wildlife spotlight
- Thread starter pichu
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- wild animals
Sphenisciologist
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Not quite the same though - the question as posed doesn't mean it has to be super rare. Also that thread includes captivity, this one doesn't.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Fair enough - I was just thinking it would be helpful since @pichu indicated they wanted to know of rare species people have seen. But yes, not totally the same.
I've seen a wild female moose, with twin calves, in the wild in Colorado.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
For the sake of contributing, though, the most special experience I’ve had with a wild animal would have be the Atlantic Puffin in Iceland five years ago. Although it was from afar, there was (and is) just something so charismatic and incredible about seeing an animal like puffins in the wild - it may have to do with the fact that puffins are labeled as one of the core “polar” species in my brain, and immediate association with the top of the Arctic Circle whenever I hear about them, but whatever it is, it really was special and valuable for me.
It may also have to do with the fact that I’m young and haven’t had the chance to see many wild species outside of the United States, but when in a position where practically the only wild animals you see are squirrels, deer and birds, I really came to cherish the sighting even more as I knew that seeing exotic species in nature is not something that would happen for a while again. Zoos and aquariums are great, but something about seeing the animals in the wild, doing only what they know to do, is just indescribable. Seeing the birds flocked up on the top of the black beaches, constantly swooping down and taking turns on feeding was truly a sight to see. Anyway, my apologies to the thread creator, I didn’t want to seem like I was shutting you down or anything.
It may also have to do with the fact that I’m young and haven’t had the chance to see many wild species outside of the United States, but when in a position where practically the only wild animals you see are squirrels, deer and birds, I really came to cherish the sighting even more as I knew that seeing exotic species in nature is not something that would happen for a while again. Zoos and aquariums are great, but something about seeing the animals in the wild, doing only what they know to do, is just indescribable. Seeing the birds flocked up on the top of the black beaches, constantly swooping down and taking turns on feeding was truly a sight to see. Anyway, my apologies to the thread creator, I didn’t want to seem like I was shutting you down or anything.
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pichu
Well-Known Member
holup you saw a pangolin, in the wild?
Black Eastern Gray Squirrels and White-tailed Deer I see literally every day.
I've been very lucky with wildlife spotting and have seen lots of incredible species, but this remains my favorite wildlife experience ever:
Definitely agree of puffins being a cool species to see - I was surprised at how small they were first time I saw Atlantic Puffins, I always thought of them as equivalent to their pacific relatives.
Top spots for me probably go to Fin Whale, White-beaked Dolphin, Pronghorn, Moose, Great Gray Owl, Burrowing Owl, Pileated Woodpecker, California Mountain Kingsnake, and California Two-spot Octopus.
pichu
Well-Known Member
thats awesome that you saw prairie chickens. the black squirrels i see every day, i rarely see deer anymore though where i live. i mainly listed a handful of species ive seenBlack Eastern Gray Squirrels and White-tailed Deer I see literally every day.
I've been very lucky with wildlife spotting and have seen lots of incredible species, but this remains my favorite wildlife experience ever:
Since why not.
White-beaked Dolphins off Cape Spear, Newfoundland
Bull Moose near Georgetown Lake, Montana
Great Gray Owl in the Central Valley, California
Burrowing Owl in the Central Valley, California
Pileated Woodpecker in McArthur Burney Falls State Park
California Mountain Kingsnake in McArthur Burney Falls State Park
California Two-spot Octopus at La Jolla Tidepools
No photos of Fin Whale or Pronghorn sadly - but adding in this Peregrine from earlier this year that barged in and started chasing pigeons around at over me at rather close range!
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Singapore?
Have a trip planned soon which will if all things go well add more, but for now my favourite has to be Little Spotted Kiwi on Tiritiri Matangi (found 2 of them!), which also happens to be the 75th bird on my life-list which I think is pretty neat. Wetapunga, (found on the same night) also has to be one of my favourites, as well as NZ Fernbird, they look like 'lbjs', but I feel they have so much charm that they definitely make up for it.
Where?