indyfabz

They grow really big in North Dakota. Steele. 2006.

RMTBaiden

It's that time off year where deer are out and about, so I pass deer on my daily rides. I read that this spring there is supposed to be a bunch of cicadas across the country so I have a feeling that will be an interesting site to see. Mostly I just see the occasional road kill and most of the time the house that doesn't want to keep there dogs contained.

calamarichris

I was riding up near Helen Hunt Falls in Colorado too early in Spring and I was pedaling hard to avoid freezing my @$$ off. (The waterfalls were surreal and gorgeous: they looked like blue, frozen blobs swelling on top of each other because the water kept flowing and compressing the ice below.)
On the freezing ride back down the hill, I saw a family (pack?) of black bears having a trash-picnic in a deserted camping area near the falls. I stopped and unclipped to take a picture. But the CLICK of my cycling shoe unclipping alerted them and a black-bear grenade went off. Trash picnic over. Panicked bears running in every direction. I stood there feebly in plastic shoes on slippery asphalt while one of them charged directly at me. I ducked behind my puny Masi bicycle and waited to be mauled in my ridiculous cycling shoes and outfit.
And the bear ran around me as if I were just another tree in the forest. It was not a pleasant ride home in tights on such a cold day with a urine-soaked chamois. Didn't get that picture either, but the bear passed close enough for me to smell him; smelled like valerian tea.

Pouhana

Our daughter (Servelo rider triathlons)
is a heptathlon champ. Her lady's team was NCAA champs. She ran an Ultra in the mountains of N N.M. and passed a bawling cow with a few cowboys on horses. In 2 miles she found a newborn calf with cord attached. Tossed the calf over her shoulders, ran back to the cow and kept back on racing. (she did a marathon at 18,000 in South America on way to watch Olympics which she didn't qualify for) Running ultras at night they see so many critters that are not out in daylight.
I see a lot since I ride 8,000 miles a year.
50 years of yacht racing and cruising I collect memories of unique birds.

curbtender

The crows diving into this tree got me wondering what was up. I didn't expect to see Andy Rooney...

indyfabz

“Did you ever notice…?”

My favorite birds. During my 2022 cross-PA tour I camped the first night in a shelter along the Allegheny River Trail in Franklin. Just after I crawled into my tent, an owl on a limb just above started hooting. We had a conversation for about 5 minutes. I don’t think either of us knew what the other was saying, but it was fun. I wanted to get out and try to see him, but I thought it would scare him off.

During another cross-PA tour I camped the first night in Rockwood. I was sitting at my picnic table when I heard hoots as dusk was approaching. Maybe 5 minutes later, a small owl pounced on a chipmunk that was hanging around a tree stump about 12 feet away. Heard the poor thing make his last sounds before the owl flew off with it. Real Wild Kingdom moment.

Rick_D

From the American River levee I spotted splashing, large, near the opposite shore. Seeing gulls swooping I stopped to watch and a sea lion surfaced, holding a fish. The show went on for 5-10 minutes until it dove out of view and the gulls departed. Couple minutes later the critter surfaced half a mile upstream.

Amazing to me was how far he was from the Bay--a mile up the American from where it enters the Sacramento River at mile 60. Guess they follow the salmon migration, it's the beleaguered winter Chinook run at present.

Craptastic video frame grab and crop.

curbtender

The harbor seals get pretty far up.

t2p

yesterday / Friday Feb 9 - Apollo PA (northeast of Pittsburgh)

( not me btw )

indyfabz

Truly while riding.

Rick_D

On arriving home, "Do you remember how you always wanted an alligator purse?"

flangehead

No picture, but at home one dark morning I heard a loud hoot and I pointed my helmet-mounted light at it. Great Horned Owl on the chimney. I probably burned out the poor fella’s retinas…

t2p

often on the lookout for a bear - never thought of looking for an alligator

SoCaled 

The trick to me here is not the riding (great shot), but Where/How does one find an alligator in PA in February.?

Rick_D

Neighbors had a GHO perch in their tree, escaping a flock of harassing crows. It remained until sundown and I managed to get some pics, despite it being quite far off the ground. I don't believe they live here, just migrate though, so it was a very rare treat for me.


I like to believe he was thinking, "Okay crows, just you wait 'til dark."

indyfabz

Biketiresdirect.com?

Dudelsack 

‘Difficult to see here, but two manatees while I was tootling along Little Mud Creek.

Dudelsack 

‘This would not even raise an eyebrow if you were in SoFlo.

indyfabz

This is Thor. He lives at the Audubon Center in, you guessed it, Audubon, PA. You don’t mess with Thor.

DangerousDanR

Is that an alligator or a caiman? Either way it is either a photo shop, and a good one too, or a released one that someone got tired of, or maybe an escape artist.