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I mean, what the heck? I've always had a healthy wariness and respect for Badgers as they're grumpy gits. I've likewise fostered a deep mistrust of Squirrels over the years as I believe they're in league with Cats and plan to take over the world. Tonight though, it was the turn of a thumping great Hare to scare the bejesus out of me.
I was just pedaling along, minding my own business when I spotted it about 50 metres away in an empty field. I was actually admiring it from afar until it looked up. Fixed me in it's death stare, and launched itself towards me at full speed.
I ended up in Jurassic Park mode, arms outstretched shouting "Whoa, Whoa Whoaaa!" at this nut job animal. It finally stopped short about 10 metres away and just....stared at me.
It's just not safe out there anymore.
Bike added for scale. The Hare was a bit smaller, but it was still a hoofer!
Is your name Donnie and was the hare called Frank?
How is Gypsy Glen? running?
I have had some cracking hare races on the descent through the glen itself. The only wildlife i have seen on that side ate newts in thd ditches.
Off the bike very big, or is the hare very far away?😉
I was just pedaling along, minding my own business when I spotted it about 50 metres away in an empty field. I was actually admiring it from afar until it looked up. Fixed me in it's death stare, and launched itself towards me at full speed.
I ended up in Jurassic Park mode, arms outstretched shouting "Whoa, Whoa Whoaaa!" at this nut job animal. It finally stopped short about 10 metres away and just....stared at me.
Couldn't you just have bunny hopped it?
Thumped by Thumoer 😁
Spotted a load this weekend wandering in dunes near Harlech. Wow, they are fast buggers - hardly making a mark on the dunes as we walked their track as the 'dudes' shot off.
Cougar beat me to it, I was going to ask whether you soiled your armour 😀
All I can see in that photo is a lot of far away scenery! I know just how big hares are, I’ve spent some time following one as it lolloped along a lane one night, with me following in my car, as it checked out various openings into fields through gateways or gaps in hedges, for nearly half a mile, before finding one it liked. They certainly aren’t like rabbits, they can hit roughly 30-40mph.
On one Sunday afternoon walk recently I counted 19 in a couple of linked fields, according to the game keeper who I spoke to one night while photographing aurora, due to their care in protecting them from coursers, they knew of at least 135. Beautiful creatures, their eyes are almost human in appearance.
Beautiful creatures, their eyes are almost human in appearance.
One of my favourite animals and a part of the reason I love the Masquerade book so much.
Just to be clear, this happened on my way up to Carron reservoir. The Big Nutjob Brown Hare isn't in the picture. Oh, and I believe it's eyes were red and mouth a'foaming for blood.
Had lots of near OTB moments with them dashing across just in front of the front wheel and avoiding the spokes just!
One of these days my luck will run out.
You just cannot see them in time lightning fast.
I suggest you carry a rabbit whistle next time in case it charges again. Works for me.if you see them at distance.
It sounds like the Easter bunny breed, protecting its territory just like some birds do, bombing cyclists.
Just do not egg it on!
Just to be clear, this happened on my way up to Carron reservoir. The Big Nutjob Brown Hare isn't in the picture. Oh, and I believe it's eyes were red and mouth a'foaming for blood.
You stay in Denny Loanhead so you should be used to most of the locals behaving like that.... 🙃
The discovery that it was actually a hare has ruined the sex toy joke I was building up
The only wildlife i have seen on that side ate newts in thd ditches.
What kind of wildlife eats newts?
The discovery that it was actually a hare has ruined the sex toy joke I was building up
Well it might not have been rampant but it was definitely hare-assment.
It’ll be gone now.
Hare today gone tomorrow.
Grey Wagtails eat newts. Our garden was visited by a gray wag which promptly eat all the small newts and cleared off.
Wildlife that has chased me:
Badger
Seal
Sheep
Crow
Snake
Croc (Freshie not Salty)
Also, a Squirrel threw its nuts at me.....
Nature - its out to get you!
I still bear the scar on the tip of my finger of being bitten by a rabbit. We had a big albino thing as a pet and one day i was stroking him on the nose (which let’s face it would annoy us all) and he made a lunge. There followed a few seconds of tug of war over who was taking ownership of my finger before the rabbit remembered it was a vegetarian. The flow of blood which followed suggested a visit to A&E was prudent. The attitude of the nurse who took a look at the wound alternated between sheer disbelief and the giggles. No stitches but an anti-tetanus jab later I was good to go.
Here in Suffolk we seem to be home to hares on steroids.
Nature - its out to get you!
Try riding in Australia! Everything is either bigger, has more teeth or is deadly poisonous. Sometimes all three.
Try riding in Australia! Everything is either bigger, has more teeth or is deadly poisonous. Sometimes all three.
Including the environment, that’s four, maybe the aquatic life as well, because if a shark doesn’t get you in the ocean, it’ll chase you inland up a river, then it might be an even bigger salty that chases you up the beach, then there’s tiny little jellyfish and bigger box jellyfish…
Not forgetting the drop bears…
Just remembered, when riding there are trees that will cause excruciating pain! The entire country hates white colonists! 🫢
I still bear the scar on the tip of my finger of being bitten by a rabbit.
As a kid I had a rabbit who was a bit eccentric. Her attempt to break out of her run to attack a cat was a particular highlight. Lucky it was one of those days it was secure vs others where after escaping she spent the day browsing the flowers before breaking back in.
My mum had a nursery job and took her in a couple of times for the kids to admire/stroke. It ended after one time a kid jabbed her and after being told "NO" decided to do it a second time. At which point she decided sod this for a game of soldiers and decided to eat the prodding finger.
Another highlight was a vet demonstrating tonic immobility on her. If you put a rabbit on its back apparently it triggers them to freeze although it is in reality high stress for them. However her response was turning her head from side to side a couple of times in a seemingly confused manner before deciding she wasnt happy and the appropriate response was to eat the vet.
Got attacked by a Green Woodpecker once. Vicious bastid. ... Screen grab attached.
I've had two encounters with badgers on night rides. The first time I heard the rattle of a wire fence then it ran between my wheels, a feat I doubt it'd manage now with a lower bottom bracket. The second time I heard some rumbling in the bushes and then I was on the deck. The badger ran into my back wheel and took the bike out from under me. We both stared at each other in a daze, or at least I know I was, maybe the badger was considering finishing me off but he/she turned tail and scampered off. I left a few skid marks.
I've had two encounters with badgers on night rides. The first time I heard the rattle of a wire fence then it ran between my wheels, a feat I doubt it'd manage now with a lower bottom bracket. The second time I heard some rumbling in the bushes and then I was on the deck. The badger ran into my back wheel and took the bike out from under me. We both stared at each other in a daze, or at least I know I was, maybe the badger was considering finishing me off but he/she turned tail and scampered off. I left a few skid marks.
What surprised me on my first badger encounter was just how big they are.
Although not as worrying as deer running thru gaps .
Every time I've encountered a Badger on solo night rides the things have turned and had an aggressive run at me before smugly loping off into the darkness. They are bloody huge and like @stevenmenmuir says, skid marks have always been left in their wake.
Many, many years ago I side swiped a Roe deer while out on a night ride. About five of them had shot out of the trees as I descended a narrow path. Four of them leapt the fence on the other side of the trail, one attempted to go through it and bounced back into my path. At this point I was braking hard and going sideways. My back wheel slapped the downed deer in the arse, which straightened the bike up and on I continued a wee bit shocked but no harm done.
When I got home and rolled my old Patriot into the garage I saw what looked very much like deer hair melted onto my brake rotor. For months afterwards I was convinced there was a deer out in the woods with Shimano branded into its arse and thoughts of revenge on its mind.
That woodpecker photo is awesome! If I saw that on social media, I'd assume it was AI. Nice. 😁
Although not as worrying as deer running thru gaps .
You’re not wrong there - there’s quite a few lanes to the west of Chippenham where groups of deer cut across fields after dark, and make for gaps in the hedges, either field entrances or just small breaks in the hedges. It’s quite tempting to put your foot down a bit in the dark, because you can see oncoming traffic half a mile away, but there’s one or two lanes I use that I’ve learned to be fairly careful, not just because of deer, but hares use them as well. Taking a mate home from an evening in the pub in Biddestone, we ended up crawling along behind a hare that was just loping along, pausing to check out a gap, before continuing, eventually finding the place it wanted, we must have followed it for half a mile! On another occasion, on the same lane, as I passed a field entrance, I caught a flash of something in the dark, so I slowed down and after a couple of hundred yards, suddenly a herd of deer shot through a gap in a hedge a couple of car’s length in front of me! If I hadn’t seen the flash of light from my headlights reflected from a deer’s eyes, it’s highly probable that I could have driven straight into half a dozen animals erupting straight into the road!
In the past I’ve been riding down a lane with a good following wind, probably around 30mph, and had a pheasant come through a gap in the hedge at head height! It was close enough that I could have easily grabbed its tail feathers, I could see them fluttering right in front of my face! The adrenaline rush after that was quite intense, realising just how fast I was going added to the impact of a pheasant travelling at about the same speed at 90° to me, the gravel rash and likely hospital visit didn’t really bear thinking about!
Still, things were worse back in mediaeval times, it wasn’t so much the bunnies, as the hares that you had to watch out for!
I thought this was going to be another anti-Semitic thread ..
Anyway, we have a couple of rogue capercaillie nearby. I'm legally prevented from telling you where, but you'll soon know when you meet one. Imagine 6 kg of angry turkey with a neck like a wrestlers arm, and a beak that will tear through flesh that can fly at around 40 mph.
Taking a mate home from an evening in the pub in Biddestone, we ended up crawling along behind a hare that was just loping along, pausing to check out a gap, before continuing, eventually finding the place it wanted, we must have followed it for half a mile
Every been stuck behind a peacock? Absolute morons.
Every been stuck behind a peacock? Absolute morons
A house on the busy main crossroads into our village keeps peacocks. The word "keeps" is technically wrong, as they are mainly to be found strutting up and down the A609 causing chaos.
Though it is funny when we reach the time of year when a young peacocks thoughts turn to love and they start looking round the village for potential matches. The local FB page gets hit by panicked messages from people terrified/incredulous that there is a peacock in their garden, while everyone replies with "First year in the village?"
A house on the busy main crossroads into our village keeps peacocks. The word "keeps" is technically wrong, as they are mainly to be found strutting up and down the A609 causing chaos.
There is - or at least, was, I've not seen any for a while now - a house near where I lived which did similar. You had to be careful when driving past.
Look pretty, mean-tempered, loud as all hell.
loud as all hell.
Catch you out when they shriek at you when you are on the way home from a night ride