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Urban wildlife
I work at a major medical complex (employing well over ten thousand
people) in a major metropolitan area. A few minutes ago, I was standing outside watching a peregrine falcon as it sat on a liquid oxygen container waiting for a sparrow or a mouse to make a mistake. Evidently its patience was rewarded, as it suddenly hopped off the tank and disappeared into a small hidden courtyard. Last weekend, while taking Cullen for a romp in the greenbelt along the Menominee river, we scared up a large whitetail buck. Only six points, but a massive rack nevertheless. On seeing the dog coming toward him, the deer loped off about fifty yards and then stood watching. This performance was repeated several times till Cullen got bored. About a year ago, Cullen got bit by a coyote.....one of a pair he approached a wee bit recklessly.....on a chunk of vacant land behind a chocolate factory a couple of blocks from the duplex we used to rent a mile or so from where we saw the deer last week, and where we have seen many others. For a week or so, early this last spring, I saw a family of red foxes cavorting at the edge of a parking lot here on campus each morning when I came to work. We've got an unknown but apparently large number of raccoons living in the storm drains on our block. The best time to see them is the last hour before sunrise when they head home after a night of foraging, but they'll show up occasionally at just about any time of night. Sometimes you can even see them in daylight. Red tail and rough legged hawks are common sights along the freeways. And all this within the limits of the city of Milwaukee. Oddly, I generally see more of these and a few other species (with the exception of the deer) here in the city than out in rural areas. Wolfgang no bears or jaguars yet.......i think the geese scare them off. |
Urban wildlife
"Wolfgang" wrote in :
And all this within the limits of the city of Milwaukee. Oddly, I generally see more of these and a few other species (with the exception of the deer) here in the city than out in rural areas. I wouldn't necessarily call the Greater Rochester Area urban, but just yesterday a red tailed hawk landed roughly 15 feet from me. Deer are fairly routine. I spied a river otter galumphing along the side of the Erie Canal in Fairport one morning on my way to work--there's no telling what the outcome of our reintroduction program will be. I see a nice owl every once in a while. Skunk, coon, possum, fox, all pretty typical. Coyotes around here, but they seem to avoid people. Beaver swim around me while fishing, but it seems to depend on the year. Snakes also enjoy swimming up to me. I found a banded bird skeleton under a bridge during a river cleanup, and it turned out to be a racing pigeon from Brooklyn, of all places. Scott |
Urban wildlife
Scott Seidman wrote:
"Wolfgang" wrote in : And all this within the limits of the city of Milwaukee. Oddly, I generally see more of these and a few other species (with the exception of the deer) here in the city than out in rural areas. I wouldn't necessarily call the Greater Rochester Area urban, but just yesterday a red tailed hawk landed roughly 15 feet from me. Deer are fairly routine. I spied a river otter galumphing along the side of the Erie Canal in Fairport one morning on my way to work--there's no telling what the outcome of our reintroduction program will be. I see a nice owl every once in a while. Skunk, coon, possum, fox, all pretty typical. Coyotes around here, but they seem to avoid people. Beaver swim around me while fishing, but it seems to depend on the year. Snakes also enjoy swimming up to me. I found a banded bird skeleton under a bridge during a river cleanup, and it turned out to be a racing pigeon from Brooklyn, of all places. We've got roffians up this way - lots of them. Normally they stay hunkered down, keeping to themselves while making low growling noises, but you can get them to be a bit more sociable by flashing a SNPA and/or some cheese. Still, like all wildlife, you'll want to keep your guard up, because they'll revert back to their wild instincts without a moment's notice (usually about the time the SNPA and cheese runs out.) If you've never seen one, they are hideous creatures, sometimes emitting a strong odor. While normally found more in the countryside, they will wander into more urban areas. Usually this behavior occurs between 8:00 and 17:00 and is only so they can perform tasks which allow them to spend more time is the less urban settings. While they normally hunt alone, they have been known to form packs and cause great destruction. They're are at their most dangerous between midnight and 5:00AM, and I have heard them shriek as if in agony at 2:00AM. If you find one sleeping in their den, it's best not to disturb them except with a long stick and good running shoes. -- TL, Tim ------------------------ http://css.sbcma.com/timj |
Urban wildlife
On Wed, 8 Dec 2004 10:32:56 -0500, "Tim J."
wrote: Scott Seidman wrote: "Wolfgang" wrote in : And all this within the limits of the city of Milwaukee. Oddly, I generally see more of these and a few other species (with the exception of the deer) here in the city than out in rural areas. I wouldn't necessarily call the Greater Rochester Area urban, but just yesterday a red tailed hawk landed roughly 15 feet from me. Deer are fairly routine. I spied a river otter galumphing along the side of the Erie Canal in Fairport one morning on my way to work--there's no telling what the outcome of our reintroduction program will be. I see a nice owl every once in a while. Skunk, coon, possum, fox, all pretty typical. Coyotes around here, but they seem to avoid people. Beaver swim around me while fishing, but it seems to depend on the year. Snakes also enjoy swimming up to me. I found a banded bird skeleton under a bridge during a river cleanup, and it turned out to be a racing pigeon from Brooklyn, of all places. We've got roffians up this way - lots of them. Normally they stay hunkered down, keeping to themselves while making low growling noises, but you can get them to be a bit more sociable by flashing a SNPA and/or some cheese. Still, like all wildlife, you'll want to keep your guard up, because they'll revert back to their wild instincts without a moment's notice (usually about the time the SNPA and cheese runs out.) If you've never seen one, they are hideous creatures, sometimes emitting a strong odor. While normally found more in the countryside, they will wander into more urban areas. Usually this behavior occurs between 8:00 and 17:00 and is only so they can perform tasks which allow them to spend more time is the less urban settings. While they normally hunt alone, they have been known to form packs and cause great destruction. They're are at their most dangerous between midnight and 5:00AM, and I have heard them shriek as if in agony at 2:00AM. If you find one sleeping in their den, it's best not to disturb them except with a long stick and good running shoes. Screw all that - just treat 'em like rattlesnakes or water moccasins: shoot on sight... |
Urban wildlife
"Wolfgang" wrote in message ... I work at a major medical complex (employing well over ten thousand people) in a major metropolitan area. A few minutes ago, I was standing outside watching a peregrine falcon as it sat on a liquid oxygen container waiting for a sparrow or a mouse to make a mistake. Evidently its patience was rewarded, as it suddenly hopped off the tank and disappeared into a small hidden courtyard. plus a bunch of stuff snipped Wolfgang no bears or jaguars yet.......i think the geese scare them off. Apparently, not everyone in urban areas has your appreciation for the wildlife! I'm sure the owner thinks it was the right thing to do, but it seems like a darn shame to me. Maybe he's got some tie in with the Victor Rat trap folks? http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._on_sc/high_ri se_hawks I have to admit though, the dozen or so deer in my suburban backyard have grown a bit too fond of my landscaping. Jim Ray |
Urban wildlife
When I worked at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA my building was right at the edge of the wetlands bordering San Francisco Bay. A very rare burrowing owl made a nest (a burrow) right by the entrance to the building, in a mound of dirt left over from the building's construction. One morning when I came to work early a golden eagle was on the mound, eating a large hare. He tried too fly away with it, but the hare was too large for more than some short hops. Gopher snakes were abundant. I liked to catch them to scare the bejesus out of the Indian (Asian) guy I shared an office with. The largest one I caught (named Humongous by my daughter) I took home and kept in a terrarium for about a year, until the snake/mouse thing became too much for my wife to take. I released him in very well-fed condition where I found him. I don't think Stanley, ID qualifies as "urban" by any stretch of the imagination, but in the winter we always have a large herd of elk occupying the hot springs area along the highway. Other common wildlife in the general area (60 mile radius) are mule deer, antelope, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, coyotes, wolves, foxes, badgers, mountain lions, black bears, pine martins, otters, beavers, porcupines, raccoons, bald eagles, golden eagles, ospreys, several species of hawks and falcons, etc. Lynx and wolverines are very rare and I've never seen them. The only kind of snake I've seen at this altitude is a garter snake, and lizards and turtles seem to be nonexistent. -- Cut "to the chase" for my email address. |
Urban wildlife
On 12/8/04 9:31 AM, in article , "Wolfgang"
wrote: very nice report snipped I work at a major medical complex (employing well over ten thousand people) in a major metropolitan area. A few minutes ago, I was standing outside watching a peregrine falcon as it sat on a liquid oxygen container waiting for a sparrow or a mouse to make a mistake. Evidently its patience was rewarded, as it suddenly hopped off the tank and disappeared into a small hidden courtyard. http://falconcam.apk.net/ Red tail and rough legged hawks are common sights along the freeways. One reason I like the leaf-less seasons. It seems especially in late fall and late winter/early spring the roadways become hawk sighting places. On a drive to eastern Iowa last February, I lost count of the various species of raptors that I saw along the way on light posts, fences, etc. Two Novembers ago a friend and I were standing in my kitchen slurping coffee when he sighted a ring-necked pheasant in my back yard. Suburbia. Like any other suburb, deer are common. Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home. And four (?) years ago, I sighted this fellow taking a break on his way north: http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg (That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.) Bill |
Urban wildlife
Larry L wrote:
I suppose it's all gone now, but I used to train where San Antonio rd meets the bay, east of Palo Alto, and it was a very large wetlands, full of some of Nature's best work, in sight of the homes and work places of one of Nature's least pleasant experiments There's a project underway to reclaim 25 square miles of salt evaporation ponds for wetlands. -- Cut "to the chase" for my email address. |
Urban wildlife
"William Claspy" wrote in One reason I like the leaf-less seasons. It seems especially in late fall and late winter/early spring the roadways become hawk sighting places. On a drive to eastern Iowa last February, I lost count of the various species of raptors that I saw along the way on light posts, fences, etc. A number of years ago I found a falcon in my driveway. As I drove in, it flew a few feet and was dangling something long and skinny. My first thought was that is was that it was badly injured and dragging it's intestines. I immediately went into internal debate mode about breaking the law and shooting the bird to stop it's suffering, letting Nature handle the situation, etc. I took my binoculars out and it was dragging a leather thong and was, obviously, someone's trained hunting bird. I grabbed a dead pigeon ( I'm a hunting dog trainer, having a dead bird in the truck wasn't really that odd :-) and waved it around and soon I had a falcon sitting on my wrist :-) I called DFG and was soon on a four hour round trip journey to take the rare, very valuable, highly regulated, bird to them, so they could track down the owner. A couple days later, I got a call from the owner, a lawyer from Stockton. He thanked me and offered a reward, and told me how lucky he was that the bird was found by a dog trainer carrying dead pigeons, as he had had another very valuable bird die from the hotdog that the finder had used to lure the bird ( think about that one next time you buy Ball Park Franks ). I declined the offer of $$$ BUT suggested that I'd love to see his birds work ( it was still falconry pheasant season ). Now, that worthless, ****ing, slimeball, ****head lawyer ( I never believed the stuff about them being scum until this happened ) told me that he couldn't do that because he " hunts in very special, , private, places and he couldn't trust me to take me there because I might come back and trespass to poach them" ..... this after I spent most a full day rescuing and returning a bird probably worth thousands of dollars. You know why New York has so many lawyers, and New Jersey has some much toxic waste? ?? ........... .................. ................ New Jersey got first pick |
Urban wildlife
"Jim" wrote in message ... Apparently, not everyone in urban areas has your appreciation for the wildlife! I'm sure the owner thinks it was the right thing to do, but it seems like a darn shame to me. Maybe he's got some tie in with the Victor Rat trap folks? http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._on_sc/high_ri se_hawks Sad. The worst part is that the dmage can't be undone. I have to admit though, the dozen or so deer in my suburban backyard have grown a bit too fond of my landscaping. It's still interesting to see them here in the city........but they ARE a nuisance to gardeners. :) Wolfgang |
Urban wildlife
"William Claspy" wrote in message ... On 12/8/04 9:31 AM, in article , "Wolfgang" wrote: http://falconcam.apk.net/ Nice, but it appears no one is home right now. :( Red tail and rough legged hawks are common sights along the freeways. One reason I like the leaf-less seasons. It seems especially in late fall and late winter/early spring the roadways become hawk sighting places. On a drive to eastern Iowa last February, I lost count of the various species of raptors that I saw along the way on light posts, fences, etc. Becky discovered a Great Horned Owl nest here late last February or early March. She wasn't aware that they nest and hatch their young that early. Imagine her surprise when I pointed out three or four fuzzy white heads. :) Naturally, they moved on and she hasn't seen an owl since early in the spring. I have assured her that they......or others.....will be back in a couple of months. Two Novembers ago a friend and I were standing in my kitchen slurping coffee when he sighted a ring-necked pheasant in my back yard. We had half a dozen of them roosting in a red maple next to a house I used to rent on the outskirts of Kenosha back in the early eighties. It was a bit disconcerting at first to look out one of the second floor windows and see a pheasant staring back about four feet away. Suburbia. Like any other suburb, deer are common. Rats......they ain't nothin' but tall rats. :) Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home. Haven't seen any mink in the streams around here. But then, I don't often see them even in places with clean water and abundant food. There used to be a lot of mink farms in the area thirty of forty years ago. There were a lot of escapees. Wouldn't surprise me much to learn that some of their descendants are still around. I forgot to mention earlier that we also have fresh beaver sign along a ditch no more than four blocks from the house. And four (?) years ago, I sighted this fellow taking a break on his way north: http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg (That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.) Too cool. I went back out a little while ago. The bird I had seen was back on its perch. I managed to get much closer this time. Either I misidentified it earlier or it's an immature bird. I managed to get close enough (within thirty feet) to get a couple of pictures. I'll see if I can ID it properly when I get home. I'll be happy to send a copy to anyone who's interested. Wolfgang |
Urban wildlife
On 12/8/04 12:11 PM, in article , "Wolfgang"
wrote: "William Claspy" wrote in message ... On 12/8/04 9:31 AM, in article , "Wolfgang" wrote: http://falconcam.apk.net/ Nice, but it appears no one is home right now. :( Like you mention with the owls, they'll be back in a few months! Check the "news" link: http://falconcam.apk.net/news.html We had half a dozen of them roosting in a red maple next to a house I used to rent on the outskirts of Kenosha back in the early eighties. It was a bit disconcerting at first to look out one of the second floor windows and see a pheasant staring back about four feet away. I went out to try and get a picture and MAN did that thing take off- running, not in the air. Ran like a ROFFian faced with a hungry black bear. http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg (That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.) Too cool. It and two pals hung around for two or three days, then were gone. Just across the street from my office. Nice little reminder of Traver country. I went back out a little while ago. The bird I had seen was back on its perch. I managed to get much closer this time. Either I misidentified it earlier or it's an immature bird. I managed to get close enough (within thirty feet) to get a couple of pictures. I'll see if I can ID it properly when I get home. I'll be happy to send a copy to anyone who's interested. Sure! Bill |
Urban wildlife
"rw" wrote When I worked at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA my building was right at the edge of the wetlands bordering San Francisco Bay. I used to duck hunt the south SF bay, out of Alviso, and every time I went, and I went dozens of times, it was a real shock. One was surrounded by civilization and high tech, but in the middle of wildness ( at least in the preferred nasty late Fall weather of duck hunting ). I can't really express it well enough, think "scary wild" and you'll get the idea, every bit as removed and isolated feeling as two days walk into the Sierra. The lights of the city buildings were like the lights of a passing jet on a backpack, a reminder of a different life, but one that seems very far away. I suppose it's all gone now, but I used to train where San Antonio rd meets the bay, east of Palo Alto, and it was a very large wetlands, full of some of Nature's best work, in sight of the homes and work places of one of Nature's least pleasant experiments |
Urban wildlife
"Wolfgang" wrote Wolfgang no bears or jaguars yet.......i think the geese scare them off. We've had two Cougar sightings here locally in the last year ..... which I think is WAY cool .... I'm not in an urban area, but certainly not in anything that qualifies as real country, either. |
Urban wildlife
"Larry L" wrote Now, that worthless, ****ing, slimeball, ****head lawyer ( I never believed the stuff about them being scum until this happened ) and i never believed that a single, living organism could display as much cognitive shortcoming in one post, until i read your abysmally shortsighted buffoonery. congratulations, dumbass. wayno |
Urban wildlife
"Wayne Harrison" wrote and i never believed that a single, living organism could display as much cognitive shortcoming in one post, until i read your abysmally shortsighted buffoonery. congratulations, dumbass. wayno lol, are you trying to say there may NOT be a direct relationship between the bird owner being a scumbag, and his profession ? I know that, but, the post about raptors prompted a memory, which I shared. That memory included my "dumbass" prejudicial response as it happened. I really did have a "lawyers must really be pricks, like the jokes say" reaction, at the time. I felt it was part of the story, and included it, even though I was aware that it would display some of my poorer qualities. I'm pretty comfortable with who and what I am, at this stage of my life, and, certainly, "dumbass" fits, at times. You, don't seem too bad, though ....ah, for one of them :-) |
Urban wildlife
Larry L wrote:
We've had two Cougar sightings here locally in the last year ..... Here in Illinois we've had numerous cougar sightings that the experts pooh-pooh, but they can't dismiss actual cougar corpses. The first was found hit by a train in Randolph County (SW IL) in 2000 and the second was found in Mercer County (NW IL) just last week with a hole in its body. The sightings were in Lake County, the northernmost of the "collar counties" that surround Chicago and not all that far from Wolfie in Milwaukee. -- Ken Fortenberry |
Urban wildlife
Larry L wrote:
We've had two Cougar sightings here locally in the last year ..... Here in Illinois we've had numerous cougar sightings that the experts pooh-pooh, but they can't dismiss actual cougar corpses. The first was found hit by a train in Randolph County (SW IL) in 2000 and the second was found in Mercer County (NW IL) just last week with a hole in its body. The sightings were in Lake County, the northernmost of the "collar counties" that surround Chicago and not all that far from Wolfie in Milwaukee. -- Ken Fortenberry |
Urban wildlife
"Ken Fortenberry" wrote Here in Illinois we've had numerous cougar sightings that the experts pooh-pooh, but they can't dismiss actual cougar corpses. The first was found hit by a train in Randolph County (SW IL) in my insurance agent is a hound man ( his father, now dead, was an avid fly fisher and that is how they became "my" insurance agents ) and he tells me that it isn't difficult to tree several cougars a day within 50 miles of Oakdale, where I live. It's illegal to harm them, but he runs them with his dogs, I assume legally. We have a friend that won't let her young ( toddler ) daughter out of the house alone ... they have cougar tracks in the yard constantly and regular sightings. They are up the hill about 20 miles and in an area one would expect cougars to inhabit. We are right where the valley turns to foothills and agro-urban sprawl becomes big winter grazing ranch land, but still in the flat and irrigated, here. |
Urban wildlife
"Larry L" wrote in news:HVHtd.103836
: It's illegal to harm them, but he runs them with his dogs, I assume legally. In NY, that's considered hunting. Scott |
Urban wildlife
"Scott Seidman" wrote In NY, that's considered hunting. I've never been comfortable with his stories, but then, I've never been comfortable with the whole "hound" thing. I'd make a few okie, red neck, slurs but I've reached my quota for inflamitory remarks today. Actually, Rick seems very bright and well educated and not at all the "drop the tailgate and open the booze" type that my prejudices bring to mind .... I'll ask him about the legality next time I see him, but I bet the answer is similar to the ones about hooking trout during the winter Mountain Whitefish season ... i.e. " I wasn't trying to catch trout ( substitute cougar), I was trying to catch whitefish (substitute coons ) " ... followed by a sly grin |
Urban wildlife
"Wolfgang" wrote in message ... I work at a major medical complex (employing well over ten thousand people) in a major metropolitan area. A few minutes ago, I was standing outside watching a peregrine falcon as it sat on a liquid oxygen container waiting for a sparrow or a mouse to make a mistake. Evidently its patience was rewarded, as it suddenly hopped off the tank and disappeared into a small hidden courtyard. Last weekend, while taking Cullen for a romp in the greenbelt along the Menominee river, we scared up a large whitetail buck. Only six points, but a massive rack nevertheless. On seeing the dog coming toward him, the deer loped off about fifty yards and then stood watching. This performance was repeated several times till Cullen got bored. About a year ago, Cullen got bit by a coyote.....one of a pair he approached a wee bit recklessly.....on a chunk of vacant land behind a chocolate factory a couple of blocks from the duplex we used to rent a mile or so from where we saw the deer last week, and where we have seen many others. For a week or so, early this last spring, I saw a family of red foxes cavorting at the edge of a parking lot here on campus each morning when I came to work. We've got an unknown but apparently large number of raccoons living in the storm drains on our block. The best time to see them is the last hour before sunrise when they head home after a night of foraging, but they'll show up occasionally at just about any time of night. Sometimes you can even see them in daylight. Red tail and rough legged hawks are common sights along the freeways. And all this within the limits of the city of Milwaukee. Oddly, I generally see more of these and a few other species (with the exception of the deer) here in the city than out in rural areas. Wolfgang no bears or jaguars yet.......i think the geese scare them off. There's Peregrine falcons in downtown Portland, they doing OK, not so the piegons. Folks that travel up and down I-5 may notice the hyperbolic cooling tower about 30 miles north of Portland. It's part of the decommissioned Trojan Nuke plant. One of the reasons they can't blow the cooler tower up is because it has four falcon nest ( one on each of four platforms located 90 degrees apart.). One form of urban wildlife we have to much of here is cats, unattended pets or ferral. I give them a free ride to the animal shelter. It makes more wild birds for the falcons to eat. |
Urban wildlife
"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message m... Larry L wrote: We've had two Cougar sightings here locally in the last year ..... May 17, 2004 Mountain Lion Killed in Palo Alto Ca. http://cbs5.com/news/local/2004/05/1...Palo_Alto.html -tom |
Urban wildlife
On 12/8/04 2:38 PM, in article , "Jonathan Cook"
wrote: William Claspy wrote: Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home. Bill, the Rocky River was, and as far as I know still is, a decent steelheading stream. You _really_ should check it out. Our own Peter Charles could help you with great lakes steelheading tips. My one regret from my Cleveland days is not fishing for steelhead more often... Got it covered, Jon. Turns out there are several guys here on campus who chase chrome. Not my favorite kind of fishing, but it beats... not fishing. I've heard tell that some fish come up Doan Brook. One of these days I'm going to stop along MLK Blvd and check it out. Combat fishing! Bill |
Urban wildlife
On 12/8/04 3:18 PM, in article
, "Scott Seidman" wrote: William Claspy wrote in news:BDDC94C7.5D37% : Mink are common in the Rocky River, not ten minutes from home. When I was throwing darts in Cleveland, the league would send us to all kinds of bars in all kinds of neighborhoods, and the only bar we ever had any trouble in was a yuppie sports bar in Rocky River. Not surprised. Them yuppies can be tricky to handle. I usually fish further upstream, near the nature center, which I believe is not in the city of Rocky River. Closer to my house is even further upstream- steelhead can't get above the Berea falls (which is just north of Bagley road). In this section (above what used to be Baldwin Lake), they do put-and-take rainbows in March and April. Again, not my favorite kind of fishing, but... Word has it that in the upper-most portions of the Rocky east branch there are some brook trout. This would be near Hinckley. I'm not going to even try to find them, but I hope they are there. And four (?) years ago, I sighted this fellow taking a break on his way north: http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/urbanloon.jpg (That's the Cleveland Museum of Art in the background.) How long have you been hanging out at the Lagoon?? Well, since my office is right across the street, I do tend to hang out here... fairly often :-) And for quite some time. I have a picture of me and my dad on the day he got his PhD hood- the ceremony was in Severance Hall, and I was 4 or 5. I take lunch time walks pretty frequently and was delighted to spot that loon. I used to avoid the place, but I did spend some time on the other side of the museum. They've cleaned it up quite a bit. In fact it is full of bluegill, bass, and the koi. Which is probably why the loons stayed for three or four days! And turtles. You might not recognize Wade Oval on the other side of the museum. The Botanical Gardens expanded and did some re-landscaping. Not quite as much open green lawn unfortunately. Bill |
Urban wildlife
"Jonathan Cook" wrote What he's doing in CA is illegal. See one of the reasons I tend toward the anti-hound side of things is that the Calif Dept of Fish and Game has gradually developed a very noticeable "anti-dog trainer" attitude. I have several friends within the DFG and they tell me that my perception is true, that it stems largely from the actions of houndsmen and that all dog trainers get lumped into the same barrel in the minds of many at DFG. I was, twice now, stopped by DFG/ enforcement in my obviously built to carry dogs truck and asked to empty the entire thing out ... every nook and cranny. The reason for suspicion on the part of the officer? I was a dog trainer, is what I was told to my face. I complied with as much grace as possible and my only protest was when I was asked to open boxes that had dogs in them. At that I said, " I will open these boxes and let you see the dogs, BUT, please note; some of these dogs are extremely valuable, as much as $50K each, and I would NOT open their crates while stopped along a busy highway without your insistence. IF one of these dogs happens to get out and is injured, or killed, EXPECT to see me and the dogs owner in court." ( Glad they didn't get out, don't think I'd get much legal help from Wayno G ) I strongly believe in the game laws and in enforcing them, to the point that I have "tipped" on several clients and "friends" for violations I knew that were happening. Sadly, I think there IS a type of "good ole boy, poachers are really heroes" element that is fairly strong in the houndmen world. FWIW, I'll investigate the Cougar thing and tip on my insurance agent if what he's doing is illegal ( like I said, I bet it's hard to enforce ... the hounds bay, the tailgate drops, who knows what is being chased, until it's treed ?) |
Urban wildlife
"Larry L" wrote I was, twice now, stopped by DFG/ enforcement in my obviously built to carry dogs truck and asked to empty the entire thing out ... every nook and cranny. The reason for suspicion on the part of the officer? I was a dog trainer, is what I was told to my face. really sucks when the cops violate your fourth amendment rights, doesn't it? and without those rag-ass criminal defense lawyers, they could do it with impunity. you are right. i wouldn't represent you for every ****ing dog in idaho. wayno |
Urban wildlife
Tom Nakashima wrote:
May 17, 2004 Mountain Lion Killed in Palo Alto Ca. ... Mountain lions have been in that area for years. Back in the early 90's my wife and I packed a picnic lunch and hiked from Page Mill Road through the Monte Bello Preserve to the Ridge Winery on Monte Bello Road. It's a nice hike with spectacular views of the ocean and the bay on a clear day. We met a guy working at the microwave tower and he said clear days came along but 5 or 6 times a year, so we were lucky. They have picnic tables set up there at the Winery and the Winery store will sell you a bottle of their most excellent wines. Highly recommended way to spend a Saturday. All along the fence rows next to the vineyard honeysuckle grows, fragrant, almost pungent honeysuckle, and when we opened the Ridge chardonnay to accompany our picnic lunch the honeysuckle tones whispered terroir. Uh, anyway, on the way back we saw a mountian lion. Damn thing was sauntering right down the middle of the road. We got within 50 yards of it before I decided it actually was a mountain lion and not a big dog and within 20 yards before it decided to sashay off the road. It did *not* appear to scared of us, but we were a bit rattled by its insouciance. -- Ken Fortenberry |
Urban wildlife
Tom Nakashima wrote:
May 17, 2004 Mountain Lion Killed in Palo Alto Ca. ... Mountain lions have been in that area for years. Back in the early 90's my wife and I packed a picnic lunch and hiked from Page Mill Road through the Monte Bello Preserve to the Ridge Winery on Monte Bello Road. It's a nice hike with spectacular views of the ocean and the bay on a clear day. We met a guy working at the microwave tower and he said clear days came along but 5 or 6 times a year, so we were lucky. They have picnic tables set up there at the Winery and the Winery store will sell you a bottle of their most excellent wines. Highly recommended way to spend a Saturday. All along the fence rows next to the vineyard honeysuckle grows, fragrant, almost pungent honeysuckle, and when we opened the Ridge chardonnay to accompany our picnic lunch the honeysuckle tones whispered terroir. Uh, anyway, on the way back we saw a mountian lion. Damn thing was sauntering right down the middle of the road. We got within 50 yards of it before I decided it actually was a mountain lion and not a big dog and within 20 yards before it decided to sashay off the road. It did *not* appear to scared of us, but we were a bit rattled by its insouciance. -- Ken Fortenberry |
Urban wildlife
Wayne Harrison wrote:
snip i wouldn't represent you for every ****ing dog in idaho. Whew, thank gawd Kipper's been neutered. ;-) -- Ken Fortenberry |
Urban wildlife
Wayne Harrison wrote:
snip i wouldn't represent you for every ****ing dog in idaho. Whew, thank gawd Kipper's been neutered. ;-) -- Ken Fortenberry |
Urban wildlife
Strange how the genetics mutates is it not? I think the Eastern Herd
migrates between North Carolina and Pennsylvania! john "Tim J." wrote in message ... Scott Seidman wrote: "Wolfgang" wrote in : And all this within the limits of the city of Milwaukee. Oddly, I generally see more of these and a few other species (with the exception of the deer) here in the city than out in rural areas. I wouldn't necessarily call the Greater Rochester Area urban, but just yesterday a red tailed hawk landed roughly 15 feet from me. Deer are fairly routine. I spied a river otter galumphing along the side of the Erie Canal in Fairport one morning on my way to work--there's no telling what the outcome of our reintroduction program will be. I see a nice owl every once in a while. Skunk, coon, possum, fox, all pretty typical. Coyotes around here, but they seem to avoid people. Beaver swim around me while fishing, but it seems to depend on the year. Snakes also enjoy swimming up to me. I found a banded bird skeleton under a bridge during a river cleanup, and it turned out to be a racing pigeon from Brooklyn, of all places. We've got roffians up this way - lots of them. Normally they stay hunkered down, keeping to themselves while making low growling noises, but you can get them to be a bit more sociable by flashing a SNPA and/or some cheese. Still, like all wildlife, you'll want to keep your guard up, because they'll revert back to their wild instincts without a moment's notice (usually about the time the SNPA and cheese runs out.) If you've never seen one, they are hideous creatures, sometimes emitting a strong odor. While normally found more in the countryside, they will wander into more urban areas. Usually this behavior occurs between 8:00 and 17:00 and is only so they can perform tasks which allow them to spend more time is the less urban settings. While they normally hunt alone, they have been known to form packs and cause great destruction. They're are at their most dangerous between midnight and 5:00AM, and I have heard them shriek as if in agony at 2:00AM. If you find one sleeping in their den, it's best not to disturb them except with a long stick and good running shoes. -- TL, Tim ------------------------ http://css.sbcma.com/timj |
Urban wildlife
On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 22:05:40 GMT, "Wayne Harrison" wrote:
"Larry L" wrote I was, twice now, stopped by DFG/ enforcement in my obviously built to carry dogs truck and asked to empty the entire thing out ... every nook and cranny. The reason for suspicion on the part of the officer? I was a dog trainer, is what I was told to my face. really sucks when the cops violate your fourth amendment rights, doesn't it? and without those rag-ass criminal defense lawyers, they could do it with impunity. you are right. i wouldn't represent you for every ****ing dog in idaho. wayno Reminds me of a joke (OK, it's a doctor joke, but they're REALLY bloodsuckers...): It's about 8:30 on Sunday morning, and Dr. and Mrs. Jones' phone rings. Mrs. Jones answers. "Honey," Mrs. Jones says, handing the good doctor the phone, "It's Mrs. Smith, down the street, an she says it's urgent..." "Hello?" says the doc. "Dr. Jones, there are two animals on my lawn...um, 'engaged...,'" says Mrs. Smith. "Animals? What kind of animals and what would you like for me to do about it?" "Dogs. Large dogs, and Mr. Smith is traveling on business..." "OK, look, Doris, go get a couple of pans, open the front door, and bang them together. That should put them off." "Thanks, Dr. Jones, I'll try it." Five minutes later, Dr. Jones' phone rings, and it's Mrs. Smith. "Hello," says our hero, taking the phone from his wife. "Dr. Jones, Doris Smith again. The pots didn't work, and I'm getting frightened. What should I do?" "Well, Doris, I'm really not a vet, but try spraying them with the water hose, OK? "OK, thanks, I'll try that," says Mrs. Smith. Five minutes later, the phone rings again, and yep, Mrs. Smith. "Dr. Jones, the hose didn't work either. What should I do?" "OK, Doris, go outside and tell the male dog, the one on top, that he has a ****ing phone call!" "DOCTOR JONES! Your language! And in any case, do you think that will work?" "Doris, all I can tell you is that it has stopped me three goddamned times in 10 minutes!" |
Urban wildlife
"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message ... ...All along the fence rows next to the vineyard honeysuckle grows, fragrant, almost pungent honeysuckle, and when we opened the Ridge chardonnay to accompany our picnic lunch the honeysuckle tones whispered terroir... SNORT! :) Wolfgang |
Urban wildlife
"Ken Fortenberry" wrote Wayne Harrison wrote: snip i wouldn't represent you for every ****ing dog in idaho. Whew, thank gawd Kipper's been neutered. ;-) -- Well I have no idea just how many dogs might be ****ing in Idaho, at this time, but it's still probably a big number without Kipper Such numbers sometimes nearly overwhelm me with the reality of just "how many" of any given thing there might be in the world. Two recent examples from a PBS show I watched ... (1) 2 Barbie dolls a SECOND are sold world wide ...(2) at any given time 1/2 MILLION humans are flying, worldwide Time to put birth control chemicals in all the human water supplies .................... um, and those of the ****ing Idahoan canines, too, for that matter |
Urban wildlife
"Larry L" wrote in message ... Well I have no idea just how many dogs might be ****ing in Idaho, at this time, but it's still probably a big number without Kipper Such numbers sometimes nearly overwhelm me with the reality of just "how many" of any given thing there might be in the world. Two recent examples from a PBS show I watched ... (1) 2 Barbie dolls a SECOND are sold world wide ...(2) at any given time 1/2 MILLION humans are flying, worldwide Time to put birth control chemicals in all the human water supplies ................... um, and those of the ****ing Idahoan canines, too, for that matter Many years ago, I don't remember exactly when (or the source, for that matter), I read somewhere that something like 50,000 gallons of dog **** hit the streets and sidewalks of New York every day. Wolfgang now THERE'S an image to take with you to supper. :) |
Urban wildlife
On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 22:17:56 GMT, Ken Fortenberry
wrote: Tom Nakashima wrote: May 17, 2004 Mountain Lion Killed in Palo Alto Ca. ... Mountain lions have been in that area for years. Back in the early 90's my wife and I packed a picnic lunch and hiked from Page Mill Road through the Monte Bello Preserve to the Ridge Winery on Monte Bello Road. It's a nice hike with spectacular views of the ocean and the bay on a clear day. We met a guy working at the microwave tower and he said clear days came along but 5 or 6 times a year, so we were lucky. They have picnic tables set up there at the Winery and the Winery store will sell you a bottle of their most excellent wines. Highly recommended way to spend a Saturday. All along the fence rows next to the vineyard honeysuckle grows, fragrant, almost pungent honeysuckle, and when we opened the Ridge chardonnay to accompany our picnic lunch the honeysuckle tones whispered terroir. Uh, anyway, on the way back we saw a mountian lion. Damn thing was sauntering right down the middle of the road. We got within 50 yards of it before I decided it actually was a mountain lion and not a big dog and within 20 yards before it decided to sashay off the road. It did *not* appear to scared of us, but we were a bit rattled by its insouciance. My neighbor and I were standing outside drinking Dr. Peppers, and not your garden-variety corn syrup stuff, but real Dublin cane sugar nectar. His son came out with his pet hamster. I felt just like Grizzly Adams or something... |
Urban wildlife
"Wolfgang" wrote in message ... "Larry L" wrote in message ... Well I have no idea just how many dogs might be ****ing in Idaho, at this time, but it's still probably a big number without Kipper Such numbers sometimes nearly overwhelm me with the reality of just "how many" of any given thing there might be in the world. Two recent examples from a PBS show I watched ... (1) 2 Barbie dolls a SECOND are sold world wide ...(2) at any given time 1/2 MILLION humans are flying, worldwide Time to put birth control chemicals in all the human water supplies ................... um, and those of the ****ing Idahoan canines, too, for that matter Many years ago, I don't remember exactly when (or the source, for that matter), I read somewhere that something like 50,000 gallons of dog **** hit the streets and sidewalks of New York every day. Wolfgang now THERE'S an image to take with you to supper. :) In Paris 600 people a year are admitted to hospitals suffering injurys caused from slipping in dog feces. |
Urban wildlife
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