Favourite wildlife spotted whilst commuting

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As most of my ride in is rural I see a fair variety of wee beasties. Spotted thus far are the usual sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, rooks/crows/jackdaws/magpies, herons, swans, mallard ducks, coots & moorhens, water rats, rats, mice, stoats, rabbits, hares, kestrels, buzzards, munjac deer, barn owls, a little owl (I think), squirrels, skylarks and kingfishers.
Favourite to see are the barn owls, just like ghosts on a dark night. Favourite to hear is the skylark, one of the happiest bird songs and really lets you know spring is here.
Anyone else got any favourites?
 

brickisred

Active Member
Location
Cardiff
I always say good morning to the horses in the paddock I pass!
 

gouldina

New Member
Location
London
Urban London but in parks and canals, my favourites have been:

* Green woodpecker
* Lesser spotted woodpecker
* Heron flying about 5 feet over my head - scary
 

Trevrev

Veteran
Location
Southampton
Saw a dead Badger once. Surprised me a little, as i ride all the busy main roads in Southampton. I don't know alot about them but thought they were countryside dwellers. He must have got lost !!!
 

brickisred

Active Member
Location
Cardiff
Also, animals I have nearly run over include - rabbits, ducks a toad and two juvenile buzzards that like to stand around on the side of the football pitches I skirt round (not during a match!)
 

Glow worm

Legendary Member
Location
Near Newmarket
It's quite a job not running over rabbits- especially the young ones as they always change direction at the last second! We've a few buzzards hereabouts as well and I had a close encounter with one on Monday on my way home when he took off from a post about 5 feet from my bike- I hadn't seen him until then - nearly had a heart attack - he was massive. Also loads of muntjac and roe deer.

First swallows came back here (Swaffham Bulbeck) last Thursday and I saw the first housemartin here on Wedensday. All quite late returns and in worryingly low numbers so far- hopefully it's just the unfavourable wind strength and direction putting them off completing their journey. Plenty of chiff chaffs though.
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
Not commuting, but the finest wildlife experiences I've had have been whilst paragliding. Thermalling with a vulture and three yellow billed kites at 2 miles AGL and getting looked at slightly dismissively for my poor flying relative to these masters of the skies. Oh and a number of mealie leaves floating around with us.

Paragliding over the Great Dyke, and crashing the brakes over a troop of ~80 baboons. I had them screaming and yelling, scattering through the bundu in all directions, crashing through trees and bushes. It was soo funny, until I thought what would happen if the wind ran out.
 

Sun Superlight

New Member
Enjoyed the lovely experience of being accompanied by a Big Red Admiral Butterfly last summer.
It flew at the same speed that I was cycling, and stayed in the same relative position, which was 18" in front of my face for what seemed ages.
In reality though, it was probably about half minute.
Strange how this interaction with the smallest and most delicate of creatures made a warm summer day a completely unforgettable one.
 

brickisred

Active Member
Location
Cardiff
Oh yeah, just remembered the Llamas!

Trying a different route one day last year and as I'm passing Radyr Woods to my left I spot 3-4 Llamas grazing in a small field!

Haven't seen them since and no one in work believed me:sad:
 

gouldina

New Member
Location
London
brickisred said:
Oh yeah, just remembered the Llamas!

Trying a different route one day last year and as I'm passing Radyr Woods to my left I spot 3-4 Llamas grazing in a small field!

Haven't seen them since and no one in work believed me:sad:

There's Llamas in Radyr?

Perhaps there are also interesting fungi in the woods around Radyr...

;)
 

buddha

Veteran
I saw two foxes today.
There was the 'tame', urban one this early this morning (it eats the left over food my cat doesn't eat).
Half an hour later, in the lanes, I passed another. Though it was a bit flat ;)
 
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