A robin landed on my foot..!, I know, I know, I know(?)

grahamg

grahamg

Old codger
Location
South of Manchester, UK
Yes a robin did land on my foot thirty years ago, (obviously I don't move much when in my back garden!).

No ones going to believe it, I know that, and my mother didn't believe me when I told her, BUT she had to when the very innocent witness to the unusual event, her granddaughter aged eight, said she'd seen it, (as she had). There's a photograph somewhere, no, not quite of the very brief event, but my daughter and I next to the back door the same morning, taken using the automatic timer, (an old fashioned selfie you could say).

Have you had any unusual and unexpected friendly brushes with wild animals, anything from the appearance of dolphins in the bay, porpoising away to whatever you like, (I've seen this twice, once off the famous sea wall at Swanage, used as a backdrop in a film, and the second time when eating an ice cream in Port Stewart by the harbour, locals I worked with being envious because they'd never seen them)? :unsure:🦈🐳🦅🐛🐌 .
 

My local park has a section which grows organic vegetables and sells them to the public. The vegetables are left on an 'honesty' cart, where people select what they want and leave the money in a tin. I was choosing some tomatoes when one of the park squirrels came up beside me, grabbed a tomato and made off with it. Without paying!
 
I don't know if this qualifies for the thread but my dog and I encountered 2 huge bucks walking down our street one day and they got to about 10 feet of us and I think they would have still kept strolling, maybe past us then, but we turned around and went back the same way we came from. The 2 bucks then crossed the street and went prancing on down. They were huge! I actually got frightened and that's why I went back home quickly. I was concerned for my dog--I didn't know what to expect as it was my first in person encounter with deer. Thought I'd just be cautious.
 

I was wearing heavy hiking boots and making my way up a trail through thick undergrowth, when something made me look down. Sitting on the path in front of me, right where I was about to bring my foot down, was a large toad. I shudder whenever I think what would have happened if I hadn't looked down at that moment!
 
Rosemarie said:
I was wearing heavy hiking boots and making my way up a trail through thick undergrowth, when something made me look down. Sitting on the path in front of me, right where I was about to bring my foot down, was a large toad. I shudder whenever I think what would have happened if I hadn't looked down at that moment!
Click to expand...
Probably, 'toad in the hole' 😊
 
As a young child and while playing Frisbee out in the front yard with a friend, a cowbird landed on my head and sat there.

It was the funniest thing, because it was as if it had known me (and my hair) for ages!

I remember walking towards the house with mom and dad already watching, and for the next few days, sweet little cowbird sat and slept on our outdoor porch area and would be waiting for us each morning, carrying on with his sitting on our heads and arms and hands, and allowing us to pet it, and then one morning it was gone.

I'll never forget my brush with nature and still think about that sweet little bird often.
 
One late night, I was driving home alone from somewhere. There is a street that dips down where there is a ravine on one side. No other traffic around, and I see a male and female wolves - or possibly coyotes. They had strayed onto the road, so I slowed down and they just stood and looked at me. Beautiful animals. Obviously, they were hungry and looking for food.
 
A magical moment was in Oz, when a Magpie flew into our caravan and sat behind me while I made chicken sandwiches. I threw it a tidbit, it took it somewhere, then kept returning for more. They were so tame and had such personalities. I miss them.
 
Pinky said:
One late night, I was driving home alone from somewhere. There is a street that dips down where there is a ravine on one side. No other traffic around, and I see a male and female wolves - or possibly coyotes. They had strayed onto the road, so I slowed down and they just stood and looked at me. Beautiful animals. Obviously, they were hungry and looking for food.
Click to expand...
I'm glad you were in your vehicle when you happened upon them.

My husband and an alpha timber wolf met head-on while he was out hunting one early morning. He said his blood ran cold and his heart was pounding as the wolf stood his ground staring at him.

Majestic Black Timber Wolves Photographed Like You've Never Seen Before
 
One fall day long ago I was visiting a lovely restored farm site along the Blue Ridge Parkway in VA. The Ranger was leading a small group of tourists around, city folks acting like they had never been outdoors before. I was looking downhill at an old overgrown orchard when I heard a lot of rustling sounds. Something that at first I thought was a big black dog was foraging In the apples. Then it dawned on me, THATS NO DOG! Went and drew the Ranger aside and told him quietly to take a look down the hill because I thought I saw a bear there. He did, and it was!
So he gathered his group and brought them onto the porch of the farmhouse and told them there was a possible bear sighting and to hang out in the house. And one of the city folks claps her hands and goes “oooh ohh, are the “bayahs “ friendly?”
 
Way back when, we were hiking with our dog down a reservation road way up North. There in the road ahead, was a young bear cub standing upright. Fortunately, our dog hadn't spotted it yet. In unison, we quickly turned around and headed back from whence
we came! Mama bear would surely have been nearby 🐻
 
Another Robin story. Back when those tightly curled “ poodle cut” haircuts were in style, I had just gotten a poodle “perm “, and was out working in the Yard when suddenly a baby Robin flew out of a tree and landed right on top of my new hairdo! Pooped, scratched around and flew off!
That was the last perm I ever got.
 
Geezerette said:
Another Robin story. Back when those tightly curled “ poodle cut” haircuts were in style, I had just gotten a poodle “perm “, and was out working in the Yard when suddenly a baby Robin flew out of a tree and landed right on top of my new hairdo! Pooped, scratched around and flew off!
That was the last perm I ever got.
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I apologize for laughing .. it must have been messy washing out bird poop from your hair!
 
Pinky said:
Way back when, we were hiking with our dog down a reservation road way up North. There in the road ahead, was a young bear cub standing upright. Fortunately, our dog hadn't spotted it yet. In unison, we quickly turned around and headed back from whence
we came! Mama bear would surely have been nearby 🐻
Click to expand...
I was out with dear husband for a hike, many, many years ago, and on our way home a little cub bear (black) was startled by us and started to squeal, which of course immediately got momma bears attention, and within a few short seconds, momma bear was snarling and swiping at us from above with froth dripping from her open mouth.

I froze in fear, because the only reason momma bear didn't attack us was that a sheer rock-face separated us from her, otherwise my husband said he would have had to put her down, which would have meant doom for the cub.

For the next hour, dear husband and I were on full-alert of the bear, out of fear that she was backtracking us and still looking to settle the score.
 
I had a rat trap set in a block under the bird feeder.
Chipmunks had learned to avoid that block.

Last week or so the wild turkeys started to visit my bird feeder.
Hubby & I were watching them.
When he said, "What does that turkey have in its mouth?"
By then the other birds were attacking it.
I thought it had found some garbage.

To be sure I looked through our binoculars.

"O, NO! Its got the trap on its beak!"
My next thought if it reaches the highway & gets hit with a trap on its beak.
Thoughts of the game warden knocking on our door,,passed through my head.

Hubby was out the door , while I was still gathering my wits.
As I went out the other door ,, I gabbed up a jacket,, thinking ,'if we get close enough to drop this over its head.'

Hubby was busy keeping an eye on the bird & climb over logs when I reached him.

He tracked the turkey on the hillside as I slowly walked along the top.
Suddenly I saw it's wing flap as it tried to hide under branches.
Hubby reached down, picked it,, thought it was dead.

Held it bit rubbing its chest,, its head came up & clucked bit.
Started flutter,, so he let it go.
It hurried away to another hiding place.

Trap has been put away for the winter.

We've been putting out corn,,guess rest of turkey don't want caught .
 
Hares and deer are fairly common sights in our countryside, (not so much hares these days perhaps?).

I've encountered a hare break cover in a field of grass I was mowing for hay, five years ago, just as it was going dark and I'd almost finished the field, so I saw it by moonlight.

Many times the deer on my fathers farm were so used to the sound of my father's tractor you could just ride around them as they lay in the field, fairy close to the cattle, (though never together). However, after a storm there was a low lying areas of one of the fields flooded to a depth of a few feet, and I must have startled the herd of deer as I came upon them. They took off at great speed across the flooded area, water splashing up as you might see on wildlife programmes filmed in Africa perhaps. Quite a sight, and probably not something you'll see again.

There were occasions when a single stag would be in the field, maybe sharpening its antlers, or removing the down around them. I wouldn't get down from the tractor anywhere near them, as I felt there was a threat, and I think farmers have been injured or even killed in those circumstances.
 
Sliverfox said:
I had a rat trap set in a block under the bird feeder.
Chipmunks had learned to avoid that block.

Last week or so the wild turkeys started to visit my bird feeder.
Hubby & I were watching them.
When he said, "What does that turkey have in its mouth?"
By then the other birds were attacking it.
I thought it had found some garbage.

To be sure I looked through our binoculars.

"O, NO! Its got the trap on its beak!"
My next thought if it reaches the highway & gets hit with a trap on its beak.
Thoughts of the game warden knocking on our door,,passed through my head.

Hubby was out the door , while I was still gathering my wits.
As I went out the other door ,, I gabbed up a jacket,, thinking ,'if we get close enough to drop this over its head.'

Hubby was busy keeping an eye on the bird & climb over logs when I reached him.

He tracked the turkey on the hillside as I slowly walked along the top.
Suddenly I saw it's wing flap as it tried to hide under branches.
Hubby reached down, picked it,, thought it was dead.

Held it bit rubbing its chest,, its head came up & clucked bit.
Started flutter,, so he let it go.
It hurried away to another hiding place.

Trap has been put away for the winter.

We've been putting out corn,,guess rest of turkey don't want caught .
Click to expand...
Do you think the bird survived?
 
Are we sharing all these?
I've got some.
8 years old, stepped barefoot on a HUGE rattle snake on one of my walks. I killed him.
Sleeping outside in Yosemite, a deer kissed my nose. I opened my eyes and the deer ran away.
A blue Jay ate out of my hand once. but I had sesame seeds!
My late husband opened the door in Colorado and a HUGE black bear with the most beautiful reddish coat was standing there. (Colorado) he was about 8 feet tall.
He grabbed his rifle by the door but changed his mind about shooting him because he didn;t want to clean him.
I've been as close as a foot away from bears (black bears) more than a few times. Docile. They arn't TEDDY BEARS though.
Tried to get a Mountain Lion out of a tree when I was a little girl.
 
A girlfriend and I had a porcupine walk across the beach where we were spending the night in a sleeping bag up in the Sierra Nevada one time. It didn't seem to be bothered by us and we weren't either.

When I was belaying a partner on a climb in Yosemite a four foot plus rattlesnake slithered a couple of feet in front of me. I just stood there absolutely still so I didn't startle it.

One early morning when my wife and I were out in the hot tub we used to have in the back yard here in downtown San Jose a raccoon saw us and wanted to check out what we were doing. Knowing that they can get nasty I tried to shoo it away by splashing water at it. My wife went into hysterical laughter because raccoons love water. I eventually stood up and waved my arms and it went back over the fence. We live a few blocks from one of the creeks that goes through San Jose so it probably lived in that area.
 
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