Wildlife encounters, reprised

JosephTree

Barefooters
Sep 7, 2010
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Near Valley Forge, PA
I was running at dusk last evening and passed through a darker passage under tree canopy. It was still light enough to see when a bat buzzed me, flying over my hands and under my chin so that all I really saw as I looked forward was its outer wing tip.
 
Deer, I know are common, but nevertheless very furtive. A week ago on my morning trail run in a park near my home I saw a doe on the right edge of the roughly 10 foot wide trail I was on. Although she did not appear startled by my approach, when I held my pace and continued within 10 feet right past her, she stood their and watched me go by. I feel certain that if I was running shod, my noisy footsteps would have driven the beautiful animal away.
 
Been buzzed by a Buzzard a few times. On one of my circular runs around a small wood the bugger got me on the trail out, waited for me to get to the other side of the wood, flew over and got me on the trail back.
 
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We (dog and me) occasionally startle a night heron in the middle of the trail when we run in the dark of an early morning. Takes off screaming a great raucous sound. I am amazed at the power we feel from the rush of air from the wings. Scariest encounter was a large rat falling out of a tree onto my shoulder and then onto the dog. Not sure who ran away the fastest - rat, human or dog!
 
We just moved into a new neighborhood and is sort of an island / peninsula, it's over populated with deer. Their everywhere. And they won't move for you. They stand on the sidewalk and watch as you run around them. They do the same thing to automobiles.

We also have skunks (no bad experiences just yet...) and foxes. The fox is an elusive animal, I only ever catch glimpses of them.

Oddly enough, I have seen any armadillo in the neighborhood yet. I'm used to seeing them 2 or 3 times a week where I used to live.
 
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I saw 2 buck deer in front of me on the canal trail as I was starting my run at Oh Dark Hundred this morning. They popped their tails up and ran away for 30 feet, stopped, squared their shoulders across the trail and stared at me for a few moments before running 30 more feet. Finally, they figured I wasn't going to be intimidated and dropped down off the trail and into the woods.

They then gave half a dozen "CHUFF" warning coughs which sounded like somebody digging a shovel into a pile of gravel.

As I caught up to where they'd been standing my nose wrinkled and my eyes nearly watered at the strength of the musk they left wafting in the air over the trail - like over sexed ram goats with a little stallion thrown in. Ugh!
 
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We have some crazy wildlife here, but my worst encounter was a red belly snake once and he was more scared than myself.

Apart from that, lots of rainbow lorikeets, and also kookaburra's, even in the city and surrounding.

Lorikeets tend to fly out of bushes just in front of you and yell at you, like saying 'hey man, you're disturbing my feeding, just go away !!!'.
 
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Ooh ooh ooh!!! I got one. Now I'm in the midwest so I see lots of deer and turkey... BUT!!!!

On one trail run this spring, I was on my usual 4 mile loop at the state park. I run it over and over because I can fill up on food and bev at my car each loop... anyway.... I was on my usual 4 mile loop at the state park. I got to a particularly thick spot of woods... lots of shoulder height brush. I stopped running and started walking to dig something out of my pack (food, drink, whatever) and BAM!!!! Up popped about 15 turkey chicks squawking! and squeeking! running! and flappping!! and flying in every direction. And then, Bang!!! Up popped 2 adult hen turkeys honking and carrying on trying to regroup the whole rafter of babes....

I KNOW they were saying "Dang it!!! I said stay put and let him walk by!!!"
 
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Been passing a baby rabbit in the same spot the past week or so, funny thing is when two shod runners ahead of me passed the rabbit it hopped into the bushes and popped out again, when i passed the rabbit barefoot it just stays put no more that a few feet away (no pun intended).
Also found out that i've got bats in my belfry, well at least in my front porch, awesome to watch their aerobatics as dusk settles.
 
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