wipekitty

Well...it happened again. I was enjoying a nice twisty descent, finally reached the straight shot at the bottom, and let 'er rip. Suddenly, boom. Out of nowhere, something round and fluffy slammed against my upper arm. I looked around and there were no vehicles and no hikers - I don't think anyone threw anything at me. I think I hit a bird.

This wasn't the first time. A year and a half ago, I got clobbered by a bat.

I must not be the only one who gets hit by (or hits) animals out on the road. Has anyone else had interesting encounters with wildlife?

prathmann

Fortunately this wasn't me although I have ridden down this hill numerous times.

I've had a few close calls with animals (incl. two rattlesnakes that tried to strike me) but the only collisions were with a few bees. I did once have my bike knocked out from under me by a loose car wheel flying by at about 50 mph.

Bah Humbug

Saw a rattlesnake on an uphill in Colorado. Probably still the fastest I've climbed in the history of ever.

generalkdi

2 events in the same week this summer

First : I killed a bird. It was chased by a squirrel (believe it or not) running n the side of the road, and decided to put his neck under my wheel just as I was passing by at 50kph (in a descent). I went back to confirm what really happened and check if the bird was alive (it was not, it's head was barely attached to it's body).

Second (2 days later) : I was riding a normal pace, and "something" ran into my front wheel rays. I couldn't see what it was, it really cam out of the plants right by the side of the road at the exact moment I went by. It really shook my handlebar, but I was lucky enough to stay upright.


Other than that, I only got near misses with deers on the side of the road and a duck family slowly crossing the road (which is really nice to see )

woodcraft

Hit by a bird, near collision with a faun, swerve to avoid turkeys.

SethAZ 

I swerved violently once to avoid running over the middle of a rattlesnake that was crossing the desert singletrack I was on. I did in fact miss him, but nearly crashed swerving like that.

There's a MUP I ride often, and in late afternoon the jack rabbits come out literally in the hundreds. I guess there are no predators nearby, because this 2-3-mile stretch will have hundreds of rabbits if I ride there just as it's getting dark. If I ride there during the day (like I did today) I'll see maybe 2 or 3. I've had to swerve and slow down somewhat violently to avoid running them over. Interestingly I saw a coyote just a few miles away on a different MUP, and instantly thought maybe it would be a good idea to catch it and move it over to the rabbit MUP. He'd be pissed as hell when I caught him, but he'd thank me later.

GeneO 

Haven't hit a rabbit yet. Don't know why, they have been all over the paths I ride. Those and chipmunks on some paths - I have squished a couple of them.

I commute on prairie path so hit it in the morning and at dusk. I have had several deer dart out in front of me, luckily far enough ahead of me so far. I can't seem them until they cross because of woods or tall grasses. They make me real nervous - and that deer video above, ugh.

TakingMyTime

I've had a Kamikaze squirrel try to run between my spokes at 17mph.

B. Carfree

I just replaced my son's rear fender. He "caught" one of those varmints a while back. His fender was toast, but the squirrel staggered away and then climbed up a tree.

Years ago, when bike lights were absolutely horrid, I caught a glimpse of something black and white dart between my wheels. I got it with my rear wheel. On my return the following day, I saw that I had killed a skunk. Thankfully, he never saw it coming.

SethAZ 

If "wildlife" encompasses insects, on the other hand... I had something massive fly into my mouth one day and I reflexively swallowed it and it was lodged in the top of my throat. An instant later I was horrified and had no idea what it was, but I took my water bottle and guzzled it, figuring that forcing it the rest of the way down was better than trying to make myself throw it back up. It didn't sting me esophagus on the way down so it probably wasn't a bee.

Also road along a river bank once while wearing a normal shirt that had a front pocket. I had these little flies bouncing off my face the whole time, and had to contort my lips to avoid them getting in my mouth as I rode. When the ride was over I had 20 or 30 of the suckers in the pocket of my shirt.

Doctor Morbius

I hit a squirrel one time while riding at a local park and have come close to hitting a a few others at times. I didn't see him when I came back around so hopefully he was not hurt. Typically I'm not going fast enough that I can't hit the brakes.

I'm thankful I haven't killed anything as I'm kind of fond of wildlife. A few weeks back I buried a ground hog that was living in my back yard under a mini barn. Someone hit it with a car as I found it dead in the street next to my driveway. I don't know why people feel they have to do things like that. That ground hog wasn't bothering anybody and I enjoyed having him around. I liked looking out of the kitchen window and seeing him sunning himself on my deck. Poor guy.

Machka 

While cycling in Australia I've seen ... just to name a few ...

-- kangaroos
-- wallabies
-- wombats
-- echidnas
-- emus
-- birds of all sorts (parrots, rosellas, cockatoos, kookaburras, magpies, etc. etc.)
-- snakes
-- possums
-- a blue-tongued goanna

Here's a koala I saw and photographed on Rowan's and my February 2008 tour in Australia:



Here's a kookaburra at Wilson's Prom:




Here's a photo set of animals I've seen here in Australia ... some while riding, some where I live, some on other travels ...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7623280801300/


On some of my other tours and rides I've seen ...

-- bears (black, brown, and grizzly)
-- a cougar (mountain lion)
-- foxes
-- coyotes
-- deer
-- elk
-- mountain sheep
-- rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, muskrats, rats, gophers, porcupines
-- all sorts of domestic creatures including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, and buffalo
-- swooping owls
-- a great blue herron that rose up out of the ditch and scared me half to death
-- wild turkeys
-- turtles

Some mountain sheep watching my father cycle past:




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Cougar Story - I was cycling along just out of Canmore on a 400K. The sun was almost down when something ran across the road in front of me. I didn't know what it was, but ran through all the possibilities in my mind ... deer, elk, bear, dog, horse ... but nothing fit. Then it ran up on the embankment on the other side of the road, and crouched ... and looked at me. As soon as it crouched, I knew what it was. A very, very large cat.

I had a helmet light on my helmet, and it was on. So I rode past slowly, turning my head to shine my light at it. I was hoping I would appear big. A little ways past it, I had a sudden burst of energy, and rode like I've rarely ridden before.


Mice - And on one 400K I did there were mice running everywhere. What does it mean when the mice are on the move??


Bats - I've been hit in the helmet and head by bats while cycling after dark in Queensland, Australia. I got caught in a swarm of them and they were bouncing off me. Fortunately they were just the small ones, and not the really large fruit bats.


Birds & Beetles - I've also been hit in the head by several birds (especially including magpies here in Australia), and one of those very large june beetles (the ones that are about 4" long). I've had a bee go down my jersey. And I've been pursued by a swarm of horseflies. And that doesn't include the bazillion insects I've had fly into my helmet, eyes, nose, and mouth.

But worst of all was the rove beetle. That was horrible! https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environ...e-beetles.aspx ... and I swallowed one. It put me off riding in late dusk for quite a while.

My Rove Beetle Story ...
One evening a couple years ago, Rowan and I went for a ride and I inhaled a bug of some sort. It wasn't particularly large and I didn't think much of it ... I just figured I'd hack it out and be fine.

But I ended up hacking and hacking and hacking, and my sinuses let loose like when I have an allergic reaction to something ... and I tried to drink, and I had to stop to blow my nose and cough up mouthfuls of stuff and wipe my eyes.

Later that evening, it felt like I had a large grape lodged in my throat, and my throat, the back of my tongue, and back of my mouth went numb like if I had a dental freezing. The next day, I wasn't feeling particularly well, and was still experiencing the same symptoms except that my voice also went all deep and raspy. I was actually starting to get a bit worried.

The following day, the "grape" had shrunk down to a "pea" and my throat, tongue and mouth went into pins and needles like when dental freezing starts to come out.

For the next 2 weeks I was a congested and had a sore, scratchy throat, with a raspy voice.

I didn't know what kind of bug it was ... but I'm guessing it let loose with some sort of protective poison in a last-ditch attempt to avoid being eaten.

However, I did some research I think I found type of bug I swallowed ... based on what I saw just before I swallowed it and it's size, and my reaction to it.

A rove beetle.

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parks/rovebeetles.htm

"The body fluids in the rove beetle are a poisonous animal contact toxin. Contact with the beetle can cause a severe skin reaction.

If you crush the beetle the toxin is released and absorbed by your skin. The beetle can be crushed if you swat it like a fly or mosquito, or if it collides with you at speed (such as bare skin on a motorbike).

The toxin causes reddening of the skin, and a 'burning' sensation. This is followed by painful irritation and itching, with extensive pustules and blistering of the skin after four days. The affected areas remain irritated, blistered and sore for 10 days. Toxin on the hands, or near body joints, can spread the toxin to other areas of the body and to others."


And dragonflies... I had quite an encounter with one on a race .......

The route descended into a ravine, climbed out of the ravine, turned left ... and then the cyclists pulled a U-turn and descended back into the ravine, climbed out of the ravine, pulled a U-turn ... etc. etc. for several loops.

I descended into the ravine and when I was climbing out, I noticed that there was a camera crew set up near the top of the hill filming the Cat 2 cyclists who were now about to descend the hill. I was laughing because they were all zipping up and trying to look all cool.

I got to the top of the hill, turned left, rode along a ways, then pulled the U-turn and started back toward the ravine.

All of a sudden a MASSIVE dragonfly flew into my mouth!!!!

I could feel it buzzing its wings, and I desperately tried to spit or gag it out .... but it was lodged in there!!

Just then I noticed that I was getting closer and closer to the camera crew. I didn't want the image of me gagging and spitting a dragonfly out of my mouth to be captured, but I didn't know what to do ... this thing would not back out of my mouth!

As I passed the camera crew, I closed my mouth and cycled by looking as calm, cool, and collected as a person can look with a massive dragonfly buzzing in her mouth.

As soon as I was by the camera, I reached into my mouth, and dragged this thing out ........ and then went through almost convulsive shudders at the thought of what had just happened!!

I DNF'd that race.

I also have this fear of dragonflies.


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On a little cycling tour of a local island ... Maria Island ....

Wombat and geese


Wallaby



In Victoria ...

Echidna by the side of the road

Clipped_in

Just a few weeks ago here in northern Utah, I was doing a quick ride up the local canyon after work in the evening. The sun was low and at my back and the falling leaves were very illuminated. As I rounded a corner I saw a Big Horned Sheep ( mature ewe with tracking collar) running fast down the road straight at me. I immediately thought, is it being unusually aggressive or can it simply not see me because of the backlight? I slowed and yelled loudly and the sheep slowed down. Glad to know it wasn't charging me, at that point, I stopped and it trotted past me within about 10 feet.



Last Saturday I had a 2 point buck Mule Deer jump out on the road in front of me in a residential area. Fortunately, I was JRA and there was no close call.



I've had a few close calls with turkeys before while descending.

rumrunn6

had a close encounter w a full grown, very healthy coyote one night a cpl weeks ago when it gracefully but quickly danced across the trail in front of me. appeared to have a little grin on his face

KLiNCK

A rabbit bounced off the spokes of my front wheel last Fall.
No damage to anyone involved.
Interesting "cartoon-like" sound though - SPRONGGGGG!!
Damn rabbits and their iPods!

Wileyrat

A dove tried to fly through my front wheel last year.

Yesterday I almost nailed a roadrunner, they aren't as fast as we were led to believe by Warner Bros cartoons.

I've seen lots of snakes, coyotes, hawks, bobcats etc.

Hapsmo911

Last Monday had to stop for 5 deer that decided to cross the road regardless of traffic. Two nights ago it was a gaggle of turkeys... Also during certain times of the year the tarantulas come out for mating season. They are all over the road. Then theres the dogs that the ranchers let run wild. I bought one of these yesterday for the latter...

https://www.kimberamerica.com/pepper-blaster

Maelochs

Are those black bear-like wombat things on page two Tasmanian Devils?

Machka 

Yes ... these are Tasmanian Devils.

buffalo4life

Last year I was JRA on the MUP when I was a woodchuck running through the grass.I thought nothing would happen so I held my line without braking and I ended up hitting him pretty hard. I was happy my front wheel was still true and the woodchuck continued on to his hole. Moments later some weirdo on a recumbent passed me aND asked if I had hit the woodchuck, I think he was impressed with my bike handling skills.

scott967

Here we mainly have mongoose (mongeese?) but they tend to run fast straight across and I haven't come that close to hitting any. I do see on occasion puaʻa (wild pigs) but they tend to be skittish. One time I saw a couple smaller ones next to the road and did my best imitation of "drope the hamer" in case I was on the wrong side of mama.

scott s.
.

Elaine

Skip this if you are queasy about rats.

I do most of my riding in urban areas, a couple of hours before dawn. The rats -- the kings of the urban animal underworld -- come out of the sewers at around that time.

I was assigned to a post in Manila once and, toward the end of one ride there and coming out of an alley in the dark, I had felt something furry rubbing against the side of my calf on the downstroke. I looked down to discover a huge rat clinging onto my bottle cage. I'm not talking Mickey Mouse here. I mean real nasty, scraggly-looking and probably diseased city rat with bits of rubbish on its fur. I freaked and screamed. He freaked and shrieked. We crashed. I never went into that alley again.

rumrunn6

don't know wutz freakier, imagining the visual, or imagining the audio

atwl77

I am fortunate enough to not have had any crashes or nasty run-ins with wildlife so far (touch wood). The only close call I've had was during a climb, there was a stray dog in my path so I prepared to pass it on my right, but a car (the type with spiced up engines, you know the kind) coming up from behind spooked the animal and it veered into my path anyways. Fortunately I was quick enough to veer to its left and avoid the collision.

indyfabz

Back in September I came within 20' of a very large black bear while leaving a campground on the edge of the Allegheny National Forest.

During my June trip in MT and ID I saw bald eagles, sheep, an elk, a hoary marmot, eight zillion deer, turkeys, a red fox and many osprey.