unusual critters

tapscrew
tapscrew Posts: 56
edited February 2014 in Road general
So I was out this morning going pretty slow up a long steep hill and what did I see scurrying around on some grass by the side of the road???.....a mole!!!! Couldn't believe it! anyway it got me wondering if anyone else has seen any unusual critters while out riding?
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Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Pretty sure I saw some doggers once.
    I wanted to go back and check but my cycling buddy was not up for it :-(
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    An ostrich, or ostrich like creature. In South Lanarkshire of all places! It was running beside me, about a metre away.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,686
    Does this count?:

    DSC09970_24-10-2013.JPG

    ... though I'll admit it was in the south east of France, not Devon.
  • Garry H wrote:
    An ostrich, or ostrich like creature. In South Lanarkshire of all places! It was running beside me, about a metre away.
    Did it have Rod Hull on its back?
    Is the gorilla tired yet?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I was cycling the far end of the camel trail on my own pretty early one morning when a stag jumped across the trail about 20-30ft in front of me.

    The section of the trail has a hedgerow on both sides and the ground on both sides banked heavily upwards from left to right.
    Basically I had no idea it was there (and I guess it may not of known I was either) until it jumped over the hedge to my left, skipped across the trail and jumped the hedge to my right before bounding up the banked slope.

    I actually said 'awesome' out loud.
    I was surprised how big and powerful it was, yet so quite and graceful.
    It just seemed so close. It was like I was not meant to be there.

    I wondered if it did know I was cycling along as it would not necessarily have been able to see me when running up the banked ground to jump the hedge.

    I felt that if I had been cycling slightly faster that it would have jumped the hedge and landed on me :shock:

    If anyone does do the Camel trail I would recommend making the effort to do that section. Its far more beautiful than the other sections.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Garry H wrote:
    An ostrich, or ostrich like creature. In South Lanarkshire of all places! It was running beside me, about a metre away.
    Did it have Rod Hull on its back?

    Do you mean Bernie Clifton Chris? :wink:

    http://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/galle ... bernie.jpg
  • Carbonator wrote:
    Garry H wrote:
    An ostrich, or ostrich like creature. In South Lanarkshire of all places! It was running beside me, about a metre away.
    Did it have Rod Hull on its back?

    Do you mean Bernie Clifton Chris? :wink:

    http://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/galle ... bernie.jpg
    Ah yes, my bad.

    Emu would never have let himself be ridden..

    rod-hull.jpg
    Is the gorilla tired yet?
  • Buckie2k5
    Buckie2k5 Posts: 600
    Garry H wrote:
    An ostrich, or ostrich like creature. In South Lanarkshire of all places! It was running beside me, about a metre away.


    ive seen a few of them in south lanarkshire, they usually gather in nightclubs.
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    A field of Aplaca/Llama type critters near WSM.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • I`ve been bitten by a mole, amongst a few other things.
    Trek,,,, too cool for school ,, apparently
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    @carbonator... I like the moor end of the camel trail too. A few dry days are needed though ie not at the moment!
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    It was easter when I did it so similar time of year.

    Was a really good trip. I did all the other sections (to the other end and back) with my 11 year old daughter the day before.
    Would love to return and do the whole trail together one day. Maybe stay in the house next to the beer garden only pub.

    Am envious that you may be riding it shortly. Have fun ;-)

    Look out for that stag/deer. Ever seen one run across the road in front of you?
  • What appeared to be a family (3) of weasels crossing.
    Although they may have just been friends. Looked alike though.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Nothing really unusual, but I'm regularly sharing the road with roe deer. On my evening rides there's a spot near a wood where they are coming in from the open fields to the north and crossing the road to get into the wood. Usually encounter half a dozen at a time, but once a much bigger group was crossing both ahead of me and behind so I felt like I was in the herd. I've worked with various kinds of livestock, and I could tell from the scrabbling of the hooves on the road that they weren't exactly lightweight beasts, so I was keen not to tangle with one.

    Also in broad daylight had a lone deer leaping along the verge on my left going through a village. We eyed each other nervously for a few seconds, then it shot across the road in front of me, leapt a 5 foot hedge and disappeared through one of the stud farms on the other side.

    And badgers. There's 2 places on my evening loop where I often see them crossing the road. Monday night I had to brake to avoid hitting one. Big bugger too!

    And the occasional fox. And once I had some kind of owl in my headlight for a couple of seconds. And in the summer a lot of bats!
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    i cycled past a layby once and a guy was walking around his car, shirt, tie and pretty smart looking from what i could see, then as he came round from behind the car i could see he was wearing a mini skirt, tights and high heels!!

    was like the fashion equivalent of a mullet! business up top and party at the back!!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • hibster
    hibster Posts: 58
    Carbonator wrote:
    Garry H wrote:
    An ostrich, or ostrich like creature. In South Lanarkshire of all places! It was running beside me, about a metre away.
    Did it have Rod Hull on its back?

    Do you mean Bernie Clifton Chris? :wink:

    http://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/galle ... bernie.jpg
    Ah yes, my bad.

    Emu would never have let himself be ridden..

    rod-hull.jpg


    that and, you know, he's an emu, not an ostrich
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    hibster wrote:

    that and, you know, he's an emu, not an ostrich

    Common mistake.
    He is an ostrich, but his name is Emu.
  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    Carbonator wrote:
    Pretty sure I saw some doggers once.
    I wanted to go back and check but my cycling buddy was not up for it :-(
    Doing a lakes ride once went past thirlmere car park, and someone had painted onto road, 'dogging here tonight', my buddies weren't up for waiting around either :)
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....
  • hibster
    hibster Posts: 58
    nice try!

    did you know he appeared on telly with rod hull's son?
  • jaxf
    jaxf Posts: 109
    I got a nasty surprise once descending the Col de l'Iseran when a marmotte languidly ambled across the road just near a hairpin right in front of me. For added fright (they're pretty big, I would have known little about it if I had hit it) I had a motorbike right behind me. You can see it on my HRM - 100, oh f@*@ - 180 !
  • Good to know we see plenty of good stuff on our rides, I love the salamander, it definitely counts! The more variety the better, different countries, town, country wherever :) It all adds to the joy of the ride
  • 2 bloody big moose
  • redscouse
    redscouse Posts: 157
    two segments near devils dyke just outside Brighton on the downs...doggers delight and shaggers parade...on the climb up from saddlescombe in the evening post 9 pm can be very busy with cars and prearranged signals...other than that ...badgers foxes snakes deer llamas particular bastard dog near warninglid, and black sheep wondering across the roads near chailey this was in the dark and we just about avoided ploughing through them
    riding a canyon endurace
    spesh allez
  • rayjay
    rayjay Posts: 1,384
    edited January 2014
    I nearly got knocked off my bike by a panther
  • Garry H wrote:
    An ostrich, or ostrich like creature. In South Lanarkshire of all places! It was running beside me, about a metre away.

    Probably a Bustard
    2012 Cannondale Synapse
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    Mole, weasel, badger (running alongside me, not across), pine martin, barn owl, salamander, adder, grass snake, kingfisher.
    Best of all was a wild wolf, in Norway.

    Most wild animals are slow to realize that the thing on the bike is human so it is a great way to wildlife.

    The most dangerous encounter was a squirrel/wheel interface.
  • olake92
    olake92 Posts: 182
    While in Scotland I stopped by a field to look at a large bird, which turned out to be a golden eagle. It looked at me and took off in my direction (luckily not to eat me!), but did scare the life out of me.
    I'm on Twitter! Follow @olake92 for updates on my racing, my team's performance and some generic tweets.
  • herb71
    herb71 Posts: 253
    The most unusual for me was a giant tortoise. It even made the news!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/3059629.stm

    The article said the police could not find it, perhaps because the tortoise was actually on the A127.
  • Came across this on NCR 5 last November.
    wpid-20131122_083540.jpg
    Yup, it's a squiddy, octopussy thing.
    Go figure!
    Alan
    http://www.scarletfire.co.uk


    The Ultimate List of Strava Add On Sites!
    http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/strava-sites
  • chippyk
    chippyk Posts: 529
    You can get some big squid off the UK coast, I've caught them off Weymouth pier at night in late Autumn