cowsharks Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Since our fossil collecting hobby takes us outdoors, we're all bound to see some pretty cool animals from time to time. Among my favorite are the Bald Eagles I see along the Potomac River in MD/VA. I was out collecting along the river recently and started to hear an odd type of "squawking" or "screeching" coming from some birds. It was a type of sound I had not heard before and looked around briefly but didn't see anything at first. Then the sound occurred again and I could tell this time it was come from right above me, about 80 feet up just above the trees. I looked up and saw two adult Bald Eagles chasing what looked like a large brown Hawk of some kind. I was only able to watch for about 5 seconds as the two Eagles were diving and swooping at the Hawk, the whole time screeching at it. It looked like an aerial combat mission of two F-15 fighter planes attacking a lone enemy. The Eagles won or successfully chased off the Hawk from what I could tell. This was really cool to see first hand, even though they were out of sight within 5 seconds or so. It's the kind of stuff you normally only see on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. I'm used to seeing my share of water snakes, deer, turkey, other birds and small critters. The Eagles are by far my favorite. They never come too close, not even close enough to get a good picture without a telephoto lens. So when you do see something like this, it's a real treat. Daryl S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 A few weeks ago, I posted a trip report that included FIVE short-eared owl sightings. I went to eastern Wyoming (same area) again today with someof our museum volunteers. We put a fence around our T rex. And thenpoked aorund a bit in the White River Fm, but the highlight for me was two more short-eared owls. Eastern Wyoming is crawling with the things this spring, and they have worked their way up to my tops on the list of favorite critter seen on fossil trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 I see Peregrine falcons on a section of coast I collect quite regularily.... The first year they hatched there were 3 together and I got within 50 feet or so of them several times just perched on the cliff edges bobbing their heads watching me intently... every time I started tapping a rock they would start up squawking or move a hundred yards or so up the beach... as they take to the air, everything else starts squawking raising the alarm...You dont get too close these days, I think they wise up as they get older... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear-dog Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Have seen Eagles,Falcons,etc,but my favorites are Ground Owls you can see near Busch Gardens.They get their name because they nest in the ground.You need super reflexes just to see one.Photographing one takes special gear. Bear-dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 I don't envy you collectors that hunt/collect in areas where there are truly dangerous animals such as gators and rattlesnakes. Those are two critters that I don't need to see up close. I don't know how you guys dive in blackwater with gators. I love Megs too, but sheesh, gators? And to read trips reports from folks in places like Texas where they've seen diamondback rattlesnakes while out collecting, I think I'd be wearing tall thick leather boots all the time. I know this will sound kinda corny, but last year I saw a hummingbird for the first time ever. I thought it was a big bug hovering near some flowers along the river bank, and then realized it was a hummingbird. Made me think about buying a feeder to attract them near my house. I know my wife and kids have never seen one. Man they can sure move fast. Makes you wonder if they ever land and just sit there perched like a regular bird. Daryl S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear-dog Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 I don't envy you collectors that hunt/collect in areas where there are truly dangerous animals such as gators and rattlesnakes. Those are two critters that I don't need to see up close. I don't know how you guys dive in blackwater with gators. I love Megs too, but sheesh, gators? And to read trips reports from folks in places like Texas where they've seen diamondback rattlesnakes while out collecting, I think I'd be wearing tall thick leather boots all the time. I know this will sound kinda corny, but last year I saw a hummingbird for the first time ever. I thought it was a big bug hovering near some flowers along the river bank, and then realized it was a hummingbird. Made me think about buying a feeder to attract them near my house. I know my wife and kids have never seen one. Man they can sure move fast. Makes you wonder if they ever land and just sit there perched like a regular bird. Daryl S. Gators havent been a problem for me yet.But a warning to our members,April is mating season for them and they get more agressive. Bear-dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 ...last year I saw a hummingbird for the first time ever.... Made me think about buying a feeder to attract them near my house. I know my wife and kids have never seen one. Man they can sure move fast. Makes you wonder if they ever land and just sit there perched like a regular bird. Daryl S. Get the 8oz. Aspects feeder that looks like a flying saucer (can't leak & super easy to clean). The nectar is 4 parts water, 1 part white table sugar (red food coloring is not needed; tie a length of red ribbon to the feeder instead). Change the nectar every 3 days (it spoils quickly). Our birds are just now arriving, and will be around 'til late September. Yes, they do perch. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diplotomodon Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 I don't envy you collectors that hunt/collect in areas where there are truly dangerous animals such as gators and rattlesnakes. Those are two critters that I don't need to see up close. I don't know how you guys dive in blackwater with gators. I love Megs too, but sheesh, gators? And to read trips reports from folks in places like Texas where they've seen diamondback rattlesnakes while out collecting, I think I'd be wearing tall thick leather boots all the time. As a matter of fact, up in Jersey we do get rattlesnakes. Haven't seen one as of yet, just the copperhead. In the woodpile. It wasn't very happy. While collecting in Big Brook, you do see a lot of critters about, considering there's a forest surrounding it. In the one day I was there I saw a few herons flying up above, little fish in the water, and some deer. The less welcome critters were the ticks, unfortunately. I don't have lyme disease yet, but give me time... What a wonderful menagerie! Who would believe that such as register lay buried in the strata? To open the leaves, to unroll the papyrus, has been an intensely interesting though difficult work, having all the excitement and marvelous development of a romance. And yet the volume is only partly read. Many a new page I fancy will yet be opened. -- Edward Hitchcock, 1858 Formerly known on the forum as Crimsonraptor @Diplotomodon on Twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) My fav are the two times Ive flipped over a rock and there was a bat - all by its lonesome (and very annoyed.) I think as the 'white nose fungus' takes its toll they try to find anywhere to rest. They are rapidly disappearing around here. For those who dont know; the white nose fungus keeps them from hibernating (apparently its very irritating to them.) Tennessee is closing down caves to keep people from spreading it. I havent seen a snake yet since collecting at the abandoned limestone quarry. But we do have copperheads and rattlesnakes here. Edited April 12, 2011 by JimB88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 This weekend I collected from a shell pit near Bradenton, Florida. A very noisy Green Parrot colony nested across from my motel on Anna Maria Island. "A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington "I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 My fav are the two times Ive flipped over a rock and there was a bat - all by its lonesome (and very annoyed.) I think as the 'white nose fungus' takes its toll they try to find anywhere to rest.... Ther are not all colonial; it was likely a solitary-roosting species. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleo-shark_hunter Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Birds and Squirrels are my favorite things to encounter so far, they are so curious. They come and watch what I am doing, one time a squirrel came within a few feet of me and watched what I was doing. I've had a few encouters with black widows and snakes when flipping over rocks, thats always a thrill. "Re-living History, one piece at a time..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 While sitting quietly along a narrow wooded stream in Ohio, a Great Blue Heron flew slowly past at eye level. The wing span was at least six feet and at only five feet over the water and but a few feet in front of me it was incredible. It really made clear why they are called "Great". It was also one of those "timeless" images when you realize the same scene could have played out 10 thousand or 100 thousand years before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 a couple of favorites were the dolphins at Cape May - I'd gone out early to look for shells, and instead found about 50 or 60 dolphins, who would come and playalmost every morning, in groups of 4 or 5 they would flip out of the water, rolling in the air, and chasing each other, you could really see they were having fun. Most favorite was a time near a hurricane when I saw a whole bunch of albatrosses flying inland, no doubt trying to find somewhere safe to go, only time I ever saw more than a solitary one.. "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 While sitting quietly along a narrow wooded stream in Ohio, a Great Blue Heron flew slowly past at eye level. The wing span was at least six feet and at only five feet over the water and but a few feet in front of me it was incredible. It really made clear why they are called "Great". It was also one of those "timeless" images when you realize the same scene could have played out 10 thousand or 100 thousand years before. Anyone care to guess how much this bird weighed? They average just 5 1/3 lbs! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Most favorite was a time near a hurricane when I saw a whole bunch of albatrosses flying inland... !!! Are you sure they weren't petrels or shearwaters? They are commonly storm-driven to land, sometimes far inland. In 40+ years of birding, I have only ever seen one over land (a Yellow-nosed Albatross, over southern NJ), and it made headlines. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diplotomodon Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 !!! Are you sure they weren't petrels or shearwaters? They are commonly storm-driven to land, sometimes far inland. In 40+ years of birding, I have only ever seen one over land (a Yellow-nosed Albatross, over southern NJ) , and it made headlines. Really? Man, I gotta get into birding What a wonderful menagerie! Who would believe that such as register lay buried in the strata? To open the leaves, to unroll the papyrus, has been an intensely interesting though difficult work, having all the excitement and marvelous development of a romance. And yet the volume is only partly read. Many a new page I fancy will yet be opened. -- Edward Hitchcock, 1858 Formerly known on the forum as Crimsonraptor @Diplotomodon on Twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) !!! Are you sure they weren't petrels or shearwaters? They are commonly storm-driven to land, sometimes far inland. In 40+ years of birding, I have only ever seen one over land (a Yellow-nosed Albatross, over southern NJ), and it made headlines. you could be right Aus, I only saw the wingspans and assumed albatross, I've only seen em alone too. long as Im here, let me add Cedar Beach, NY, out past Jones Beach, which has thousands of Terns and best of all to me Black Skimmers, which I;d go there to watch for hours. Edited April 12, 2011 by xonenine "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Sleeping giant, as seen during fieldwork along the central California coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) I wasn't exactly fossil hunting at the time, but a few weeks ago I was shocked to see a bunch of wild parrots up in Connecticut. I never expected to see parrots in an area with snow on the ground! After doing a little research I found that those Monk Parrots are all along the east coast. Ramo Edited April 12, 2011 by bowkill For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 My wife and I have seen a lot a different critters while fossil hunting, like snakes, turtles, all sorts of birds, otters... but it was the snake that fell out of a tree and landed right next to us along Limestone Creek in Hale county that is the most memorable. While it was harmless, it sure made both of our hearts beat fast for a short while. As for unexpected types, the two otters we saw win that category for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 !!! Are you sure they weren't petrels or shearwaters? They are commonly storm-driven to land, sometimes far inland. In 40+ years of birding, I have only ever seen one over land (a Yellow-nosed Albatross, over southern NJ), and it made headlines. Wow, 40+ years of birding! Say, in your avatar, are you holding some sort of bird in each hand? Between the pic being a little blurry, and me being color blind, if your are holding something, I can't see it, especially the object in your right-hand (it blends in with the background). So now I know why folks refer bird ID's to you. Have you ever communicated with Dr. Storrs Olson at the Smithsonian about fossil bird ID's? He's really knowledgeable. I have bird material from Muddy Creek and Calvert Cliffs that he has ID'd for me. Daryl S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 Sleeping giant, as seen during fieldwork along the central California coast. Wow. How close would he/she let you get to it before it would consider running off? The neatest marine animal I've ever seen was an Otter along Calvert Cliffs some years ago. I was fossil collecting one evening and it got dark before I left. As I came around the cliff my light fell upon an Otter just 30 feet ahead, sitting there eating a fish at the water's edge. It was so cool watching his little paws maneuver the fish as he ate it, all the while keeping an eye on me as I attempted to move closer and closer. It felt like I got pretty close and then in one motion he slid into the water without even making a ripple in the water. I watched and waited, but never saw him resurface. Up until that time, I had no idea Otters were even in the Chesapeake Bay. It was the first and last one I've ever seen. Daryl S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 ...in your avatar, are you holding some sort of bird in each hand?... My current avatar co-stars a brace of Red-tailed Hawks: Previously, I used a pic titled "Three 'Grins": These are from the Cape May (NJ) Raptor Banding Project (30 years at it and counting ) Have you ever communicated with Dr. Storrs Olson at the Smithsonian about fossil bird ID's? Dr. Olson is The Man; semi-retired now, though. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Wow. How close would he/she let you get to it before it would consider running off?... I'd rather take my chances with a big 'gator than mess around with an Elephant Seal "beachmaster" male! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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