What animals have you seen on your rides?

[fritz katzenjammer]

Riding home from work yesterday I had a close encounter with a white tailed deer. Really weird and surprising as I live in the city.

 

[Jon in Sweden]

The wildlife I've seen whilst cycling since moving to Sweden have been quite different to Devon!

Every ride I see deer and hares. They are incredibly common. More occasionally, I'll see:

• cranes
• capercaillie
• woodpeckers (great spotted and green - they are really common)
• moose
• (red, there are no grey) squirrels
• foxes
• whooping swans

And then on single occasions I've seen:

• A pair of golden eagles. Quite rare in these parts but unmistakeable.
• A single white tailed eagle. Saw this one quite close as I pulled up to a lake. Absolutely enormous.
• A red kite
• A peregrine falcon

Animals I've yet to see that are present in our area include:

• A lynx - I've seen tracks, but yet to see one in the flesh
• Wild boar - they're actually really common, but I've yet to spot one
• A wolf. This would be extremely unusual. They are incredibly rare this far south

I really do enjoy wildlife spotting when out on a ride. There are sometimes significant expanses of forest that I ride through with plenty of interesting fauna in it

 

[PK99]

Wolves have been reintroduced to Denmark but are a bit further north. I keep hoping to see one.

If he sees you first, you may not see him...

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

The wildlife I've seen whilst cycling since moving to Sweden have been quite different to Devon!

Every ride I see deer and hares. They are incredibly common. More occasionally, I'll see:

• cranes
• capercaillie
• woodpeckers (great spotted and green - they are really common)
• moose
• (red, there are no grey) squirrels
• foxes
• whooping swans

And then on single occasions I've seen:

• A pair of golden eagles. Quite rare in these parts but unmistakeable.
• A single white tailed eagle. Saw this one quite close as I pulled up to a lake. Absolutely enormous.
• A red kite
• A peregrine falcon

Animals I've yet to see that are present in our area include:

• A lynx - I've seen tracks, but yet to see one in the flesh
• Wild boar - they're actually really common, but I've yet to spot one
• A wolf. This would be extremely unusual. They are incredibly rare this far south

I really do enjoy wildlife spotting when out on a ride. There are sometimes significant expanses of forest that I ride through with plenty of interesting fauna in it

No grey squirrels... hardly worth going outside then is it.

 

[UphillSlowly]

Last summer a grass snake was sunning itself in the road, until I approached. Was south of Birmingham, where we are usually restricted to buzzards, rabbits, squirrels and deer.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I saw a VERY dead badger on sunday - At least what was left looked the correct size/colours - really gruesome, the teeth/jaws looked like something you wouldn't want to encounter

 

[Mrs M]

Cats, dogs, deer, seals, rabbits, ducks, wee shrew crossing the path in front of me, (stopped and rescued by two young ladies) 😀
Horses, cows and sheep.
Buzzard that took a shine to Mr M 😬
Also an owl who flew parallel to me before it swooped down for the kill!

 

[Jon in Sweden]

Last summer a grass snake was sunning itself in the road, until I approached. Was south of Birmingham, where we are usually restricted to buzzards, rabbits, squirrels and deer.

Ah yeah. I'd forgotten about the reptiles.
I see loads of most frequently dead snakes on my rides. Grass snakes and adders. At least one per ride at the moment. I've seen several live grass snakes and a single live adder so far this year.

This little fella was on a jetty I was about to swim from earlier this week.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I used to see a tiger twice a day, and I swear it licked its lips as I rode by.

 

[UphillSlowly]

That is a very cool picture!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Front wheel converted to tubeless. Bit blasé with first attempt and had leak round valve. Redid tape and valve and holding air good. Will add sealant in morning. Lubed chain.

 

[ColinJ]

Front wheel converted to tubeless. Bit blasé with first attempt and had leak round valve. Redid tape and valve and holding air good. Will add sealant in morning. Lubed chain.

And then you went for a ride and spotted a...?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

And then you went for a ride and spotted a...?

Red Kite 😆

 

[Jon in Sweden]

Osprey and red kite today on the ride. Haven't seen an osprey in years. Not since we lived in Scotland

 

[vickster]

Rat crossed bike path a little in front of me the other day.
There are loads of foxes around these parts at the moment.
I saw a freshly run over squirrel last Sunday, it had a very beady eye