Habituation-Hearing Footsteps, Walking And Running

[Guest]

 

and it sure sounded to me like one of those recordings of a BF, howling in the background several times, did anybody notice or say anything, nope, they just ignored it.

That's something that I've thought about for years! How can all this howling & roaring go on around here for years & years & almost nobody notice it? Do they not hear it? Or do they just shut it out of their minds?

It's not like it's just imagination, because I've recorded hours & hours of it. (See Soundcloud link below.)

What's WRONG with people????

 

Sasfooty, we're oblivious...until we have a reason to pay attention.  I've recently heard bird calls/songs that I've never noticed before.  They must have been there at some point.  I've been in the same location since '94.  This is my first spring after acquainting myself with the world of BF.  I'm listening now, whereas before it was just background noise.

[Sasfooty]

Besides listening, start watching them & thinking about how...unbirdlike some of them can be.

[Guest]

Besides listening, start watching them & thinking about how...unbirdlike some of them can be.

I'm not currently in an area for watching them.  Highly unlikely there are any around my town.  But, I do seem to be more in tune to my natural surroundings, which will be to my benefit later this month when I will be in an area that has reported sightings. 

[Guest]

Iphone had some free (or cheap) applications that include nature sounds ...and the birds...many birders do not like to response call b/c it can lure innocent songbirds into the open for predators...but it works with BFs also...to some degree...birds response call (and you can get info by species too)...and some don't....but BFs..as Sasfooty and others points out use these calls in a way that doesn't completely alert us, till you really pay attention to behavior (or sometimes mistakes in the call) and then it should get interesting if BFs around and you follow up.

 

On the making themselves known, vs stealth: it does seem they can avoid being heard (I have awakened to hear running away, as in that daytime blobsqautch video) and yet a few occasions the approach was loud - specifically the trip with my Papillion ( that I had carried in a pack..and found great nose.ears.an asset  .haha..) and that night had blown bubbles, which fascinated the dog and it kept jumping and biting them...now bubbles were a staple...just something I did each night for a few minutes...this night? ha, as soon as my spouse was in bed and just the dog and I at fire..the loudest approach I ever heard, a little too much for me as it reminded me how really big even this juvenile was and I retreated to the tent too...

 

But, really, looking back..there were so many opportunities to harm or even intentionally frighten me..and none were taken. I am left with the impression, but for our curiosity, we would know very little... I am not buying into the 411 stuff...not as an MO.

 

 

but, I am here too b/c I don't have it figured out......

Edited May 3, 2013 by apehuman

[Guest]

Ape human-as always, I find your posts thought provoking. Using bird calls to attract or communicate with a bf had not even occurred to me. I can honestly say I'm not ready to attract anything. Besides, I can't whistle. I simply want to familiarize myself with the sounds around me, something I've never bothered with before. Now that I find myself more aware, I'd like to know what I'm hearing, and at some point be able to use it as a tool.

I do find it very interesting that all of a sudden I'm more aware and observant of even my little tree line in my back yard, and the small amount of wildlife at a historical sight next to my office. I don't expect to see a bf, but I do find myself scanning the tree lines now, looking across fields, and not just listening, but hearing. If I never see or hear a bf, this is still an improvement, in general. I have improved my own life.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Elaine

[LeafTalker]

 

That is SOOOO cool, that she (or he) said "hey" to you!!! Sounds like they're excited about connecting with you. A "hey" like that would make me smile for a long time!!!!

 

Yes, I did smile, all the way back to the house.  If only my friends had heard it too. They had already turned the corner of the house and were out of range.

 

It's priceless when stuff like that happens and hoping for more.  We'll be out there with salt and mineral discs and other treats very soon.  BTW hubby seems to be a magnet, so he will accompaniy me on our next visit.   Good luck to you as well, just remember the forest is their home and respect it.   We never leave any plastic now just material that will biodegrade.

 

 

So glad they made you smile! 

 

I like your idea about salt and mineral discs. My guys have started to seem less interested in things they liked last fall and winter, so I need to start bringing something new. Salt and mineral discs would be a good change.

 

I always stop at the trailhead and ask permission to come into the woods and visit with them. (I know they're often right there, watching and listening, because that's where I heard my two "hello growls", on two separate occasions.) They seem to know I'm not interested in messing up their living room, and they've never objected to my poking around. If I ever do venture into an area they'd prefer me not to be in, and they make that known to me, I'm outta there. A friend and I have been followed for a bit on the tail ends of some hikes -- we knew they were there because we smelled them -- but they haven't seemed to object to us going where we've gone so far. 

 

Good luck with the Hubby Magnet, Sunflower, and let us know what happens!

[Guest]

You are generous Elaine, thanks   It grips most of us, the nature aspect - seeing everything so differently, more carefully, more awestruck ...because they are real, even if we can't demonstrate it to the world.  Or, don't see one fully in clear day ourselves, just knowing they are out there makes me feel improved too!

I don't think there was any downside to my adventures, except the societal taboo part.

Edited May 4, 2013 by apehuman

[LeafTalker]

I feel the same way, Elaine and AH. BF has improved my life, too.  

[Guest David37]

 The weather here in the California mountains has been alternating between warm and cold but has been warm enough for the local BF to apparently go for a stroll through the neighborhood as he seems to avoid being around when the weather is cold. Last Friday May 10, at just about fifteen minutes before full night set in I heard one howl of about five seconds, a loud "whoooo" from the uninhabited part of the woods. It almost seemed like he was saying "here I am" or "here I come" which struck me as sort of funny. I've been acclimating myself to the different dog barking in the neighborhood, and noted that I didn't hear any responses from the various dogs which I would think would be otherwise. No further indications of his presence till last night May 15 at 1045PM when I went onto the deck, flashing my flashlight around to show that I was outside but not trying to capture anything in the light's beam. I'm fairly confident this instituted what I heard, a couple of stealthy footsteps ,as he was getting out of the way of the light. The ground is fairly hard and dry with a thin coating of leaf and bark particles and I am familar with those sounds. Also the interval between steps was longer than a human being would take. Previous measurements of his gait are about 48 inches. Though my observations pale in comparison to other stories I read here, I do have a general question. My neighbors who are apparently oblivious to his presence, and who when I try to bring up the subject either laugh or don't want to talk about it. Specifically one neighbor, a middle aged lady of a somewhat nervous nature, walks here dog frequently as late as 10PM in the path this creature utilizes in his access to my yard and beyond. Though he has never caused a problem that I know of, and apparently has been around for several years, do I have a moral obligation to try and warn these neighbors of the BF presence? 

[Sasfooty]

I don't think you have an obligation at all. It would just scare her for nothing. If he wanted her, he could have got her long ago.

[Guest]

^and her little dog Toto, too.

[LeafTalker]

I agree with Sasfooty and Elaine (if numbers in these kinds of things count).    If the Lady With A Dog (ha ha -- little literary reference, for all you Chekhov fans) is a nervous person, but walks in that area comfortably, your BF is definitely a low-impact BF (like most of them), and no threat to anyone. 

[Sasfooty]

As a lot of us have said on other threads, these BFs that come around & make themselves known to certain people, (you in this case), have a reason for what they're doing. It would be very counterproductive to their objective if they started making your neighbors disappear. The neighbors will be fine.

[Guest David37]

Thanks for the replies, I think I agree that telling the neighbors would be conterproductive. I have one other question, that first night I heard an owl hooting loudly, three times in a row, repeating about every twenty or thirty seconds for at least five minutes before I went back inside. Does anyone know if this is normal owl behavior? 

[ThePhaige]

Thanks for the replies, I think I agree that telling the neighbors would be conterproductive. I have one other question, that first night I heard an owl hooting loudly, three times in a row, repeating about every twenty or thirty seconds for at least five minutes before I went back inside. Does anyone know if this is normal owl behavior? 

SSq and owls seem to go hand in hand. The why and hows are somewhat still a mystery. There are theories however.