Wildlife close encounters.

[DaveyTree]

Figured I would share and open it up to any cool wildlife encounters.

Anyone ever have any experience with Night Hawks? Paul and I hiked and scrambled to a top of a dome the other night during the Strawberry Full Moon. We were crossing some long slabs on our way back when we heard Night Hawks screeching. It was obvious they didn't like our presence in their area. Every once in a while one would be calling somewhere above us and suddenly go silent and within a second or two it would dive bomb right beside or between us making sound like a loud far off fast passing engine. First few times it made us jump pretty good.

Another experience with Night Hawks was years ago at City of Rocks Idaho. I was sleeping in my zero gravity chair and kept having dreams of going through a car wash in a convertible. I finally woke up to find a Night Hawk perched inches away from the top of my head on the top of my chair. It would watch for bugs and then take flight to hunt and return. Every time it took off it brushed my face with it's wings (car wash). I stayed awake for an hour enjoying the close encounter.

[John]

Not sure if I know what a Night Hawk sounds like. The one that kept coming back to perch next to you sounds pretty cool.

I have a sort of funny critter story. Sue and I were driving up Minarets one night and came across two Ringtail Cats in the middle of the road. They immediately started running up the road, away from us and we slowly drove behind them. As they were running away they were alongside each other but swerving all over and kept bumping into each other pretty regularly. Eventually one or both of them decided they had enough of the bumping and stopped in the middle of the road and started tearing each other apart!! I mean really vicious fighting with no more fear of the big stopped truck, headlights blaring, with two people scrambling and fighting in our own way to find the damn camera! It was many minutes later they broke it up and went their own ways.

[mungeclimber]

Love that story John. I have such a clear picture of little brothers going at each other trying to get the other one to stop. lol


For anyone else that needed to look up what a Night Hawk was...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_nighthawk

very cool DT!


I don't post my weirdest animal encounter online. Remind me over beers some time.


Though I did run into a one eye cow out in the forest. That was kinda strange.

[susan]

Cool DT! Certainly heard that peeping before. Wow if you listen a while to the link Munge provided, they make many different sounds. That engine sound is like the sound I couldn't explain that woke me more than a few times at the Lost World camping/parking area before. With the Yeti lore about the area, really great sound to hear middle of the night while all are sleeping. 

One creature I love to see time and again around Soyo & the ridge is bear. So far seen two this season. One crossing over the road in front of us we had to put the breaks on. Another we turned a bend and it was running down the middle of the road we were on. Great views!

Another time a big mama charged up fast behind me on a tromp through the woods halfway to Fallen Eagle. I heard the loud huffing sound they make when objecting and shocked by human presence. I turned to see her, a golden wheat color, but she had turned to look behind her and ran perpendicular from the path down the creek to cross a giant log. Then we saw the two bear cubs following her across the log and she looking back to make sure they followed.

The ringtails John mentions, they were so funny - like watching a cartoon and the three stooges...

[DaveyTree]

Ringtails are cool. I see them driving into Kings Canyon.

A blonde bear!? Never seen one in person. Saw a rust colored one once. It was gorgeous. Amazing how fast they can run in seconds. Glad they are scared of people in the wild.

I once hiked with a buddy to Sawtooth Peak out of Mineral King. To say the marmots are not scared of people there is an under statement. We camped at upper Monarch Lake and caught some fish. As I was cooking the Brookies over a camp fire we heard what we thought was thunder. Then the ground felt like it was vibrating. All of a sudden there was about 20 deer running through our camp all at once as if being chased. Most of them went by within 5 yards. Scared the crap out of us. After we thought it was cool until we started debating on what was chasing them and possibly still out there.

The next day we hiked to the top of the dome. I got back to camp first to find a marmot in my back pack. I could see it's backside so I made some noise and clapped my hands as I approached. (It is kinda funny how you try and talk to animals in these situations) It backed out, looked at me and went back in. More commotion and he withdrew again with my zip lock of blue Gatorade mix. I approached really close and he just sat looking at me as he began to figure out how to open the bag. I grabbed a stick and poked it in the side so it would drop it which it did. I then had to push the darn thing away as I grabbed my pack and the bag of Gatorade. He walked away slowly. Within a minute or two I was sitting on a rock and getting diner stuff out. I had open the zip lock and made a bottle. As I sat there the thing came back, grabbed the bag, ran about 2' and stuffed his head into the bag to start eating i. At this point I figured he may more dehydrated than me and let him eat it for a bit. Fun and memorable trip.

[DaveyTree]

I was once deer hunting near Long Meadow just SE of the long straight away before the Courtright turn. I was about 20 yards off a game trail sitting against a tree. It was about the last 30 min of light when I saw an owl swoop through the trees and land on a branch about 50 yards away. I don’t recall exactly what I put on the end of a string I found in my bag but I started shaking it ever so slightly and made a mouse noise through my lips. That Owl zeroed in on me instantly and then dove bombed right at me. I was sitting there thinking ‘This is so awesome’ then realized it is about to attack me. I waved my hands and yelled which cause it to swoop by me at 5’ without a sound. Heart was racing but what an experience.

[Gerard(Jerry)Jessurun]

That sounds like the Rated G "Cat" story, John!
Sounds kinkier when you tell it around the Campfire.

[mungeclimber]

good stuff.


My last go on Washington Column had an encounter with the infamous Ring Tail on Dinner Ledge. He's (she?) is not afraid of anyone.