wildlife spotlight

ifesbob said:
Humpback whale
resplendent quetzal
Olingo
blacktip reef shark
sea turtle
american bison (in the wild)
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Don't forget that Baird's Tapir you showed me!
As for me, here's some of my personal highlights
  • A moose, seen on the side of the road on the way to Steamboat Springs in Colorado. I had just seen a moose at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo before this.
  • An American Marten(?) in Steamboat Springs. It was chasing a squirrel up a tree.
  • A sea otter, seen from the café window at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
  • An American Black Bear in Pennsylvania.
  • Humpback Whales in Baja California.
  • A Colorado River Toad in my backyard in Arizona. Not that exciting, but I will never forget the experience me and my mom had trying to remove it.
  • The only Muskrat I've ever seen was a wild one here in Wisconsin. It was walking down a paved road, but then it jumped into a storm drain. I think it was using the drain to get back to the lake.
  • American White Pelicans in Lake Monona. I was not expecting to see them out here.
  • A Fisher(?), which I saw waaaaay back in New Jersey when I was like, 7 or 8. I opened one of my animal dictionaries and determined that it was a friggin' FALANOUC. I was trying way too hard to sound smart...
There's probably more, but I'll add them later.
 
Corangurilla said:
Don't forget that Baird's Tapir you showed me!
As for me, here's some of my personal highlights
  • A moose, seen on the side of the road on the way to Steamboat Springs in Colorado. I had just seen a moose at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo before this.
  • An American Marten(?) in Steamboat Springs. It was chasing a squirrel up a tree.
  • A sea otter, seen from the café window at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
  • An American Black Bear in Pennsylvania.
  • Humpback Whales in Baja California.
  • A Colorado River Toad in my backyard in Arizona. Not that exciting, but I will never forget the experience me and my mom had trying to remove it.
  • The only Muskrat I've ever seen was a wild one here in Wisconsin. It was walking down a paved road, but then it jumped into a storm drain. I think it was using the drain to get back to the lake.
  • American White Pelicans in Lake Monona. I was not expecting to see them out here.
  • A Fisher(?), which I saw waaaaay back in New Jersey when I was like, 7 or 8. I opened one of my animal dictionaries and determined that it was a friggin' FALANOUC. I was trying way too hard to sound smart...
There's probably more, but I'll add them later.
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There are no Fishers in NJ.
 
Corangurilla said:
Then what could it have been? It couldn’t have been a marten, I would’ve recognized it as an otter if it was an otter, and it was too big to be a mink or long tailed weasel.
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I just looked further into it and apparently there's been a small population near Stockes, NJ since the early 2010s, so I suppose it's possible if you were in that area and after that time. Otherwise, I'd suspect otter or mink.
 
birdsandbats said:
I just looked further into it and apparently there's been a small population near Stockes, NJ since the early 2010s, so I suppose it's possible if you were in that area and after that time. Otherwise, I'd suspect otter or mink.
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I moved from New Jersey to Arizona in 2008. I saw that Fisher on the last day before my family moved. Plus, the first Fisher sighted in Jersey in over 100 years was photographed in 2006.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...of-a-wild-Fisher-in-New-Jersey_fig1_259841201
I’m 99% certain that I saw a Fisher.https://www.researchgate.net/figure...of-a-wild-Fisher-in-New-Jersey_fig1_259841201
 
Corangurilla said:
I moved from New Jersey to Arizona in 2008. I saw that Fisher on the last day before my family moved. Plus, the first Fisher sighted in Jersey in over 100 years was photographed in 2006.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...of-a-wild-Fisher-in-New-Jersey_fig1_259841201
I’m 99% certain that I saw a Fisher.
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Yes, but that's a single individual Fisher. In 2008 there would not have been a population of Fishers in NJ. And, no offense, but if you initially IDed it as a Falanouc than I'm not sure you were in a position to positively ID this animal when you saw it. And identifying animals you saw as a child based on memory alone is generally unreliable. This animal truly being a Fisher is highly improbable.
 
birdsandbats said:
Yes, but that's a single individual Fisher. In 2008 there would not have been a population of Fishers in NJ. And, no offense, but if you initially IDed it as a Falanouc then I'm not sure you were in a position to positively ID this animal when you saw it. And identifying animals you saw as a child based on memory alone is generally unreliable. This animal truly being a Fisher is highly improbable.
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I lived right near the border between New York and New Jersey, if that helps. New York has a decent Fisher population.
Also, just because I misidentified it back then doesn’t mean I can’t use hindsight and the knowledge I have now to correct myself.
Sorry if I’m getting a little heated, I think I care about this too much.:oops:
 
A few of my wildlife highlights (I'll start with mammals, I'll do birds later):

-West Indian Manatee
-North American Porcupine
-American Beaver
-Southern Flying Squirrel
-Botta's Pocket Gopher
-Snowshoe Hare
-Hoary Bat
-Eastern Red Bat
-Little Brown Bat
-Wild Boar
-American Elk
-Javelina
-Pronghorn
-Bobcat
-Feral Horse
-Gray Fox
-American Black Bear
-White-nosed Coati
-Hooded Skunk
-American Ermine
-Least Weasel
-Fisher
 
Some highlights for me:

US: Bison, pronghorn, collared peccary, puma, black bear, gray fox, coyote, river otter, sea otter, elephant seal, porcupine, black-tailed prairie dog, beaver, manatee, Risso's dolphin, three species baleen whale, bald and golden eagle, California condor, snowy owl, roadrunner, sandhill crane, wood stork, spoonbill, trumpeter swan, American alligator, American crocodile, five species of rattlesnakes

Africa: lion, leopard, cheetah, wild cat, African civet, five species mongoose, spotted hyena, brown hyena, wild dog, bat-eared fox, two species jackal, African elephant, rock hyrax, white rhino, black rhino, plains zebra, African buffalo, giraffe, LOTS of antelope (gerenuk was the highlight), hippo, warthog, bushpig, Cape porcupine, aardvark, guereza colobus, three species baboon, blue monkey, vervet, northern greater galago, secretary bird, bateleur, lappet-faced vulture, marabou, saddle-billed stork, grey-crowned crane, Kori bustard, Nile crocodile, savannah monitor, black mamba, puff adder, leopard tortoise

I've also been to Ecuador and Belize, but those weren't wildlife-focused trips, so much more limited sightings: black howler, pygmy marmoset, agouti, Morelet's croc, keel-billed toucan, grey-winged trumpeter, and about half the green iguanas on earth being some of the few sightings
 
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Some interesting animals I saw in the wild.

- Piebald Sparrow and Blackbird
- European Beaver in Bavaria
- Harbor Seals
- European Adder
- Macaques, Blacktip Sharks and Monitors in Bali/Thailand
- Echidna, Grey Kangaroo (and some type of Wallaby), Koala, Sea Turtles and many reptiles/fish/birds in Australia
 
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A new highlight for me:

A few weeks ago I had a tiger walking along the track in front of my (reversing) Jeep for approximately 15 minutes in Bandipur National Park, India.

While this was the main highlight we have had an awesome time here in India visiting Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur National Park and the Western Ghats (a biodiversity hotspot). Listing the birds would be too hard, but these are the mammals we’ve seen this trip:

Tiger (3)
Leopard (3)
Sloth Bear (2)
Smooth Coated Otters
Elephants
Gaur
Spotted Deer
Sambar Deer
Barking Deer
Common Langurs
Nilgiri Langurs
Lion Tailed Macaques
Bonnet Macaques
Wild Boar
Indian Giant Squirrels
Three Striped Palm Squirrels
Jungle Striped Squirrels
Grey Mongoose
Ruddy Mongoose
Striped Neck Mongoose
Black Naped Hare

Mammals we missed but hoped to see (with a realistic chance):
Dhole
Mouse Deer
Indian Crested Porcupine
Nilgiri Tahr

All in all a really satisfying trip watching wildlife.
 
Grant Rhino said:
A new highlight for me:

A few weeks ago I had a tiger walking along the track in front of my (reversing) Jeep for approximately 15 minutes in Bandipur National Park, India.

While this was the main highlight we have had an awesome time here in India visiting Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur National Park and the Western Ghats (a biodiversity hotspot). Listing the birds would be too hard, but these are the mammals we’ve seen this trip:

Tiger (3)
Leopard (3)
Sloth Bear (2)
Smooth Coated Otters
Elephants
Gaur
Spotted Deer
Sambar Deer
Barking Deer
Common Langurs
Nilgiri Langurs
Lion Tailed Macaques
Bonnet Macaques
Wild Boar
Indian Giant Squirrels
Three Striped Palm Squirrels
Jungle Striped Squirrels
Grey Mongoose
Ruddy Mongoose
Striped Neck Mongoose
Black Naped Hare

Mammals we missed but hoped to see (with a realistic chance):
Dhole
Mouse Deer
Indian Crested Porcupine
Nilgiri Tahr

All in all a really satisfying trip watching wildlife.
Click to expand...

That sounds awesome. May I ask how many days it took to see all the animals?
 
Grant Rhino said:
A new highlight for me:

A few weeks ago I had a tiger walking along the track in front of my (reversing) Jeep for approximately 15 minutes in Bandipur National Park, India.

While this was the main highlight we have had an awesome time here in India visiting Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur National Park and the Western Ghats (a biodiversity hotspot). Listing the birds would be too hard, but these are the mammals we’ve seen this trip:

Tiger (3)
Leopard (3)
Sloth Bear (2)
Smooth Coated Otters
Elephants
Gaur
Spotted Deer
Sambar Deer
Barking Deer
Common Langurs
Nilgiri Langurs
Lion Tailed Macaques
Bonnet Macaques
Wild Boar
Indian Giant Squirrels
Three Striped Palm Squirrels
Jungle Striped Squirrels
Grey Mongoose
Ruddy Mongoose
Striped Neck Mongoose
Black Naped Hare

Mammals we missed but hoped to see (with a realistic chance):
Dhole
Mouse Deer
Indian Crested Porcupine
Nilgiri Tahr

All in all a really satisfying trip watching wildlife.
Click to expand...
What an amazing experience. I would love to see Indian wildlife. Did you see any peafowl or wolves?
 
RonBurrgundy said:
That sounds awesome. May I ask how many days it took to see all the animals?
Click to expand...

We did 6 safaris (3 early morning and 3 late afternoon) in both Nagarhole and Bandipur (12 in total). We saw the first leopard on the first afternoon in Nagarhole, and the first tiger the next morning. The final morning in Nagarhole we saw the second tiger and later that day on the first afternoon in Bandipur we saw the third tiger (the really good sighting). So we had 2 tigers in 2 different national parks on the same day. We saw the 2 bears on the final morning in Bandipur.

After that we spent 3 days in Valparai (a tea plantation area in the Western Ghats) where we saw lots of lion tailed macaques etc. We did a night drive one night and saw 2 leopards. We then went to Periyer National Park where we saw lots of Nilgiri langurs.

In the safaris in Nagarhole and Bandipur we saw spotted deer and common langurs in large numbers every single safari, and lots of elephants, gaur, bonnet macaques and squirrels in almost all safaris.

So all in all it was about 10 days of wildlife watching.
 
elefante said:
What an amazing experience. I would love to see Indian wildlife. Did you see any peafowl or wolves?
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There's several established populations of wild peafowl in North America, you don't need to go all the way to India to see them. You can see them in Florida, Texas, California, Hawaii, and British Columbia.
 
Grant Rhino said:
A new highlight for me:

A few weeks ago I had a tiger walking along the track in front of my (reversing) Jeep for approximately 15 minutes in Bandipur National Park, India.

While this was the main highlight we have had an awesome time here in India visiting Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur National Park and the Western Ghats (a biodiversity hotspot). Listing the birds would be too hard, but these are the mammals we’ve seen this trip:

Tiger (3)
Leopard (3)
Sloth Bear (2)
Smooth Coated Otters
Elephants
Gaur
Spotted Deer
Sambar Deer
Barking Deer
Common Langurs
Nilgiri Langurs
Lion Tailed Macaques
Bonnet Macaques
Wild Boar
Indian Giant Squirrels
Three Striped Palm Squirrels
Jungle Striped Squirrels
Grey Mongoose
Ruddy Mongoose
Striped Neck Mongoose
Black Naped Hare

Mammals we missed but hoped to see (with a realistic chance):
Dhole
Mouse Deer
Indian Crested Porcupine
Nilgiri Tahr

All in all a really satisfying trip watching wildlife.
Click to expand...
Very nice! Where did you see the ruddy mongoose? Also, we’re the sloth bears 2 adults, and if so we’re they together?
I know you were focusing on mammals, but did you see any interesting birds? Nagarhole and Bandipur are quite good especially for birds of prey diversity, and (apparently) teak forest birds like nuthatch and Picus woodpeckers.
 
Junklekitteb said:
Very nice! Where did you see the ruddy mongoose? Also, we’re the sloth bears 2 adults, and if so we’re they together?
I know you were focusing on mammals, but did you see any interesting birds? Nagarhole and Bandipur are quite good especially for birds of prey diversity, and (apparently) teak forest birds like nuthatch and Picus woodpeckers.
Click to expand...

We saw 3 ruddy mongoose at Nagarhole and 1 at Bandipur.

Here is a list of some of the birds we saw:

Peafowl
Pied Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher
Indian Roller
Black Rumped Flameback Woodpecker
Greater Flameback Woodpecker
Grey Hornbill
Red Vented Bulbul
Red Whiskered Bulbul
Black Drongo
Greater Racket Tailed Drongo
Rufous Woodpecker
Green Bee Eater
Plum Headed Parakeet
Malabar Parakeet
Hill Myna
Indian Myna
Greater Coucol
Common Hawk Cuckoo
Hoopoe
Asian Koel
White Cheeked Barnett
Purple Sunbird
Indian Spot-billed Duck
Lesser Whistling Duck
Little Egret
Greater Egret
Indian Pond Heron
Painted Stork
Red-wattled Lapwing
Jungle Owlet
Black Winged Kite
Jungle fowl
Indian Robin
Honey Buzzard
White Throated Kingfisher
River Tern
Long Tailed Shrike
Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Hawk Eagle
Grey Francolin
Large-billed Crow
Jungle Babbler
Oriental Magpie Robin
Great Cormorant
Little Cormorant
Indian Cormorant
House Sparrow
Spotted Dove
Indian Golden Oriole
Barn Swallow
Osprey
Brahminy Kite
Rufous Babbler
Orange Minivet
Velvet Fronted Nuthatch
Cattle Egret
Indian Paradise Flycatcher
Common Shelduck
Ruddy Shelduck
Coppersmith Barbet
Red Headed Vulture
Spotted Owlet
Rock Pigeon
European Bee Eater
House Crow
Common Starling

There will be more than that - but I couldn’t remember (or identify) them
 
Junklekitteb said:
Very nice! Where did you see the ruddy mongoose? Also, we’re the sloth bears 2 adults, and if so we’re they together?
I know you were focusing on mammals, but did you see any interesting birds? Nagarhole and Bandipur are quite good especially for birds of prey diversity, and (apparently) teak forest birds like nuthatch and Picus woodpeckers.
Click to expand...

Oh and the sloth bears were a mother and cub
 
Going through our photos and found a few more:

Purple Rumped Sunbird
Black Hooded Oriole
Grey Junglefowl
Black Winged Kite
Crested Treeswift
 
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