Riding in to work this morning, I came across an adult kestrel and three juveniles on the ground, feeding. As I approached they all scattered upwards showing that familiar falcon shape against the sky. It made me realise that I've never before seen these birds on the ground.
I've seen them hovering over motorway verges and wheeling clear of mobbing corvids but never on terra firma. It seemed odd.
I pedalled on and chuckled as I said to myself "I've just seen four kestrels manoeuvre in the park"
This is all true. A joke from a scene.
Well I like it....
Needs a badum-tish button
Or some raptor-ish applause.
I always thought the set up was the newspaper story about the council ordering the bird of prey enthusiast to clean up the spilled bird seed from his feeding sessions in the council run open space.
"Hawk Kestrel Man Hoovers in the Park"
Sea eagles.
Sometimes see them flying down one of the forest roads as they head to the beach.They are blinkin huge close up,but i don't get scared,honest 🙂
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Not on my commute, but a couple of months ago I stumbled across a massive (would have filled four or five bin liners) pile of freshly cut skunk plants blocking a bridleway!!
Weeds
I saw a stoat killing a rabbit in a grassy verge once. In their death tussle I was obviously of no concern!
All sorts of things, I cycle along the canal at around 7am and there's never anyone else about so I see all the wildlife along there. There's a heron who will take off when he sees me and follow the canal for 4 miles at a good 18mph that I try and keep up with.
There's the swans and its cygnets, but also just some amazing views at sunrise. I love riding to work.
I saw a couple of crows once. I reported them to the police for attempted murder.
I pedalled on and chuckled as I said to myself "I've just seen four kestrels manoeuvre in the park"
There's a book called 'Ronan the Barbarian' by James Bibby where he devotes an entire chapter to describing how Orcs manufacture the 'Man Hoover' sword in the forges of the Astral Mountains'. A sword which emitted a 'keening wail' in the presence of humans. All this so he can end the chapter by saying how many a guard shivered in fear at the sound of Orc Astral Manhoovers in the Dark. I love that book.
I saw a couple of crows once. I reported them to the police for attempted murder.
Are you sure it was murderous crows? Could have been two ravens and just a little unkindness
There's a short story by Asimov with the last line; "Sloane's Teddy wins the race".
I saw a couple of crows once. I reported them to the police for attempted murder.
Like 😆
Depending on time of day and how many people have been along the canal before me I can see all sorts. This year I've seen Red Throated Divers and Fallow Deer. There's a heron that just isn't bothered about cyclists, it will just stand there as you ride past a metre or so away.
Thinking about it.
I saw a couple of crows once.
Never, more.
deer and squirrels.
Saw a little owl last week, just had a vague feeling of being watched and turned to see it perched on a dead tree looking at me. Damn site more interesting than the piles of fly tip I normally see anyway 😥
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OMD?
That's nothing.
We get The Housemartins round here every year.
A morepork shot out of the hedge at the side of my drive as I was riding home last week, flew along ahead of me for a few metres before disappearing up into the trees. That made my day, they're bloody hard to spot normally.
A what?
Had to google it - it's an owl found in Tasmania and New Zealand.
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Saw one of these just last week - a teat owl.
🙂
I once had a deer run right in front of me whist riding in some trail centre or other.
Not off road but I see Simple Minds a lot when I cycle to work. They're often towing a caravan.
Are you sure it was murderous crows? Could have been two ravens and just a little unkindness
OOOOOFF.
Il a manqué le point!
I had a buzzard swoop down out of a tree and glide along the cycle path in front of me. Also had a little owl watch me ride past one morning.
Unconcerned herons are fairly regular on my commute.
Just once, in 16 years riding that towpath, have I seen the much fabled kingfisher!
I see these way too often. This is the one from outside my bedroom.
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I've also been raced by suicidal badgers and found a bunch of totally unconcerned deer who stood 15yds from me in the light of my SolarStorm and seemed to not recognise me as a person until I tried to get my camera out.