I love where I live

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I wish I'd known about the whale watching when I lived there. I did see a coyote running down 42nd Street as I walked to Grand Central one evening.

Whale watching started in NY in 2013.
I go several times a year.
Departing from Riis Landing, Breezy Point in Rockaway, NY

[familytoad]

My home away from home is Mt St Helens (yes the one who blew up
My camera is full of pictures from my weekend getaway.
I'll be there again in about 42 hours , but who's counting...
The mountain is less than an hour away, but I stare at it from my upstairs windows every day.

The attached was actually taken in mid February this year, a mild winter !

[irv]

Was just woken up a couple weeks ago to a very strong smell of skunk urine!!

It was just after mid-night and the smell was overwhelming!

I went outside and immediately heard what I thought was a raccoon climbing my fence and my neighbors shed.
It startled me so I reached back inside and turned on the outside light to see a huge owl (great horned I believe?) fly up to my neighbor's eave trough.

It was dark so I wasn't able to see the skunk innards until the morning, but there they were, just sitting there waiting to be picked up! (Yuck!!)

On my way back into the house with the gut bag in hand, out of the corner of my right eye, I see a skunk laying in my wife's flower bed! It looked like it dived bombed in there as no flowers were flattened? I retrieved a shovel as I wasn't entirely sure it was dead, but sure enough it was.
I then grabbed the tail and pulled it only to see the head completely missing??

The rest of the skunk was all there, only the head was missing so I guess Mr Owl got 2 that night, which would explain the overwhelming skunk smell.


I took these pics a couple years ago ( I live in the city but close to some woods) and I snowmobile in the country which is only about 15-20 minutes away.
First is a large, unidentified bird/hawk which landed in our neighbor's tree. Any idea what kind of bird this is?

This deer pic was taken just off a snowmobile trail I frequent that is owned by the man (Bill Lishman) based on the movie "Fly away home" (Great movie, especially for the kids) in Port Perry Ontario.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui9th4nhvoY

I love the country and being outdoors. Just wish I actually lived there instead of the city!.

[herbc]

Originally Posted by irv

I took these pics a couple years ago ( I live in the city but close to some woods) and I snowmobile in the country which is only about 15-20 minutes away.
First is a large, unidentified bird/hawk which landed in our neighbor's tree. Any idea what kind of bird this is?

It looks like a Red-Tailed Hawk.
I live in New York City, but I do have visitors who like to peek in my window.
Picture taken late Winter/early Spring, through my Living Room window.

[RichardSimon]

Nice pic Herb, those red tailed hawks are great.
I have had some close encounters with them in Central Park, always a great sight.

[bnorth]

We have Red Tailed Hawks here also. A few yeas ago I was out playing a round of golf by myself. I sat down on the bench at hole 6 to take a smoke break and watch the gophers play near the back of the tee box. Then all of a sudden they took off for their holes and a hawk grabbed one just as it went into a hole. I just sat and watched from about 10 yards as the hawk struggled for about 5 minutes before it got the gopher pulled out of the hole. I thought it was very cool to watch.

[irv]

Originally Posted by herbc

It looks like a Red-Tailed Hawk.
I live in New York City, but I do have visitors who like to peek in my window.
Picture taken late Winter/early Spring, through my Living Room window.

Thanks!

What I was thinking as well but being mostly white, I wasn't sure?

Great pic of the one outside your window!

Originally Posted by bnorth

We have Red Tailed Hawks here also. A few yeas ago I was out playing a round of golf by myself. I sat down on the bench at hole 6 to take a smoke break and watch the gophers play near the back of the tee box. Then all of a sudden they took off for their holes and a hawk grabbed one just as it went into a hole. I just sat and watched from about 10 yards as the hawk struggled for about 5 minutes before it got the gopher pulled out of the hole. I thought it was very cool to watch.

With that owl hanging around, I am now more than paranoid to let my cat out in the morning!

Great Horned Owls love skunks I read, but they will also take down raccoons and porcupines so my cat would be no trouble for it.
I am usually up and out around 5:30am but I won't let my cat outside until I have my coffee in hand. I make some coughing noise, shuffle the lawn chair around etc when I do go out in hopes, if he is still hanging around, he will buzz off!
They mostly hunt around midnight so that is reassuring, but I think if they are hungry enough, they will hunt until they are fed.

I haven't seen it since and I did see another skunk the other morning, so hopefully he has flown the coop?!?!