Wildlife

So when I'm working out, there are like a zillion blog entries that i think I'm gonna get home and post up: Equipment I like/don't like; trails/roads/swimming spots that are sweet; Triathlon tips; Training dos and don'ts; how bad "The Happening" was etc. But most of the time they're lame ideas or I just don't get to it.

But I do want to comment on some of the cool wildlife that I've seen over the past couple of weeks.
I was running up on the Retreat Trails here in Bratt through a wooded section that was free of undergrowth when I saw a decent sized animal running in the same direction as me. It wasn't moving too fast and I tried to breath quite, run quite, and get closer to it. I must have been within thirty feet of the Bobcat before it heard me, took a look at me and tore off through the woods. It was pretty cool looking. Pointy ears and stuff. I was pretty surprised at how long I was running behind it before it heard me. (you know like 15 seconds, but it kind of seemed long)

Monday up on the Retreat Trails I saw a big old owl. Pretty sure I have no idea what kind of owl it was. It flew across a side trail seemly away from something in the tree of departure (like another owl perhaps). It was chilling twenty feet up in this big pine. I had a great view, but it was defiantly checking me out too (and hootin'/screechin' ). He looked like he was on his haunches ready to swoop down on me. He was cool to watch but I was in no mood to get dive bombed and took off.

Up at Marblehad last weekend I saw some crabs hunkered down on the sandy parts of the ocean floor. I also saw a Flouned flopping around after the sand turned to rocks and "sea moss". That was an interesting sighting. If he wasn't "swimming" I totally wouldn't have seen him amongst the rocks. Wide and flat, and I could see his jacked up eyes. I thought that was pretty cool (the Flounder, not his eyes).

I was ridding through Guilford...well I guess I was technically in Leyden....but I turned to head up this steep hill when I saw this little gray creature ambling across the road. At first glance it held the resemblance of a scorpion. Upon stopping and further review it was a little crayfish. I couldn't figure out where he was coming from. There was no notable water source on the uphill side of the road where it he was coming from. But he was moving at a pretty decent clip downhill towards the ponds....little guy.
That same ride I also saw a big ass snapping turtle on the edge of the road (clearly coming out of a road-side pond). This guy was chilling there mouth wide open with his hinds still in the tall grasses. Def wasn't stopping to check him out.

That's the stuff of note for now. Also saw tons of cows, dogs, chipmunks, some cats, roadkill (namely 'coons, possums, and skunks, oh and chippies too, oh and occasionally a cat here in this category too), some horses, chickens, anglers, birds and I saw a shoe when I was swimming in the west river.