I am linking up again with Kookyrunner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics and today we’re talking about animals that we see on our runs!
I did not know such a thing as World Animal Day existed, but I shouldn’t be surprised either. There’s a celebratory day for everything these days. Well, animals are pretty cool and I am always happy to see on social media when people share the animals they encounter on their runs and I sometimes share the ones I see (when I can think to snap a picture).
I usually see the same animals here in urban Northern California: birds, squirrels (so many squirrels!), dogs, and cats. Pretty common.
But I also see geese (and ducks) at the park (best sightings are when they have babies)…
rabbits (they’re hard to catch though, because they’re pretty fast and usually hide in the bushes before I can get my phone out)…
deer (I always love when I encounter deer!)…
and … this time of year, wild turkeys roaming on the trails and in the neighborhood (they can be pretty mean and territorial, and they just won’t move out of the way).
Oh, and I even sometimes see coyotes (they’ve always been around near the river, but more recently have been sighted in our neighborhood as well. Outdoor cats and small dogs are definitely at risk where we live. I do try to stay far away from them.)
I have yet to see a rattle snake, although I know they’re around on the river trails. I have just never happened to run into one yet.
Bonus, and more of an unusual sighting, I’d assume: some of you might remember that before we moved (to a different neighborhood), I used to run by the local zoo and visit my giraffe friends on a regular basis. The running route goes right by their enclosure and they always put a smile on my face when they were peeking over the fence. It was the highlight of my runs and I miss running there. I have, on occasion, snuck back to our old neighborhood to visit though.
Do you see the same animals on your runs? Or do you have completely different wild animals where you live?
Kim G
October 4, 2022 at 8:45 amRunning by a local zoo must have been so cool. You never know what animals you will see.
The wild turkeys here are so mean too! Once a year they normally stop traffic as well as they make their way across the street, lol.
Shathiso
October 4, 2022 at 9:00 amWe don’t see wild turkeys around here but in my imagination, I picture them as being mean and grumpy!
Suzanne
October 4, 2022 at 9:59 amOh my gosh I love that you can see giraffes during your runs! That is so fantastic!
I only ever see dogs and deer (and squirrels and birds and chipmunks) although I suppose once I saw a turkey and another time I saw a swan.
Chocolaterunsjudy
October 4, 2022 at 10:53 amOh yes, wild turkeys do abound around here! We don’t see them all the time, but we used to have some in the neighborhood (not for a few years though). I do see snakes on the trails — and bike paths — but usually small garden snakes. Although there are rattlesnakes here, thankfully I’ve never seen one.
Our resident albino squirrel seems to be going strong after 3 years, although we don’t see him quite as often.
I’m glad I’ve never run into a bear, too, as they are here in the area once in a blue moon. I think it was last Summer when one was spotted on the bike path (thankfully not that close to me).
Anya
October 4, 2022 at 4:00 pmGreat post! I love all things animals. Here in the Denver, Colorado area, I mostly see prairie dogs, rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional deer. I have a few times seen a fox, a coyote, and a rattle snake, and I smell skunk more frequently than I’d like. Up in the mountains I see marmots, mountain goats, big horn sheep, chipmunks, deer, elk, and moose, and I’m sure plenty of other animals that I don’t recognize. I spent most of my life in the suburban South and hardly ever encountered wildlife, so it’s always fun to come across critters, especially since they make me so happy and so connected to my natural surroundings
Jenny
October 4, 2022 at 6:00 pmI can’t decide if Judy’s “whale” answer or your “giraffe” wins first prize. I do love giraffes- I wish I could run near some!
I know people don’t like coyotes, but that picture is so cute… those big ears. And wow… that wild turkey is colorful! Nice photos.
Nicole MacPherson
October 5, 2022 at 3:24 amThis is fun! I just wrote about animals in my neighbourhood – squirrels mostly, coyotes occasionally, lots of rabbits and hares. Sometimes deer! I absolutely love your giraffe sightings. I’d visit that neighbourhood too if I were you!
Elisabeth
October 5, 2022 at 4:55 amI’m actually shocked how few animals I see on my trail runs/walks.
Lots of squirrels and domesticated pets, but never a giraffe. How fun to run by a zoo!
My parents have had wild turkeys, coyotoes, black bears and moose in their backyard at times, but even when I run at their house I’ve never seen a single animal. Maybe I run loudly and scare the animals away??
Deborah Brooks
October 5, 2022 at 12:07 pmWe also have tons of deer and sometimes they scare me bc they are quiet until they jump out. LOL. the Giraffe is kind of fun. We see lots of red fox and maybe some sort of beavers sometimes.
NGS
October 5, 2022 at 1:32 pmOh, I definitely don’t see turkeys or coyotes! But I see squirrels, chipmunks, lots of birds, including water birds like geese, ducks, coots, and cranes, sometimes deer, lots of snakes, and endless numbers of gnats, mosquitoes, and noseeums. What a lovely reminder of all the good things we see when get outside!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
October 7, 2022 at 10:25 amWhen I started reading this post, I automatically thought of your giraffe friends at the zoo! I see a low of water fowl on my runs, but also turkeys, bunnies, squirrels, and other cool birds. One day I saw a squirrel with an empty paper coffee cup. It was torn on the side so it made it easier for him to get ahold of it and he was carrying it up a tree. I told Paul that story and he thought it was so funny that a squirrel was carrying a coffee cup around! I’ve also seen some albino squirrels recently, too!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
October 9, 2022 at 3:15 amI don’t run but I do see animals on my walks. Just the other day I came across a racoon in. the neighbor garden. I also have the swans, and different kind of ducks outside my window and on the lake. The gray heron too. Oh and foxes live here in the neighborhood. The other day on a bike ride I came across a herd of deer. That was fun.
Anne
October 18, 2022 at 9:55 amOh, the turkeys. Sigh. They’re so… weird. They mob the golf course and trail behind where I live – not sure if they stop the golf games or not when the turkeys are on the course. ;) I see racoons pretty frequently, and I’ve seen a TON of baby bunnies (not grown bunnies, babies) this fall, which is weird? I feel like that is/should be a spring thing? Thanks for reminding us of your giraffe friends. I forgot about that – what a treat. :)