Rare animal sigthings

[Redlinerobert]

This morning having coffee with my wife in our breakfast nook we were discussing the fact that a couple years ago while sitting in the same spot, a very large bird flew over the house that looked like a vulture but had distinctive white markings under its wings. After looking it up we realized that what we had spotted was a California condor.

Also down in Brazil during our fishing trip in '07, we spotted a black panther 20 ft from the boat swimming across the small river we were fishing on.

Any rare animal sightings to report? And no, spotting Raider at the Chinese restaurant does not count.

[A-Jay]

 

Read this one recently ~ A lady was at the gas station in Hillman, MI shooting a video of the eagle flying around.

A car pulled into the gas station and the people let their dog (Yorkshire Terrier)  out to relieve himself when the eagle swooped in and grabbed the dog. The people with the dog I guess did not see the eagle. So basically it was caught on film by pure luck or bad luck depending on how you want to look at it. The picture was taken from the video. I personally was not there.

 

Admittedly natural predation on domestic pets this is pretty unreal to actually get on film, when a smaller cat or dog mysteriously 'goes missing',  it may happen more than many realize. 

 

 

 ****disclaimer **** this came from the interwebz - so the whole thing has at least a decent chance of being total BS too.

A-Jay

 

[N Florida Mike]

I wish an eagle would come by and get the Chihuahua that lives in my house....

[lecisnith]

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

Read this one recently ~ A lady was at the gas station in Hillman, MI shooting a video of the eagle flying around.

A car pulled into the gas station and the people let their dog (Yorkshire Terrier)  out to relieve himself when the eagle swooped in and grabbed the dog. The people with the dog I guess did not see the eagle. So basically it was caught on film by pure luck or bad luck depending on how you want to look at it. The picture was taken from the video. I personally was not there.

 

Admittedly natural predation on domestic pets this is pretty unreal to actually get on film, when a smaller cat or dog mysteriously 'goes missing',  it may happen more than many realize. 

 

 ****disclaimer **** this came from the interwebz - so the whole thing has at least a decent chance of being total BS too.

A-Jay

 

"THE gas station in Hillman"...I've been there a few times...I was taking my dog out one night and took her out to the treeline which happened to coincide with where the floodlight ended.  I looked up and thought I saw a deer walking down the road, which was also just outside the range of the light, only after a quick second I decided that it was walking and not bounding away, so it couldn't be a deer, then I noticed the long tail and decided it was a dog/coyote.  It was the next day when I replayed it in my head and remembered that it didn't display any of the trademark trotting action of a dog, especially down a paved road.  It was more of a cool stroll.  That's when I decided, and am still convinced, it was a cougar.  Which would be rare considering they were said to be extinct in Michigan since the turn of the century.

[IndianaFinesse]

7 minutes ago, lecisnith said:

Which would be rare considering cougars were said to be extinct in Michigan since the turn of the century.

My uncle (who lives in the upper pinninsula of Michigan) caught a cougar on video, using a trail camera.  The cougar hangs around his house a lot, never seen it in person but my uncle and his neighbors see the tracks and two of his neighbors also caught it on trail cameras.  I've seen the tracks in person, several times.  So weather the government wants to admit it or not, there are definitely some cougars left in Michigan.

[jbsoonerfan]

When I was in HS I was going fishing in a big watershed that is pretty remote. My buddy was driving and we spotting something walking along the timber line. It was a mountain line with 2 cubs. When we told people about it, no one believed us. In fact, the ODWC has said there are NO mountain lions in Oklahoma for as long as I can remember. About 3 years ago one was hit in central Oklahoma and the ODWC changed it to "they aren't native to OK" LOL. I have spent MANY hours in the woods hunting and fishing and have never seen another one.

 

 

Side note: I live about 300 miles from the closest place to hunt pheasant in OK, TX, or KS. However, I had one running along my driveway 2 weeks ago. 

 

 

[frosty]

I saw a cougar once when I was a teenager, out in the country near where my mom and dad lived. I guess one had gotten out from a guys farm that had a few exotic animals. 

[Chowderhead]

About a decade ago, driving in a fairly remote area of Idaho came up on a timber wolf. 

[Senko lover]

I've seen nothing too special; couple of black bears, a moose, etc...one time my mom saw a wolverine on a late night car trip. I was sleeping when it crossed in front of the car and was always ticked that I didn't get to see it.

[Redlinerobert]

Back in 2000 I was out fishing one of the lakes in the valley close to Modesto, CA.  Spotted bass lake.  We were fishing close to shore and out of the corner of my eye I see two small cats.  Baby mountain lions!  Never saw momma but somewhere I have a picture of that encounter. 

[bigbill]

I had a very large bird take off from my back yard. It was about a seven foot wingspan maybe larger. It was white on the bottom. My neighbor seen it around that day too. Haven't seen it again.

i did see a hawk fly off with a squirrel screaming one day. I wish he took more squirrels.

[deaknh03]

15 minutes ago, bigbill said:

I had a very large bird take off from my back yard. It was about a seven foot wingspan maybe larger. It was white on the bottom. My neighbor seen it around that day too. Haven't seen it again.

i did see a hawk fly off with a squirrel screaming one day. I wish he took more squirrels.

speaking of rare sightings...good to see you back.

[12poundbass]

16 hours ago, lecisnith said:

"THE gas station in Hillman"...I've been there a few times...I was taking my dog out one night and took her out to the treeline which happened to coincide with where the floodlight ended.  I looked up and thought I saw a deer walking down the road, which was also just outside the range of the light, only after a quick second I decided that it was walking and not bounding away, so it couldn't be a deer, then I noticed the long tail and decided it was a dog/coyote.  It was the next day when I replayed it in my head and remembered that it didn't display any of the trademark trotting action of a dog, especially down a paved road.  It was more of a cool stroll.  That's when I decided, and am still convinced, it was a cougar.  Which would be rare considering they were said to be extinct in Michigan since the turn of the century.

The Michigan DNR have confirmed that there are cougar in the UP but say there are none in the Lower Peninsula. The guy who does all the work on my truck sent pictures of paw prints with a ruler next to them to the DNR and said he saw one (2 miles from my house) the only proof were the prints. The DNR said nope there not down here. My sons classmate, her dad is the DNR officer for Montcalm county and my mother in-law told him she thought she saw one walking down a nature trail (1 mile from my house) he said nope. The next day he said a biologist is coming to check for any evidence. She didn't know about what my mechanic saw until after she told me about what she saw. What are the chances? Two sightings in two years within a mile of each other, yet there are no cougar in the Lower Peninsula. 

[Bluebasser86]

My buddy saw a black bear this past weekend while we were fishing Table Rock. Not a rare sighting some places, but pretty uncommon to see one in SW Missouri. 

[gim]

November 2015 I saw a Bobcat from my deer stand and it got to about 20 yards.  Last November, I then saw a Fisher from my stand at about 30 yards.  The Fisher ran like a slinky.  I may not see either one again, especially that close in broad daylight.

[Bluebasser86]

From my trail camera behind our house a couple weeks ago. Not really rare, despite what most folks around here think.

[bassh8er]

6 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

From my trail camera behind our house a couple weeks ago. Not really rare, despite what most folks around here think.

 

A bobcat?

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, bassh8er said:

 

A bobcat?

Yep

[bassh8er]

I saw a hawk struggling with a flopping rabbit just outside my neighborhood last weekend and told my wife to check it out as we approached.

 

"Hawks eat meat?" was her very surprised response.  I just looked down and pretended like I didn't hear that.

[2tall79]

Fished my way into a bay on an Eastern Washington lake a few years ago and came upon 7-8 Turkey Vultures sitting on a rock.  Never seen them in this state in 60 years.  I had to call the Audubon Society to confirm that that's what they really were.

[frosty]

6 hours ago, bassh8er said:

I saw a hawk struggling with a flopping rabbit just outside my neighborhood last weekend and told my wife to check it out as we approached.

 

"Hawks eat meat?" was her very surprised response.  I just looked down and pretended like I didn't hear that.

You're a very wise man, sometimes I still speak before engaging my brain 

[N Florida Mike]

One time my son and me were hunting in Nassau county Fl.We were way out in the woods.Went back to the truck and were eating lunch when we noticed something coming out of the woods.A great big ol squirrel walking straight toward us.My son asked if he could shoot it.I told him go ahead.As he raised up to shoot it turned slightly and I could see it was a FOX squirrel so I wouldn't let him shoot it. It  had such a beautiful color ,black and creme color mostly.Used to see lots of them growing up but they are pretty rare now.I think they are a protected specie now in Fl.

 

That one we saw that day was the last one Ive seen , and that was in the 90s.

[slonezp]

http://www.fingerlakes.com/news/finger-lakes-freshwater-dolphin-returns

[Bassin' Brad]

I was fishing in lake Allen Henry  (west Texas) 2 years ago about this time and we were working along a bank. The bank was steep and rocky, and when I look up there is bobcat just staring at us maybe 30 to 40 yards away. He just turned and silently slinked off. Pretty neat. 

[frosty]

46 minutes ago, Bassin' Brad said:

I was fishing in lake Allen Henry  (west Texas) 2 years ago about this time and we were working along a bank. The bank was steep and rocky, and when I look up there is bobcat just staring at us maybe 30 to 40 yards away. He just turned and silently slinked off. Pretty neat. 

Neat, but unfortunately the bobcat was thinking "now how am I going to fit that in my mouth"