Mulberry20

Most of you would never believe it but Manhattan is filled with several types of hawks as well as falcons and owls. Lots of food here and high perches for them. Perfect habitat.

At the top of Harlem Hill in Central Park there are nesting areas. Hawks and Falcons sit atop the traffic lights and just watch the joggers and cyclists. One day a Peregrine grabbed a pigeon out of the air about 20 feet in front of me.

Amazing to see such a bird so close.

Darth Lefty 

I was buzzed by a bald eagle on the way to the polls on Election Day in 2016. Other than seeming ominous it was much like the OP’s encounter.

A few months after that I was riding to work in the dawn light and came upon a freshly killed turkey on the bike trail. She was likely done in by a bobcat or coyote, though it’s fun to think it was a cougar. She had an intact unlaid egg in the remains. Another omen, surely. Riding by the crime scene on the way home, the carcass had been dragged uphill a bit and no sign of the egg.

adamhenry

One morning I was putting along on the San Luis Rey MUP and a roadrunner came trotting up the bank and turned onto the path right in front of me. He was doing the same speed I was and trotted down the path for about 15 yds. before turning back down the embankment.

Last week I was riding down Coast highway on a section along the bluff just above the beach and as I was looking down at the surf an osprey flew up level to me. He was carrying what appeared to be a juvenile white sea bass in his talons. He was going the same direction and about the same speed I was. I studied him for a bit before he veered offshore.

Leinster

We must not have many Aussies on BF, because from the stories I've heard of their magpies they'd fill up this thread pretty quick. I never encountered it myself.

I know Australia magpies are a different species from Irish magpies, but are Cascades magpies a different one again?

Darth Lefty 

All the magpies in the northern hemisphere are related, though there are local species or subspecies. Near my old home there was a neighborhood flock of yellow billed magpies. They didn't ever do anything noteworthy in front of me but they were very distinctive.


By Bill Bouton - Flickr: Yellow-billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=19556089

Leinster

Yeah, the Irish one's a bit different. They have a reputation for liking shiny things and stealing bits of foil and metal and occasionally jewellery to line their nests.

The Aussie one, by contrast, is, like most of their wildlife, a bit of a bloody bastard;

one4smoke

You know why the right line of the formation is longer than the left??

tyrion

That's just the way they do it in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the left side is longer.

one4smoke

No, it's because there are more birds in the right line.

trainsktg

While working in Louisiana a few years ago, I joined a local group ride. I was told to be prepared for a group sprint as we headed down a certain country road. As we passed an otherwise unspectacular house on this road, two Great Pyrenees...and a really pissed off goose...vectored out of the yard and chased the group down the road, the goose the definite pack leader, honking and flapping and slapping its webbed feet on the the road as fast as they could carry it. The dogs were definitely in it just for the fun but the goose had certain murder in its frenetic fury. What a hoot.

Keith

indyfabz

Don’t remember seeing any in the Cascades. Definitely later in the trip.

GrainBrain

I can relate I've had them do this too me as well, but been lucky enough to avoid the flocks wrath.

My favorite are sand pipers, who will fly just infront of you as they try and "lure" you from their nest.

indyfabz

Crossing the country we encountered a species of bird that would fly along with us, land by the side of the road and act like it had a broken wing. We assumed it was trying to distract us from a nest.

GrainBrain

Yup that's a sand piper!

Oh another cool one this morning, a flock of birds was on the rail trail around 5:30am as the sun was just up, as I came upon them they kind of flew up and then back down as a group just ahead of me. They kept doing this, kind of swirling motion for a mile until they pulled off into a field.

Darth Lefty 

Because birds can't count

Kildeer in Arizona do the same injured-wing bit

Metieval

Red tail hawks are beautiful creatures! not bicycle, but have a falconer friend. One day on a hunt, the Bird latched eyes on a 3-4 year old child with a hood up. I raised my hand/arm to have the kid stop, the bird (Sally) was too low so she decided to just perch on me. 1. wow heavier than they look! 2. Super gentle with talons. 3. Talons are super sharp, I would not want to be on the receiving end of a bird using talons!

only real bird interaction I have ever had on bicycle was a Pileated Woodpecker dropping out onto the MTB trail ahead of me and then flying down the trail in front of me. They kind of fly like a duck. I never realized that.

On the road I occasionally see a red tailed hawk or a coopers hawk sitting on electric poles. Usually I run into packs of Turkey buzzards camping road kill. Those birds like to take off and circle back quickly, and they will drop a LOAD, huge load to gain altitude quickly if you are too close. Give em space!

79pmooney

I've had them fly 20' directly overhead for long distances. Cool but a little unnerving. He's (I"m guessing he) watching me the whole time and I cannot twist my neck enough to see him.

Edit: I got ot be introduced to a peregrine falcon at the local Audubon Society. On his trainer's arm, 2 feet in front of me. What a beautiful and noble bird! Now I know why they appear in so many old shields and coats of arms.

Ross520

I can attest to that... One hit me in the face/helmet while was going ~30 a few weeks ago during a late-night ride.

​​​​​​​I don't think the poor creature survived.

Notso_fastLane

Be careful surprising vultures. Their main defense mechanism when trying to quickly get airborne is to defecate. It makes them lighter, and distracts predators. You've been warned.

EviLDORK

I've has orioles fly alongside me a few times. It might have been the bright orange gloves I was wearing.

Sometimes I can see owls hovering over the rail trail. From a distance, the owls can look like people walking.

Pop N Wood

Speaking of Aussies, worked for a couple of weeks in Canberra Australia. Noticed all the bicyclists had zip ties in their helmets, sort of a porcupine look. When I asked one of them why they said there was some bird in the area that was extremely territorial and would dive bomb bikers. Said the zip ties kept them from hitting the helmets. I don't remember the type of bird but maybe a magpie?

Beautiful birds in Australia. A bike tour in that country is on my bucket list.

Slightspeed

On the bike I've been attacked by Canada geese from the ground. (Big mouth and teeth like "Jaws ") Also by a wild turkey. One day I was paced by a big egret around 25 yards off my right. He stopped in a field, and when I took out my phone for a picture, he took off. Couple of nights ago, there was a big commotion in a pine tree near us. A big red tail was being harrassed by a little, but very loud, Cooper's hawk, then later by a silly mocking bird, after the small hawk gave up. Heres a few pictures.



Cooper's hawk attacking red tail, top of tree.

Loud Cooper's hawk


Even the mocking bird got into it.

Angry mocking bird.

autonomy

These dumb things are all over the place here in MA, you are guaranteed to seem them early mornings or late afternoons. Mostly grazing in the fields or lawns, but sometimes they slowly, stupidly waltz across the road (just like in the picture!), stopping to stare at you.
This one late evening I was on a quiet gravel trail and one of them on the side got spooked and started running away, in front of me. It was kind of fun, I picked up the pace, but then I learned that these things not only can run super fast, they are also decent flyers!

noimagination

After a ride, slowed to a stop, unclipped. While still straddling the top tube (clicking through cycle computer screens), a catbird alit (alighted? hmmm) upon my handlebars. Gave me the eye, flew away after a few seconds. No idea what he wanted.

Passing by a large pine tree in someone's yard on a ride, saw a red tailed hawk chase a squirrel around the trunk a couple of times before he gave up.

I've seen kingfishers a couple of times, ditto Baltimore Orioles.

Bald eagles, a few times. One was pretty big and close, perching in a tree, others were over the river.

Too many turkey encounters to enumerate, including pairs of Toms having display contests (most springs). I generally give them a "gobble gobble", on consecutive rides near the same place/at same time of day (prob. same flock), the Tom gobbled back at me, prob. thought I was after his hens.

Midtown Manhattan is less than 45 min. away by car (no traffic).

Korina

The beginning of my commute is through the Arcata Marsh, and in the winter it's very dark. Too dark to see which birds I was surprising; every morning that one pond exploded in cheeping and the sound of birds paddle-flapping away.

Lots of non-migrating Canada geese (from a distance); once during hunting season I was riding along and a shot rang out, and hundreds of geese flew up and over my head. It was amazing. As much as I wanted to see them pass, I followed my own saying; 'Wise is (s)he who looks not at birds overhead.' So many egrets, some herons, every type of waterfowl you can imagine, and a variety of raptors, including kites, hawks, and barn owls.

Crossing the last bridge into Eureka I sometimes see a kingfisher perched on the phone wire 10 feet away and about level with my head; it's pretty cool.