Wildlife encounters

Yep our Tarantula Hawk Wasp and Velvet Ant rate as the #2 and #3, respectfully, most painful insect sting in the animal kingdom.

Our tarantula's bite is rated to be about as painful as a bee sting.

 

Yeesh, that's freaky. Let's just hope they're jumping in the opposite direction.

 

Someone on this forum got bitten by a Tarantula Hawk Wasp ... I can't remember who it was, but if I remember right, it was on STT on the way to the Luge. Terrifying. I see them all the time.

 

I know another guy who stepped on one and was stung.

 

As mentioned in the other thread... I've seen a lot of bobcats over the years, but never a juvenile. As we were on the fire road between the top of Boy Scout and Logjammer, we rounded a gentle right hand turn. The road had recently been graded, so there was a small ridge of soft dirt on the edge of the road. All of a sudden, I saw motion to my immediate right. Not 2 feet from my pedal. It was a youngin... Not all that much bigger than a good sized house cat. Stubby little black tipped tail, and just an incredible sight.

He was gone in a couple seconds.

 

Maybe a decade ago I was riding Sleepy Hollow in Whiting ranch and came across a cub (or, is it called a kitten). It was definitely very young, still didn't have much spotting. We stared at each other for a few minutes until I tried to get closer for a picture and it took off—no sign of a mom anywhere.

 

That was probably me. Pretty sure that's what went up my shorts as I was descending at a good clip. Stinger was like a small roofing nail, and damn, yeah talk about gnarly...for days.....my recommendation is don't get stung by one.

 

Wow that's a good sighting... Might have been the same one I saw a decade or so ago........Wasn't sure if it was a very young cougar cub or a mid growth bobcat. Looked more like a cougar. Pretty cool only a few feet apart from it.

 

T Hawks are both terrifying and fascinating.

 

Had a stranger at our front door last night.

 

He was on Rat Patrol. How cool is that?!

We have a pair of owls here who periodically work my neighborhood for a week or so at a time and it's clear that they lower the pest numbers because I see little to no signs of them after the owls have been here. I once saw the pair land on top of some tall Junipers next door. Suddenly, one them dive bombed into a big oak tree and the other flew stealthy toward my building. Such cool animals!

 

Check this out! I know most of you recognize the trail! Mom must have been very close watching https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnBABvDhxFC/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

Youngsters?

 

For sure. You can still see some of the spots on them.

 

That’s what I was thinking. Spots and behavior

 

That is soooooooooo awesome.

 

Wonder where mamma was?????

 

So cool that you can hear them purr and meow.

 

So very cool, and maybe a little nerve racking encounter.

 

That qualifies under "experience of a lifetime". The cool thing is that the cub was locked on the waving flag. The uncool thing is that it's mom was locked onto the rider and she was likely just out of sight.

 

That's awesome... They look like the same two kittens that Jerry (on Facebook) has been seeing in the same general area.

 

It has to be the same cats considering the massive territories these animals have. Nice to see that they are procreating successfully, too.

 

I see them now and then. If you get real close to see the adults have spots as well. The coolest viewing was at the Field Lab: an adult was walking on top of a tall wall. She, He? was leading a group of about 6 kits walking the wall as well. About a half mile from my scary Mtn Lion encounter. If you want to see um look under the chaparral near the trail head. They do not normally move so you need to look for that smiling face looking at you. They are not small but dressed in camo

 

This morning (working, not riding), a hawk flew low right past me and almost hit my leg! Something isnt right with it. I was able to get within 10 feet if it before it hopped to another branch.

 

Looks like a Coopers Hawk perhaps... The often fly low...it may have been on the hunt.

 

That's what I thought at first as well but it's actually a Short-shinned hawk. It does look similar to the Coopers until you put them side by side, then the differences are apparent.

 

I can vouch for the pain a Tarantula Hawk Wasp can inflict. Back in the early 1990’s I stepped on one while barefoot. Sent me to my knees and to the fetal position. My girlfriend helped me up the 100’ walk up the cliff to the truck [jet skiing at El Capitan Res] and then drove me to the hospital. They gave me a shot of something and it subsided. I’ve been stung by many species of bees, hornets and wasps and none had the electrified jolt pain these things pack.

 

Sharp-chinned Hawk

 

Chinned, or skinned?

 

Shinned.