On the Wild Side

[smoggytom]

Morning all,

I was out for a ride in the Yorkshire countryside before work this morning and had an incredible encounter with an owl. He flew alongside me at about head height for several hundred metres. I believe he was looking for any tasty little mice or voles or whatever that might have been startled out of hiding as I rode past.

It just got me wondering if anyone else had any encounters with interesting wildlife whilst out riding? I'd love to hear some stories...?

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Lots of tales about wildlife encounters over in this thread: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/your-days-wildlife.174739/

For my part I had a similar encounter to yours a few years back, only with a Red Kite - it had been in the heather beside the track over the top of the Long Mynd and took off to fly alongside me for about quarter of a mile, which was fabulous.

At the time I was riding up to where my brother and I planned to do some filming. I had three cameras attached to the bike and they were all switched off.

 

[hoopdriver]

Many years ago when I was cycling around Australia I was pedalling along a very lonely stretch of road west of the Atherton Tablelands in far North Queensland. It was early morning and as I came over a rise there were three emus on the road, just a few metres ahead. I startled them and they started trotting down the road ahead of me, trying to get away. I of course was pootling along at a decent clip right behind them, practically within arm’s reach. They kept glancing over their “shoulders” (not that they exactly have shoulders) and looking apprehensively at me. It never occurred to them to run off to the side, they just kept trotting down the yellow line, just ahead of me. We went on like this for a good mile.

It was the funniest looking thing from where I sat and I tried to get a picture. But having to take my hands off the bars and dig out my SLR from my bar bag meant slowing up and when I did the three emus all scattered into the bush. It was funny while it lasted though

 

[Bodhbh]

I had a similar experience - no idea what bird of prey it was. But it would fly over me to the next telegraph pole, wait till I'd gone past, repeat. Went on for quite a while.

 

[Welsh wheels]

Not exactly wildlife but a memorable experience was being in a full on sprint against a small but vicious mutt wanting some lyrca-covered flesh to smack its jaws on. I clocked about 30 mph before I left it behind.

 

[Moodyman]

Cycling along a canal with a non-cyclist friend, a swan ran from the bushes and attacked me. I fell off my bike and only narrowly stayed out of the water.

It transpired they had newborn they were protecting and reminded me why I didn't usually ride canals.

 

[Globalti]

In the days when we mountain biked my brother and I were riding back from Glenelg to Suadarlan bothy in the gloom of a Scottish midsummer evening after a few drinks at the pub. We were cruising past the brochs when suddenly two deer bolted out of the undergrowth and shot up the road. To say we nearly pooped our pants is an understatement, so sudden and violent was the burst of movement on a perfectly quiet evening.

 

[NorthernDave]

I've had a couple of magical experiences with Red Kites

The best one was when I was riding a ridgetop lane and the Red Kite swooped down and flew parallel to me for about a quarter mile - it seemed almost close enough to touch (it wasn't but you know what I mean) and I could see the ruffle of every feather as it glided along.
The other was on a bridleway when one swooped down to nibble on a dead rabbit (is it still road kill on a bridleway?) as I approached - it landed just as it realised I was there and just flicked it's wings out and climbed back into the sky - the wings seemed to fill the gap between the hedges and you could hear every beat of them.

A less magical experience was when I became unwillingly engaged in some SCR (Silly Canine Racing) as I nearly burst a lung outrunning a set of snarling teeth attached to a medium sized and surprisingly speedy dog.

 

[Welsh wheels]

[QUOTE 5189303, member: 45"]There used to be a heron who frequented the canals of Birmingham. On a few occasions he flew alongside me for some distance. He wasn't much for conversation though.[/QUOTE]
Maybe he had been taking hero-i-n? Sorry..

 

[Wobbly John]

I've had barn owls fly along-side me a few times here in the Cambridgeshire fens. Often just in the field line, but on one memaorable occasion, less than 2 metres away for almost a mile, both of us looking at each other for several seconds, then checking ahead!
When I switched to powerful LED lights, a barn owl played in the beam about 10 metres ahead of me for 100 metres or so.

 

[Globalti]

Interesting to read several reports of birds flying alongside cyclists for some distance. I suppose they use the road as a corridor between trees and also don't recognise a cyclist as a potential predator. But animals enjoy running or flying alongside others - look at the way horses will gallop alongside the peloton out of sheer excitement; there have even been a couple that have got into the road and galloped along with the peloton.

My own red kite experience happened when some friends and I were walking through a deciduous wood near Kington in the borders when suddenly all hell broke loose and every forest bird abandoned their nest and fled in the same direction, squawking and chirping loudly in alarm. The fracas was so sudden and so loud that we all stopped and looked up in surprise and then three red kites appeared, circling just above the tree tops, the sun shining through their wingtip feathers and their heads swivelling as they looked down at us.

I've seen golden eagles in the French Alps in summer but the best time was when I was in the Black Cuillins of Skye; we were descending from the ridge and we emerged from the cloud and stopped on the smooth glacial lip of an upper corrie to rest before dropping down into the valley. Along the hillside at our level came two adults and a juvenile golden eagle, circling on the thermals without flapping a wing, quartering the hillside methodically for prey. They passed within a rope's length of us as we sat quietly in awe.

 

[Siclo]

I was riding near Montfiquet years ago when I observed 'that fence post is helluva lot bigger than the others'. Then the top half flew off, I'm convinced it was a golden eagle, biggest bird I ever did see, so awestruck I rode into the hedge.

 

[Globalti]

Very often in France you'll see large hawks sitting on the fence posts by the roadside, usually at evenly-spaced intervals as they keep an eye out for roadkill within their patch.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Very often in France you'll see large hawks sitting on the fence posts by the roadside, usually at evenly-spaced intervals as they keep an eye out for roadkill within their patch.

I saw a vulture near the top of my last Col du Tourmalet climb. They're impressive: quite big.

 

[ADarkDraconis]

Cycling along a canal with a non-cyclist friend, a swan ran from the bushes and attacked me. I fell off my bike and only narrowly stayed out of the water.

It transpired they had newborn they were protecting and reminded me why I didn't usually ride canals.

I have been told that a swan can break a man's arms with its wings, count yourself lucky! My brother commutes along a canal and last year was attacked and knocked off his bike by a Canadian goose apparently they can be quite vicious. He has also seen deer and the odd coyote which is very rare around these parts!

I live the next city over and all I ever see are bunnies and the occasional roaming housecat.