Posts tagged animals
There was another report recently about a fox sneaking in a house and resting in its living room. Due to the news report it was caused by the extreme cold weather. The fox didn't even bother the ma...
Rabies has a phase called "furious phase". The infected animal has symptoms which can directly affect humans. An infected dog may viciously attack any moving object, person, or animal; a cag...
So, I had this question. The answer was that we should kill a fox with rabies to help it. Rabies has a phase called "furious phase". The infected animal has symptoms which can directly affec...
I just saw this claim on BBC news, and found it hard to believe. Annually 7,300+ car vs moose accidents in a country that is 173,000 Square Miles, that is like one collision with a moose (and prob...
We ran into a hiker on the AT last year using a kevlar back to keep out bears and rodents. He said the product was an Ursack and seemed very happy with it. However he'd never had a bear try to ge...
According to the Wikipedia page on Grizzly Bears, Mothers defending their cubs are the most prone to attacking, being responsible for 70% of fatal injuries to humans. Is there any seasonal de...
Bears and other wildlife are attracted to unusual scents, especially anything that could potentially be mistaken as food, such as often-sweet-smelling, aromatic pipe tobacco or cigars. However, you...
What should I do if I meet a wild bear in the forest? Should I run; fight for my life; climb a tree; or do nothing?
If a bear kills a human, it is usually euthanized as in the case of a grizzly bear that partially ate a man in Yellowstone It also seems likely to end sadly for the bears. Park officials have c...
I've been looking for places to find bats in their natural habitat, rather than around the house. The author of this question saw some bats in a lava tube. I've never heard of a lava tube before, a...
Where I work, there was a great pine tree which was recently chopped (actually, sawed) down. Prior to its demise, this tall pine was visited often by lizards and birds. After its removal, though,...
This year in October I saw a lot of robins, male and female, finches and chickadees, and geese flying south. Surprisingly I didn't see many juveniles from previous broods. My guess is that juvenil...
Due to heavy rain, the water level raised drastically in the last days and arose a few small "ponds" besides our local river. Also the main stream is accordingly extremely wild these days. Recent...
I've heard that a swan can break your arms with a flap of its wings, etc., but am not sure if that's true. There's a nature reserve - local to me - where the swans come up on foot out of the water ...
In an area near where I work in Monterey, I often walk during the noon hour and end up in a meadow that is much-beloved to red-winged blackbirds. The other day I saw something unusual, though - as...
I live in the United Kingdom. This cheeky fellow recently wandered into the house, scaring the life out of the missus, much to the amusement of the child. I put him out in the porch with a ...
Any ideas what bird is making this song? Unfortunately, this photo was the best I got, but I did get a lot of audio of it's call (the YouTube video has a bunch of them clipped together). At the e...
There's a pond located at a restaurant near where we live in Massachusetts. It's always very busy because the restaurant gives out food for the ducks, geese and swans. We've been there often and re...
What are the identifying features that allow you to tell the difference between these 3 common UK summer visitors? I've been looking at the RSBP advice but it seems that a swift and a house martin...
My friends think that I'm mad, but I'm pretty sure I saw an Osprey the other day. Could anyone confirm that what I observed is an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) or, at least, Osprey-ish? I saw the bir...
Recorded in September 2015 in Bethesda, MD. https://www.dropbox.com/s/8sb5jjx3maeuk4o/Birdcall_Sept_Bethesda.m4a?dl=0 The recording was created at 1:00 PM on Sept 24th. I didn't see the bird, but...
Could somebody please identify the birdcall in this recording? The bird is calling at 00:01, 00:10, 00:29, 00:36, 00:52, 01:06, and 01:18. This recording was made in England, in mid-June. Also, ...
In the US, National Scenic Trails span many different land types (state/federal parks, forests, etc). While these all have different rules on pets, I was wondering if the National Trail System desi...
I've read that in the western US, backpackers need bear canisters or bear bags, for bears or for other animals. For example, a post comparing different methods is here. I must admit I'm a bit dau...
Anyone recognize the bird call in the first 20 secs of this recording: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8sb5jjx3maeuk4o/Birdcall_Sept_Bethesda.m4a?dl=0 Recorded in Bethesda, Maryland in September of 2...
Recently I came across the story of Bobbie the Wonder dog and it really got me wondering about the veracity of this. So, aside from the fact that the dog found the way on his own, if a person is ...
Thinking about getting a small packaway rain jacket to keep in the car for emergencies like this or this. However, I'm slightly worried at the amount of bad weather they could withstand going by ...
Here in California, a lot of trails have signs with a triangular diagram, showing that cyclists should yield to hikers, and both cyclists and hikers should yield to people on horses. I don't have a...
We have a new puppy and can't wait to take him to TGO. Since he's still growing he'll grow out of any harness that fits at the moment. I'm considering tying a harness out of webbing, but all inst...
Today's Washington Post reported that the state of Massachusetts plans to establish a sanctuary for timber rattlesnakes on an off-limits 1,400 acre island in the Quabbin Resevoir, 65 miles west of ...
I'm aware there is a huge generalization which will have a lot of exceptions both in species as in microclimates, I'm looking for a general answer, yet specific for the region and time of year. I'...
Is it safe to follow a equestrian trail and assume I can ford where the horse-trail does? Or should I expect equestrians to ford rivers too deep or swift to ford on foot? I'm thinking of the situ...
The Iditarod sled dog race is a competition that takes place in Alaska, USA. Each team consists of a musher, who drives the sled, and 16 sled dogs. The race usually starts in Anchorage and ends in ...
You should obviously avoid rattlesnakes if at all possible. But if you do get bitten by one, what should you do? What supplies can be brought ahead of time to allow for the best treatment, and what...
Decades ago, the rule of thumb was that there were no rattlesnakes above 9,000 feet in the Sierra. I don't remember what the authority for this was. It is definitely warmer in the Sierra now than...
Young rattlesnakes are more deadly than large rattlesnakes, the reason being because when they are young they are more likely to strike, but more importantly because they can't yet control their ve...
From what I understand the most important thing to do when bitten by a rattlesnake is to get to a hospital. I often go on hikes where I am a few hours walk from civilization at the midpoint of my ...
Walking along my property today I came across some very fresh scat. I'm comfortable with identifying deer and black bear droppings, but beyond that I am lost. Can anyone identify these droppings s...
House cats will play with their food i.e. catch a mouse then let it go and then recatch it over and over again before finally eating it. Do mountain lions exhibit similar behavior?
Can I shoot a bear in self-defense? Will I face fines and jail time if I do?
As part of an effort to be a responsible user of the world's waterways, I've been thinking about ways to reduce marine pollution. A friend told me that certain chemicals in common brands of sunscre...
Once, I was waiting for bats to come out of a cave (I knew there were some in the cave) and they never came out that I could see. While it was after hibernation and the bats were definitely awake ...
I was just reading through a couple of posts here on outdoors.SE and saw some advice which was a lot more strict than I am used to. For example, in the country where I hike (central europe, brown b...
Several decades ago, I read a book written by a man who rescued and raised two wolf cubs whose mother had been killed. He was sure his wife would welcome the cubs, but he was apprehensive about the...
Recently on one of the jungle trails we came across a colony of termites and we went ahead and tasted them (Bear Grylls style?). We did the same with the weaver ants which are quite common in the S...
I'm wondering if anyone else has had any experiences with guns and/or bear spray in combination, instead of just carrying one over the other? How have bears reacted to warning shots? We backpack i...
This has been an especially prolific year for ticks in the northeastern region of the United States. We've had so many in our yard that I've given up gardening and switched to planting in pots! We...
When reading this question (What is the ecological justification (if any) for bird feeders?) on bird feeders I wondered if there would be an ecological impact on having a bird bath. Especially in ...
