It’s Groundhog Day today, here’s Punxsutawney Phil’s official forecast read today at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Around the country there are many imitators of me.
In Harrisburg there is Gus who appears on TV working for the lottery.
Then all around town, Cute groundhog statues abound.
They all look like me, I found.
Today on the Knob as I'm doing my job, I don't like this likeness of me.
It's my shadow I see.
Six more weeks of mild winter there will be.

Apparently, the over sized rodent’s handler Bill Deeley has had enough.

February 2, 2006 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (66)

Fowl play on Lloyd Road yesterday.

Just steps away from Montclair Kimberley and Bloomfield Ave, this group crossed the road, stopped traffic, then settled in front of their home?

They've got good taste...

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December 27, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (5)

Hey, it's not all American flags, photo ops and visits from the county exec. Sometimes it's dogs jumping each other or (dare we say it) biting. Over at a Yahoo forum just for users of the Watsessing Dog Park in Bloomfield, come hints of trouble in doggy paradise.

When the dog run first opened last year, we had a lot of good experiences there. Recently, however, there have been problems. Some very aggressive and some downright vicious dogs have been showing up at this dog run. I don't mind boistrous and rough play. But it's gotten beyond that. There's one dog that gets on top of the others and tries to bite their necks. Once there was a man in the dog run with a pit bull on a leash. My dog ran over to him and the pit bull almost tore him up. The owner said "My dog is leashed. You should leash your dog." No way, this is supposed to be an off leash facility. One day, a Rotweiller ran from the far end of the dog run to the near and knocked down and bit a man. He tried to file a complaint but the Bloomfield Police sent him all over -- to the Essex County police, to the Animal Control people, and so on. No one would accept his complaint. From now on, I advise all visitors to the Watsessing Off Leash Facility to carry pepper spray.

Doreen Sarcone, a dog owner who's active in the Watsessing neighborhood, responded with a book-length post, asking people not to stereotype dogs on the basis of breed. In fact, she said, it was a cocker spaniel who stirred up trouble recently.

My rottweiler was in the park, enjoying his day, and enjoying the freedom along with the other dogs... however, one cocker spaniel, who had an abusive past before this current owner, lunged and snapped at my rottweiler. Thankfully he's such a goofball, and couldn't care less, but the cocker's owner quickly snatched her spaniel up to "protect" him from the vicios rottweiller, only to be bitten by her own dog. With this, I am stating, breed doesn't matter. I have teeth, you have teeth, most of the dog's that come in the park, except for a few older geezers, have teeth. Therefore any of us (me included) have the ability to bite.

Sarcone strongly urged people not to bring pepper spray to the dog run. As for the police not taking the dog bite complaint, she promised to follow up and pointed out that all dog bites are supposed to be reported to the local board of health.

November 3, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (26)

Life's never dull in Baristaville between navigating geese poop, discovering strange animals in the backyard and now playing possum. Or opossum, if you prefer. Either way,  Bloomfield seems to have the new suburban pet du jour. Folks on the NJ.com's Bloomfield forum offer this poster helpful advice -- and recipes.

Is anyone else experiencing this? This is about the third time we saw a possium (sic) in the yard at night.

When we first bought the house, we found it in back of the shed. So we got it out of there and cleaned it all out of leaves etc. Everything was fine for a while. Two weeks ago my dog, Storm and a smaller possium got into a little scuffle.

Now last night a BIG one was in the yard playing dead as Storm pawed at it until my husband realized what it was and got Storm in the house and got the possium out of the yard, but I'm sure it will be back :(

Who do I call Animal Control?

September 23, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (15)

Montclair may be losing its battle against geese, but it has its rabid raccoon infestations firmly in hand. Reader Perry Schaffer reports that about 6:15 on Saturday night, Montclair cops coolly dispatched a rabid raccoon on Marquette Road with about six gunshots.

September 11, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (13)

Say what you want about the geese, but they're not as stupid as some might have hoped. They've acclimated themselves to the haunted pond scene that is Edgemont Park, complete with dead geese and ferocious beasts and they don't seem to care. Seen here swimming in the recent bloom of algae are the intrepid birds who for now are staying put. Thanks to shutterbug Nancy Mehegan for the pix.

September 9, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (19)

Reports from the Montclair Watercooler suggest that raccoon sightings might be gaining on deer in Baristaville. Particularly of concern are the crazy, drunken raccoons that act out in an inebriated stupor. What wildlife have you seen of late and did they look as if they had a few too many? I saw a possum moseying down a lawn on Cooper Ave that looked as if he was stumbling, but I think that's the animal's normal gait. Meanwhile, things could be worse...

While visiting family in New Delhi, my niece caught this angry monkey growling through the window at a house cat from an outside staircase.

August 22, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (10)

Today's Star Ledger reports today that bear sightings continue to spread into more suburban areas, the latest being in East Windsor.

But why just see a bear, when you can have a chance to name one... or two? There's a few days left in the Turtleback Zoo's bear naming contest for its two new cubs.

Meanwhile, let's find a name for the Glen Ridge Community Pool's swim team. We'll start. How about the G-Force?

July 12, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (9)

Is Barista going to have to start a bear category? From a reader who moved to Baristaville recently from Brooklyn:

My 7-year-old son came home from the Montclair Y day camp yesterday, talking about a bear that was sighted on the grounds.  At first, I thought he was pulling my leg (you know, camp lore and all that), until he mentioned that he was among the group who actually saw it near the ropes course and that the kids had been told some bear safety rules: (1) don't look a bear in the eye; (2) don't run away from a bear; and (3) don't litter (because garbage can attract bears).

Can we give the kids any more safety tips? Scream bloody murder? Walk backwards slowly? Run down hill? Sing Kumbaya? Or better still, take a picture and e-mail us!

July 1, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (6)

May 23, 2005 in Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (3)