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Wildlife Sightings Today

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    • sheepdog wrote:

      Chipmunk it's what's for breakfast.
      It was a gift for the family! My Maine Coon cat brought is one yesterday as well. Usually he brings us mice in the mornings.

      I thought he'd bring us rats too but I chased one right past him last week and he just looked at me like I was nuts for thinking it was his job to kill it.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Chipmunk it's what's for breakfast.
      It was a gift for the family! My Maine Coon cat brought is one yesterday as well. Usually he brings us mice in the mornings.
      I thought he'd bring us rats too but I chased one right past him last week and he just looked at me like I was nuts for thinking it was his job to kill it.
      Cats bring us food because they think we are incapable of providing for ourselves.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Rasty wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Chipmunk it's what's for breakfast.
      It was a gift for the family! My Maine Coon cat brought is one yesterday as well. Usually he brings us mice in the mornings.I thought he'd bring us rats too but I chased one right past him last week and he just looked at me like I was nuts for thinking it was his job to kill it.
      Cats bring us food because they think we are incapable of providing for ourselves.
      My cat is a smug self righteous bastard and is saying, née, ner, née, ner, née, ner....
      bacon can solve most any problem.

    • Encountered a porcupine last evening just after dark. It crossed the trail a few meters in front of us. The pup responded well. She didn't bark nor pull the leash. She stopped and watched the animal amble away.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • Weird 24 hours. Had a swarm of carpenter ant in last day. Always a few around, but thier numbers spiked dramatically. Suddenly dozens all over. Both inside & outside my trailer. Between them, a mouse & local with fireworks I didn't sleep much last night. While enjoying my corning coffee in my bunk while reading the mouse pops it's head up. I thought it might of went into my battery compartment & decided I needed to check them anyway. I pulled the cover of & find a garter snake. I cursed the lazy freeloaded & shussed him outside. Ants have started to decline, so maybe he finally decided to eat.

    • Mountain-Mike wrote:

      Weird 24 hours. Had a swarm of carpenter ant in last day. Always a few around, but thier numbers spiked dramatically. Suddenly dozens all over. Both inside & outside my trailer. Between them, a mouse & local with fireworks I didn't sleep much last night. While enjoying my corning coffee in my bunk while reading the mouse pops it's head up. I thought it might of went into my battery compartment & decided I needed to check them anyway. I pulled the cover of & find a garter snake. I cursed the lazy freeloaded & shussed him outside. Ants have started to decline, so maybe he finally decided to eat.
      The wildlife is wondering what you're doing in their home. ^^
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      Weird 24 hours. Had a swarm of carpenter ant in last day. Always a few around, but thier numbers spiked dramatically. Suddenly dozens all over. Both inside & outside my trailer. Between them, a mouse & local with fireworks I didn't sleep much last night. While enjoying my corning coffee in my bunk while reading the mouse pops it's head up. I thought it might of went into my battery compartment & decided I needed to check them anyway. I pulled the cover of & find a garter snake. I cursed the lazy freeloaded & shussed him outside. Ants have started to decline, so maybe he finally decided to eat.
      The wildlife is wondering what you're doing in their home. ^^

      Folks around here marvel at the deer, moose, and squirrels scampering thru the yard when first moving into the area. Than when the cat's remains are found out back after a mountain lion has it for an appetizer, the dog earns a vet visit after sniffing a porcupine, or the landscaping is devoured by a deer herd the attitude shifts to why doesn't the government do something about these animals. Tax dollars are expended in capturing and relocating deer (with a 50# mortality rate).

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • I heard just today while shopping someome asking a local where the animals were coming from, the clerk mentioned that was a new housing area and the animals probably came back after the construction was over and peopel had moved in. The new home owner shouldn't be surprised.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • These aren't the best pictures by far since I seem to never have my actual camera with me when I see animals but here are some of my neighbors (moose) and critters I've seen out and about in the past week. There have been countless moose (I think I've seen 15 in just the last week), several bald eagles, various small birds, two rabbits, five porcupines, one coyote, dozens of arctic ground squirrels, salmon, some rainbow trout that are still just a bit too small to keep and eat and 1,000,000,000,000 mosquitoes.













      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot

    • When my wife and I went to Alaska for vacation in 2006 we rode the Tony Knowles (spelling?) bicycle path. We saw a couple of moose in a wooded area. But what surprised me was how many we saw in a residential area where the trail ended. They were grazing on peoples trees, shrubs and other plantings.

    • nbcconnecticut.com/news/nation…th-of-July-385411491.html


      Sharp-Shooting Veteran Saves Bald Eagle


      Sharp-shooting skills that Jason Galvin honed serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan came in handy when he spotted a bald eagle trapped up in a tree this July 4 weekend weekend. Galvin noticed the young bird hanging upside down from a rope as he was making a run for bait at Rush Lake in Minnesota. Galvin made calls to the fire department and the Department of Natural resources, but ultimately ended up taking the rescue into his own hands. “Fourth of July. That’s our bird. I can’t let it sit there,” Galvin said. He grabbed a Ruger 10/22 rifle and aimed it up at the tree. “I saw him in the scope. He was looking at me," Galvin said. The Army veteran fired 150 times, clearing branches out of the way and then striking the rope. The bird fell down into soft underbrush. It was taken awake and alert to a raptor center to recover. “There were lots of tears. It was breathtaking. It was a beautiful moment,” Galvin said
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I guess he found a nice warm spot. He was back today.
      Am I the only one that thinks it's hilarious that the snake is on top of a Cobra battery...with a picture of a snake?
      I have just as many questions about the battery array and power inverter as I do about the snake!

      Also, what species is it? I'm terrible with snake identification.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • I saw where a guy was attacked by a bobcat on the AT near Humpback Mountain (that's about 10 mikes south of Waynesboro). Kinda strange as bobcats are very shy. As much time as I've spent in the woods I've heard them cry at night but never seen one, never had one closer than a couple hundred feet probably.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I saw where a guy was attacked by a bobcat on the AT near Humpback Mountain (that's about 10 mikes south of Waynesboro). Kinda strange as bobcats are very shy. As much time as I've spent in the woods I've heard them cry at night but never seen one, never had one closer than a couple hundred feet probably.
      I've been within 75 feet of one once when I was deer hunting. It had no idea I was sitting in a treestand nearby and I got to watch it for a full minute or so. Very cool creatures.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I guess he found a nice warm spot. He was back today.
      Am I the only one that thinks it's hilarious that the snake is on top of a Cobra battery...with a picture of a snake?
      I have just as many questions about the battery array and power inverter as I do about the snake!
      Also, what species is it? I'm terrible with snake identification.
      Ahhhh...I realize by your comment that the snake is on an inverter and not a battery. And I have no idea what an inverter is.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I guess he found a nice warm spot. He was back today.
      Am I the only one that thinks it's hilarious that the snake is on top of a Cobra battery...with a picture of a snake?
      I have just as many questions about the battery array and power inverter as I do about the snake!Also, what species is it? I'm terrible with snake identification.
      Ahhhh...I realize by your comment that the snake is on an inverter and not a battery. And I have no idea what an inverter is.
      It appears that the setup is usong those batteries as the power source and the inverter is converting it to standard 110v.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I saw where a guy was attacked by a bobcat on the AT near Humpback Mountain (that's about 10 mikes south of Waynesboro). Kinda strange as bobcats are very shy. As much time as I've spent in the woods I've heard them cry at night but never seen one, never had one closer than a couple hundred feet probably.
      Almost certain the attack had to do with kittens nearby....cutest little animal I've ever seen was a little bobcat kitten a lady had...would make one helluva house cat.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I saw where a guy was attacked by a bobcat on the AT near Humpback Mountain (that's about 10 mikes south of Waynesboro). Kinda strange as bobcats are very shy. As much time as I've spent in the woods I've heard them cry at night but never seen one, never had one closer than a couple hundred feet probably.
      Several years ago, I had one that frequented my front yard. There was a wooded area across the street from my house and my back yard backed up to a refuge of sorts. I never bothered her, she never bothered me and I tried valiantly to convince my jack russell that he DID NOT want to chase that kitty. The only time I ever had cause for concern was when I looked out the front door one day to see her moving her babies across my front yard.
      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot

    • LIhikers wrote:

      When my wife and I went to Alaska for vacation in 2006 we rode the Tony Knowles (spelling?) bicycle path. We saw a couple of moose in a wooded area. But what surprised me was how many we saw in a residential area where the trail ended. They were grazing on peoples trees, shrubs and other plantings.
      My husband and I frequently joke that we can drive all over the undeveloped areas and see nothing but walk out the front door and see a moose happily munching away. Porcupines though, I knew they lived in Alaska before moving here but I had no idea how many there were. If anyone had asked me what one animal I thought I would see the most while living here, my answer would not have been porcupines and I would have been wrong.
      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I guess he found a nice warm spot. He was back today.
      Am I the only one that thinks it's hilarious that the snake is on top of a Cobra battery...with a picture of a snake?
      I have just as many questions about the battery array and power inverter as I do about the snake!Also, what species is it? I'm terrible with snake identification.
      Ahhhh...I realize by your comment that the snake is on an inverter and not a battery. And I have no idea what an inverter is.
      It appears that the setup is usong those batteries as the power source and the inverter is converting it to standard 110v.
      I live off grid. Batteries are storage from my solar system. Inverter is for when I need 120 voltage, it convert it from 12 volt DC to AC.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Also, what species is it? I'm terrible with snake identification.

      Thamnophis sirtalis, I think. But doing an identification to the level of species in the North American natricines baffles even the experienced herpetologists. There's no real consensus on the taxonomy. These are T. sirtalis, found within a relatively short distance of each other, and you can see the variability.

      [IMG:https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5341/9514559127_05ea62a11d.jpg]

      [IMG:https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7452/10030277274_8576871619.jpg]

      [IMG:https://c8.staticflickr.com/4/3806/10030365575_f85cc9093b.jpg]
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Also, what species is it? I'm terrible with snake identification.
      Thamnophis sirtalis, I think. But doing an identification to the level of species in the North American natricines baffles even the experienced herpetologists. There's no real consensus on the taxonomy. These are T. sirtalis, found within a relatively short distance of each other, and you can see the variability.

      [IMG:https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5341/9514559127_05ea62a11d.jpg]

      [IMG:https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7452/10030277274_8576871619.jpg]

      [IMG:https://c8.staticflickr.com/4/3806/10030365575_f85cc9093b.jpg]
      Translation.....it's a friggin garter snake,
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Drybones wrote:


      Translation.....it's a friggin garter snake,

      Well, yeah. But let me expand in English this time...

      Garter snakes come in all sorts of colors and patterns, so even the experts aren't sure if they're all the same species or how many species there are. And the experts have the same problem with the milk snakes and king snakes. (All three groups are related, and they're called 'natricine' snakes.) Those pictures were of garter snakes that lived within a few miles of each other, and you can see that the colors and patterns are quite different.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • sheepdog wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      I'm no good with snakes, but I can help with bird identification:

      If it is a small brown bird, then it is a sparrow.
      Upon further reviewing the photo, I don't think it's a sparrow. :D
      There are two basic kinds of birds. Robins and non robins.
      Big Bird and Tweety Bird.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does