IRL Wildlife Encounters
- Thread starter Markiz
- Start date
slow worms are like my special interest, if someone brings me to the forest i will not see anything other than the ground in front of me because i will be scouting for those legless legends
Those are amazing encounters! Living in the UK, there aren't too many exciting animals to encounter here, but we see a lot of badgers and foxes where I live (out in the countryside) I've seen basking sharks when up in Scotland, off the coast of Eigg (my sister lived there for a few years and saw quite a lot of interesting animals).
I once came across a huge stag standing in the middle of the path in Cannock Chase forest - that was amazing! We just froze and waited until he moved on.
I have family in America, in Colorado and they would have mountain lions come into their garden (they were up in the mountains!) and my great uncle always found the English "wildlife" hilarious compared to their mountain lions and grizzlys!!
I once came across a huge stag standing in the middle of the path in Cannock Chase forest - that was amazing! We just froze and waited until he moved on.
I have family in America, in Colorado and they would have mountain lions come into their garden (they were up in the mountains!) and my great uncle always found the English "wildlife" hilarious compared to their mountain lions and grizzlys!!
Another Brit so most of my wildlife encounters tend to be fairly innocuous: foxes, badgers, deer, seals, dolphins, jellyfish, the usual garden birds plus owls, buzzards, red kites, hawks, an osprey, grass snakes and once a slow worm in my sandals that I'd left by the back door! Oh, and hedgehog that walked all the way through my house late one evening when the back door was open. But my mother's family are from Argentina and I had a pretty scary moment with a snake when I was a child. Nothing happened but everyone else's reaction was terrifying (turns out it was one of the particularly venomous ones) and that induced a deep phobia that took decades to overcome.
I'm from Germany, so my encounters are all pretty harmless. The usual songbirds, once there was a wild boar in the parking lot of a hospital I lived across from and it was shot by the police and while I was on vacation on the island of Djerba when I was a child, we came across a number of scorpions in the backyard of the house we rented for our stay. Oh and there was a stray dog that followed us everywhere.
Most exciting wildlife encounters:
Here in the Netherlands:
Red fox, multiple occasions. Usually at a distance, one time it was right next to me a startled and ran away. Very cool to see such a shy animal so close!
Wild boar, multiple occasions. You always need to be careful when you spot them, because they live in groups and can get very upset and annoyed and can harm you. I usually keep my distance as soon as I spot them, but it's happened once I accidentally ended up in the middle of a large group with juveniles. That was scary, because I could not see the parents in the thick brush all around me. One time I encountered a lone tiny piglet, which was also scary because somewhere near me must have been the mom.
Red deer, twice. Once I saw a few does standing near the path when I was hiking in a forest. I was on the phone and didn't even realize it until they stood next to me and fled away. The other time was at twilight when I encountered a huge male that was rubbing against a tree, making a lot of noise. Scary! I wish I would see red deer more often, but they are very elusive.
Roe deer, often. I love it every time I see them, it always remains special. There was a small family that lived near me, a doe and her offspring. She had two fawns that grew up, and later one fawn.
I now live near another small family of three deer, that I sonetimes see grazing and playing in the meadows.
Brown hare, often. But like roe deer, it's always special to see them. There are many living here. The bushes next to my apartment are a popular hiding place. They are often crossing the street or wandering through the meadows.
Marten, once. At night when I was walking the dog, a marten started crossing the street, saw me, stood on his hind legs, and ran back to the bushes it appeared from.
And a great many waterfowl and other wading bird species, such as a plethora of ducks, coots, grebes, geese, herons, storks, swans. Also predator birds such as hawks and buzzards, kites, sparrow hawks, kestrels, and owls. There are ospreys living near us, but haven't seen them yet. There are lots of crows, magpies, rooks. Ravens are rare. And rare birds such as lapwings, gruttos, curlews, oystercatchers, redshanks, are quite abundant here, so they are protected species.
In Sweden:
Moose, twice. I saw a juvenile standing in a meadow some ways off. And a huge adult crossed the road right in front of our car!
Incredible. Dangerous, too.
Here in the Netherlands:
Red fox, multiple occasions. Usually at a distance, one time it was right next to me a startled and ran away. Very cool to see such a shy animal so close!
Wild boar, multiple occasions. You always need to be careful when you spot them, because they live in groups and can get very upset and annoyed and can harm you. I usually keep my distance as soon as I spot them, but it's happened once I accidentally ended up in the middle of a large group with juveniles. That was scary, because I could not see the parents in the thick brush all around me. One time I encountered a lone tiny piglet, which was also scary because somewhere near me must have been the mom.
Red deer, twice. Once I saw a few does standing near the path when I was hiking in a forest. I was on the phone and didn't even realize it until they stood next to me and fled away. The other time was at twilight when I encountered a huge male that was rubbing against a tree, making a lot of noise. Scary! I wish I would see red deer more often, but they are very elusive.
Roe deer, often. I love it every time I see them, it always remains special. There was a small family that lived near me, a doe and her offspring. She had two fawns that grew up, and later one fawn.
I now live near another small family of three deer, that I sonetimes see grazing and playing in the meadows.Brown hare, often. But like roe deer, it's always special to see them. There are many living here. The bushes next to my apartment are a popular hiding place. They are often crossing the street or wandering through the meadows.
Marten, once. At night when I was walking the dog, a marten started crossing the street, saw me, stood on his hind legs, and ran back to the bushes it appeared from.
And a great many waterfowl and other wading bird species, such as a plethora of ducks, coots, grebes, geese, herons, storks, swans. Also predator birds such as hawks and buzzards, kites, sparrow hawks, kestrels, and owls. There are ospreys living near us, but haven't seen them yet. There are lots of crows, magpies, rooks. Ravens are rare. And rare birds such as lapwings, gruttos, curlews, oystercatchers, redshanks, are quite abundant here, so they are protected species.
In Sweden:
Moose, twice. I saw a juvenile standing in a meadow some ways off. And a huge adult crossed the road right in front of our car!
Incredible. Dangerous, too.
Bighorn Sheep: I was hiking with my family, and we stopped to rest just before the rest of the trail was blocked by snow. About 18 meters away, a male was browsing from a nearby bush. I sat down to eat my lunch while my family took pictures. I opened a bag of chips, and he turned towards me. Jokingly, I yelled that he wasn't allowed to have my chips. He then proceeded to follow me around the rocks from about 5 m for a few minutes and lick his lips. He even followed me between a group taking pictures. He was asking so politely that I was sorely temped to give him one, but I knew that would only create more problems. I packed my food up tightly and left quickly to eat my lunch later.
Great Blue Heron: I was walking along the beach to look for calico scallop shells and shark's teeth. I heard a faint splash behind me and turned to see a heron not 1 m behind me. He got very tense when I glanced at him, so I turned away. (I've found that staring at birds will stress out many species.) Whenever I stopped to pick up a shell, he would wait for me. When I heard him stop to catch a fish, I waited for him. We walked together for about 20 minutes before I had to go. He watched me walk away for a while, and then he flew off. I was probably disturbing small creatures and chasing them over to him.
Striped Skunk: I see them on the sidewalk sometimes at night. I crossed paths with one by accident, and we both stopped, and waited for the other to move. Realizing that I wasn't going to get to close to him, he trotted behind a bush (still plainly visible) and waited for me to pass. I took the long way around. I think he knew the gesture would count.
Moose: I saw one on a trail once. She was browsing from a bush on the edge of a pond, and a few people had gathered to take pictures. I was surprised by how much her body language resembled an annoyed horse when people got too close. The park rangers said to stay 1 school bus away from her, and whenever someone stepped to the edge of that radius, she would pin her ears back and fix them with a death glare.
Black Bear: I've had several close encounters, and seen some cubs. I often think they are dogs at first. I almost ran over one in my car.
Red Shouldered Hawk: There was a pair that would play on my childhood swing set almost every evening. They were funny to watch before a pair of larger red-tailed hawks drove them off.
Racoon: I've seen plenty in person, but the only one I've seen in a zoo was on a trash can in the parking lot.
Coyotes, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Foxes, Rabbits, Turkeys, White-Tailed Deer, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Bison, Prairie Dogs, Grizzly, Humpback Whale, Grey Seal: I've seen them, but no cool stories.
Great Blue Heron: I was walking along the beach to look for calico scallop shells and shark's teeth. I heard a faint splash behind me and turned to see a heron not 1 m behind me. He got very tense when I glanced at him, so I turned away. (I've found that staring at birds will stress out many species.) Whenever I stopped to pick up a shell, he would wait for me. When I heard him stop to catch a fish, I waited for him. We walked together for about 20 minutes before I had to go. He watched me walk away for a while, and then he flew off. I was probably disturbing small creatures and chasing them over to him.
Striped Skunk: I see them on the sidewalk sometimes at night. I crossed paths with one by accident, and we both stopped, and waited for the other to move. Realizing that I wasn't going to get to close to him, he trotted behind a bush (still plainly visible) and waited for me to pass. I took the long way around. I think he knew the gesture would count.
Moose: I saw one on a trail once. She was browsing from a bush on the edge of a pond, and a few people had gathered to take pictures. I was surprised by how much her body language resembled an annoyed horse when people got too close. The park rangers said to stay 1 school bus away from her, and whenever someone stepped to the edge of that radius, she would pin her ears back and fix them with a death glare.
Black Bear: I've had several close encounters, and seen some cubs. I often think they are dogs at first. I almost ran over one in my car.
Red Shouldered Hawk: There was a pair that would play on my childhood swing set almost every evening. They were funny to watch before a pair of larger red-tailed hawks drove them off.
Racoon: I've seen plenty in person, but the only one I've seen in a zoo was on a trash can in the parking lot.
Coyotes, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Foxes, Rabbits, Turkeys, White-Tailed Deer, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Bison, Prairie Dogs, Grizzly, Humpback Whale, Grey Seal: I've seen them, but no cool stories.
While in my own country (Netherlands) there's not that many species that I find too interesting (I did see the grey seal though), I must say I've been very lucky with the chances of wildlife encounters I've had. The most memorable encounters with species that we have in the game for me must be:
Galapagos Giant Tortoise: I had the chance to visit the islands right before the pandemic hit. These animals are amazing to see in the wild and there's lots of them if you visit the right areas. They're also super chill.
Proboscis Monkey: I always had the wish to see these weirdos and got the chance when a tropical ecology course I followed organised an excursion to Bako National Park in Malaysia. I didn't see them from very close (though my classmates told me they saw them close by our place of stay on the beach), but saw a group of them in the trees.
Komodo Dragon: Easily one of the most majestic animals ever. Another dream species (and place) that I got to visit, not much after seeing the monkeys.
While in Zambia, I got the chance to see African Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, Lions, African Buffalo, Hippopotamus, and several types of gazelle.
Galapagos Giant Tortoise: I had the chance to visit the islands right before the pandemic hit. These animals are amazing to see in the wild and there's lots of them if you visit the right areas. They're also super chill.
Proboscis Monkey: I always had the wish to see these weirdos and got the chance when a tropical ecology course I followed organised an excursion to Bako National Park in Malaysia. I didn't see them from very close (though my classmates told me they saw them close by our place of stay on the beach), but saw a group of them in the trees.
Komodo Dragon: Easily one of the most majestic animals ever. Another dream species (and place) that I got to visit, not much after seeing the monkeys.
While in Zambia, I got the chance to see African Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, Lions, African Buffalo, Hippopotamus, and several types of gazelle.
For those who like the idea of bears, I'll point you to a couple of posts in another thread on this site that have some pics...
forums.frontier.co.uk
forums.frontier.co.uk
Those pics were taken near the California / Nevada border, up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lots of wildlife here, so I have got to see plenty. Over my 15 years living out here I will come across bears (they are all black bears here) quite often when out mountain biking. They tend to be averse to humans and will generally run away, which I consider a good thing! But they do become more and more accustomed to us (and sadly our trash) which does present issues for their safety - being around humans.
I also saw a mountain lion one time!
That was genuinely scary and confusing, I really never expected to see one of those, as even though they are not uncommon, they generally steer well clear of humans. It was a youngster, so curious and seemingly not afraid of me. Fortunately its mother chose to scarper when surprised by a human and after another long stare at me (I was again on my bike) it sauntered off after her. And no, I didn't get a photo!
Nowadays, having moved a little further down the hill it's mainly deer. There are rattlesnakes here, but I'm happy to say I've not had a run in with one while out biking.
IRL Cuteness
IRL Cuteness
🐘 Awe...❤ For a sneeze to be that audible through an elephant's trunk it must have been a powerful one!
Those pics were taken near the California / Nevada border, up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lots of wildlife here, so I have got to see plenty. Over my 15 years living out here I will come across bears (they are all black bears here) quite often when out mountain biking. They tend to be averse to humans and will generally run away, which I consider a good thing! But they do become more and more accustomed to us (and sadly our trash) which does present issues for their safety - being around humans.
I also saw a mountain lion one time!
That was genuinely scary and confusing, I really never expected to see one of those, as even though they are not uncommon, they generally steer well clear of humans. It was a youngster, so curious and seemingly not afraid of me. Fortunately its mother chose to scarper when surprised by a human and after another long stare at me (I was again on my bike) it sauntered off after her. And no, I didn't get a photo!Nowadays, having moved a little further down the hill it's mainly deer. There are rattlesnakes here, but I'm happy to say I've not had a run in with one while out biking.
Found this swallowtail butterfly while coming back home a couple days ago alongside the road near a fruit vendor. Unfortunately it was dying, so I lifted it up and now I have it on my desk.
It's dead now, but at least I can still appreciate the beauty of nature. I may pin it in a frame to preserve it longer and to not risk losing it
It's dead now, but at least I can still appreciate the beauty of nature. I may pin it in a frame to preserve it longer and to not risk losing it
One month ago I had an encounter with a Mexican Tarantula, I recorded a video
Source: https://youtube.com/shorts/kSKRRLGmZ9c?feature=share
Also in the past, I had encounters with a tons of snakes, including a Boa constrictor, are common here where I live, and some arthropods like tarantulas and Scorpions, in fact yesterday one giant scorpion entered to my home, also always i watch green iguanas and american flamingos, once time I saw a skull of an Ocelot near of my house, and two days ago I saw a white tiled deer and its baby
Also in the past, I had encounters with a tons of snakes, including a Boa constrictor, are common here where I live, and some arthropods like tarantulas and Scorpions, in fact yesterday one giant scorpion entered to my home, also always i watch green iguanas and american flamingos, once time I saw a skull of an Ocelot near of my house, and two days ago I saw a white tiled deer and its baby
My past wildlife encounters in the form of pictures (wildlife photography is one of my pasttimes). All within 100 metres or so, maybe too high effort for this forum
Red Deer stag during rutting season
Atlantic puffins
Short Eared owl
Mute swan
White tailed eagle and crow companions
Minke Whale
Orca Whales from a beach:
Red Deer stag during rutting season
Atlantic puffins
Short Eared owl
Mute swan
White tailed eagle and crow companions
Minke Whale
Orca Whales from a beach:
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I used to live in Washington state, and there was this local herd of about 20 elk that would show up in our backyard every so often. They were fairly timid and would run away if you spooked them, and it was really cool hearing their bugling cries in the night. This photo was taken in March of last year, a couple of months before I moved. I would really love to see these guys in Planet Zoo, and I'm not even going to pretend I'm not biased here.
Oh man these look fantastic!!My past wildlife encounters in the form of pictures (wildlife photography is one of my pasttimes). All within 100 metres or so, maybe too high effort for this forum
Red Deer stag during rutting season
View attachment 326974
Atlantic puffins
View attachment 326975
Short Eared owl
View attachment 326976
Mute swan
View attachment 326977
White tailed eagle and crow companions
View attachment 326978
Minke Whale
View attachment 326980
Orca Whales from a beach:
View attachment 326981
I'm guessing this somewhere in British Isles, Scotland perhaps ?
Oh yeah, all in the Scottish HighlandsOh man these look fantastic!!
I'm guessing this somewhere in British Isles, Scotland perhaps ?
Oh wow! And I get excited when I see a squirrel in the parkMy past wildlife encounters in the form of pictures (wildlife photography is one of my pasttimes). All within 100 metres or so, maybe too high effort for this forum
Ha! Well so do I at times , squirrels and small birds like robins this time of year are fascinating to watch. I could have pages worth of wildlife pictures of show off but I don't want to steal the threadOh wow! And I get excited when I see a squirrel in the park
Ooh what a fun thread, right up my alley! I've been wildlife watching and keeping a list of what I've seen for nearly 8 years now, more seriously over the past 4 years, and as of now I've seen 50 mammals, 281 birds, 58 reptiles (only found species number 58, the Mallee Black-backed Snake, last Sunday) and 8 frogs in the wild. Funnily enough my 50th mammal species, seen in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park last July, was the Western Quoll or Chuditch, which is quite fitting for that milestone given it's the name I go by online. I made a collage of each wild mammal species I have seen to celebrate the achievement:
The pictures I used in the collage aren't my own (I'm not that good lol), but I'm also a pretty ok-ish wildlife photographer. Here are some of my favourite photos from the past year and a half:
One of several Eastern Brown Snakes seen on the same day (October 2022)
A Thick-tailed Barking Gecko found via some good ol' rock flipping (September 2022)
Tawny Frogmouth more like scorny frogmouth amiright lads (September 2022)
A Western Grey Kangaroo having a quick arm scratch (September 2022)
An Eastern Bearded Dragon displaying angrily at me before I moved it off the road (August 2022)
A pair of Emu roaming wild in Monarto Safari Park (July 2022)
The dastardly European Rabbit, invasive extraordinaire (March 2022)
A Lace Monitor in Mt Remarkable National Park (February 2022)
An Australian Pelican who is a regular visitor to a particular jetty near me (January 2022)
An Australian Sea Lion at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island (December 2021)
A bull Dromedary displaying to his harem in central Australia (July 2021)
A beautiful black Dingo near Uluru, its fur soaked by morning dew (July 2021)
A Black-flanked Rock-wallaby feeding on the outskirts of Alice Springs (July 2021)
This year has also been the first for which I've been keeping a year list, and it's been a great motivator to go exploring regularly - so far I've recorded 23 mammal species, 160 birds, 33 reptiles and 3 frogs over the past 9 months. I've mainly been focusing on herping this spring, and I plan to continue that trend while the snakes are nice and active (it's breeding season for them, as it is for most things). So far I've seen lots of brown snakes, and now I'm planning on searching for red-belly blacks, tigers and pygmy copperheads just to the south of the city. Now that I've seen a quoll, I've also got two new big targets for species to add to my life list - a carpet python for reptiles, and krefft's glider (recent split of the sugar glider) for mammals. Generally though I'm pretty happy with whatever I see, it's mainly just a nice excuse to get out of the city and explore.
The pictures I used in the collage aren't my own (I'm not that good lol), but I'm also a pretty ok-ish wildlife photographer. Here are some of my favourite photos from the past year and a half:
One of several Eastern Brown Snakes seen on the same day (October 2022)
A Thick-tailed Barking Gecko found via some good ol' rock flipping (September 2022)
Tawny Frogmouth more like scorny frogmouth amiright lads (September 2022)
A Western Grey Kangaroo having a quick arm scratch (September 2022)
An Eastern Bearded Dragon displaying angrily at me before I moved it off the road (August 2022)
A pair of Emu roaming wild in Monarto Safari Park (July 2022)
The dastardly European Rabbit, invasive extraordinaire (March 2022)
A Lace Monitor in Mt Remarkable National Park (February 2022)
An Australian Pelican who is a regular visitor to a particular jetty near me (January 2022)
An Australian Sea Lion at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island (December 2021)
A bull Dromedary displaying to his harem in central Australia (July 2021)
A beautiful black Dingo near Uluru, its fur soaked by morning dew (July 2021)
A Black-flanked Rock-wallaby feeding on the outskirts of Alice Springs (July 2021)
This year has also been the first for which I've been keeping a year list, and it's been a great motivator to go exploring regularly - so far I've recorded 23 mammal species, 160 birds, 33 reptiles and 3 frogs over the past 9 months. I've mainly been focusing on herping this spring, and I plan to continue that trend while the snakes are nice and active (it's breeding season for them, as it is for most things). So far I've seen lots of brown snakes, and now I'm planning on searching for red-belly blacks, tigers and pygmy copperheads just to the south of the city. Now that I've seen a quoll, I've also got two new big targets for species to add to my life list - a carpet python for reptiles, and krefft's glider (recent split of the sugar glider) for mammals. Generally though I'm pretty happy with whatever I see, it's mainly just a nice excuse to get out of the city and explore.
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What a diverse selection of animals, I'm sure when Australia isn't trying to kill you it must be a great place to exploreOoh what a fun thread, right up my alley! I've been wildlife watching and keeping a list of what I've seen for nearly 8 years now, more seriously over the past 4 years, and as of now I've seen 50 mammals, 281 birds, 58 reptiles (only found species number 58, the Mallee Black-backed Snake, last Sunday) and 8 frogs in the wild. Funnily enough my 50th mammal species, seen in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park last July, was the Western Quoll or Chuditch, which is quite fitting for that milestone given it's the name I go by online. I made a collage of each wild mammal species I have seen to celebrate the achievement:
The pictures I used in the collage aren't my own (I'm not that good lol), but I'm also a pretty ok-ish wildlife photographer. Here are some of my favourite photos from the past year and a half:
One of several Eastern Brown Snakes seen on the same day (October 2022)
A Thick-tailed Barking Gecko found via some good ol' rock flipping (September 2022)
Tawny Frogmouth more like scorny frogmouth amiright lads (September 2022)
A Western Grey Kangaroo having a quick arm scratch (September 2022)
An Eastern Bearded Dragon displaying angrily at me before I moved it off the road (August 2022)
A pair of Emu roaming wild in Monarto Safari Park (July 2022)
The dastardly European Rabbit, invasive extraordinaire (March 2022)
A Lace Monitor in Mt Remarkable National Park (February 2022)
An Australian Pelican who is a regular visitor to a particular jetty near me (January 2022)
An Australian Sea Lion at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island (December 2021)
A bull Dromedary displaying to his harem in central Australia (July 2021)
A beautiful black Dingo near Uluru, its fur soaked by morning dew (July 2021)
A Black-flanked Rock-wallaby feeding on the outskirts of Alice Springs (July 2021)
This year has also been the first for which I've been keeping a year list, and it's been a great motivator to go exploring regularly - so far I've recorded 23 mammal species, 160 birds, 33 reptiles and 3 frogs over the past 9 months. I've mainly been focusing on herping this spring, and I plan to continue that trend while the snakes are nice and active (it's breeding season for them, as it is for most things). So far I've seen lots of brown snakes, and now I'm planning on searching for red-belly blacks, tigers and pygmy copperheads just to the south of the city. Now that I've seen a quoll, I've also got two new big targets for species to add to my life list - a carpet python for reptiles, and krefft's glider (recent split of the sugar glider) for mammals. Generally though I'm pretty happy with whatever I see, it's mainly just a nice excuse to get out of the city and explore.
It's not really that bad, as long as I eat my vegemite in the morning the drop bears aren't much of an issue