"Wildlife or Life in the Wild?" Topic

Well, this is the correct board for this one, what types of wildlife have you personally observed either on your property, your street, or your neighbors property? And yes, I know I have left myself open for some creative answers.

But, being the Forlorn Hope on this I will start it off.

I have observed the following with various degrees of delight or dread.

In the air:
Mountain Bluejays
Blue Heron
Falcons
Bald Eagles
Sea Gulls

On the ground:
Rabbits
Deer
Snakes, many varieties including rattlers
Raccoons
Foxes
Coyotes
Mountain Lion (young)

Since I'm not by an ocean. no sea creatures.

So, what you observed?

Dave

I'm wearin' fur pajamas

Land

Deer
Badger
Foxes

Air

Pheasants
Woodpeckers
Crows
jays
Magpies
Parakeets
Gulls (no such thing as a sea gull)
Robins
Thrushes etc etc (20 species of bird according to my daughters school project)

Just Yesterday -

Horses
Mules/Donkeys
Cattle
Llamas
Elk
Mule Deer
Bison
Coyote
Jack rabbit
Golden Eagle

Rural Colorado is freaking awesome 24/7, 365.

All kinds of birds. A very large hawk lives very near here. Even way up there, his shadow will startle me sometimes!

Lots of rabbits, frequent raccoons, foxes, and everyone's favorite, armadillo. Last month, I saw a deer, which was a bit surprising this close to town.

A good helping of anoles, Southern Toads, and miscellaneous treefrogs. Occasionally a box turtle will come under the fence to confuse and infuriate my dog.

Quite a few snakes, but no poisonous ones here, yet. I've seen plenty growing up at my folk's house, just a few miles away. Coyotes there, too.

My wife grew up north of Birmingham, AL with black bears, bobcats, and mountain lions.

Chipmunks
Squirrels
Turtles
Frogs
Groundhogs
Snakes
Rabbits
Mice
White Tail Deer
Red Tail Hawks
Owls
Finches
Hummingbirds
Bluebirds
Blue Jays
Sparrows
Robbins
Cardinals
Crows
Vultures
Ducks
Mallards
Geese

California gray squirrels
Canada geese
Ducks
Mudhens
Hummingbirds
Doves
Ravens
Cranes

In the nearby wetlands, I've seen huge jackrabbits, feral cats, and a very large brown snake, and have heard frogs.

We're a mile or so from national forest land, with a drainage and parallel trail behind the house.

I've never tried identifying birds, except to note that we do have ravens,

As far as mammals go:
mice
rabbits
fox
raccoon
mule deer
bear (he pooped on my lawn, apparently thinking the woods were too far away)
I've heard coyotes,
Grelber

We're a mile or so from national forest land, with a drainage and parallel trail behind the house.

I've never tried identifying birds, except to note that we do have ravens,

As far as mammals go:
mice
rabbits
fox
raccoon
mule deer
bear (he pooped on my lawn, apparently thinking the woods were too far away)
I've heard coyotes, but not seen them on our property.

We also found a skink on our property.

Grelber

One thing I will admit the US has an advantage over the UK is wildlife…

If, of course, it is always an advantage.

GarrisonMiniatures, I think that is something the Europeans may not understand about the US. LOTS of the country is either open space or forest. Our forests are not managed the same way as say Germany, but even though "managed" and harvested are basically wild.

Mostly the most well-fed chipmunks and squirrels I've ever seen but we do have some large hare roaming here.

I haven't heard any coyotes at all, which probably accounts for their size :-)

We did see a small snake in the summer but only the one, and there's hordes of big frogs since there's a pond just down the slope.

Ours is managed but not always controlled… animals seen on my land or very near include mink (introduced, escaped to wild), muntjac (introduced, escaped to wild) and grey squirrel (introduced, escape to wild). Plus pheasants and rabbits, neither of which are native species but have been around so long we think of them as native.

We are also seeing more and more buzzards and red kites, both native but for years were basically very rare or extinct in our area.

And herons keep taking the fish from my pond.

Chickens, Mynahs, doves, assorted lizards, dogs, cats, cattle egrets, green parrots, and off shore by work, whales (species undetermined).

FWIW, Just in my yard I have had Mule Deer (multiple bucks at once), Rabbits, Pheasant, Turkey, Squirrels and field mice. We have had Bear with in 3 blocks of Main Street and there is actually deer season inside the city limits (Bow only, specific areas).

Unicorn…what do I win?

Another bottle of 'Old Raincoat'? Apparently we live in a great place for ornithology, but to me there's just three kinds of birds…roasted, fried, casseroled. There's not much of a range of wild mammals here (Shetland); I think rabbits, hedgehogs, mice and otters pretty much covers it. I'm told there's hares, but I've never seen one. There again I've never seen a mouse here either.