Rarest animal you have seen out

[Aussiepom]

During a trip in the Ngorongoro crater I saw a pride of lions attacking a hippo that had strayed a little too far from the water. Although out of the actual water, it was still in deep sticky mud, which was why the lions struggled despite there numbers (about 10 of them). We watched for about 15 mins as the hippo slowly but surely beat off numerous attacks and made its way back to the safety of the water.

Last summer I saw a brown snake in the front garden, not rare but deadly, and the unusual part was that it was just in the middle of eating a small frog that it had caught.

Not sure how rare they are but also last summer I saw an echidna bimbling along in our back garden. Not a care in the world even though it was aware of our presence.

We are lucky in that we live on the edge of town, at the end of a no through road, and not far from a nature reserve, so we get a lot of wild creatures roaming onto our property. I woke up in my hammock just a few weeks ago and was face-to-face with a large male roo. Well, not quite, it was about 10 ft away, but that's as close as I want to get to a wild roo. Certainly got my pulse going.

 

[robin wood]

Interesting thread, sad to see water vole in the rarest seen list, when I was a kid they were considered a pest on the canals, now the population is decimated due to mink, few populations of them in the Peak District still though.

I did a great long canoe trip with a good friend in the States years ago and we saw lots of good stuff from beaver (saw them in the Ardeche too) to Bald Eagles and a huge flock of migrating cranes. The thing that made the trip for me though was seeing monarch butterflies, clouds of them. When we were walking and hitching back to pick the car up there were lots splatted on the road including lots of mint perfect ones without a scale missing, I still have them 15 years later. My mate was about as impressed with them as I am at starlings but fascinated to see my response.

I also once was watching a common lizard when another appeared from under a log lunged at no1 and grabbed it by the throat. It held on as they thrashed around for 4 or 5 minutes until no1 was dead and dragged it back under the log. Still don't know if it was territorial or simple cannibalism.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Water Voles

I know of a lake that I used to fish (sadly it's gone syndicate now) where I could guarantee to see Water Voles and have actually had them eating out of my hand a few times.
A great feeling when considering that they're endangered now.

 

[WoodWildling]

hmm watched kingfishers all afternoon in the pouring rain on the thames at Maidenhead, my cats are always bringing slow worms in, sometimes dead, sadly. Seen a grass snake in a dried up pond near my house (heard it rustling before i saw it).
Loads of tawnies, bats and sparrowhawks near my house too. Watched merlins circling aroung glastonbury tor, and also saw 3 hare running the fields at the bottom of the tor. have seen sea otters in scotland and water voles (interestly where I live there is a farm called Mink Farm, and in the 60s they bred mink for fur, however some escaped and found their way into the Wey and decimated the local water vole population - thats the story anyway) on the Wey in Surrey.
Also met the 'ambassador' wolves from the UK wolf conservation trust but not sure they count!!
Cats also brought a fieldfare in too which was sad. They also caught a baby woodpecker but it survived luckily (they make one hell of a noise too!! At first i though someones car alarm was going off!! ) Also watched barn owl hunting every evening for a fortnight down by the Wey - that was amazing! Plenty of cormorants on the river too.

would also love to see peregrins (friend saw them hunting at Symond's Yat in Wales and said it was unforgettable), glow worms, whales, weasels, eagles,

great post btw:notworthy

Wild

 

[Minotaur]

would also love to see peregrins (friend saw them hunting at Symond's Yat in Wales and said it was unforgettable)

Well worth a visit. They are a nightmare to see normally.

I think the rarest thing would be a Marsh Harrier, I think. It was a harrier but not sure which one.

Have seen an Otter in the wild-ish.

Also seen a seal in the middle of Yorkshire. A wild one.

 

[robin wood]

Also seen a seal in the middle of Yorkshire. A wild one.

Now that is a rare sight that far from the sea.

 

[thewanderer]

the photos r of a mink not a pine martin another alien species

 

[thewanderer]

there is a mink living on the bank of river wear opposite the county hotel durham city

 

[thewanderer]

over the years ive seen many things ive swam with dolphins and basking sharks of the coast of plymouth seen many deer badger foxes only seen one otter but this year i came across a pair of nesting long eared owls

 

[Squidders]

Khali is a beautiful Bengal Tiger and was wonderful and terrifying.

 

[sandsnakes]

Golden Eagle on the Isle of Mull. I was at Inniemore Lodge on the slopes leading to the sea. It flew over my head so low it ruffled my hair and caught a rabbit about 40 feet in front of me, picked it up, then ate in a broken tree. The wind through the feathers, the sound was amazing and will stay with me for ever.

Sandsnakes

 

[decorum]

The rarest creature?

How about a meeting young city couple with toddler in tow (that should probably read a toddler with parents in tow ) - chav-ish without being outright chavs.

Now I grant that this isn't that unusual a sight but ....

In the middle of no-where?
In wet and windy weather?
With no complaining?
Almost properly dressed for the conditions?
Interested in the local flora and fauna? :Wow:
Litter picking as they went? :Wow::yikes: :Wow:
Explaining to junior why litter is bad? :notworthy

A very pleasant surprise.

 

[grumit]

rarest thing here in guernsey is a griffin vulture stopped for a rest while mygrating to where ever they go and i have also surf kayaked with a seal

 

[inthewids]

Ive seen a lot of red squirrels, mostly at college (in the woods) a newt at Loch Ness, dolphins last week in the Cromarty firth, many seals at Findhorn bay while canoeing, a golden eagle, and some other birds of prey, always puts a smile on my face seeing them, i also did not know there were glow worms in the uk.

 

[mr dazzler]

I saw a green woodpecker a few days ago it was eating ants out of my lawn

 

[Humpback]

Sparrow, apparently Alan

 

[stevesteve]

Not really a bushcrafty trip... but I did once see a Lynx in Iraq (yes the cat with hairy ears not the helicopter!). Also saw long-eared hedgehogs out there which were not rare but I like hedgepigs when I see them anywhere.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[statikpunk]

i have seen wild mustangs in a couple of my old hunting spots before. they are a pretty rare sight. they are very beautiful horses, some of them where colored like a calico cat really neat!

 

[Grooveski]

Jeez Sqidders, that's some size.

the photos r of a mink not a pine martin another alien species

Those are indeed photos of a mink, as it says in the sentence before the photos.

 

[WoodWildling]

I had a hornet nest near my house this summer. They may be getting rarer - they are quite beautiful and do not normally sting unless absolutely forced to, their incredibly loud drone scares most people away (which is why I had a quiet summer this year lol!) Wasps also used to gather wood from my fence to make their nests and if you got within a few feet and stayed really quiet, you could here them 'crunching' the wood, it's a bit unnerving at first!!
I have just seen a lesser spotted mad-kitten on my armchair too on with the gauntlets to remove her, then.