Yes. You read that correctly. I peed a little. Here is why... I was in the northwest hills of Connecticut (Litchfield County, about 2m up the App Trail in Kent... to be exact) doing to winter birding and hiking. I live on the CT shore, and there are some birds up there that are close to impossible to find down here. The one I was looking for in particular, a Ruffed Grouse. So, I'm hiking along, I'm hiking along and I hear the tell-tale 'rattle' of an amazing little bird called a Belted Kingfisher speeding up the Housatonic River, which this section of the trail follows. The Kingfisher perched low on a fallen tree that laid over the river, then began it's incredible feeding process. It sits and watches the water for little fish, then flies up, hovers, then dives face first into the water and snags the fish with its over-sized bill. While I am watching this, I see a perfect smoking spot.... a large Pin Oak's roots had grown over a semi-large boulder, creating a seat with back support. So I pack some Kush and spark it up. Behind me is the trail, then acres and acres and acres of forested nothing. Suddenly, I hear footsteps. Clearly, I hid my pipe and stood up to inspect. Then I heard it.... the footsteps that, if anyone who has heard them, no one can forget. Heavy, sliding, 4 legged steps. And it was close. I immediately knew it was a bear. But the funny thing about bears, they are WAY more stealth than one may think. And they step lighter than a heavy mammal should (and you can still hear those footsteps!!). I knew it was pretty close, but I couldn't see it yet. The footsteps were coming closer, and I froze. Then, I see it. The biggest black bear I have ever seen! No more than 20 yards from me. Black bears are actually rather 'tame', and are omnivores. This huge male was just foraging for remaining berries or bugs or whatever. It took a few seconds (felt like a year) for it to notice me frozen and clinging to a large tree like 50' in front of it. Then, something I've only seen in Grizzlies in Alaska happened... it pulled up on its back legs and stared right at me!! Now this is when I peed a bit. I had to pee to begin with, but the adrenaline and fright just let a little out on it's own!! As soon as he stood up, he slammed back down and went along on his day. He didn't care that I was there at all. Bears stand up like that for 2 main reasons.... to show dominance, and to smell. Luckily, this guy was just smelling me. I have seen 6 grizzlies staking out salmon catching territory in Chugach State park in AK (I was aobut 2 hrs north of Anchorage), I have seen even bigger Kodiak bears fighting on Kodiak Island in Alaska, I've seen about a dozen Black Bears in CT/VT/MA/ME, and a single Brown bear in both British Columbia and the Yukon. This, for whatever reason, was my most frightening encounter. However, it still doesn't beat my most scarey wildlife experience.... I was backpacking for a few days in Denali NP in Alaska in Sept. 08. There is this trail that starts at a low elevation and runs into a valley, then up higher in the Taiga. The bushes and thickets were taller than I was, so it was like walking down an un-covered tunnel... into the wild. Once you get to the bottom of the valley, the trails 'zig-zags' back up the mountain. I was on my way back up when I heard some seriously loud scraping and clashing maybe 100 yard below me. The thickets were so tall that I couldn't see.... but, just like last week, the sounds and footsteps got closer. Then, like it just appeared out of the Alaskan fog, a full grown bull moose!! I was shook! He actually started to approach me, before realizing that the food next to him was more appealing. There is no substitute for a true wilderness experience. Even though the bear last week was within an hour of several highly populated cities (Hartford, Waterbury, Danbury, Westchester County), I truely felt as if the woods continued forever... as they should... and as they once did.
I get scared when my housemates parents come around and I am high. Seeing that would kill me there and then. That's awesome
I really enjoyed this story. Thank you for sharing. If that had happened to me, I'm sure I would have peed myself too. It's really nice to hear from the people out there who really appreciate nature. It's unfortunately becoming fewer and fewer people, it seems.
Tell me about it. I wish there were more people who did care, too. Now a days it seems any open space parcels or town-owned refuges are made into mini-malls and condos. There is a parcel of land in my hometown that is one of the, if not the best spot for breeding shorebirds and migrating birds in Connecticut. It has been classified as an IBA, an Important Bird Area. There are a few levels of IBA.. local, regional, continental, and global. Right now it is regional, and surveys have been going on (which I am glad to have been a part of a few) that can very easliy put it to continental. Which means, that habitat is a huge part of birds migrating through continents. There was once summer cottages there, and have since been abandoned.... at least 10 years ago. There have been 8 (8!!!) referendums on what to do with it. The DEP and Fish and Wildlife offered (don't quote me) like $2+ MILLION for it, to keep it a wildlife refuge. But, the stupid town wants more money... and they want the cottage owners (many of which probabl are dead or don't live in CT) to pay for demo work!! There is sooooo much politics involved that the well being of nature gets overlooked. Often. Which is why I am an advocate for nature, and am pursuing a career in birds. I have been banding birds for almost 2 years (volunteering), and my dream is to band Neo-tropical migrants (birds that winter anywhere from Tierra Del Fuego to mid-Mexico and summer/breed in North America). Particularly warblers (if you don't know what warblers are, check them out. About 60+ species can be seen in North America... most are no bigger than 5.5" from bill to tail, but they are easily the most beautiful and colorful birds in North America). My dream is to band these warblers in New England, then shoot down to Central America/South America and re-trap them to gauge the time it takes to migrate many thousands of miles, where they stop, how often they stop, etc. Once years of data accumulate, is when true knowledge begins to flow in. This spring I re-captured a Chestnut-Sided warbler that I personally banded the year before in the same spot, about a week earlier. That, to me, is vindication... and awesome. Bottom line..... birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, whatever... they can not speak for themselves and they need humans to speak for them. The huge problem is that humans are the biggest threat to earth, and 99.99999% of them can care less. Do a Google search on a bird called the Indigo Bunting. A gorgeous little bird that breeds in North America and migrates down to Mexico and whatnot. The blue color of the males is actually black, but the sunlight refracts through the feathers in a way that only blue comes through (same thing with many birds that are 'blue'). I love Indigo Buntings. They breed in the powerline cut in the woods behind my house. I get them at the same week of Spring EVERY YEAR!! In Mexico, they are a common cage bird and are often eaten. Humans are the worst. Below I attached a few photos of the birds I spoke about (minus the damned Ruffed Grouse!!). These are all my own photos... (I still recommend doing a Google on these bird species to find some actually good photos) 1- Male Indigo Bunting; Forest Dale, Vermont 2- Belted Kingfisher; Seward, Alaska 3- Steller Jay; Anchorage, Alaska (to show the blue that isn't blue)
Those are beautiful photos and beautiful birds. Heh. I'm liking you more and more. I too have quite a thing for birds and would love to hear more from you on how to get involved in some of the things you seem to do. I have so many bird feeders in my yard, all different kinds of seed to try and attract as wide a variety of species as possible. I live in New England as well, and have seen so much beautiful wildlife here, but it really is disappearing so quickly. Even just on my normal hikes, I don't see half of the things I used to. I have a cute little lovebird as my companion, and I really can't wait to get another bird. They are so smart and amazing little creatures. Again, thank you for sharing and good luck with your endeavours trying to preserve such an important part of our world.
Wow. Great post, Great pictures, this makes me wanna go get some dank and go on a nature walk. Thanks for inspiring me to get out of the house today
zoranj: I began getting really into birds by volunteering at my local CT Audubon center. The thing that realy got me obsessed with birds is a life list. Most people have no idea how many birds there are out there.... even in their backyards. Last year, from January 1st 2009 to December 31st 2009 I recorded 224 diferent species of birds.... in one town. My life list is stuck on 304. I would suggest (not so much now, but in the spring) joining a bird walk. There are tons of knowledgable birders who lead walks everywhere. Then, I would get a field guide. There are ooodles of guides out there, but the best ones are ones with drawings, and not photos. Guides with photos only show one pose and one plumage on one individual bird. And 9 times out of 10, when you see that bird, the photo looks nothing like it. Guides with illustrations are much better because they have several drawings of each species.... juveniles, males and females, breeding and non-breeding plumage, ages and cycles (for instance, Bald eagles don't look like classic Bald eagles until they are 4 years old). The ones I use the most are The Sibley Guide To Birds (there is a North American edition, and Western and Eastern species), Nat Geo's Guide to Birds of North America, and the Peterson Guide to Eastern Birds (also Western available). You've already got one big step taken care of.... feeding birds in you yard. This gives you a chance to study the more common birds (often called 'backyard birds') like Chickadees, Titmice, Goldfinch, Robins, Blue Jays, Grosbeaks, various Sparrows, etc... Then, you need a 'spark' bird. For me, it was seeing my first Ruby-throated Hummingbird. A spark-bird is a bird that just amazes a person so much that they are instantly drawn to finding and identifying as many species as possible. And, lucky for you, New England (specifically Maine) is right in a MAJOR migration route known as the Atlantic Fly-way. The majority of warblers that appear in North America are seen in the eastern US. And of course, there is always the possibility of rarities showing up. Once you start enjoying birds, you will notice them MUCH more often. On powerlines when driving, hawks soaring overhead, flocks moving past on a nice spring walk, etc... Also, a priceless resource are birding listservs. Go to birdingontheweb.com to find your states e-mail Listserv. The listservs are so useful because birders from all over the state (and sometimes others) post their sightings. This way, you can begin to network, and find out where the rarer birds are. And there are many species that aren't reported due to their threat levels, or the possibility of disrupting breeding (nocturnal owls fit in to this category). Nice to see another birder here!
Oh.... zoranj.... I forgot to add that I have pet birds too =) I have a pair of Nutmeg Manikins (often called, incorrectly I may add, Spice Finches), and a pair of Society Finches. I used to have 3 Chinese Buttonquails and a Salmon Canary. The little finches are great... any parakeet or parrot are LOUD, sometimes mean, and more expensive to care for. The finches, at least in my opinion, are closest to the wild birds we see outside. They act the same way, forage the same way, and they even have songs that sound remarkably like the finches we see here in New England like Goldfinches, House Finches, Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls.
Oooh very nice. I thought about getting a pair of Society Finches, but I decided on a parrot. They are only mean if you don't care for them correctly and attend to their needs. The same goes for loudness. Certain species of parrots are louder than others, and that's somethign to take into consideration before getting one. Yes, they are a lot of work to care for, and that's why I call her a companion and not a pet. I know it's possible to somewhat time finches and canaries, but they are really finicky. I love having a bird that loves me as much as I love her, and all the cuddling we do. This is Requiem: and my former bird. i bonded with him from shortly after birth until he was big and old enough to come home with me. We were SO close, but he got sick and hid it from me and died before I could get him to the vet.
Only encounters I've ever had like that were seeing two 6 foot rattlesnakes sunning themselves on a large rock slithered off into the woods when I got within 20 feet of them. I didn't even see them, they were sunning their undersides which were the same white color as the rock they were on. Seen a coyote too, but they're more afraid of me than I am of them. We have cougars where I live, not really bears except up north. At Big Bend park here in Texas I saw a bear 50 feet away, but it was separated from us (tourists, hikers, etc) from a massive 100-150 foot drop. We were all standing on one cliff overlooking a river, taking pictures and resting, then all of a sudden this bear lumbers out of the woods to stand up and stare at us for a while, then go back into the woods. Whole encounter probably lasted about 10 seconds.
I'm afraid I woulda done more than just peed myself But, what an amazing experience! And, I definitely agree with you on the parrots being loud. I have a Double Yellow Headed Amazon...he's 31 yrs old. From the time you uncover his cage in the morning until the time you cover it back up at night, he never shuts up. His favorite phrase is "Smell butt, punk" I've only had him about 6 or 7 years and he was saying that when I got him, so I'm not really sure who taught him that. I've taught him a lot more hoping he would forget that phrase, but he don't...lol...he says "I love you" and gives kisses... "Grandma, phone" when the phone rings...we have to keep the doors locked cause when someone knocks he hollers "Come in"...lol...his name is Taco, so he will say "Taco's a good boy" and "Taco wants to go outside"...I think he talks more than we do...lol...and he loves music...he dances and tries to sing along He gets on my nerves sometimes, but I love him The only time he's mean is when he's next to Precious (the cat). For some reason, he feels he needs to protect her. If you try to touch her when he's by her, he will tear you up. He bit me once and it was nasty. His top beak digs in and holds you while his bottom beak is like a melon scoop which slices in and takes a chunk of skin. Got me a good scar and a lesson learned...lol
That's an amazing story man. Do you carry any sort of gun or anything with you when you go hiking? I know it kind of ruins the vibe but it literally can be the difference between life and death in the rare case that a blackie decides to attack (which becomes rather likely in about a month or two). Based on the time of year, I'd say he probably got woken up while hibernating. Black bears have a tendency to dig a basin-shaped shallow grave and hibernate in that instead of finding a legit cave or digging their den into the side of a hill like polar bears do so they can wake up every few weeks to try to find any close food but they usually don't go more than about 50m away from their spot otherwise they pass their plug. When I go out hunting (I'm in Michigan), I always carry a .44 mag on me and I hope I'm never forced to use it but I hunt in a very low-traffic area that does have a lot of bears so the chance is always there.
Amazing story! Reminds me of some encounters of my own when I was living in Oregon (of course, none of them involved staring down a full grown black bear reared).
I totally agree with lax. I hate to say it, but that bear could have torn you to shreds. I HIGHLY recommend packing a Smith & Wesson 500 mag, or a .44 mag. It could save your life one day man. You were VERY lucky that bear didn't charge.
When I went out to Wyoming on a hunt in late September (tracking herds), our tracker carried a .22 with him while my dad and I were both rocking our hand-cannons. I asked him why and he said because he doesn't trust himself to try to shoot a bear while it's charging him. I had a puzzled look on my face so he continued by saying, "I would fire one shot to try to spook it and if it didn't stop, the next one's for me." Kind of puts it into perspective. By the way, great avatar.
When I was in Alaska I bought bear mace and I usually carry it with me when I'm going to be in an area I know large wildlife are. To be able to camp in Denali I had to rent a metal bear-proof locker to keep my food in. =)
Man you gotta love the outdoors right? great story I've been chased by black bear once when i was 10 that was fucking scary for me and my cousin even though it was a tiny bear
I love the outdoors more than I can explain. If it wasn't for birds, I'd probably still be doing drugs. It is not a lie when they say you need a hobby to fill your time!! Thanks for the nice words and reading my little ditty. Hopefully many more to come when I embark on my 2nd cross-country road trip in May. First one was in Aug-Sept 2008 when I drove from Connecticut to Alaska. This next one will bring me in a loop around our beautiful country (no offense non-Americans).... Strating at home in CT, I am going to Rapid City, South Dakota.... then to Yellowstone Nat'l Park.... then to Vegas.... then to SoCal.... then to Tuscon, AZ.... then to Corpus Christi, TX.... then to The Florida Keys (and Lake Mary to visit my sis).... then to Cape Hatteras.... then to Cape May.... then, unfortunately, home. And absolutely anywhere and everywhere in between those main stops. I have from May 1st until July 10th to drive anywhere I want. I will be doing some intense birding/hiking/backpacking/camping/photography, that goes without saying. But a huge reason is to do a job search for opening ins my field in other states. I'd love to find a job out in like Arizona, then only come back to CT to get my shit and leave. (It's going to be a hectic few months... I'm moving into my own apartment March 1st, then leaving May 1st.) Enjoy birds, -MoJo-