Your favorite wildlife encounters and wi shlist

“I want to see a flamingo in Michigan or Ohio.

It has happened before - at the Ottawa NWR on Lake Erie in Ohio.

I also would have loved to have seen the wild bear that got to Metro Detroit a few years ago. Or the wolf that was recorded along I-94 between Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Wildlife in unexpected places, I say.

You even have to watch out for alligators. They aren't natural, but people let 'em go. There were 5 or 10 rescues in Michigan and Ohio last year. One hung out underneath the freeway on the Maumee River - Toledo - until a woman in a canoe spotted and captured it. Wouldn't that be an exciting canoe ride?”

“I have seen some interesting birds while birdwatching or sightseeing (herons,egrets,bald eagles) and humpback whales on a whale watching trip. The only interesting wildlife encounter I have had while hiking is seeing a rattlesnake from about 3 feet away (that will get your adrenaline going). I have seen plenty of bear scat, but no black bears yet.

My current wishlist would be mountain lion, bobcat, wolf, bighorn sheep, and elk.”

“Woke up to a MASSIVE bull moose eating the leaves above my tent.

Moose and calf swim across a lake

Loons with young riding their backs

Fox who followed us 2 miles to camp

Wolf prints and howls

Heard of elk

Scarlet tananger

5' pike”

“Mid-Sixties Yeah way back there. Two otters I saw playing in the St. Mary's River while deer hunting of the Florida/Georgia line. How could anyone not love otters?

1968, Oleander St. Neptune Beach, Florida. I had just come in out of the water. My friends were still surfing. This dolphin puts on a surfing exhibition. He shredded a six foot wave and at the end shot ten feet out of the water. I guess he wanted to show us how it was really done.

1974. The she bear that decided to crawl into the AT trail shelter on Mt. LeConte and tear into my pack looking for goodies. Still have the pot she bit through.

1975. Three bull moose with massive racks, all together relaxing beside a stream, 75 feet from me as I walked up a trail in Teton National Park.

A couple of years ago my dad and I saw something big in a dead pine out in the middle of this clear cut. I put my binoculars on it and it was a Bald Eagle, the first I'd ever seen in the wild. Fantastic.

Now-a-days I enjoy the Mallard ducks and the Great Blue Heron that visit the pond down below the house. We also have a family of redtail hawks that cruise around the neighborhood. I love to hear them whistling. And late at night in the winter I sometimes wake up to hear our resident owl hooting.
Nothing like it because I don't live in the country but in a metropolitan area.”

“I want to see a Painted Bunting.”

“I have Painted and a bunch of Indigo Buntings that come to my feeder. The female painted comes also. They are beautiful. I have pictures of up to 20 indigos and a few of the Painted, none of the female though.”

“Sol are you from Neptune Beach? That is just a couple a minutes from my place.”

“Oh yeah, the otter population on the St. Marys is still going strong. Gotta agree, otters are great.”

“reformed, that sandhill call is certainly something. Our U.S. 51/I-34 route from Madison north is right on the flyway. I've had them fly about 20 feet over my car while zipping down the freeway between the fields they feed in.

Bird sightings really get people hyped up. An "exotic" gull (Ross's?) was spotted this past year at the Ashland harbor up on Wisconsin's Superior coast and the birders came running from all over the Upper Midwest to get it for their life lists.”

“I saw a whatthehellwazthatthing once and this one time at band camp,.....”

“Favorites: Mountain Lion in the pre-dawn hours following behind me on the trail, off and on, for 15 minutes. Actually, at the time I was scared to death. Porcupine that I almost walked into in a mountain meadow. Those guys are HUGE! Bald Eagle gliding along the lakeshore just a month ago.

Wishlist: Wolverine, Wolf, and the Golden-Cheeked Warbler.”

“Lookingglass & I were sitting around, it's almost 12noon today, we decide, lets go look at some elk. We drive 2 hrs out to the Quinalt Rain Forest, and there they are, first one herd, a mile later, another heard and further down the road another herd.

Then we decided, ah, that's enough elk. Let hangout with some bald eagles. We go along there rive, there they are high in trees, sitting on down trees along the river and soaring through the skies. Gee, what shall I do tomorrow.

It's a blast living near the Olympics.

I did see a different kind of elk today that I had never seen before. They had hairy faces and shaggy manes. Does anyone know what they are called?”

“They are called Old Elk?”

“Humanpackmule,
I haven't lived in Florida since I left to go into the military in 1970. I grew up in the Murray Hill section of Jacksonville but as a teenager I surfed with the locals at Oleander Street in Neptune Beach and have many fond memories of that place. The bench at the end of the street just before you go down the steps onto the sand was our "spot". I still have a couple of friends that live there but I've lost touch with them over the last couple of years.

We surfed from Hanna Park (used to be called Access 5) all the way down to Vilano Beach. At that time there were no houses south of Ponte Vedra Beach all the way to Villano. You would drive down Hwy. A1A and have to dodge the sandunes drifting over the road!
About ten miles below Ponte Vedra, at a place the oldtimers called Mickler's pier, people would have these big bonfire parties and everyone would get drunk on 99 cent six packs of National Bohemian Beer and cheap bottles of wine! Oh those were the days!

Do you surf?”

“Nope, but sometimes I think I should.

Your bench is still there dude. (if it's the one I'm thinking of.)

The Murry Hill theatre is now a live-music nightclub. The Jax Beach pier was finally trashed by the last big 'cane that rolled up the coast (Dennis.) The city bought what was left and plans to move it a few blocks north. Hanna Park now has about 6 miles of hiking and biking trails (thanks to yours truly) and the poles are the hot spot to surf. There are only a few "houseless" sections of A1A left between PVB and Vilano.
Don't know about Mickler's pier.”

“I've seen a mother blk. bear and cub dart across the road in the St. Helens area. I've seen courting moose in Jellystone as well as pronghorn and bison. Elk and Mulies in GCNP and surrounding area. A band of bucks in velvet off Hurricane ridge in the O.P. Coyotes abound from KY to Bryce Canyon. Foxes from my backyard to Ak.

Tons of birds. Most memorable have been the golden eagle in a bird dog fight with 2 ravens high in the arctic sky and some coo'in loons in the foggy morning light by Heart lake in Jellystone.”

“Solitary Hiker and Humanpackmule - I grew up in Gainesville, FL, and surfed mainly in St. Augustine at A-Street and Blowhole. Great memories of it all. I've also surfed Hanna Park and Vilano a few times. Actually, the biggest shark I've ever seen was at Vilano, luckily I was on shore at the time. Haven't surfed in almost 10 years though. :-/”

“Humanpackmule,
It's a small world indeed. The Murray Hill theater is about a mile-and-a-half from our old house.
I used to go there on Saturdays and watch 'B' grade sci-fi and westerns. It costs 20 cents to get in. I rode my bike all up and down Edgewood Ave.

Tell me, is the surf shop on First Ave. in Atlantic Beach still there?

Mickler's Pier (pronounced Mike-lers) was long gone even when I went there. Hurricane must have got it in the 40s. By my time it was just a deserted beach with lots of sandunes. It was also called Crossroads.

Artex,
I don't live where I can surf these days but if I did my 11 year old son and I would be out in the water every chance we got. IMO surfing is one of the best outdoor activities you can do.

St. Augustine is one of the only places left that still looks like the Florida I remember. Great little gem of a city.

Maybe we should get together for a Cumberland Island ECT one year.”

“mickler's croosroads was where i used to go, if'n i wasn't at a-street...”

“I've swam through a herd of barracuda while snorkeling on my trip to Virgin Gorda, B.V.I. It was eerry. Not as much fun for my husband who I kicked off of to get away from them, lol.”

“Foamfinger, thanks for the correct name. I'll change it.

I forgot about the dolphins and whales (lived by the beach), & CA Condor.”

“Sandhill Cranes last week at Consumnes R. Reserve near Sacramento.A she black bear and cubs in Little Yosemite Valley close enough to touch as I sat stone still. Not scary really as they were used to people.Pica on Mt.Whitney. Coolest little guys I've ever seen. You know they're rabbit family and not squirrels.Bald Eagle soared under us on the suspension rope bridge in Vancouver B.C. The business end of a rattler on the trail. I had to roll a couple of stones at it to make it give up the trail. Fallow deer in Pt. Reyes. Its a white deer. My family asks why is the picture fuzzy just like the people who claim to have seen Big Foot. I tell them no!there really are white deer. Plenty of Tule Elk in that park too. And whale watching and bird watching.”

“Don't the sandhill's stop somewhere in Michigan & Indiana also?

I read about that somewhere.”

“I think they stop in several U.S. wetlands. I know they like the Mid West states too.”

“I know in Michigan somewhere they stop over and there are just 1,000's of them.”

“I think my list is pretty complete. From Orcas and Bald Eagles, on the coast... to grizzlies, moose, sheep and goats, in the Rockies

I have yet to spot me a Cougar, though. That would be awesome. Here's a few of my critters
Link”

“...of all that I have seen, was a griz in ID.


The one I most want to see for the first time is an American crocodile...
or mebbe a Florida panther.”

“Sol, you mean Hixon's in Neptune Beach near the fire station? Hixon's closed about '90-'91. That corner is now all pricey restaurants.

I'm up for a Cumberland trip. Set a date and let's see what shakes out.”

“Seen lots of wildlife, but moose are my favorite. Some of my neatest experiences:

- a bull who hiked north with us, we saw him every day and sometimes at night. It was the rut, and he had a strong woodsy smell goin' on.

- mating moose, after practically drowning the cow in the pond, the bull chased her through the campground with last years poor baby trying to keep up. Little guy didn't know what was going on.

- the look of surprise on his face when a bull emerged from the brush onto the trail with us, very close.

- one of last years calves followed us up the trail making pathetic lost baby noises, lookin' for a new mommy.

- cows and calves separated when a rescue helicopter landed. Odd things to see running, even odder to hear them calling out and trying to find each other.

- a curious new calf being nudged in line by its mommy when he started wandering over to see what we were up to.

- calves that look like alf shivering in the water while waiting for their moms to finish lunch.

- One night I heard a bull beating his antlers against a tree and bellowing.

I love to watch moose, but I'd like to see a Maine black bear - on the other side of a river or something, not too close up, lol.”

“Hixon's didn't exist back in my day. There were only two surf shops then, the old Californian Surf Shop on the corner Beach Blvd. and 3rd Ave and the one in Atlantic Beach on 1st Ave. It sat on the Jax side of the road, cattywumpus from the Sea Turtle Inn. Bought my Bing Surfboard there.”

“Well then SH, it's been gone from at least the mid to early '80's.”

“twigeater, you bring back memories from my first trip to Isle Royale, laying in my tent at the Lake Ritchie campsite, listening to the bulls in rut bellowing from various directions and cows responding from other directions with strangled yodels. And in the midst of it all, the loons would be calling and laughing. One of those times where carrying a tape recorder would have been better than a camera.”

“I saw a grizzly Sunday while hiking in Glacier NP in Montana. I was coming down the side of a hill, and it was about 100 yards off the trail foraging in some huckleberries. I don't think he saw me, so I checked him out for a few minutes then continued on down the trail.

Ah, now that I'm talking about bears, I have to tell you another bear story. I had been fishing for trout in the Snake River in Colorado all day without any luck, not even a bite.

Just as I'm about to give up and head back to my camp, a black bear comes down off the hill on the opposite side of the river. He mosies over to the river, sticks his paw in and pulls out a huge trout, then walks back up the hill. I wanted to wring that bear's neck.”

“Watching an being watched by a black bear one foggy day.

Watching an osprey dive for a fish and fly away with it.

Having a chipmunk climb up on my hiking boot looking for a handout.

Watching two chipmunks duke it out over territorial initiative. After chasing the interloper from its territory into the interloper's hole, their roles suddenly reversed. It was comical.

Seeing a pine marten.

A bobcat that ran right through my campsite.

Watching an eagle fly by a bluff so close I could hear its wings beating.

Seeing a flight of about 100 broadwings catch a riser to soar at treetop level over a knob I was on.”

“Since I do so much driving back and forth to school and it is all on a pretty quiet piece of highway I see alot of animals that way. I've seen two bobcats, hundreds of deer, hundreds of antelope, a bald eagle, vultures, plenty of coyotes, and a very rare and out of place fox. But the other night I was coming home at about 10:30, it was pretty darn dark. I was starting up the divide and I saw out of the corner of my eye what looked like a huge tree branch. I know the highway very, very well, I could drive it on auto-pilot. The area is a large burn area and I knew there were no trees out there in the dark. So I watched close as I passed by and it was the MOST GIGANTIC elk I have ever seen. What I thought was a tree branch, was his enormous antlers. I talked to the guys at work about him and he is apparently a bit of a legend in the area. It was cool. It's like he's a mysterious, ghost elk and I caught a chance to see him.

As far as a wish list, I would like to see a red cardinal. They aren't in this area and I think they are cool.”

“Lots of cardinals here in the east, actually commonplace. I would not necessarily leave Montana to go see one. But if you have to come east your chances of seeing them are great, especially around backyard bird feeders in winter.

That reminds me, on our Delaware Water Gap trip, I left the shelter early to get a jump on the folks in great shape. I heard a towhee that sounded a bit weird and was trying to figure out what the heck was going on, when a mockingbird flew off. It was the mockingbird imitating a towhee that I heard, which was why it sounded strange.

My favorite songbird experience was camping in St. Mary's River Wilderness in Virginia on a spring night. We all fell asleep in the middle of a valley filled with whippoorwills that called all night long. The sound was haunting. There was depth to it, like a universe filled with stars. I have go back there on my spring jaunt.”

“You can have my cardinal. Sits outside my bedroom window and starts screaming at 4:30am. Drove 120 miles to relax on a lake one recent weekend, there again was that bloody cardinal, 4:30 in the morning!

Take him, PLEASE!”

“I really love chickadees and meadowlarks. I love to lay out in the sun and listen to the meadowlarks in the field during the summer.”

“I just think they seem really cool. They are freakin' RED for goodness sake, plus they have that little mohawk thing.”

“Griz in ID.

I waded up on a 6' gator once. I was in thigh-deep water searching for a canoe. Cumberland Island. Cool. Though surprising for both of us, it (fortunately) didn't result in "a reptile dysfunction".

Watched a bobcat stalk a squirrel there, too.

Watching Belle and crabs ("grabs") is most comical. Her first encounters with the "fish rats" was most intriguing to her.

Dolphins, too. She is most amazed by those creatures.

Copperhead swam close when I was wading a slough in Conecuh NF AL.

Mountain goat atop Iron Creek Point, ID.

Bull elk in Sawtooths.

Funny... I do kinda enjoy birding. It seems that every time I do a hike in the Rockies, I see a new type. Different plumages, etc, than what I'm accustomed to here in the SE.

My wish list is short - American crocidile.”

“I wish I could see my springer, Jake, flush one more covey of grouse with the fall colors at their peak in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

We put him down on July 5th, one day after his 14th birthday.”

“I saw a rat once...I guess that counts!

I want to see a mountain lion...they rock!”

“Hanging out in a small herd of Big Horn sheep in Mt Baldy area, and the momma bear and her two cubs in the Sequoias, both on my wildlife ablum. These are my favorite events so far.
I have seen a lot of bear, elk, deer, antelope etc. in Montana, Idaho, British Columbia (Vancouver Island)
But what I would like to watch is otters playing in a stream someday. Just kicking back on a grassy hill, munching on something of course, the sun warming me. And being entertained by otters playing. That would be cool..

Sorry to hear about Jake... Geezer”

“I think my favorite encounters were watching a couple of red foxes play "tag" in a meadow and watching the Falcons catch prey on the desert floor.

Wish list? Tough, but I think I would like to see a cougar in the wild.....at a distance.”

“Favorite memory....my first bear, it was in Upper Yosemite Valley.... I got up at sunrise and wandered about, found a small lake with the mist rising off it..in the middle of it, a few yards away, was a bear, dipping his paw in the water occasionally...I remember thinking how beautiful everything looked, then the bear turned and looked at me and I remember thinking "hey, there is no cage between us here"....and slowly backing away.

Favorite encounter....I got rather friendly with a mountain lion for a couple years. We had been seeing sign (tracks through our camp) for years, then on one of our moonlight hike's he appeared....along with a female....for the next 2+ years, they would accompany our hikes and trips into the area (they had almost 100 sq miles of turf, in that part of Lassen) We never felt any hostility, just curiousity....the female would actually follow behind us on our night hikes, about 200/300 feet back, really freaked out the new hikers in our group. Many times we woke up during the winter and summer to find tracks just a few feet away, once a couple of us found the tracks just 3 feet away from our bivy sacks during the winter. On two ocassions I got close enough to touch him, but never had the nerve. Some of us would make "cat sounds" (no, not meoow..some of the sounds are actually like birds) and the cats would answer...the male would growl, but it was like how your dog barks just to get your attention, as opposed to the "someone's in the yard" bark" ...and the female would sometimes make the "chirping" sound they make for their cubs.

The rangers figured that because we had been hiking and camping in that area before the cats moved in, were up there almost every week and because we almost always were off trail, never used tents, fires or headlamps, the animals accepted us as just more critters that shared the woods with them.

Unfortunately, we have not seen them or their sign for the last two years...really miss them.
SnowNymph and SnowDude may have heard some of the stories during the New Years party, can't remember for sure though.

Least favorite encounter...the dammed Red Foxes in Lassen, they will walk right up to you, they steal everything that's not nailed down...I woke up to one in my tent, not more then 2 feet away from my head, not sure who was scared most.... SnowNymph/SnowDude have pictures of it in camp last winter.

Geezr, Sorry about Jake, thats tough.”

“I'd like to see a mtn. lion too. There's apparently been one lurking around out by my place. The neighbor kid saw him (or her). I'd even settle for hearing one. They are supposed to be bone chilling.”

“come to cali! ive seen em lots and wyoming has em too...
Once traveling through wyoming i was lucky enough to see 3 cougar cubs without the mom around...to this day NOBODY believes me but i swear to god i saw em...i was only 15 at the time but the memory sticks in my mind as if im still looking at em.
I think the closest ive been to a wild animal was being chased by a 700 lb elk....”

“I'd like to see a cougar, too (preferably a FL panther). But more than that, I'd like to see a jaguar (not that I get to AZ or NM that much).”

“A couple of nights ago I sat on the deck with my wife and kids listening to 2 owls calling back and forth.”

“Salamanders! I love finding salamanders especially the pacific giants which are over a foot long but the little red belly ones are cute. Oh yeah and those endangered red-legged frogs and yellow-legged frogs? I see them here in humboldt county all the time when i hike. Then there are those great big toads which live in the dunes and are easy to catch but watch out cause they piss on ya when you pick em up.”