountain sheep watching my father cycle past:

walrus1

I saw a hawk once! Yeah, NYC doesn't have a lot of wildlife....

Clarabelle

A moose and her calf.

mrodgers

I'm waiting to see a bear and also a bald eagle. Haven't seen either yet and they are both prevalent to the area since I am riding along the Allegheny River.

Thus far, all I've seen were deer, chipmunks, and squirrels. On a different bike trail (Moraine State Park in mid-western PA) there were 2 fawns that stood on the trail eating the grass on the side that I walked my bike between when I saw them. I could have patted each one on the head as I passed through. There was a group of about 7 of us (not together) stopped watching them and we all walked through. They didn't budge and kept eating.

I just know when it starts to get dark early that I'm going to see a Sasquatch coming down off the hill next to my trail to get to the river, LOL.

Rootman

I've seen lots of those, probably just fellow clydesdale members

Rogan

Two weeks ago today I was on the Suncoast Trail a mile or so north of the Starkey Wilderness Trail junction. I caught a glimpse of something over the guard rail and down an embankment. As I rode north I kept wondering what that was. A half mile past I mad a U turn. It was a good sized alligator, about ten feet and real wide (fat). It was laying in wait for a Greater Egret to get just a little closer.

Funny thing is several other cyclists rode past me and looked at me while I leaned against the rail. My guess is not a single other person saw the gator twenty feet away while I was watching. The gator was gone on my return trip two hours later.

DX-MAN

A little over a year ago, I saw a full-grown buck deer...about 30 feet away, just off the MUP, in TOWN. About a six-pointer.

Thought for a minute it was somebody's decoy, until it turned its head to watch me.....

vol

I'm so envious... Wish NYC would import some wild animals

Machka, where was the last picture with mountains taken? It is such an awesome place to cycle!
(I remember I started a similar thread a couple of years ago and browsed your album. I still find the wombat the cutest! )

walrus1

Someday soon we'll have moose sized rats! Who will be jealous then? Huh?

Machka 

The Canadian Rockies ... specifically Hwy 11 between Nordegg and Saskatchewan River Crossing. Saskatchewan River Crossing is on the Icefield Parkway. For cycling, Hwy 11 is a beautiful choice, but most people stick to the Icefield Parkway.

I lived right near that area for several years recently, and I grew up living in various places along the edge of the Rockies.

That mountain photo is one of many in my Hwy 11 and Icefield Parkway collection.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7619203595712/

vol

Thanks for sharing! Cycling there is like a dream for me.

@ walrus1: We do have a special wild animal species in NYC: the cab drivers (not cute at all).

Roody

I once had a deer block the trail and hiss at me when I was mountain biking. There have been many reports of deer attacking cyclists. They don't seem to recognize you as human when you're riding a bike--much like car drivers.

Pidge

Hawks eating snakes on electric poles is probably the coolest so far. Also coyotes, vultures, quails, millipedes, rabbits, cool looking beetles, lizards. I'd love to see a snake but don't want to get freaked out cuz it would most likely be a rattler :/ .

Machka 

We see several snakes every summer when we ride. On one occasion, a brown was crossing the road. Rowan cycled behind it, but startled it so that it arched up and swung around back toward the shoulder ... where I was. I had to pick up the pace suddenly when I realised it was coming for my leg.

Artkansas 

I had one commuting route down the center of a nature preserve. It was good for close encounters with coyotes, bobcats, mule deer, cows, skunks and hummingbirds. I got to ride with a coyote, who seemed surprised that I was keeping up with him as we sped along the path down the center of the preserve.

mrodgers

Speaking of snakes, I ran over what I think was a copperhead the other evening. It could have been just a regular old watersnake but there are a lot of copperheads there because of the river. It was at the beginning of my ride and cold so my eyes were tearing up slightly. Some leaves have already fallen and I didn't see it til the last second when I ran over its tail.

It got me thinking, what would happen a few miles in if you were to get bitten by a venomous snake? Your heart rate is up and blood is pumping away and there I would be in the middle of the woods with no one around, no way for any one to come get me quickly and my only option would be to continue to have my heart rate elevated to get back to civilization.

Artkansas 

Cool. I've never seen a road runner in AR. I used to have a nesting pair that lived on my roof when I lived in the desert. They liked the shade of the tree in the center of my roof and the fact that my front yard had the only snails in the neighborhood. It was like a free mini-bar for them.

lenA

I came up from behind on a coyote in a field who was totally concentrating on something to pounce on.... when I yelled hey!, it leaped up in the air so high that if it had a basketball in its mouth, it could have dropped it into a hoop on the way down

Machka 

A good portion of First Aid courses here in Australia deal with what to do if you're bitten. One of the things they say is to lay still ... don't move.

Artkansas 

Once I came upon a bobcat that had a rabbit cornered, in his paws. The bobcat looked over at me, the rabbit ran.