Urban wildlife in your city - Page 2

vid · #21 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 2:21 AM**

Urban birds in Thunder Bay include seagulls, pigeons, crows and ravens, Canada geese, eagles, peregrine falcons, woodpeckers, mallards, and a wide variety of smaller birds like starlings and chickadees. Seagulls here are quite violent at times, not just the usual "stealing food from fast food parking lots" but going as far as dive bombing the heads of pedestrians who walk to close to their nests, which typically a located behind the parapets of buildings downtown. I've seen a seagull rip a pigeon apart and eat it alive. They're fucking insane. The pigeons, crows and ravens are pretty cool. My apartment is right between raven and seagull territory, so I'm kind of protected from the worst of the seagulls. The further away from the lake you get, the less likely you are to see seagulls. Pigeons are barely found in the north end downtown, located on the waterfront, while seagulls only hang out on the riverfront in the south end downtown. The difference in birds is one of the things you notice when you spend time in the other side of the city.

Small mammals commonly found in the city include skunks, groundhogs, grey squirrels almost the size of cats, red and black squirrels, chipmunks, feral cats and dogs (the latter being abandoned pets who don't last long but wreak havoc on the neighbourhoods they're in), and beavers. My neighbourhood is infested with groundhogs and skunks, the latter are our version of raccoons and will rip your garbage bags apart looking for food. They're very friendly (I've heard of people who have been able to feed them out of their hand without being sprayed) but the risk outweighs any possible benefits that might come from skunk handling. We also have quite a few porcupines on the outskirts of the city, they don't wander too deep into built up areas.

Large mammals include deer, moose, foxes, bears, bobcats, and lynx. Bears wander into the city occasionally by following rivers and recreation trails. In a notable incident about ten years ago, a deer wandered into a downtown office building, somehow entered the elevator, and rampaged through the third floor before it was tranquilized by MNR and brought to a rural area. Schools are occasionally closed due to bear sightings. Southeast of the city are two islands in the mouth of a river, they're largely undeveloped and home about approximately 150 to 300 deer, though the herd isn't very health due to human interactions with it.

For fish, the most notable is probably fresh water salmon. The swampier parts of the city are so thick with frogs at times that the sound they make is deafening. In our East End neighbourhood you can hear them inside your house with all the doors and windows shut.

I know a woman who recently had an infestation of flying ants if that counts. Tent caterpillars appear by the billions every 5 to 7 years, when they become moths they can get so thick around street lights that they block the light. On hot days they get cooked onto the sides of buildings, and they make bike paths so slippery when they get crushed (you literally can't avoid stepping on them) that it causes accidents.

SpongeG · #22 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 2:31 AM**

vancouver has lots of black and grey squirrels, they are about the size of a rat, of which there are a lot of those as well

source

Marty_Mcfly · #23 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 2:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid

Large mammals include deer, moose, foxes, bears, bobcats, and lynx. Bears wander into the city occasionally by following rivers and recreation trails. In a notable incident about ten years ago, a deer wandered into a downtown office building, somehow entered the elevator, and rampaged through the third floor before it was tranquilized by MNR and brought to a rural area. Schools are occasionally closed due to bear sightings. Southeast of the city are two islands in the mouth of a river, they're largely undeveloped and home about approximately 150 to 300 deer, though the herd isn't very health due to human interactions with it.

uhhh.....was it a beta testing for "Deer Simulator"?

Get on steam, Vid. We got a new game to download.

VANRIDERFAN · #24 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 2:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

vancouver has lots of black and grey squirrels, they are about the size of a rat, of which there are a lot of those as well

source

Squirrels are just Rats with good PR.

vid · #25 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 2:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

uhhh.....was it a beta testing for "Deer Simulator"?

Get on steam, Vid. We got a new game to download.

O-tacular · #26 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 2:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgarian

A few Calgary ones that haven't been mentioned: Hawks (usually Red Tail), Falcons (they sometimes nest on top of a skyscraper), Coyotes, Elk on occasion, Moose, a billion Geese, Skunks, Owls of all sorts and every once in a while a Cougar. There used to be Pelicans that hung out at the weir, but I don't know if there are any now that the weir is gone.

I've never seen a Raccoon here, or a Fox (though I'm sure there are some), a Bluejay (or any type of Jay), Rattlesnakes (there are some an hour away in Drumheller).

I could go on.

Funny enough I've seen two white pelicans in the last couple weeks just off the Bow in the south. Guess they found new fishing grounds. I caught a 2 foot garter snake a couple weeks ago in Edworthy park as I nearly stepped on him sunning himself on the path. I've seen many bald eagles around the city, from Fish Creek to the Bow, to deep SE. I once saw a fox in the Foothills industrial park.

Most common urban animals you see in Calgary are coyotes, mule and white tail deer, jackrabbits, crows, magpies, ravens, hawks, falcons, geese, ducks, seagulls and gophers. Also squirrels, though they are an introduced species. On the western fringe of the city we also get black bears, moose and cougars.

As for your point about rattlesnakes in Drumheller, I think you're confusing it with Dinosaur provincial park a couple hours SE of there.

leftimage · #27 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 3:02 AM**

Montreal has one or two families of foxes living on Mount Royal... this is as urban as foxes can get afaik.

Photo: Montreal Gazette

O-tacular · #28 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 3:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by giallo

Growing up in Kelowna, and having a giant forest as a backyard to my neighbourhood, I saw some cool things that may or may not be unique to the region in Canada. The most notable were scorpions, rattlesnakes and praying manti (sic). We'd also found all kinds of strange bugs while playing in the sand dunes. Some of them we only saw once.

Other than those, it's your standard deer, bears, cougars/pumas (my dad saw one run across the street last year. First person I know to have actually seen one in the wild), coyotes, moose, big-horn sheep etc.

One cool thing that you can see in the Okanagan (and probably Alberta as well) are wild horses.

I saw a crazy white preying mantis in Kelowna once. Also we were warned to avoid an area that had black widows.

Funny you forgot the most famous exotic urban animal from there: Ogopogo. Lol!

O-tacular · #29 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 3:51 AM**

As a response to a couple previous posts, I have seen bluejays in Calgary. Also Cardinals. Don't think I've seen hummingbirds though.

giallo · #30 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 4:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

I saw a crazy white preying mantis in Kelowna once. Also we were warned to avoid an area that had black widows.

Funny you forgot the most famous exotic urban animal from there: Ogopogo. Lol!

We had a black window infestation in our attic one year. My mom was changing my sister's bed sheets one morning, and there was a smushed black window in her bed. I guess it had crawled in one night, and my sister had rolled over it while she was sleeping.

O-tacular · #31 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 4:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by giallo

We had a black window infestation in our attic one year. My mom was changing my sister's bed sheets one morning, and there was a smushed black window in her bed. I guess it had crawled in the one night, and my sister had rolled over it while she was sleeping.

As an arachnophobe I can think of nothing more horrific.

dleung · #32 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 4:41 AM**

Whales in the big city

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unc90Zhyuxs

worldwide · #33 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 5:54 AM**

living in suburban vancouver for the last 9 years, I have seen a ton of wildlife. most notable is the family of racoons living in my shed. In the city itself I have seen black bears, deer, eagles, blue herons, hummingbirds, skunks, squirrels, rats, coyotes, snakes, a grouse, blue jays, etc. i'm sure so many more

Airboy · #34 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 6:01 AM**

Have pictures of Pelicans, as Edmonton is at the extreme nw edge of their zone. Had a fox and coyote in the back yard. Deer and moose walking on a nearby street. Found some bear scat in the river valley. I have an American Kestral that bathes in my pond along with some ducks. Saw an Eagle in the valley by my place in St Albert.

Darkoshvilli · #35 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 6:47 AM**

I've personally seen squirrels, owls, skunks, raccoons, foxes, snakes and some ground hog looking thing and a woodpecker. A moose was spotted on the island a while back.

Also a beluga whale was spotted swimming near the old port not long ago.

kool maudit · #36 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 7:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftimage

Montreal has one or two families of foxes living on Mount Royal... this is as urban as foxes can get afaik.

Photo: Montreal Gazette

there are foxes in kensington gardens, london, and sometimes they come out to wander the streets of south kensington and knightsbridge.

it is very startling to encounter a frightened, snarling fox on a street like this:

kool maudit · #37 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 7:54 AM**

i have always noticed that, while montreal has a similar array of animals to toronto, they are more plentiful in toronto — esp. raccoons. i think toronto's ravines and its more spacious urban neighborhoods create broader wildlife corridors than in montreal.

north 42 · #38 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 12:52 PM**

Most interesting here are Mink and Possums, but here's some more.

http://www.ojibway.ca/mammals.htm

SignalHillHiker · #39 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 12:55 PM**

Pelicans are another one worth mentioning for Winnipeg. They were cool.

We only get interesting birds when hurricanes blow them in. I once saw a crane similar to the type that can be found in B.C.

And, we have no hummingbirds of which I'm aware, but when I was a child, a hurricane blew a very cool moth/butterfly into our yard. It flapped its wings really fast like a hummingbird. And, I forget how old/small I was, but it was the side of my hand.

Another one for St. John's (and only St. John's. The only other place on the island I've even seen one is Brigus) are snails. They are absolutely everywhere in the city. In certain areas - downtown lanes, anywhere near Quidi Vidi Lake, Signal Hill Trail - the trails get slippery from their crushed bodies.

When I lived in Stephenville (on the west coast) I was introduced to Junebugs. Those were cool, they swarm in the spring.

Manitoba has something similar - fish flies. But not so much in Winnipeg. Go to lakeside places, though, such as Gimli or Lac du Bonnet and it's insane. The buildings are black with them.

MexiQuebecois · #40 Posted **Jun 12, 2014, 1:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftimage

Montreal has one or two families of foxes living on Mount Royal... this is as urban as foxes can get afaik.

Photo: Montreal Gazette

My school (Cegep de Saint-Laurent) has a few foxes running around. They are more common than you can imagine. I've also seen quite a few raccoons on Mount Royal. I snapped a photo of this little guy a few weeks ago: