BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH

Subject: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 12:47 PM

Had my latest wildlife adventure last Monday afternoon. Left work early (3 p.m.) because I hadn't slept well and really wanted to go home and take a nap. I didn't get far from work, I was on Rte 151 in North Hampton within sight of the I-95 overpass -- the coastal side of I-95.Just before Sagamore-Hampton Golf Course, there's mowed area about the size of a house lot on the right. As I drove past I noticed a good-sized black bear in the middle of the yard. It wasn't moving. I did a doubletake to see if it was a cast resin lawn ornament or something (big, though) -- it wasn't moving. By this time I'm past the yard    so I checked my rearview mirror -- and the bear was galumphing across the road!

Guess it was real! Glad I left work early or I wouldn't have seen it.

Curmudgeon's jealous and wants to know why I get to see all the bears. (Last one was a couple years ago when a young black bear tore across Rte. 125 in front of my car -- within sight of Lee Traffic Circle intersection of Rtes. 4 & 125 -- McDonald's, Wendy's, gas station/convenience stores, liquor store a biggish shopping plaza and a smaller strip mall -- and disappeared behind the Harley-Davidson shop.) You'd expect to see a bear in our "backyard" in Nottingham (we're on 33 acres of trees) or neighborhood, but nooooo, just in much higher populated areas.

A couple weeks ago I had a doe materialize in front of my car in between 151 and 33. Same "magical" time of day ( 5:20 PM) as my last close encounter with deer, but daylight this time. Anyway, I think she leaped out of the woods on the embankment on the right side of the road and landed right in front of me. No time to react, but the next thing I knew, I heard the clatter of her hooves and in nanoseconds she disappeared on the other side of the road. Lucked out and didn't hit her. The only thing that saved us both was the fact she was moving like a bat out of hell. I should have just shook with shock all the way home, but instead I shook my head -- did I see that? did it happen?!?

Wednesday on the way home it was a family of wild turkeys -- about 8 of 'em -- making their way across a yard towards the road. I checked the rearview mirror to make sure the two cars behind me stopped to let them cross -- they did.

Saw a summer tanager (I guess they're moving north) earlier this summer. And Friday saw more snowy egrets than I usually do.

The bear was pretty exciting, though -- especially since it didn't attempt to be roadkill!

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 01:27 PM

How kewl, Linn! Though, I think KT can one-up you on the bear. I heard she recently used a broom to chase one out of her kitchen!

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 01:50 PM

Yeah, so far we've only had Little Brown Bats, flying squirrels and raccoons in the house (and the raccoon only as far as the other side of the cellar door rattling it to be let into the living area of the house).

It's nice seeing the occasional bear, but not in the house, thank you!

And the ones I've been seeing are the non-aggressive North American Black Bear -- what di KT have to contend with?!?

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: gnu
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 01:59 PM

Non-aggressive NA Black Bear? Could you send a few of those up to my camp to calm the locals down a tad? I think the claw marks on my camp doors and wood box are putting off potential buyers.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 02:24 PM

They are generally non-aggressive, but there was a recent killing of a camper by a black bear (dragging the victim from a tent) that bore out that they can be dangerous. I've seen quite a few up-close over the years in the Pacific Northwest, my work took me out into the woods and we often co-habited in clear cut units, each keeping an eye on the location of the other. But I won't make the mistake of thinking they're harmless. They're not. But they are very interesting. The tree marking and such is typcial bear behavior, you're not going to import one that isn't destructive in that way, they all tend to do it.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Micca
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 02:30 PM

Katlaughing, i think it was Ebbie that had the "close encounter"
and for those who remember childrens cartoons of Yogi Bear,
"Look at the Bears!Look at the Bears!"

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: SINSULL
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 02:52 PM

Freddie brought home a frog or a toad. Whatever it was I grabbed it and set it free. It was gone in the morning so hopefully it wasn't seriously damaged. I keep waiting for him to bring home a snake or a skunk.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 03:14 PM

Micca, I could of sworn it was KT! Me puir head...too much input!**BG**

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bee
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 03:41 PM

Lucky Bat Goddess! We have lots of Black Bears in Nova Scotia, but they are pretty shy - I've lived in rural areas the better part of my life and have only seen three or four in the flesh (lots of scat).

We saw an enormous beaver swimming down the lake day before yesterday, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 03:54 PM

I've also wantonly slaughtered a bald faced wasp about every day now for the past coupla weeks. Now THEY'RE aggressive! One dive bombed me about three weeks ago when I was sitting in bed on the phone. I ducked and it got between me and the pillow and stung me on my lower back. (Yes, lower back -- NOT my butt!)

Killed two in the bathroom today.

My entomologist friend says (I took him a corpse Friday night) that they are actually a sub-specie of bald faced wasp.

It's good to have friends with practical specialties!

Me? I'm the little brown bat expert.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 07:50 PM

A few years back I was walking down Gravel Pit Road, a logging road just down Priest Road from my house. I was singing at the top of my lungs, it being the first day of Daylight Savings Time. I was coming on to the marshy part of the walk when I heard a loud "slap!" on the water -- sure enough, there was a beaver doing figure 8s. I talked to him -- when he got to the low end of the 8. He was very curious, but kept moving. I kept talking.

I watched him for awhile, then continued walking through to to the next roadd.

Neat.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: GUEST,Pamela in Ithaca
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 09:56 PM

Such cool stories, Linn. I keep hoping to see bear.
The most I see is the occasional fox or coyote.
And lots of turkeys. There was one time, on my drive to work
when I saw at least a dozen roosting in a clump of
tall oak trees - and another time when one raced me
along a side road near home. I had slowed down to
10 or 15 mph so I wouldn't hit it, and it just ran
along side of me for several hundred yards.

Beavers can be awesome creatures. I'll never forget
one dam a friend showed me - it was at least 6-8 feet
high, diverting a stream and creating a pond, and
included (I'm not joking) railroad tie lumber.
Super industrious critters. This was in a nature preserve
about five miles from home and right along side a
track still in use (hence the tie lumber).
I believe they had to dynamite the dam to remove it.
Pity, it was an amazing feat of animal engineering.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 10:10 PM

A couple years ago we go photos of a grizzly on one side of the road and a black bear on the other -- in Yellowstone NP. We have photos of elk (with and without racks), moose (ditto), bears (from afar), bison (some up right close and personal!), antelope, mule deer, bald and golden eagles....

And as my nephew was driving with my wife through the nearby Arbon Valley, he looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a jackrabbit crossing the road. He exclaimed, "GODDAMN! That's a BIG rabbit!" and my wife just laughed....

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 07:31 AM

A few summers ago we had a family of wild turkeys lay claim to our clearing in the woods. Mama, Papa, and 10 chilluns. Every morning around 7 they would all walk slowly uphill in front of the house, especially taking their time if you were sitting in the car attempting to go to work. Then every evening at 6 they'd "fly" down to our trees from our up-the-hill neighbor's field.

Now turkeys do not so much fly as they do crash thud. Not really good at aiming, either. When they cannonballed downhill and made contact with a tree limb, there would be leaves and feathers flying.

Mortimer, our big orange diabetic cat who was never much of a hunter (except for grasshoppers), would stare wide-eyed from the deck and Sabine ("Sheena, Queen of the Jungle"), well, you could just see her calculating how to get up to a big cross branch and what she'd do from there. (Keep in mind they're bigger than she is!)

I miss them, but it was great having them around for a season

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: curmudgeon
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 03:54 PM

Last night, when I went out to get firewood, I startled something wild, which ran off quickly. It had moved faster than a racoon or skunk, and didn't have the gait of a deer.

Some twenty minutes later, I went out again and caught site of a longish thick black tail, too big for a cat, running for cover.

So today I went to the NHF&G website and looked at some pics, then to google for more pics and videos, all of which have convinced me that it was a fisher, aka fisher cat.

I had earlier tossed out the remains of an underdone burger, and can only surmise that the scent had brought it round for a snack.

Living in the woods does have its moments - Tom

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: SINSULL
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 04:02 PM

They scream like babies and eat house cats. Be careful, Tom. Wonder if you could tame one and bring it indoors to deal with the bats?

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: gnu
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 04:13 PM

You don't like cats, SINS? Or was that not a typo?

Sorry... couldn't resist. JUST kidding... I know, I know.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Barry Finn
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 04:26 PM

When I was farther north we had deer that slept in the back field & fed on the wild apples. One morning I leatf for work, just about dawn & the road by the end of my st was very foggy. as I made the bend a figure started to lift in the fog. A white horse was rearing up on her hind 2 & her form was just begining to take shape. At 1st I felt as if I was in a time warp & was on the island of Avolon.
I pulled inti the neighbors driveway to wake them & let them know their horse was on the go.

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 05:09 PM

Curmudgeon, you are so lucky to have seen the fisher cat. I've never seen one, and I was barely aware they existed before you posted.

[Info for others: It's not a cat, it's a relative of the mink and the marten.]

On YouTube there is an video of a fisher chasing a squirrel. An animal that eats squirrels - the world could use more of them.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Micca
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 05:22 PM

Tami gave me "Fisher intro 101" last time I was in Maine, (we were discussing land predators)and I am SO envious of you having seen one(as I am sure Tami wil be too) up close and personal, apparently they are big Buggers!!!!there is some more Info here

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: curmudgeon
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 05:25 PM

A fisher is a kind of marten,Martes pennanti. They eat a lot more than squirrels too, but not house cats. Just ask ranger1.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 07:31 PM

According to Tami, fishers do NOT eat cats -- they just kill them.

Needless to say, Sabine is never going out again. (Actually, we haven't let her out since last fall when she got locked in a neighbor's cellar for about 5 days.)

We'd already decided after Rufus' first winter with us that he was going to be a forever inside cat -- he's waaaaaay too curious about absolutely everything. He'd get distracted, lost, probably et (oooh, what's this? Great horned owl? I'm going for a riiiiide!)

Sabine is a savvy mature lady cat and a great huntress, but we've never seen r heard of fishers on this side of the road or around the house.

The bats, Sinsull, I think were run off by the flying squirrels. Or maybe the flying squirrels were run off by the bats. Anywho, I don't think either species are mootching off us anymore.

I'm not sure about the gray squirrel in the window, though...

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 07:49 PM

How kewl to have seen one! Good to keep the kitties inside, though!

All four feet have five toes with retractable claws. Because they can rotate their hind paws 180 degrees, they can grasp limbs and climb down trees head first.

I can see they would be very difficult to escape from!

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 08:09 PM

wildlife adventures in Australia from an inner city dweller who normally only sees pigeons & cockroaches etc.

When I was in Bendigo last week (regional city 1.5 hours northish of Melbourne, Australia's second largest city of several million people) we saw a wallaby on the side of the road at dusk. This is normally the time when moving animals become roadkill, but this one was just grazing on the side of the road.

We also saw a dead kangaroo later that night & our driver pulled it off the road.

Same trip we saw emus, but they weren't wild as they lived in an animal park! But they aren't tame, either & I once saw one chasing a tourist in another park! This was the same park where I spent so long in the nocturnal house that nocturnal animals came to the glass to look at me. That was my best animal adventure.

Australian fauna

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Ref
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 08:41 PM

Throwing meat waste out your back door isn't very smart. It attracts things that can and will eat your housepets. A friend of mine living "up a road" in Westmoreland a few years ago tossed some stale rolls out for a bear and then suffered several days of having them trying to get into his house. They are dangerous. I saw the back end of one up Route 10 in Lempster a year or so ago and can testify that they galumph if they want to, but can damn well sprint, too!

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Janie
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 10:48 PM

I had never heard of a fisher cat, so did some googling. Was quite surprised to learn that they are indigenous to the southern Appalachians, including West Virginia. Apparently, however, they are pretty much gone from their southern range.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Leadfingers
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 06:33 AM

ooh I am JEALOUS ! Here in West London UK , the best I can hope for is the occasinal Urban Fox - Actually had a pair of Half Grown cubs wandering in my garden last year !

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 08:59 AM

We've got fishers here on the other side of New Hampshire- I've kept my cats in ever since one was spotted here in the autumn.
This year I've also seen a bobcat, a bear, and several turkeys. We usually have moose in the 'hood, come the thaw (which is no where near here as yet!)
Ref- I've sent you a PM. Do I know you? We must be neighbors!
Allison

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: maeve
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 09:14 AM

Westmoreland is very familiar to me as well, Allison. We used to watch the morning mist rise from the Connecticut as sat on the porch looking toward Windham College and Putney, Vermont. Lots of critters out that way. I learned to drive on muddy Poocham Rd.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 10:53 AM

Many years ago my descent of the hill on my way to work was slowed by three (count 'em, three) porcupines waddling down dead center of our road. Lead one turned around first, noticed the car, and ambled towards the side of the road. Second one finally took note and did the same. Third one was much slower on the uptake, but at last I could go faster than minus five mph on my way to work.

Coming the other direction on my way home one afternoon I came out of the woods into the clearing by the power lines with an owl -- wingspread about the same as my car width -- flying just above and in front of my windshield. WOW!

And then there was the absolutely elegant and regal fox surveying his domain from the middle of the road. After a couple seconds of mutual staring, he decided the woods on the side of the road was a better place to be.

We used to have an almost completely white skunk (black only on its belly) that lived in the vicinity of the house. Early one summer morning I was standing just outside the door on the deck enjoying being outside on such a glorious morning in the secret light of dawn, when I perceived movement amongst the flower pots of tomato plants, nasturtium, and other salad fixings. Out strolled a sort of light butterscotch critter -- cat? Uh uh. Skunk. He eyed me as warily as I eyed him as he walked past me, down the steps and under the deck.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 11:09 AM

MSNBC is reporting owl attacks in Bangor. LOL A horned owl has taken to dive bombing skiers and hikers with some minor injuries reported.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 12:29 PM

March seems early for an owl to be nesting. Do they return to the same nest year after year? That would explain it; it's defending its territory.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Becca72
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 03:00 PM

(insert Hooter's joke here)

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: maeve
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 03:38 PM

The Great Horned owl begins its breeding season in February, and the Barred owl in March. Other year-round resident owls in Maine tend to begin breeding in April. The Saw whet male I heard in February was already establishing territory by way of his calls.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Ref
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 06:01 PM

A colleague of mine was attacked by a hawk while running in Weare (pronounced Way-uh) a few years ago. It couldn't have been personal because he's such a lovely man. He thinks he must have come too close to a nest.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: curmudgeon
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 06:03 PM

Thread drift - so where are you located, Ref?

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: Ref
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 09:16 PM

Cheshuh County.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: curmudgeon
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 02:31 PM

This thread is still in need of learned comment from ranger1, Where are you Tami?

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: maeve
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 02:43 PM

She's at work, one supposes.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: maeve
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 03:33 PM

An interesting link with factual information regarding fishers:

http://www.nhfishandwildlife.com/fisher.php


maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: ranger1
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 06:53 PM

Um, I never said fishers don't eat cats. They're equal opportunity predators. They get blamed for taking all the cats that disappear in New England, when in fact coyotes, foxes, and great horned owls take more cats than fishers do. Fishers primarily eat snowshoe hares, but about 20% of their diet consists of porcupines (they're one of the few predators that can successfully prey on porkies, but it's not pretty - nature red in tooth and claw and all that). They're doing really well in northern New England at the moment, snowshoe hares are plentiful, as are dead snags of the right size for den trees (courtesy of the ice storm of '98). As a matter of fact, a family visiting the park today saw one as they were hiking to the summit of our teeny, busy little mountain.

As for great horned owls, they mate in January/February and raise the chicks in March/April. The timing coincides with skunk mating season, which is a favorite prey species. And they are very territorial when they have chicks in the nest.

And finally, spring is indeed finally on its way in Maine. I almost hit a woodchuck on my way to work this morning. Unlike skunks, raccoons and chipmunks which will rouse and be active on warmish days in the winter, woodchucks stay in a dormant state (body core temp drops to about 37F and heart rate slows to 4 beats/minute) until there's something for them to eat.

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 06:59 PM

A naturalist near me said that when a fisher moves into a neighborhood, it sticks around until the food supply dries up; i.e. when all the cats have been eaten or moved indoors! That was about the time I lost one cat, and found a neighbor's cat disembowelled in the woods near our house.
I moved my kitties back indoors late this past fall when a fisher was seen. And now that it's a bit warmer they're eager to go out, but I think not, probably.
Haven't seen any woodchucks yet!

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: maeve
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 07:01 PM

Hey there, Tami. Nice post.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Wildlife Adventures in NH
From: curmudgeon
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 08:05 PM

From the link that maeve provided: "Cat hairs were found in only one of over 1,000 stomachs examined in 1979 and 1980."