# Today in nature I saw **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854 "2020-07-20T18:22:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 142
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2824 "2023-12-27T04:29:21Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > the brawl broke up and then reformed so close to me that I was looking directly down at them - they were completely oblivious to my presence - two female blackbirds, claws dug into each other, beaks viciously scissored, beating the crap out of each other with their wings. Yeah, when the blood is up it is remarkable how single-minded they can get. I once watched two male [Allen’s Hummingbirds](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Allens_Hummingbird/overview) get into an aerial fight that led to them them falling to the ground, go tumbling down a hillside tangled up with each other and then continue beating each other up once they got to the bottom. Just incredibly bellicose little birds. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2825 "2023-12-28T01:42:40Z")
And here I thought it was only the ruby-throats that were total a-holes, lol. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2826 "2023-12-28T18:13:06Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > It’s been unusually warm here too. Ditto. We had four days of rain over Christmas and two of those days had high temps of 54F. We’ve got green grass, swelling buds on trees and shrubs and more. I’m kinda worried about how many of these plants will be harmed if we get a deep freeze. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2827 "2023-12-29T01:44:54Z")
Yesterday and the two days previous – wild turkeys! four of them trucking across (what passes for) our front yard. My wife thinks they’re a family. They saw me poke my head up to the window and it was every bird for himself. They cut through the back yard of the next door neighbors heading for the woodsy area behind our properties. A squirrel sitting on our fence froze in place, watching them go, like he’d never seen turkeys before; what a maroon. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2828 "2024-01-03T21:19:48Z")
Today in nature I saw… …a bee on our hellebores. C’mon man, this is England - on the third of January? It has been very mild. Global warming? Hmmmm. j ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2829 "2024-01-06T01:41:27Z")
We have (American) robins here still. That never used to happen. They’d head out in November and not come back until April. I just saw one sipping water at the birdbath yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2830 "2024-01-08T17:51:31Z")
[Nature Red in Tooth and Claw](https://imgur.com/LP8qdEd). Taken from my deck this morning. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2831 "2024-01-08T17:53:20Z")
Wow! Great shot. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2832 "2024-01-08T18:39:27Z")
Yeah, that’s …well, gorgeous might not be the right word. Amazing though. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2833 "2024-01-08T19:06:05Z")
Thanks, both of you. I specifically didn’t embed the photo, because I thought that “Bunny. It’s what’s for dinner!” might be a trigger for some folks. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2834 "2024-01-09T20:57:48Z")
Yeah, breathtaking shot! On a more mundane note, it snowed just a little bit yesterday, and since then has been very cold for about 24 hours. As a result we woke up this morning able to clearly see the fox tracks across our front and back yard (is that the correct American English?). I think it’s remarkable that they are so consistent in their routes. Looks like pretty heavy traffic too. j ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2835 "2024-01-09T21:02:31Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > is that the correct American English Perfect. Your yard sounds lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2836 "2024-01-09T21:54:23Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Taken from my deck this morning. Very nice! Note that that’s an immature Cooper’s Hawk, notorious as bird specialists. But they will happily take rabbits and rodents if the opportunity presents itself. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2837 "2024-01-09T22:48:35Z")
Wild turkey tracks in the snow, back in my woods. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2838 "2024-01-10T03:01:04Z")
We went out to dinner last night and The Herd was in the front yard (9 whitetail deer). They didn’t leave until we were halfway down the driveway. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2839 "2024-01-10T15:08:14Z")
Yesterday on the drive home I saw a hawk dive straight down onto the freeway median, and take off with a rodent. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2840 "2024-01-10T15:10:12Z")
He’s on the city payroll! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2841 "2024-01-10T15:12:20Z")
Today it was a red-headed woodpecker. They’re thick around here. This is their ‘training tree’. [![](https://i.postimg.cc/D0d45gyk/woodpecker-training-tree.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/D0d45gyk/woodpecker-training-tree.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2842 "2024-01-10T15:13:24Z")
Paul Bunyan could play that as a flute! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/2843 "2024-01-10T15:52:26Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > This is their ‘training tree’. We have a similar tree with the holes being more oval (longer north/south). In our case it is a pileated woodpecker tree (one of my favorite birds). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854.md?page=141) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854.md?page=143)