What animals have you seen on your rides?

[rogerzilla]

Lots of badgers and foxes on night rides. The odd deer, once a rather big one coming down the hill out of Harefield towards Ruislip (brown shorts moment). Most startling was a rat the size of a small cat that sat in the middle of the road and refused to move until I got very close.

 

[ade towell]

 

[Fastpedaller]

I think my favourite was following a barn owl down hill. Utterly silent magnificence.

Several years ago, one bright afternoon, I noticed a barn owl riding a couple of metres away to my left, following the adjacent hedge line. As I continued up the slight incline it stayed beside me (at a steady 16MPH) and occasionally looked at me. It was with me for about a mile. When I arrived at the next junction and turned left, It followed in unison! A few more yards and it flew further into the field. Quite an experience, on a par with seeing the polecats (I think I recalled that earlier in the thread)

 

[Binky]

Poor mole. Assume it's dead?

On a short local route yesterday around the backroads here came across several farm cats and dogs. Fortunately the dogs weren't bothered so they didn't test out my sprinting.

Worst one I had a couple years ago was on a hill up past a farm and the sheep dog decided to chase me. That was tough!

 

[ade towell]

Poor mole. Assume it's dead?

On a short local route yesterday around the backroads here came across several farm cats and dogs. Fortunately the dogs weren't bothered so they didn't test out my sprinting.

Worst one I had a couple years ago was on a hill up past a farm and the sheep dog decided to chase me. That was tough!

No the mole was alive, I put him/her off the road onto the verge but they went straight back onto the road and eventually crossed to the other side, fortunately got a car to stop so they could continue their journery

 

[lip03]

Had an adder slither across in front of me the other day.

I've had this in the past! Very nearly ran the damn thing over, lucky I narrowly missed it and didn't take a tumble

 

[presta]

I've had this in the past! Very nearly ran the damn thing over, lucky I narrowly missed it and didn't take a tumble

The first adder I ever saw was a dead one on the South West Way that had evidently been run over by a bike. The first live one I saw was also on the SWW, a few hundred miles further on down at Hallsands. I nearly trod on that one.