Cil avatar
Beach Fanatic
3,131 views
In other critter news, I was driving 98 in Bay County at 4am (had to take the kid to the emergency room, long story, he's fine) and we saw a bobcat.
We also saw umpteen zillion deer, including one with a rack of antlers.
Hey! I reached 1,000 posts. :cool:

Replies

44
Mango avatar
SoWal Insider
#27
But what I was curious about happened yesterday:
I was pulling onto 98 and saw a humungous brown bird of prey flying along the beach.
I drove along with it (seems like I always see these birds at the craziest times) and tried to get a good look at it because he was very low.
He landed on a big pine tree as I drove past and I saw his talons--yikes.
It was not a vulture nor was it a mature bald eagle, but it was gigantic.
I suppose it was either an immature bald eagle or a golden eagle?

edited to add: I love kingfishers! They look so cool with their big ole beaks and their topknotted heads.

Cil: Do you not get any turkey vultures out there? They are huge and have talons and are considered raptors.
Cil avatar
Beach FanaticAuthor
#28
Cil: Do you not get any turkey vultures out there? They are huge and have talons and are considered raptors.

Yeah, I see them all the time, especially along the highway eating roadkill.
They certainly are large, no question about that.
Their flight patterns seem a bit different from the eagles, though, and this guy just did not seem quite like a vulture, however I did not get a good look at his head so I do not know for sure.
Mango avatar
SoWal Insider
#29
Yeah, I see them all the time, especially along the highway eating roadkill.
They certainly are large, no question about that.
Their flight patterns seem a bit different from the eagles, though, and this guy just did not seem quite like a vulture, however I did not get a good look at his head so I do not know for sure.

I always thought the turkey vultures ate dead animals, and then one day there was an injured turkey vulture on my property (wing) and 2 others hovered over it for hours, would land and proceed to peck at the other.
Eventually no vulture.
My mother always lived close to the city, and she thought we were making up stories about turkey vultures size and how they looked, (we always kid around with her) and then one day as I was driving her home, one swooped over our car. She was like "holy cockapoo, was that a terradactyl? " :eek: :funn:
BeachSteelers avatar
Beach Fanatic
#30
I seen every bird of prey but an eagle around here.
Beach Fanatic
#31
Saw a Coyote cross 395 just south of publix last week. A new beaver pond in the state Forest. A few years back a 700lb turtle. And a Panther bout 10 years ago. All within Walton County. Truely an amazing place.:clap_1:

What about the story in the Sun a few weekends ago about the couple that stopped to "shoo" a mama bear and her two cubs away from the side of 98 between Hwy 283 and 395??:shock: I live in this area and didn't realize there were bears around here? Anyone have more info on this??

Edited

Beach Fanatic
#32
Forgot to mention the wild boars, too. Someone said there are wild boars in the forest here, also. I did also see some sort of cat about a month ago that was running like it was going to cross 98 and turned when it got to the shoulder...scared the heck out of me and my boys - and I suppose the other drivers around me as we all almost stopped.

Edited

Cil avatar
Beach FanaticAuthor
#33
Forgot to mention the wild boars, too. Someone said there are wild boars in the forest here, also. .
Yes, we saw one of those our first month--but I had not known that they were here. It crossed the road in front of us, which gave us quite a start.
My husband kept seeing a river otter in the mornings, always in the same spot on 30A.
But then one day he saw a dead one in the same spot. :(
Camp Creek Kid avatar
Christini Zambini
#34
Whatever. If y'all say that a coyote is not as big as a German Shepherd, then maybe I saw . . . a WOLF! Perhaps the animal was not as large as I thought it was, but I'm almost positive it was a coyote.

A few years ago I saw RO crossing HWY 98 near the Spicy Noodle. I love otters!
Camp Creek Kid avatar
Christini Zambini
#35
There ARE eagles -- I've seen them around Lake Powell and Rosemary Beach.
Cil avatar
Beach FanaticAuthor
#36
Whatever. If y'all say that a coyote is not as big as a German Shepherd, then maybe I saw . . . a WOLF! !
This is what I am wondering, after seeing Barefootguy's video.
Or some sort of hybrid. But apparently Eastern coyotes can be bigger than the ones I saw in Colorado. Did he look like this? (I realize it's hard to tell the scale.)
Cil avatar
Beach FanaticAuthor
#37
Here's another. I've been prowling Photobucket for pictures of coyotes,it's startling how many people take photos of animals they've trapped or shot. Ick.
30A Skunkape avatar
Skunky
#38
I have seen a few coyotes prowling around Hwy 98 before, they are there.
Cil avatar
Beach FanaticAuthor
#39
I have seen a few coyotes prowling around Hwy 98 before, they are there.

Oh yeah, they're here. But Camp Creek Kid's critter was perhaps larger than the typical coyote.
Hop avatar
Beach Fanatic
#40
about 2 years ago i saw a pack hogs just north of 30A on 283. Before the Grayton Grand land clearing...there had to be ten of them...:D
seal avatar
Beach Lover
#41
[quote=barefootguy

We also have a hawk that hangs around and bathes in the pond. Not sure what kind, though. Maybe a sharp-shinned or coopers. I just call them bird hawks, since they zip through the trees and catch birds. They love it when people put out bird feeders.

:floor: Everyone in SoWal put out a bird feeder!!

We need more raptors.
Beach Runner avatar
beats on hood
#42
There was at fox at our front door in GA last night. We have many deer in our yard due to about 4000 acres of undeveloped land behind us.

The only critter we've had at the beach house worth mentioning (other than a few snakes) is a bird that just loves to "talk" to our dog, Pepper. It always perches in the same spot in an oak tree by the pool. I love having it greet us every morning when we're at the beach.

Question: I've bought bird seed mix and also sunflower seeds for my bird feeder at the beach, and the birds at the beach don't ever eat them. Any suggestions?
Ocean Lover avatar
bean
#43
There was at fox at our front door in GA last night. We have many deer in our yard due to about 4000 acres of undeveloped land behind us.

The only critter we've had at the beach house worth mentioning (other than a few snakes) is a bird that just loves to "talk" to our dog, Pepper. It always perches in the same spot in an oak tree by the pool. I love having it greet us every morning when we're at the beach.

Question: I've bought bird seed mix and also sunflower seeds for my bird feeder at the beach, and the birds at the beach don't ever eat them. Any suggestions?

I think the problem may be the feeder. You need this one. ;-)

Camp Creek Kid avatar
Christini Zambini
#44
This is what I am wondering, after seeing Barefootguy's video.
Or some sort of hybrid. But apparently Eastern coyotes can be bigger than the ones I saw in Colorado. Did he look like this? (I realize it's hard to tell the scale.)


Yes, that looks like what I saw, but it was dark so it looked gray. I'm positive that it was not a domestic dog. Thanks for the help! Have y'all decided about a job yet?
Lady D avatar
SoWal Insider
#45
Yeah, I see them all the time, especially along the highway eating roadkill.
They certainly are large, no question about that.
Their flight patterns seem a bit different from the eagles, though, and this guy just did not seem quite like a vulture, however I did not get a good look at his head so I do not know for sure.

We see buzzards, or what they refer to as turkey vultures quite often eating roadkill along the highway. One got too close to the highway and was hit by a car itself. When we first moved into our home we were turning off of James Rd. onto our road and two bobcats ran across in front of our car as we are in a heavily wooded neighborhood. We have everything around here, foxes, possums, raccoons, owls, haven't seen bobcats in many years, but they may be around here somewhere.

Edited

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