Notices
Northern California Northern California

Tarantula Season

Old 09-11-08, 02:54 PM
  #1  
It's MY mountain
Thread Starter
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4311 Post(s)
Liked 2,954 Times in 1,601 Posts
Tarantula Season

Saw two of them yesterday; took two photos of the same one.
Anybody who hasn't done Diablo during tarantula season is missing out on a neat experience.
Afternoon/early evening is the best time.



DiabloScott is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 02:56 PM
  #2  
It's MY mountain
Thread Starter
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4311 Post(s)
Liked 2,954 Times in 1,601 Posts
BTW, does anybody know if that green spot (sort of in the middle of both photos) is some kind of camera flaw that might be a warranty issue? Any diagnostic tips?
DiabloScott is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:00 PM
  #3  
Full Member
 
alainp's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF East Bay
Posts: 448

Bikes: '07 Look 585 Ultra, '07 Trek Madone SL 5.2, '06 Marin Pine Mountain MTB, '23 Trek Emonda SL6 Pro

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Yup, almost ran one over last Friday night on SGR. Kinda spooked me a bit. I'm sure there's gonna be a few squished ones on the road in the next couple of weeks. I sure hope they'll at least get to fulfill their lifelong quest .
alainp is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:01 PM
  #4  
Full Member
 
alainp's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF East Bay
Posts: 448

Bikes: '07 Look 585 Ultra, '07 Trek Madone SL 5.2, '06 Marin Pine Mountain MTB, '23 Trek Emonda SL6 Pro

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Kinda looks like lens flare from shooting into the sunlight or some type of color fringing (again, from the bright lighting). Probably only an issue with lens which is "normal". Now if you get it even in normal lighting, something's wrong...

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...lens-flare.htm

Last edited by alainp; 09-11-08 at 04:57 PM. Reason: added link for lens-flare example
alainp is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:04 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 217
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Those are cool pictures. I`ll admit to covering my eyes (spiders freak me out...a bit ), but I`m sure it`s an experience to be cruising down the road and see them going about their day.
mikesdca is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:05 PM
  #6  
Direct Hit Not Required
 
BlastRadius's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: San Bruno, CA
Posts: 6,193

Bikes: Leopard DC1, Ridley X-Fire, GT Zaskar 9r

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I'd say the green spot is warranty issue. That shouldn't be there. Is is there in every photo?
BlastRadius is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:08 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 217
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
On a side not, I`m having a full-on `Peter-Brady-asleep-in-Hawaiin-hotel-room` moment right now. Can`t shake the image on a creepy-crawly walking across my chest. Anyway, nice pics. Thanks for the post.
mikesdca is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:12 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
gpelpel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Posts: 2,544

Bikes: Time RXRS, Specialized Stumpjumper FSR

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Great photos. I will try to up the mountain Saturday morning. May be not the best time to see the beasts.
The green spots (I see 2 on the first photo) seem to be flare issues because you were facing the sun. It could be that the coating on your lens has a defect but it's probably normal.
gpelpel is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:19 PM
  #9  
It's MY mountain
Thread Starter
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4311 Post(s)
Liked 2,954 Times in 1,601 Posts
Originally Posted by alainp
Kinda looks like lens flare from shooting into the sunlight or some type of color fringing (again, from the bright lighting). Probably only an issue with lens which is "normal". Now if you get it even in normal lighting, something's wrong...
Thanks. It's the first time I noticed it but it's kind of small and I don't know if it's on other photos yet. Yes I was sort of shooting into the sun though... didn't seem appropriate to move the guy around into better lighting..

I was wondering if I could take a photo of a black wall or a white wall or something to check... any ideas?
DiabloScott is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:25 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
twocoasttb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 286

Bikes: Seven Axiom SG

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Looks like a small lens flare- probably doesn't have anything to do with the sensor. If the spots showed up in exactly the same location, then that would tend to indicate a sensor problem. Try taking photos of a gray (neutral wall) and a clear sky (with the sun behind you).
twocoasttb is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:25 PM
  #11  
It's MY mountain
Thread Starter
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4311 Post(s)
Liked 2,954 Times in 1,601 Posts
Originally Posted by mikesdca
On a side not, I`m having a full-on `Peter-Brady-asleep-in-Hawaiin-hotel-room` moment right now. Can`t shake the image on a creepy-crawly walking across my chest. Anyway, nice pics. Thanks for the post.
After about 10 seconds he stopped moving and let me photograph him in super macro mode. But after a while I think he got a little nervous and these black fang/pincher things came out of his back end which made me think I'd annoyed him long enough... I don't know what they were for but it looked like he was bringing out the big guns.
DiabloScott is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 03:27 PM
  #12  
It's MY mountain
Thread Starter
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4311 Post(s)
Liked 2,954 Times in 1,601 Posts
Originally Posted by twocoasttb
Looks like a small lens flare- probably doesn't have anything to do with the sensor. If the spots showed up in exactly the same location, then that would tend to indicate a sensor problem. Try taking photos of a gray (neutral wall) and a clear sky (with the sun behind you).
Thanks!

Those photos were cropped so I don't know if it was exactly the same spot on the sensor.
DiabloScott is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 07:39 PM
  #13  
moth -----> flame
 
Beaker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 5,916

Bikes: 11 CAAD 10-4, 07 Specialized Roubaix Comp, 98 Peugeot Horizon

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Nice pics! Another reason for me to go back up again - how long is tarantula season?
Beaker is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 07:49 PM
  #14  
It's MY mountain
Thread Starter
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4311 Post(s)
Liked 2,954 Times in 1,601 Posts
Originally Posted by Beaker
Nice pics! Another reason for me to go back up again - how long is tarantula season?
Lasts until mid November if it doesn't get too cold.

Theirs is an interesting story - the young males go out looking for mates, females stay in their nesting holes. The male will either find a mate or die trying. If he does find a mate, she eats him right after the deed. So all the ones you see on the road are adolescent males with raging hormones.
DiabloScott is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 09:03 PM
  #15  
Spinning like a gerbel
 
spingineer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 7,960

Bikes: Seven

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 2 Posts
I think you need to lead a "Meet the Tarantula" ride. Just don't run over any of them.
__________________
I'm in it to finish it.

My Cycling Blog
spingineer is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 09:18 PM
  #16  
phony collective progress
 
x136's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: San Hoosey
Posts: 2,973

Bikes: https://velospace.org/user/36663

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
If one of those bas-tards gets in my way, it's feeling the wrath of a 32c Vittoria Randonneur.

(Note to self: Install fenders.)
__________________
x136 is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 10:06 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Dchiefransom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Newark, CA. San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 6,251
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 31 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by x136
If one of those bas-tards gets in my way, it's feeling the wrath of a 32c Vittoria Randonneur.

(Note to self: Install fenders.)
It'll probably just hook a leg on a spoke and swing around and up onto your leg, kinda like Spiderman.
Dchiefransom is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 10:12 PM
  #18  
back of the autobus
 
jobob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Folsom, CA
Posts: 743

Bikes: Lynskey R230, Rivendell Bleriot

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I saw one on Palomares Road a few weeks ago. I took some pics of him but no way could I get that close.


wussy tarantula pic ---> https://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...8/IMG_0841.jpg
jobob is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 11:04 PM
  #19  
Spinning like a gerbel
 
spingineer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 7,960

Bikes: Seven

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by jobob
I saw one on Palomares Road a few weeks ago. I took some pics of him but no way could I get that close.


wussy tarantula pic ---> https://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...8/IMG_0841.jpg
Aw, so that means you didn't pet him?
__________________
I'm in it to finish it.

My Cycling Blog
spingineer is offline  
Old 09-11-08, 11:34 PM
  #20  
Great State of Varmint
 
Panthers007's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Dante's Third Ring
Posts: 7,476
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 15 Times in 15 Posts
First off - I had a tarantula as a pet for many years. I studied them extensively. When they move their little black things on their back - they are spinning thread. Those things on the back are spinners. Tarantulas hunt by ground pursuit and have downward fangs that are hollow and the size of a cat's claw. Two of them. So they attack forward and bite into their prey - such as mice and crickets. Then they spin thread about them to keep them immobilized in. The venom is about as bad as a bee-sting. Unless you are allergic to bees, they wouldn't kill you.

If you scare them (you are too big to eat, so they wouldn't bite you unless you provoked them greatly), the first thing they do is kick their back legs in your direction to send fur at you. The fur is sharp and irritating. Failing this scaring you off, they would rise up at you and bare the fangs. If that didn't work and you continued - they MIGHT bite you. They would rather run away. They are very docile and usually just sit there like an eight-legged mouse. Kids in some parts of the Americas play with them. They are simple to pick up or get to move by tapping their rear end gently. Don't drop them or they will squash and die. The insides of their outer shell (they molt or shed - like a snake) looks like mother-of-pearl. Shiny and shimmering.

Tarantulas have a bad reputation due to Hollywood. They are the oldest type of spider - they were around with the dinosaurs.

Last edited by Panthers007; 09-12-08 at 12:50 PM. Reason: Sp.
Panthers007 is offline  
Old 09-12-08, 09:19 AM
  #21  
back of the autobus
 
jobob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Folsom, CA
Posts: 743

Bikes: Lynskey R230, Rivendell Bleriot

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Good stuff to know. Thanks!

but they still creep me out.
jobob is offline  
Old 09-12-08, 06:43 PM
  #22  
phony collective progress
 
x136's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: San Hoosey
Posts: 2,973

Bikes: https://velospace.org/user/36663

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by jobob
but they still creep me out.
Ain't nothin' no-one can say that will make them anything but giant spiders.
__________________
x136 is offline  
Old 09-12-08, 10:19 PM
  #23  
Carbon compliance tester
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Posts: 615
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
holy jesus keep that away from me
reidconti is offline  
Old 09-12-08, 10:33 PM
  #24  
Senior Member
 
zonatandem's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 11,016

Bikes: Custom Zona c/f tandem + Scott Plasma single

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 19 Times in 11 Posts
CA is not the only location with tarantulas.
Noticed a couple here in the morning (Tucson, AZ).
Used to see more of them years ago, especially very early morning; they seem to like the warmth of pavement at that time of day.
They are docile and rather cool in their own ugly way!
zonatandem is offline  
Old 09-12-08, 10:47 PM
  #25  
Great State of Varmint
 
Panthers007's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Dante's Third Ring
Posts: 7,476
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 15 Times in 15 Posts
Mine was a female (I know how to sex a tarantula - no jokes, please). So I named her Boris (the Spider). She lived in an aquarium-tank, into which I placed mice and crickets when it was feeding-time. I also had two Maine-Coon Cats. Giants. And the aquarium became their TV. They would lay there for hours - watching the mice. One day there came the howling of excited cats! They rushed into where I was and told me, in no uncertain terms, to come look. Sure enough - the usually devoid-of-movement 8-legged lump had struck. She had a mouse in her fangs. Within 24 hours the mouse, fur and all, was gone. Only the very tip of it's tail remained as a reminder of having existed.

The cats had an ally. They showed a new respect for the 8-legged lump of a spider. A fellow mouser she was.
Panthers007 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.