@Uboat - actually not too frightening, we see a bunch of black bears in Spring and Autumn around in the valley here. When I first saw one, not long after I moved here I crapped myself!! Used to them now though... if I saw a grizzly bear that close however, different story.
Do you always carry around bear spray just in case? I remember carrying it when on a short walking holiday in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons
@Uboat - actually not too frightening, we see a bunch of black bears in Spring and Autumn around in the valley here. When I first saw one, not long after I moved here I crapped myself!! Used to them now though... if I saw a grizzly bear that close however, different story.
Do you always carry around bear spray just in case? I remember carrying it when on a short walking holiday in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons
Bells are what you need!
A guy's going on a hiking vacation through the mountains out west. Before
setting off into the boonies, he stops into a small general store to get
some supplies.
After picking out the rest of his provisions, he asks the old store owner,
"Say mister, I'm going hiking up in the mountains, and I was wondering;
do you have any bears around here?"
"Yup," replies the owner.
"What kind?" asks the hiker.
"Well, we got black bears and we got grizzlies," he replies.
"I see," says the hiker. "Do you have any of those bear bells?"
"What do you mean?" asks the store owner.
"You know," replies the hiker, "those little tinkle-bells that people wear
in bear country to warn the bears that they are coming, so they don't
surprise the bears and get attacked."
"Oh yeah," replies the owner. "They're over there," he says, pointing to
a shelf on the other side of the store. The hiker selects a couple of
the bells and and takes them to the counter to pay for them.
"Tell me something, mister," the hiker inquires, "how can you tell when
you're in bear territory, anyway?"
"By the scat," the old fellow replies, ringing up the hiker's purchases.
"Well, um, how can I tell if it's grizzly territory or black bear territory?"
the hiker asks.
"By the scat," the store owner replies.
"Well, what's the difference?" asks the hiker. "I mean, what's different
between grizzly scat and black bear scat?"
"The stuff that's in it," replies the store owner.
Getting a little frustrated, the hiker asks, "OK, so what's in grizzly bear
scat that isn't in black bear scat?" he asks, an impatient tone in his voice.
"Bear bells," replies the old man as he hands the hiker his purchases.
Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
I have to ask. How frightening was it?
Black bears are the pussies of the bear world. If you’re used to them popping up you just give them a respectful distance and make lots of noise and they’ll scram
Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
I have to ask. How frightening was it?
Black bears are the pussies of the bear world. If you’re used to them popping up you just give them a respectful distance and make lots of noise and they’ll scram
Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
A nice little stroll around your local golf cub.
Pretty sure I've run around that golf club. Made sure I made even more noise, huffing and puffing running along! It's wierd seeing bears by the side of a road, then being out close to the same roads an hour or two later.
What I have noticed over the weeks is the foxes have returned to the fields en mass now all the takeaways and fast food outlets have been closed and no rubbish for them to scavenge through
We regularly get woodpeckers but I've no idea if they're quite common or not.
Greater Spotteds are fairly common in SE London; Greens are a bit more unusual in the city. Lesser Spotteds would be an insane find; I've never seen one
Loads of green woodpeckers living in Camberwell New Cemetery / One Tree Hill. Never seem to see them beyond there though
I've seen quite a few wagtails, but oddly only in car parks and that is from the City of London to Bexleyheath.
I used to love seeing them in Tesco Foots Cray when I worked nearby. Like you, I've only ever seen Pied Wagtails in carparks and never anywhere remotely green.
I've edited to specify Pied Wagtails in carparks, as I've seen Grey Wagtails near the rivers in Dartford and Foots Cray.
I've seen quite a few wagtails, but oddly only in car parks and that is from the City of London to Bexleyheath.
I used to love seeing them in Tesco Foots Cray when I worked nearby. Like you, I've only ever seen Pied Wagtails in carparks and never anywhere remotely green.
I've edited to specify Pied Wagtails in carparks, as I've seen Grey Wagtails near the rivers in Dartford and Foots Cray.
Pied Wagtails like car parks because they have learnt that we very kindly catch their food for them. They eat insects and squashed and half-dead ones are as good as live and much less work when you don't have to chase them but just pick them off the front of cars. (Grackles, a much larger bird, do a similar job in the USA.)
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We've seen a heron scanning the area from on top of sheds and outbuildings quite a few times here in Barnehurst.
Still amazes me, the size of them and wing span when they take off.
No way would those birds plot up in Maidstone.
Chunky buggers.
Also saw a deer running around the mini golf at the top of the road recently. First time in 20 years down here.
I've edited to specify Pied Wagtails in carparks, as I've seen Grey Wagtails near the rivers in Dartford and Foots Cray.