Iconic Animals

[Harry Potter]

African dogs, in edinburgh zoo, only zoo in scotland, pure pack force.

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

1 minute ago, Jamhammer said:

A raccoon in Vancouver. They’re cool as. Thought it was a cat. Like wee burglars.

The only good think about a week on the toilet in Egypt was the tremendous snorkelling before the world fell out of my bottom

Was the racoon in Stanley Park? We were sitting on a bench and a racoon just sort of sauntered up looking for food. I was a bit concerned with the claws on it, they looked sharp ☺️

[Jamhammer]

1 minute ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

Was the racoon in Stanley Park? We were sitting on a bench and a racoon just sort of sauntered up looking for food. I was a bit concerned with the claws on it, they looked sharp ☺️

No it was crossing a road up Mount Pleasant way. When the Bairn lived in Burnaby I went for a run down to the shops along a trail. On the way back saw a big sign saying “Bears use this trail” at the exit. I wish theyd put one at the bit I ran down on ? There’s me running with a packet of mince in me hand. Canadians have a slightly different attitude towards bears. Running in Nanaimo the guy we were staying with said “You should be alright, there’s not too many bears about”

Id say 1 bear is too many 

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

2 minutes ago, Jamhammer said:

No it was crossing a road up Mount Pleasant way. When the Bairn lived in Burnaby I went for a run down to the shops along a trail. On the way back saw a big sign saying “Bears use this trail” at the exit. I wish theyd put one at the bit I ran down on ? There’s me running with a packet of mince in me hand. Canadians have a slightly different attitude towards bears. Running in Nanaimo the guy we were staying with said “You should be alright, there’s not too many bears about”

Id say 1 bear is too many 

? I went off for a wander in the woods by The Grouse Mountain ski centre and later was asked if I saw any bears. I didn't realise at the time they came so close to the city. 

[Dagger Is Back]

1 hour ago, Tazio said:

 

Over a year and nobody noticed he is claiming to have seen wild flumps.

 

Almost got away with it too. 

[Boof]

Orcas when cutting my lawn (I was - not them).

Red kite in southern France.

Moose in Sweden.

Ospreys in Perthshire.

Probably seen some wee nondescript brown birds that twitchers would go bananas over but didn't recognise 'em.

Basking sharks (and more orcas) when out rowing.

No  flumps yet.

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

10 minutes ago, Boof said:

Orcas when cutting my lawn (I was - not them).

Red kite in southern France.

Moose in Sweden.

Ospreys in Perthshire.

Probably seen some wee nondescript brown birds that twitchers would go bananas over but didn't recognise 'em.

Basking sharks (and more orcas) when out rowing.

No  flumps yet.

Try Leith ?

[¼½¾]

1 hour ago, Boof said:

Orcas when cutting my lawn (I was - not them).

Red kite in southern France.

Moose in Sweden.

Ospreys in Perthshire.

Probably seen some wee nondescript brown birds that twitchers would go bananas over but didn't recognise 'em.

Basking sharks (and more orcas) when out rowing.

No  flumps yet.

 

You might want to think about some drainage.

[luckyBatistuta]

4 minutes ago, Lemongrab said:

 

You might want to think about some drainage.

 

[Jamhammer]

2 hours ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

? I went off for a wander in the woods by The Grouse Mountain ski centre and later was asked if I saw any bears. I didn't realise at the time they came so close to the city. 

The only bears I’ve actually seen, so far in Canada were the couple in the big enclosure up on Grouse. Did you do the Grouse Grind or cable car up? I’m gonna do the grind next time

[ri Alban]

Golden ? magnificent.

[gjcc]

4 hours ago, Tazio said:

 

Over a year and nobody noticed he is claiming to have seen wild flumps.

 

He went to Kenya, he probably did see them. 

[Craig Gordons Gloves]

Up at our cabin i've seen:

 

Coyote

Raccoons 

Groundhogs

Bald Eagles (see them alot all over tbh)

Black Bears - frequently in the spring and fall

Deer - every day tbh

Wild Turkeys also wander through our garden at home frequently, riling the dog up no end.

 

Also seen Elk, Caribou, Whales, Dolphins, Prairie Dogs in various national parks we've been to.  In Ghana saw elephants right up close as we were on a walking safari in the north of the country and they were around 30 ft away, the ranger that was with us made us walk backwards very slowly and he was picking up stones to throw at them in case they got closer. Seen hyena, babboons sitting on our decking and loads of monkeys, Yak in Nepal too. 

 

[Geoff the Mince]

I was swimming in Cape Town and no more than 20 feet away were two killer whales 

 

As this was in great white territory I was rather pleased .

[The White Cockade]

when I lived in Cape Town we would get tortoise, porcupine, mongoose, guinea fowl etc in the garden

 

once saw a leopard in a public park in Nairobi

 

and wild wallabies over here on the Isle of Man!!

[Seymour M Hersh]

I saw an ugly scary pack of Orcus Patheticus at Tynecastle. Horrible sights and sounds.

 

Used to work at Seaworld in San Diego (before it became so commercialised) and the route to get to my office every morning to me through the Shamu stadium I'd often stop and marvel at them and sometimes pet them when they grouped up at the petting stand. I was lucky they liked me as they'd splash people the didn't like. I've no idea how they'd decide who to like and dislike. Amazing animals Orcas.

[Irufushi]

Seen a decent sized adder on my old home course a number of years ago. Sat in the middle of the fairway catching some rays.

[Craig_]

Closer to home, have seen Red Kite, Dolphins, Eagles. A pine marten once sauntered past us on a beach up north in the middle of the night, when we were all tripping heavily. Cue lots of shouts of "what the f- is that?!". Gave us a dirty look and carried on his way!

 

Even closer than that, once watched a heron trying to eat a snake by the Water of Leith in Stockbridge. The bird was battering this poor thing off rocks, yet every time the snake would just slither off, then the heron would try again. Must've been about 20 of us watching this!

[Sharky999]

A Platypus, a Fuc@@@g Platypus.

 

 

I win ??

[@VladMagic]

I have eaten both black bear and moose whilst in BC.

 

Both delicious!!

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

17 hours ago, Jamhammer said:

The only bears I’ve actually seen, so far in Canada were the couple in the big enclosure up on Grouse. Did you do the Grouse Grind or cable car up? I’m gonna do the grind next time

The cable car because I am a lazy **** can't remember the grind as we were there 20 years back. Good luck next time. The bears they mentioned might have been in an enclosure when I thought they meant roaming wild right enough. 

[sandyk]

Seen loads of animals whilst wondering around the Falklands

 

Different penguin types (they really do stink), Elephant Seals, whales, sealions, Albatross, dolphins and so many other things I would never be able to tell you what they were.

Beauty of it all was that these were all wild, in their natural habitat.  The Elephant seals are massive.  To wander past them whilst they were basking on the beach was surreal.

[Sharpie]

A couple of times when driving to Vancouver I have had a black bear cross the road in front of me. Of course have seen lots of moose, deer, mountain sheep and mountain goats. When I lived in Osoyoos I walked up the mountain every day with my dog.Most days we would see Coyotes, despicable beasts I hate them, sleekit, always look at you with almost hooded eyes like that way you can't see them.

They with a dog like Rambo a shepherd would send out a female who was in heat and tempt the dog to follow her, some say they would actually breed the dog but generally as a pack they would attack and kill and eat the dog. One day this happened but I had the big guy on the leash, as we went up the trail I saw the pack milling around ready for s

eomething. I then saw what I thought was a Coyote lying on a big rock, as I got closer it looked up and I saw it had white patches on the side of its face and realised I was staring and being stared back at by a Cougar. I remembered that you should never turn your back on them, and kept eye c ontact as I slowly with the dog backedup, the dog was setting himself. The cougar just stayed on the rock and of all things a stupid Magpie came down and pecked at the side of its mouth obviously getting the remains of a meal. We sneaked away, and when well out of sight took off fast.

I contacted the wildlife people they said there had not been a Cougar sighting in that area in years and seemed to have some doubts. About a week later a Cougar was found dead in the same area, it had died of some illness, and they now opined that was what had saved me, it was probably already getting sick.

[Jamhammer]

2 hours ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

The cable car because I am a lazy **** can't remember the grind as we were there 20 years back. Good luck next time. The bears they mentioned might have been in an enclosure when I thought they meant roaming wild right enough. 

No there are wild bears up there too.

[I P Knightley]

22 hours ago, Boof said:

Orcas when cutting my lawn (I was - not them).

Red kite in southern France.

Moose in Sweden.

Ospreys in Perthshire.

Probably seen some wee nondescript brown birds that twitchers would go bananas over but didn't recognise 'em.

Basking sharks (and more orcas) when out rowing.

No  flumps yet.

These buggers are everywhere to the west of London. Take a burl out the M4 or M40 and you'll almost certainly see a handful of them.

I remember the fuss about 15-20 years ago when folk would stop and stare if one flew over as it was big news that they'd been successfully reintroduced.

I love a bird of prey, though.

 

5 hours ago, Irufushi said:

Seen a decent sized adder on my old home course a number of years ago. Sat in the middle of the fairway catching some rays.

I can't remember which course I was on when one of them skidaddled off the tee box and into the woods beside. It was one of the ones down Surrey/Berkshire way; possibly Foxhills.

 

I'll occasionally see a woodpecker in the back garden. Cool bird that.

Kingfisher, too. Very shiny and much more wee than I'd expected.

[InNothingWeTrust]

I saw a capercaillie up near the Cairngorms a few years ago when out on a walk.  I've also seen an albino squirrel up in the Pentlands.

[graygo]

6 hours ago, Sharky999 said:

A Platypus, a Fuc@@@g Platypus.

 

 

I win ??

 

Naw ye dinnae, it was mentioned on the previous page. I've also seen them in Australia.

 

Also in Oz I saw Quokkas on Rotnest Island, don't exist anywhere else on the planet. Big rat like things crossed with a mini kangaroo. Also saw wombats and dugongs.

[Sharpie]

Osdoyoos was known as Canadas only true desert, because of the fauna, insects and some of the wildlife. This is what caused us the regular sighting and sometimes almost stumbling on rattlesnakes during eighteen holes of golf.

Edited January 10, 2019 by bobsharp

[Boof]

40 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

These buggers are everywhere to the west of London. Take a burl out the M4 or M40 and you'll almost certainly see a handful of them.

I remember the fuss about 15-20 years ago when folk would stop and stare if one flew over as it was big news that they'd been successfully reintroduced.

I love a bird of prey, though.

 

Ah - wasn't aware of that. Just had an inkling they were a bit of a rarity. Mind you...my sighting was in 2001 whilst canoeing in the Ardeche

[I P Knightley]

54 minutes ago, Boof said:

 

Ah - wasn't aware of that. Just had an inkling they were a bit of a rarity. Mind you...my sighting was in 2001 whilst canoeing in the Ardeche

And back then, they'd have been a rarity in Berkshire  and Buckinghamshire as well!

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

2 hours ago, Jamhammer said:

No there are wild bears up there too.

I thought so because I heard they get chased out of North Vancouver from time to time. 

[Boof]

56 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

And back then, they'd have been a rarity in Berkshire  and Buckinghamshire as well!

 

But not in the south of France  

 

One of my colleagues was a keen birder and remarked that I'd spotted something I'd be unlikely to see here. To be honest, it could have been a Norwegian Blue and I probably wouldn't have known!!

[I P Knightley]

2 minutes ago, Boof said:

 

But not in the south of France  

 

One of my colleagues was a keen birder and remarked that I'd spotted something I'd be unlikely to see here. To be honest, it could have been a Norwegian Blue and I probably wouldn't have known!!

Remarkable bird; beautiful plumage

[Gorgiewave]

On 06/12/2017 at 22:57, auldy19 said:

Seen wild bears twice . Once in Canada and then in Arizona ! It was trotting about near camping site which was worrying . 

 

Africa : buffalo . Elephants , rhino,  cheetahs . Hippos .Hyenas, Lion  . All of the deer types . 

Black mamba . (Baby one but was a good catch in a bag ) 

Monkeys ( got pissed on by one. Was fuming) 

crocodiles ( while white water rafting )

 Note . The lion cub and cheetahs were in an animal orphanage but I played a tug of war game with it . 

Also got to stroke fully grown adult cheetahs and hold some cheetah cubs . Awesome experience . 

 

You mean it pissed on you because you were on fire? Decent of it.

[ArcticJambo]

Been fortunate to see most Canadian Arctic wildlife; you name it.

But up close and personal and the most amazing encounters have been with killer whales, polar bears and High Arctic wolves (all within 15 feet).  And Bowheads I guess too ... one year at floe edge there were quite a few around and I was able to reach over and stroke one. 

Was so tempted to quickly jump on it's back then onto the ice again but thought the better of it.

 

Also, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, sea lions (thought they were gonna grab my kids who were paddling in the surf) and breaching humpbacks (Pacific Rim NS).  Didn't like the alligators in Florida; wouldn't trust em'.

[Helzibob]

Spent one holiday in Queensland searching for days trying to find a cassowary. When I got home I checked my photos from Singapore zoo (I stopped on the way out) and I’d seen a few and taken loads of pictures only a week or so before. ?

[Sharky999]

6 hours ago, graygo said:

 

Naw ye dinnae, it was mentioned on the previous page. I've also seen them in Australia.

 

Also in Oz I saw Quokkas on Rotnest Island, don't exist anywhere else on the planet. Big rat like things crossed with a mini kangaroo. Also saw wombats and dugongs.

??

[FWJ]

On 09/01/2019 at 13:56, Kalamazoo Jambo said:

While I was walking the dog early this morning, a coyote wandered across the street about 50 feet in front of us. Didn't give us a second glance!

 

 

Disappointing that it wasn’t wearing ‘Acme’ rocket-powered rollerskates.

South Africa’s great for wildlife - got to pet a cheetah in a park near Knysna - lovely beasts.  Also saw a seal eating a salmon in the River Ness, right in the middle of Inverness - before the days of camera phones unfortunately.  It was floating on the surface and it looked really pleased with itself

[Beast Boy]

Mountain gorillas in Uganda.

 

Elephants, Lions, Cheetah, White rhino, Hippos, Nile Crocodiles, Spotted hyenas, Olive baboons, Cape bufallo, Wildebeast, Zebra in Kenya.

 

Otters in Peebles.

 

Golden Eagles in Skye.

 

Arctic foxes in Iceland.

 

Spotted Dolphins in Gran Canaria.

 

Stoat in Bilston.

 

Pine Martens in Corfu.

 

Ospreys on Loch Ness.

 

Those are the best ones off the top of my head. ?

[@VladMagic]

This cougar attacked a youngster at a party at a friends of ours over in BC. He managed to shoot it before it dragged her into the woods to eat her.

Edited January 11, 2019 by VladMagic

[@VladMagic]

On 09/01/2019 at 14:47, Jamhammer said:

No it was crossing a road up Mount Pleasant way. When the Bairn lived in Burnaby I went for a run down to the shops along a trail. On the way back saw a big sign saying “Bears use this trail” at the exit. I wish theyd put one at the bit I ran down on ? There’s me running with a packet of mince in me hand. Canadians have a slightly different attitude towards bears. Running in Nanaimo the guy we were staying with said “You should be alright, there’s not too many bears about”

Id say 1 bear is too many 

 

We encountered a bear when staying in Campbell River.

 

Spooked it one morning when on route to the river. Just getting light on a small path next to the river. Dad shouts "bear" I turn round to see it charging up through the woods between me and the river. A mate of mine was in its way so he roared at it!! Thing took off at a fair pace brushing past him as it went. No more than 2 feet from where he was standing!

 

Quite a start to the day

[jim747]

I quite often see Moose at the side of the road. I did see a Lynx run across the road when driving home from work a few years back, massive cat, and totally unexpected.

[Jamhammer]

4 hours ago, VladMagic said:

 

We encountered a bear when staying in Campbell River.

 

Spooked it one morning when on route to the river. Just getting light on a small path next to the river. Dad shouts "bear" I turn round to see it charging up through the woods between me and the river. A mate of mine was in its way so he roared at it!! Thing took off at a fair pace brushing past him as it went. No more than 2 feet from where he was standing!

 

Quite a start to the day

My daughter's boyfriend  tried to explain what to do if you come across the different types of bear as if I was gonna be able to tell the difference between them. You gotta love Canadians

[@VladMagic]

19 hours ago, Jamhammer said:

My daughter's boyfriend  tried to explain what to do if you come across the different types of bear as if I was gonna be able to tell the difference between them. You gotta love Canadians

 

It's actually not that difficult to A tell them apart and B what to do.

 

Blacks are MUCH smaller. A good sized black bear will be 300-400 pounds in weight. A Brown or Grizzly is probably twice this up to 800 pounds. Blacks are naturally shy animals and will run unless protecting young so a shout or a whistle at them and they tend to go the opposite way. Grizzlys on the other hand are not to be messed with. Tear you apart limb from limb. Immensely strong and powerful and not scared of humans.

 

Spot a black, shout at it.

 

Spot a grizzly, retreat slowly and prey its not in the mood!!

[Jamhammer]

2 hours ago, VladMagic said:

 

It's actually not that difficult to A tell them apart and B what to do.

 

Blacks are MUCH smaller. A good sized black bear will be 300-400 pounds in weight. A Brown or Grizzly is probably twice this up to 800 pounds. Blacks are naturally shy animals and will run unless protecting young so a shout or a whistle at them and they tend to go the opposite way. Grizzlys on the other hand are not to be messed with. Tear you apart limb from limb. Immensely strong and powerful and not scared of humans.

 

Spot a black, shout at it.

 

Spot a grizzly, retreat slowly and prey its not in the mood!!

Brown? Which by the way would be the colour of my undies if I came across any kind of bear 

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

I saw an Otter swimming in the Water of Leith near the Gallery of Modern Art when I was out walking the dog last night. Anyone else seen Otters anywhere else? 

[doctor jambo]

47 minutes ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

I saw an Otter swimming in the Water of Leith near the Gallery of Modern Art when I was out walking the dog last night. Anyone else seen Otters anywhere else? 

seen quite a few- mainly when sea trout fishing at night- down in Galloway mind.

saw sea otters in Harris

[Bauld]

I've been fortunate to see many wild animals over the years but i think my 2 favourites were the sailfish leaping from the water on my trip through the med and the massive barracuda only feet away from me in a Spanish marina.

[Jambo-Jimbo]

50 minutes ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

I saw an Otter swimming in the Water of Leith near the Gallery of Modern Art when I was out walking the dog last night. Anyone else seen Otters anywhere else? 

 

Seen some in the River Tweed at Innerleithen.

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

43 minutes ago, doctor jambo said:

seen quite a few- mainly when sea trout fishing at night- down in Galloway mind.

saw sea otters in Harris

 

36 minutes ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

Seen some in the River Tweed at Innerleithen.

Good sign of a healthy river with plenty fish.

They make plenty noise splashing about and make a squeaking sound you would think would scare off the fish though.