Tuesday night, a colleague and I were riding next to Riverside Park in NYC, and two raccoons crossed the street towards the park in front of us. Well, one of them turned back because I let out a very loud PSSSS sound to scare them. We don't see raccoons in NYC often, but they certainly are here.

They're partial to storm sewers in urban environments.

It’s pretty unusual to find a raptor carcass, much less an owl.

I know! I spotted a tiny one, probably a sparrow hawk, last weekend. Body was intact but the head had been torn clean off. Weird.

There's no animosity lost between crows and owls where their territory overlaps.
It's just like when smaller nesting birds harass any larger bird around their nest to chase it away.

I passed up two nice finds today: a hardhat and an umbrella that appeared to be in good shape. The umbrella was a couple lanes over, or else I would have grabbed it. I could actually use an umbrella.

Found this on the ride to work this morning; it's not a helmet, it's a helmet shell. I don't even know.

Protip: go to any subway lost & found and say 'hey I lost my umbrella', and they will show you to a room packed floor to ceiling with lost umbrellas and you can just pick whichever one you want.

Found on this morning's ride.

I actually find the myriad acorns this time of year to be more treacherous.

That's because CalTrans swept it a week or so ago. Eucalyptus seed pods are back to accumulating.

That's nothin! I see eucalyptus branches much bigger than that many times a year, after wind storms. Branching branches, all full of leaves, like a bush in the bike lane.

Me too. I saw one of those once, on the other side of the guard rail, sticking over. I tried to move it, but it had to be 100 lbs. or more; it didn't budge. CalTrans keeps these trimmed pretty hard, so it's mostly smaller stuff that's already dead.

It's looking like early 2022 for the Humboldt Bay Trail to be completed, and these eucalyptus will be gone (they're already dying; arborist used the term 'imminent danger'), I can go around the rest, and won't have to ride the highway. ::crosses fingers:: C'mon Bay Trail! Eventually it will be part of the Great Redwood Trail connecting Humboldt to the San Francisco Bay Area, and pardon me I'm drooling. Here's my ride:

Awesome! Paid for by North Face?

???

This works with hotels and chargers too, sometimes.

It stuck out to me that both male narrators were wearing North Face jackets. The woman was not, so I guess just a coincidence.

I made it to about 2 seconds before getting jealous.

Hunh. I didn't notice that. Guess it's popular up here.

On the map, the yellow/black section is what's left to build; I ride the trail to Two Rocks and hop on the highway. It's a nice ride, barring traffic and eucalyptus debris. Oh, and never stop in the marsh; did that yesterday and picked up 7 or 8 mosquito bites in two minutes. I knew better, but I did it anyway. D'oh!

Downtown Estes Park today.

Today: two cats (alive!), in two different locations!

I like to think that I see a lot of cats because they know I like cats, but it probably has more to do with the fact that I'm out around sunset and they are too.

Check this out!

Nice find, it's rare to see that in the wild. That helmet was moulting. It's now a size larger and is growing a new shell for next season.

Today:
(2) dead mice.
(1) Electric mobility scooter near the bus stop (again).