October 15, 2019

Animal encounters in the wilds of Madison, Wisconsin within one 2-mile walk.

In chronological order:

1. Canine: A Boston terrier trots across the street toward me. He seemed friendly enough, took a sniff, and trotted on.

2. Avian: There was this melée:



3. Feline: A black cat did not cross my path. I crossed the path of a black cat. I thought that might be good luck.

23 comments:

rehajm said...

Turkeys have made a huge comeback. I can only recall two or three sightings from my youth when I lived in prime turkey habitat. Now thick like pigeons. Wish they tasted good...

All the animals are stirring this time of year. Family groups are breaking up. Deer are getting randy. Migrators are bugging out or showing up. Black cats are rehearsing...

F said...

Hmmmm. Thanksgiving is not that far away!

walter said...

Turkish invasion

Kevin said...

He seemed friendly enough, took a sniff, and trotted on.

So, nothing about your hair?

Marc in Eugene said...

Watched seven or eight turkeys walking around in a circle in a parking lot here in Eugene once; very amusing but sort of Twilight Zone, too. A grey and misty day in Autumn, as I recall. There is a reason for such behavior but I don't remember the details of the explanation; something about the first turkey seeing itself in the lot's building's large glass windows and the others obediently following along as he tried to intimidate his reflection.

Ralph L said...

Good thing the bison are tiny in Madison.

traditionalguy said...

That darn Trump withdrew troops and the Turks have invaded everywhere. Just wait until the Pilgrims counterattack next month.

langford peel said...

I would think the turkeys would offer Meade professional courtesy?

stevew said...

Bostons are very well tempered, unlike the human inhabitants of their namesake area. My daughter and SIL have a Boston, great dogs, and I'm not a dog guy.

walter said...

Blogger stevew said...Bostons are very well tempered, unlike the..
--
..guy who threw shade at Althouse's hair.

BUMBLE BEE said...

The boston?... Named Joe? Wild Turkeys are barely edible, but they can run almost fast as they can fly. They are a treat to watch. You might keep an eye out for coyotes, as abundant wildlife means smorgasbord. Neighbor had his Chihuahua on a leash attacked by one from behind a bush.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Chihuahua +$3k in vet bills survived, with severe nerve damage resulting. Full body tremors, poor thing is a rescue pup. Hard life.

tcrosse said...

Here in the higher elevations of Las Vegas, we get a lot of quail running about in the street, with their little crests dangling before them. So far I've never seen one actually fly, although I've heard whispers that they are capable of flight.

Bob said...

If an Althouse crosses one's path, will there be a vortex, or just civility bullshit?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Yum. Now I want some turkey.

BudBrown said...

Sayin you were hangin out with a bunch of turkeys in Madison maybe gets misinterpreted
round these parts so providing video is helpful.

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, i understand that if you had come between a tom and his harem it could have been a problem for you. Not always, but you wouldn’t forget the once in a while.

Maillard Reactionary said...

A coven of turkeys! The horror [shudder]. I shoot at them with my slingshot, but know that in the end it will all be in vain.

We are truly in the end times, if they've made it all the way to Madison.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Feline: A black cat did not cross my path. I crossed the path of a black cat. I thought that might be good luck."

I've often wondered about something similar. If you brake hard to avoid hitting a bolting black cat, surely that's good luck.
If you get rear-ended for your pains, not so much.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

next time, AA, say this:
"As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if you Turkeys does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate your Economy"

h said...

Where I live (Prince Georges County, MD, contingent to DC) we are having a debate about whether or not to make "pit bulls" illegal (they currently are not permitted). And a man in our county was seriously attacked by a dog in the last few days. I have a dog, and I love dogs. And (hoping the police cannot track me down through this comment and charge me with violations) I let my dog off-lease in local parks and bike trails where he (my dog) chases deer (and occasionally other animals -- rabbits, foxes, feral cats).

But because of this recent incident of a man being attacked by a dog, I am a little nervous when I hear a story like that reported here "A Boston terrier trots across the street toward me. He seemed friendly enough, took a sniff, and trotted on."

I'm writing this, not because I have a strong opinion and I'm sure I'm right, but because I'm struggling (over the last few days) with the question of how much "off leash" freedom I should allow my dog, and whether I want to support or oppose my local gov't restrictions on ownership of certain breeds.

Wikitorix said...

Turkeys invading the land of curds? Better send that video to ABC - I hear they're desperate for video evidence.

stevew said...

@h

Does your community have a leash law mandating that dogs be on one at all times when outdoors? Mine does not, it is a rural place, but people always have their dogs on leash when walking them in the neighborhood. I do this too but not to protect others from my dog, rather to keep her from taking off after some small critter in the woods.