We have people from all over the world on this forum, so it ought to be interesting to learn what animals others see while riding. Here in Colorado I view Canada geese, red-tailed hawks, and the ubiquitous prairie dogs almost every ride, and mule deer are not uncommon on the trails. My strangest encounter was with a coyote that early one morning dashed out of the brush, ran along the road for maybe 30 meters, then brushed my leg just before heading once again for the safety (his, not mine) of the woods!

I'm sure there are those that see all sorts of animals while riding. Anyone ever see kangaroos, mountain lions (God forbid), polar bears, or other exotic animals?

Jim

Skipper and I have seen red fox, deer, an occasional snake(they like to warm up on the pavement), red-tails, kestrels and other birds and the usual assortment of small animals. Nothing terribly exotic unless you count the llamas that some locals are now keeping, although I'm not quite sure why.

Moose, bobcat, fox, deer (almost hit one, but that's another story), great blue heron, hawk, porcipines, skunks, fisher cats, turkey, lots of turkey, and black bear, and snowshoe hare, etc., etc. No lack of creatures here in NH.

Bob

All the usual CA foothill wildlife including a topless horseback rider.......and a 6 foot rattler heating himself on a rarely traveled stretch of Old Sonora Rd one evening. (I think he was 5 feet last time I told the story, but snakes are pretty flexible.)

Moose, bobcat, fox, deer (almost hit one, but that's another story), great blue heron, hawk, porcipines, skunks, fisher cats, turkey, lots of turkey, and black bear, and snowshoe hare, etc., etc. No lack of creatures here in NH.

Bob
I had to look up "fisher cat" -- it's a marten. Never seen one outside a zoo. We get cottontail rabbits here, by the plenty, but thankfully, I think, I've never encountered a moose or bear.

Okay-I'll list some of the obvious just so we can get them on the list:

Cows
Horses
Donkeys
Cats
Squirrels
Goats
Sheep
DOGS

and Maybe the not so obvious (we have a farm nearby with some exotic animals wondering around)
Zebras
Llamas
Ostrich

My ride home includes cutting through a park that is adjecent to the rr tracks adjecent to the river. A group of deer were grazing on the well-watered parks-and-rec-maintained lawn one evening a couple of weeks ago. They scuttled off as I approached.

Today (12-14) I saw the usual hawks and falcons.... Red Tail, Sharp Shinned, Kestrel, Merlin and two Bald Eagles. There are thousands of Canada Geese wintering here and a still few Sandhill Cranes that have not gone south yet. There are always a large number of Great Blue Herons and White Egrets hunting for mice in the pastures and alfalfa fields on my usual 15 mile ride. Also saw some Blacktail Deer through an opening in a cottonwood plantation. I have not yet seen the Black Bear that comes into the edge of town to get on the evening news, even though my route goes through the area where he poses for the cameras. Lately, I also have not seen Freckles.... (Collie mix, 50-75 lbs., vaccination current to 4-7-2006) .... that is another thing that made it a good ride.

Dogbait

Bobcat
Egrets
Great Blue Heron
Deer
Coyotes
Redtail Hawks
rarely, a California Condor overhead
lizards
rattlers, gopher snakes, racers
some sort of vulture
lots of quail
Wabbits

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. Wabbits, wabbits and more wabbits. Fish, Mule and White Tail Deer, fox, coyote, the usual horses, sheep, goats and cows, beaver, muskrats, squirrels, Canadian Geese, ducks, herons, egrets and other water birds, flocks of other birds, squirrels, prairie "dogs," snakes and more snakes (up to 10 a ride), frogs, lizards, toads. Mountain lions reported but I have never seen one while bicycling, but have seen tracks. During the "Hatch" literally billions of a variety of flying critters, sometimes making it hard to breathe, and sometimes providing additional unneeded protein to my nutrition.

My wife and I took a bike tour while in Barbados. The group ended up splitting into smaller groups based on speed. My wife left the faster group and coasted along waiting for the second group to catch up. Several iguanas came out on road in front of her and scared her so she hung in with the pack after that.

good morning
i ride in northern wisconsin during the summer. i have seen many deer, black bear and a pack of wolves cross the road. the wolves were within 30 feet thats the only time i have braked fast and turned the other direction. i'm not a chicken but must say i did get excited.

One of the great things about living in North Florida is the broad array of wildlife we see on our rides. Deer and wild turkeys are common. I have also come upon alligators, a bobcat, wild hogs, black vultures, wood storks, Mississippi kites, foxes, armadillos (mostly dead but a few live ones), a cottonmouth water moccasin, and a bald eagle carrying a still-wiggling largemouth bass.

Riding right after daylight affords us the best opportunity to see wildlife.

1) Lots of deer. Some even crashed a paceline I was on the back of.
2) Bobcat stalking a small woman jogger.
3) Coyotes as big and fat as German Shepards.
4) Red Foxes
5) Grey Fox (I was sitting still waiting for the other guys and he came within a foot of me and never knew I was there - or maybe didn't care.)
6) Rattlesnakes. Several. Hard to get people to not kill them. One rattlesnake can destroy over 100 rodents a year.
7) Lots of harmless snakes almost always killed by those environentalist joggers and hikers.
8) Llamas (llama farm) Ostriches (ostrich farm), zebras (zebra farm) - man that guy just won't give up and none of them have proven profitable since it's now horses.
9) Wild pigs - one at least 200 lbs walking up a cliff face just like it was flat ground.
10) All kinds of squirrels, prairey dogs, ground squirrels, chipmonks.
11) Rats.
12) Horses, cow, chickens and Canadian Geese by the hundreds.
13) Raccoons stealing our food.
14) Every imaginable dog, seabird and songbird.
15) Lots of raptors.
16) On a couple of rides a flock of buzzards were circling me.

All the usual, but the unusual were wild boar. Don't have them in the UK except on farms, but these were a colony running wild. Boy are they big when fully grown. Then staying on the pig side- Saw a Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig with the owner chasing it down the trail. Tried to help round it up, but they can run faster than I can cycle, especially uphill.

Edit---- Forgot about these, but In the village I used to live in in my youth, there were wallabies- the small Kangaroo, and this was in England.

Many have already been named from others here in the Carolinas. We do have a great variety of birds, the basic garden variety as well as many eagles and hawks.
On my little route in town I frequently see both raccoons and oppossums. Last Sunday morning I had a quick fright. It was still dark approx. 6:00am. I was on a dual lane major road just running out on a flat section after a good downhill. To my right is a large wooded area bordered by a 4 - 5' wire fence, then a short 5' or so of grass before the edge of the road.
Suddenly from the grass on my right I hear a big commotion of branches and leaves. Glancing quickly I have a glimpse of the back of an animal running right beside my leg. From height and coloration I first think German Shepard, (I'm in trouble, it's going to take a nice piece out of me). In reality it was a small doe running right beside me looking for a break in the wire fence. After one jump directly into the fence, it did find a way through. It was just so unexpected I almost fell from my bike.

How come no one's mentioned pedestrians? I see them all the time and many act like animals. Some are blind as a bat, some are fat as a pig, some are cute as a bug, and so on. For the most part, however, I wish they would make like a tree and leave. ;)

I think that all of the animals I have seen have been mentioned except for seagulls and pigeons.

However, this gives me a chance to mention my favorite. I was in the coastal area of California and was riding up a hill along one side of a canyon with the canyon on my right, and the hill to my left. I was just getting to a point where the road curved left when a beautiful red tailed hawk that must have been patrolling the canyon popped up right in front of me climbing for the sky. He was only about 30 feet away and as I said, beautiful!

It was a sight I will never forget.

Wow, I thought I had seen a lot of animals, but some of you folks live in areas with a much wider variety than we have here in Boulder, Colorado. And I'm glad most of the "encounters" were of the positive variety. A riding companion was alone on a mountain bike trail when a mountain lion crossed about 20 feet in front of her and stopped momentarily, staring straight at her! That encounter probably lasted only a few seconds, but she said it was terrifying and she couldn't concentrate on anything else all day.

Jim

Not mentioned so far: saw several cariboo on the Alaska Highway, and a whole bunch of "stone sheep".

One of the most unusual was something I didn't see: obviously some large animal was killed and laying on the shoulder of the road, and something had dragged it about 40 feet into the tree line. A little furrow had been gouged all the way (antler prong?) and the grass was all pressed down. Could have been a bear or mountain lion. 'Twas hair-raisin'-time, but then I thought, "They've obviously just gorged, so they won't be interested in a tough ole cyclist."

Few years back I came around a bend in a dry gulch in Apache Junction AZ. I was on the trails that run behind Gold Fields "Ghost Town" ....well as I came around the turn there was a Mountain Lion sitting across the gulch. I stopped and he just looked at me. Slowly he got up and jumped into the brush.....never saw him again.

Just last week I was on a group ride and looked up and noticed a hawk just gliding above us. From behind another hawk swooped down with his claws extended and nailed the first hawk right in the back. They both tubled end over end in a big ball of feathers. Just a few feet from the ground the the second hawk let the first one go and they flew back up in the sky. The first hawk must have been run out of the group because after the fight ended he flew away solo.

While riding the Hiawatha Trail last June, I rounded a corner and there was big badger on the trail. He started running in front of me and I followed behind him for about 50 yards, keeping my distance, until he ran off the trail and disappeared. I also saw many deer on the trail and a moose while driving home. Fortunately, did not see a bear inside any of the tunnels!

In case you have not seen this web site, I heartily recommend you check it out. The Hiawatha Trail is the most enjoyable bike ride my wife and I have ever been on . It's worth a journey to experience. It is at: http://wallace-id.com/skilookout/taft.html
It's at the Montana/Idaho border an is a 15 miles section of the old Milwaukee Road electric railroad. It descends 1000 feet and includes 9 tunnels, 7 trestles (one is 450 feet long and 230 feet high). The longest tunnel is 1.66 miles long. Fantastic!

Bill

- so far this year:

black (rat/corn) snakes
scarlet snake
king snake
coral snake
armadillo
possum
many, many, many squirrels
many raptors
seabirds of all descriptions
dogs, of course
cats (fighting, lounging, etc.)
porpoise on Boca Ciega Bay

but the coolest was last month:

big, honking manatees (sea cows) off the pier at Safety Harbor on Tampa Bay...

Last week a small herd of big horn sheep was grazing right next to the bike path and highway, one big ram was licking something in the roadway and ignored the cars that were passing by. They were of all sizes from this years off spring to full curl adults, about 15 of them in all.

I used to commute throught the Los Penasquitos Reserve in San Diego. I saw plenty of wildlife from hummingbirds to skunks, mule deer, bobcats, rabbits, coyotes and cows. One coyote and I had a paceline down the main path for a minute or so till he zigged off. I saw the bobcat and a rabbit at the same time, catching the bobcat's attention just long enough for the rabbit to escape.

In L.A mostly it was rats and their feathered cousins the pigeon and the seagull. I don't think dogs and cats count.

In Santa Barbara, prairie dogs and sea gulls.

In Coachella Valley, lizards, kestrels and hawks, jays, mocking birds, geese and ravens. And even a black widow spider who was riding along on my bike for a short while. Insects too, like grasshoppers, cicadas, mosquitos.

In Little Rock, a lizard who lived in a length of PVC and would peak out in the mornings. Flocks of geese migrating overhead at 1am. Bullheads, Catfish, little silver fish that I can't identify, turtles, Marsh Rice Rats, groundhogs, oppossums, racoons, crows, mockingbirds.

Last week a small herd of big horn sheep was grazing right next to the bike path and highway, one big ram was licking something in the roadway and ignored the cars that were passing by. They were of all sizes from this years off spring to full curl adults, about 15 of them in all.

- very cool!

- i assume a 'full curl' adult refers to the horns?

Here in Maine, this is a list of some of the notable animals I've seen.

Moose
Deer
Bear
Horses
Cows
Sheep
Turkeys (lots of them)
Rabbits
Skunks (phew!)
Squirrels (too many)
Pilleated Woodpecker
Bitterns
Osprey
Geese
Loons

SE Ohio the strangest not listed were a very small snake with Ohio State colors of Crimson and Gray. Do not know the name but would like to know if any one has an idea. A copper head snake one time. A Hickory Darner which is a catapillar that was about 5 to 6 inches long and looked like balloons connected together with red tenticles protruding from the body. I also stopped one time as a beaver swam toward me and I was so close I could hear it chewing through a small stem under the water.

Here in Maine, this is a list of some of the notable animals I've seen.

...
Pilleated Woodpecker
...
You sure that pileated wasn't an ivory billed?

Pedestrians

The most common mammal along our bike trails is the goundhog. They're everywhere, and I've come very close to running over the little beggars. That's why my handle is Marmot, which is French for groundhog. Recently the whitetail deer population has surged out of control, so it's unusual not to see a few of them on a ride, too.
I regularly see most of the hawks, songbirds and waterbirds mentioned in this thread, plus turkey vultures by the dozen, wild turkeys, and an osprey along the river road near our cabin.

You sure that pileated wasn't an ivory billed?

Ha! Ha! You wish!

Most recent notable sighting was a banana slug. How many slugs are noticeable while on a bike? This one was about six inches long and bright yellow.

Also on many rides I have seen seals, sea lions, dolphins, and a humbacked whale, once. Lots of seabirds including brown pelicans, gulls, sooty shearwaters, and loons.

On a canyon road I ride at least four times a week there is a pack of wolves kept by some people in an enclosure. I have to admit that the howling echoing through the canyon does creep me out.

One thing that's nice a about a helmet is the feeling of security it gives you when you ride under a tree where mockingbirds are guarding a nest.

Oh! Monarch butterflies! What an experience to ride through thousands of them, just hoping that none will get hurt.

I've seen lots of cool wildlife when riding including bald eagles, bobcat, gopher tortoise, wood storks, scrub jays, coral snakes, various rattlesnakes, and sandhill cranes. Deer and wild turkey are almost as common as squirrels. The neatest on I have ever seen was a (presumably) lost roseate spoonbill. You don't see very many of them in North Central Florida though I have seen flocks of them in Estero Bay (Fort Myers Beach area) many years ago.

...the goundhog. They're everywhere, and I've come very close to running over the little beggars. That's why my handle is Marmot, which is French for groundhog. .

Marmots are groundhogs! I truly didn't know that. Seen plenty of marmots while hiking in and around Yosemite but never connected them to the shadowy "Ground Hog" day critters. Always strike me as more beaver-rat-squirrel than porcine.

I've seen some green alligators and long legged geese, some humpty backed camels and chimpanzees. Some cats and rats and elephants but sure as I'm born, I've never seen a unicorn.

But seriously, one day last fall I was riding down an old rail bed. It was pretty overgrown with only a very narrow trail down the middle. There were thousands of monarch butterflies. I must have ridden for about half a mile completely surrounded by them. Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Around the first or second week of November, I saw a little hog-nosed snake at the side of the road. It was only about a foot long. I think it got too cold to go any further.

Horses
Cows
pigs
sheep
goats
llamas
donkeys
ostrich
emu
Deer
cats
dogs
ground hogs
skunks
raccoons
otters
muskrat
beaver
Turkeys
Asst songbirds
Eagles
Hawks
owls
coyotes
fox
rabbits
squirrels
chipmunks
badger
Bobcat (not positive, but pretty sure.....)
Geese
Ducks
snakes (non-poisonous)

The most common mammal along our bike trails is the goundhog. They're everywhere, and I've come very close to running over the little beggars. That's why my handle is Marmot, which is French for groundhog. Recently the whitetail deer population has surged out of control, so it's unusual not to see a few of them on a ride, too.
I regularly see most of the hawks, songbirds and waterbirds mentioned in this thread, plus turkey vultures by the dozen, wild turkeys, and an osprey along the river road near our cabin.

Hi marmot!
the only true french groundhog: that's me :p
marmotte

First I saw one cute little Bear cub and then another and then a third. I was fascinated until I realized that Mama must be close behind. I've never ridden faster on my mountain bike.

I see lots of wildlife while riding around southeastern Wyoming. All except one has been mentioned. The remaining critter is the Pronghorn Antelope. What makes these guys so unique is their ability to run so fast. I ride in some areas where the highways are not fenced off from the surrounding prairie and they will freqently pace me as I ride along. They just lope along parallel to the road until they decide to turn or put on the afterburners. They have been reliably recorded running at over 50 mph for extended periods, so my paltry 20 mph on flat sections is really no challenge for them. It is really amazing to see them accelerate from 20 mph up to 40 or so in a few strides! And, contrary to popular myth, they can and frequently do jump over fences and cattleguards (although their favorite way to get through a fence is to scoot under the lowest wire).

Went for a ride yesterday, passed a road-killed raccoon with several turkey buzzards perched in nearby trees. They flew off and followed ME for about a quarter mile. Dang felt Odd!

Usual other stuff, here in central bluegrass I get alot of horses that 'run with me'. Some for a fairly long distance. Really a thrill.

Also Owls seem to be in abundance.

RB

In my part of the world weasels are rare as Etruscans [well, not exactly THAT rare since there ain't no more 'o them]. Anyway, the only one I ever saw here in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia was while I was riding.

There's a spin on the theme. Red foxes are common here and several times I've quietly crested back country road hills and had them run up close whilst they are looking over their shoulder behind them. White tails'll do the same thing. White tails have hard little hooves that slip on macadam and I've had 'em fall ass-over-tin-kettles as they try to get traction. I now make a habit of cresting hills stealthily.

Not quite an "animal" story. . . On a work commute long ago, I passed up this back road that had a fine drift of cold and snow and "somebody's grandmother" in her front picture window was apparently not expecting traffic. Yes, you guessed it. . .not a stitch. I waved, looked away, and went on. I never pass that house but that I crack up. Thing is, I understand how that can happen.

A mink was a rare sighting, unfortunately it was road kill. Newly hatched box turtles about the size of quarters.

"Just last week I was on a group ride and looked up and noticed a hawk just gliding above us. From behind another hawk swooped down with his claws extended and nailed the first hawk right in the back. They both tubled end over end in a big ball of feathers. Just a few feet from the ground the the second hawk let the first one go and they flew back up in the sky. The first hawk must have been run out of the group because after the fight ended he flew away solo." Posted by garysol1

Some birds of prey do this for a mating ritual. Bald Eagles will lock their talons together and tumble like that and then release. I can't say for sure if that's what you saw, but it happens.

Free prairie dogs .... YOU HAUL!!!

Make sure you have a BIG RIG!

Free prairie dogs .... YOU HAUL!!!

Make sure you have a BIG RIG!

Around here we call them Prairie "Rats" which is more appropriate.

A big colony has just moved into a field 2 blocks away.

We once had one in our lawn - what a problem!

A big healthy looking grizzly bear stepped out on the road about 100 feet ahead of me on a springtime ride up "Going to the Sun Road" in Glacier National Park. I've seen plenty other animals but he is the most memorable by far. Fortunately he only looked at me for 5-10 seconds and headed back into the brush.

Around here we call them Prairie "Rats" which is more appropriate.

A big colony has just moved into a field 2 blocks away.

We once had one in our lawn - what a problem!
Wait a second, that dog told me you built a house on _his_ lawn!

Jim

Just last week I was on a group ride and looked up and noticed a hawk just gliding above us. From behind another hawk swooped down with his claws extended and nailed the first hawk right in the back. They both tubled end over end in a big ball of feathers. Just a few feet from the ground the the second hawk let the first one go and they flew back up in the sky. The first hawk must have been run out of the group because after the fight ended he flew away solo.

I think your "he" may have been a "she" and your post should be rated "X".


Red-tailed hawks mate once a year. When they are ready to breed, they engage in elaborate "courtship dances" with their longtime partners. The two fly in circles, sky dive, and even lock their talons in mid-air!

rats, mice, squirrels, Moose, black bear, wild burros, jack rabbits, wild turkeys, coyotes, wayward long horned steer, snakes, tarantulas, hawks, eagles, vultures, bats, alligators, armadillos, whew this list could go on and on and each one has a great story to go with it.

Troops of Baboons on the road riding around Cape Horn south of Capetown in South Africa.

You have to be careful not to get between the male and his female or he'll pounce on you and rip you to shreds with his powerful claws and razor sharp teeth.

Funny enough here in Jordan I've also seen alot of animals in pickups as they drive up incredibly close, sit on their horn and snare their ugly yellow fangs at you as they drive past then swerve back out onto their lane and leave you in a cloud of black fumes. Not sure which species these strange creatures belong to but they sure are ugly.