Still some wildlife left in France...

Manthing said:

That's nowt sunshine. You should see what we call you in the staff cafe while we are having beer and pizza, and the philippino masseuse tend our tired bodies.

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I'm surprised you'd have the time or the inclination mate - fair play on your dedication to the forum, dude!

Waterdiddy said:

Exactly the problem old fruit!! As you may have discerned, I'm a gobshite!

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Ah well you're in pretty good company on here then.

Here's some more piccies to turn Spocky all mushy...

Two nights ago, saw this new-born calf tottering around for its first wee drank... the second photo is the same calf having a well-earned kip this evening.

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And saw these two tonight. There was in fact a third one, on the right of the road, hidden behind a bush. He gambolled off as I approached, followed by the other two, and all three vanished into the maize field on the right of the road like wisps of mist...

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Here's the stealth machine that lets me approach silently (apart from the wheezing, and creaking of joints). Now suitably pimped with a 3" riser under the handlebars, a sprung saddle that I bought in Holland, and a couple of mini saddle bags for binocs and camera. Sorted!

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Ch, yer a lucky kant.

Spock said:

Ch, yer a lucky kant.

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Suck on this....

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For goodness sake, CH... the rural life does seem idyllic, compared to urbandom. The only wildlife we see onshore are the local moose, generally dressed in fecking Lycra and wobbling far too much.

Waterdiddy said:

For goodness sake, CH... the rural life does seem idyllic, compared to urbandom. The only wildlife we see onshore are the local moose, generally dressed in fecking Lycra and wobbling far too much.

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Life is full of choices, Diddyman... You choose to live in a converted bathtub just off the sarf coast, I choose to live somewhere civilized... well, as civilized as it gets in France...

Coypu Hunter said:

Life is full of choices, Diddyman... You choose to live in a converted bathtub just off the sarf coast, I choose to live somewhere civilized... well, as civilized as it gets in France...

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Well, to be entirely honest, I chose to move from a shit-hole to a bathtub. This is a step up, believe me!

Waterdiddy said:

Well, to be entirely honest, I chose to move from a shit-hole to a bathtub. This is a step up, believe me!

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Ah. Slough, eh?

Coypu Hunter said:

Ah. Slough, eh?

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Ha ha! - no, mate... Much, much worse - Telford! It's what spoils Shropshire.

Well, this little doe, a deer, a female deer has survived the first few days of the new hunting season... but hasn't got the message yet, since she was sitting happily in a field, chewing the cud, about 30 yards from the lane where I was cycling past...

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Looks like a young 'he' to me CH.

Spock said:

Looks like a young 'he' to me CH.

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I bow to your superior knowledge, O Wise One... View attachment 13591

I can recognise a pricket and a stag, obviously, but if they've got empty heads, I tend to assume they're female. Does a doe not have those bumps between the ears, or summat?

No, mate. With Roe and Red deer only goolies make antlers.

Still cracking pics though, ya kant.

Spock said:

No, mate. With Roe and Red deer only goolies make antlers.

Still cracking pics though, ya kant.

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Thanks, Sweetie.

No bother hen.

The local Chasse (hunters) apparently shot a couple of wild boar around here, a fortnight or so ago. They were digging up the local farmers' fields, and most of the farmers are regular hunters...

Saw this sign tonight on my wildlifebikeathon, which seemed pretty fresh. I can see why such activity might pish you off if it was in the middle of your mangoldwurzel field, so I hope it was made by a wily old hog... I've seen a couple before in France, but it would be great to see one around here -- they only crop up here once in a blue moon.

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Feral hogs are considered a pest species in my state as well as others. Some have been hunted so fervently they have become nocturnal feeders. The more serious hunters use AR-10's fitted with scopes and night vision. They can get quite large and are very destructive..

TWBryan said:

Feral hogs are considered a pest species in my state as well as others. Some have been hunted so fervently they have become nocturnal feeders. The more serious hunters use AR-10's fitted with scopes and night vision. They can get quite large and are very destructive..

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Yup, parts of the UK have similar problems these days.

In France, there's a long tradition of hunting out in the countryside, so wild boar and deer are pretty scarce for the most part.

In Florida the more development we have the more wildlife is displaced and ends up living around people. We now have bears that raid garbage cans in urban areas.The racoons come over to our yard for their daily handouts (my mother ,not I!) ,and flocks of turkeys wander out of the woods and into our yards. So far no wild hogs,I suspect the bears and coyotes make a meal of them.