# 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:** 19
**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:** [November 24, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/361 "2020-11-24T16:32:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > For some reason all the small turkey flocks united and showed up at once. Sanctuary! ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/362 "2020-11-24T17:51:37Z")
Similar incident in Winter Park, Florida. I will never convince my husband that squirrels are carnivores. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/363 "2020-11-24T18:07:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > An oriole on our deck. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Cool! Supposedly orioles winter here, but I never see any. Of course, I haven’t screwed any citrus fruit to my porch. 😃 I should have mentioned this 280 posts ago, but I grew up in the Balto area and NEVER saw a Baltimore Oriole (except for those bums at Memorial Stadium and where did they get their colors – black and orange – for the uniforms, anyway?) > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Paging @burpo_the_wonder_mutt come in **burps** requesting status update. > > How is the spider doing? Haven’t seen Mama Spider in almost a month, the web is a shambles, but the egg sacs are still there, patiently waiting for the time they will be unleashed on an unsuspecting world. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/364 "2020-11-25T04:52:33Z")
Saw a big ol’ golden eagle perched on a big sagebrush on my delivery route, right along the roadside. Gave me the stinkeye as I slowed down to look at him. Stood probably just a few inches shy of three feet tall! Then I rounded a narrow butte about a half-mile further, and spooked three more up off of a fresh-looking pronghorn kill. Yesterday I had a big bald eagle fly parallel to me for a quarter-mile or so, felt like I could have reached out the window and tickled his feet! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/365 "2020-11-26T15:55:01Z")
Not quite as majestic as a golden eagle, but walking the dog around the neighborhood this a.m., we noticed a squirrel absolutely SHREDDING a neighbor’s newspaper. In fact, it looked as tho it was tearing off strips approx 1" wide. As we approached, it scampered up a tree with one piece in its mouth. I assume it is building/refurbishing/insulating its nest. It is neat, this time of year, with the leaves down, seeing all of the birds’/squirrels’/hornets’ nests. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/366 "2020-11-26T17:03:13Z")
Came across a juvenile bobcat on the Hunting Hollow trail in Henry Coe yesterday. I managed to get a silhouette pic before he scampered off into the undergrowth. [![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50649101241_d40d37571f_w.jpg) ](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50649101241_d40d37571f_w.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/367 "2020-11-26T17:46:13Z")
Wow, orioles, bobcats, eagles! 🙂 The noisy-ass hairy woodpecker is now a regular visitor to the suet. He has no problem announcing his presence. Loudly. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2020, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/368 "2020-11-27T04:23:48Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > The male would have a blue or green iridescent band across his wings. Look like your pair? Yes, that does look like them actually. And all the other ones in the neighborhood. Heh. The last couple of days, I came home to find our pair enjoying the sprinkler system watering the bushes outside our gate when I came home. As I approached they fled under and between the metal bars of our gate and fence to inside the grounds, thinking they were reaching safety. Then … I opened the gate!! [eek emoji] They were convinced I was chasing them. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/369 "2020-11-30T17:07:59Z")
More buzzard news. Haven’t seen so many recently - I kinda think that after a very good year for them it’s inevitable that limited food resources will thin down numbers, and that’s what I’ve been seeing. Anyways today, a misty day, I was out on the bike. As I reached the highest point on the route, I started to ride into some mist, and I heard a buzzard mewing very close by. I was riding and scanning the sky above me, wondering if a buzzard would be visible through the fog (and also, why would they be flying if visibility was too poor to hunt? Can they see in fog…?) - when a huge bird burst out of a tree just in front of me, at head height, no more than six or seven feet from me. Dear lord, they’re big close up - magnificent. j ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/370 "2020-12-01T01:19:57Z")
No wildlife sightings to speak of on my hike today, but I did pass by this rather impressive mistletoe-laden oak tree [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/g7SkDbfhSdsINmrMCsitNValzn2AfoVQeDgHhdCFniYakk2zuweqprWtSJNg0rsAHh4HtSFUVAKEkgtICbNz5STIlKGlDGc4S_FsHUK_Clw75zPxDACh0ygqh5Sms9H5u1AH00Uz3H4=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Dave Carter") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/U1wMnGmtUc8uBrsY9) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/371 "2020-12-01T16:07:35Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > No wildlife sightings to speak of on my hike today, but I did pass by this rather impressive mistletoe-laden oak tree > > [https://photos.app.goo.gl/U1wMnGmtUc8uBrsY9](https://photos.app.goo.gl/U1wMnGmtUc8uBrsY9) That is cool! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/372 "2020-12-01T17:04:33Z")
Indeed impressive @blondebear what a neat picture! ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2020, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/373 "2020-12-03T06:42:29Z")
Five golden eagles, one impressive bald eagle, and a small murder (a manslaughter? An assault?) of crows all sharing (!) a roadkill deer… Last night at the end of my route I also saw a big fat badger, then a very fluffy skunk. Oh, and vigintillions of deer and pronghorn, but around here that’s like saying “I saw grass”. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/374 "2020-12-04T17:32:55Z")
Was just now out in the back yard with my dog when I heard a honking from above. Looked up and there was a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying over, all bright in the sunshine. Absolutely stunning! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/375 "2020-12-05T01:08:27Z")
Speaking of large birds, I caught a glimpse of a California Condor today circling up above the High Peaks trail at Pinnacles National Park. ---
**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 5, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/376 "2020-12-05T01:24:42Z")
Saw a [Loggerhead Shrike](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Loggerhead_Shrike/overview) this morning. Not quite rare in my area, but not terribly common either. I can go a year or three without seeing one. Always a treat. Predatory songbirds, like [predatory mice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasshopper_mouse), go into a special category of cool. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/377 "2020-12-05T13:36:59Z")
Crossing the bridge to the laundry yest. morning: [sung to the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas] 4 herons [Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron] 3 Hooded Mergansers 2 Pied Billed Grebes [these 5 are likely the same individuals I’ve seen here for the last two winters] 1 Wood Stork 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Mallard And a Pileated Woodpecker in an oak tree. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/378 "2020-12-05T20:37:47Z")
I saw a couple of [white deer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_white_deer) today. And a whole bunch of guys in the odd camo/blaze orange mix of hunters. Hope the two don’t mix. ---
**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 5, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/379 "2020-12-05T20:52:20Z")
We had a sapsucker, sucking sap (there’s holes all over the tree trunk from those guys!): [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NLFgPAlypKmIcXZ27U6P0xkHZ2GZwffbeSEwjy-wwoX_sqArf66MEd9j0J2FUhlTvdAodgMoK_qqcA9-SPc9q6WBvnrOPGSh3xJFYT3unCe0BuitgDdrD5A3oLWpNnHkN9-evNaFutg=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Romansperson") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/pt9yQbMpAP2DHXHT8) And my favorite woodpecker showing off how he can eat upside down: [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YOAXmd--cFJ5oZCEsiR-7vK_0DHC8PEvw_aXefHjP2k6aGubekAXQNCTGgzoX3c7GmsAdhsCDSwxqPrDfbhPYyLoUX4xOppj9sc8ahC7uMU0eCJyiMb13nJjBUjuHr91vAW_5jkPQTc=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Romansperson") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/agLohkX2DW8ZrHgcA) And just showing off how pretty he is: [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HBeRn-AgwWtoybaYm-xPzIyQ6M0bNrkQSDw1ZW5Mmg0Uti1R9So2frbAPY1UTO2f0Nk8HtXGiMqq9u9tKcrtVtC-4r8uJuGBpp456mO1jftHKKod_ggJYaxkNJzpbGzJFhetf2Id_mE=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Romansperson") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/vkaukmJDEdthGudf8) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/380 "2020-12-05T23:39:23Z")
A Great Blue Heron. In early December. Carrying a stick, presumably towards a nesting site. Herons in this area typically lay their eggs sometime in March or April. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854.md?page=20)