Just registered on the forums, so this is my first post here... I've been commuting by bike a couple of days per week lately. It's about 6 miles one-way, half of which is on a paved bike path and the other half on surface streets. Tuesday morning there were leaves and pine needles all over the bike path, due to high winds the day before, and the fact that it is fall. Anyway, as I was riding down the leaf-carpeted bike path, I saw a large bird (possibly a hawk, but I'm not that good at identifying birds) flying down the path toward me, under the canopy. He was only about 6-8 feet above the ground, moving fast toward me. About 100 yards out, he swooped up into the trees, but it was a really cool sight. No one else on that section of path to share the moment with.

A little while later, after I was on surface streets, I was passing a row of Cape Cod style houses which are set pretty close to the road. In the front yard of one of them was a deer! I slowed down to watch the deer grazing. A couple of cars went by. The deer didn't pay much attention to me or the cars.

I don't normally see any wildlife at all on this commute, so to see those two in one morning was pretty unique!

Oh, and the town must have swept the bike path sometime that day because it was completely clear of leaves by the time I rode home.