Animals reacting to things we 'cannot see'

[Grumpy Owl]

I participate in a local wildlife group on Facebook, and the other day someone posted a video of a squirrel up a tree in a local park. It was making some 'screeching' noise, and the poster was concerned about the squirrel.

 

I explained that it was perfectly natural, and that squirrels do this. And it reminded me of something I wanted to post about here.

 

Throughout much of my life, I have seen many squirrels about, but I always saw them as 'silent' quiet creatures. I never heard - or certainly never noticed one - making such noises until a few years ago. I'd moved into a nice little flat with a private garden which backed onto a canal, so it was a haven for all sorts of wildlife, including a number of squirrels.

 

There were of course also a number of feral cats in this small neighbourhood, which weren't much bother, unless you were a squirrel of course. So one day I was in my garden, and there was a squirrel sniffing around for food around my bird feeders. Suddenly, this squirrel darted off and up into a tree, and I started hearing this strange noise, kind of a cross between a 'quack' and a 'bark'. It was the squirrel!

 

It had been spooked by one of the feral cats, one then appeared into view hurrying towards the tree that the squirrel had just bolted up. I of course 'shoo'd' off this cat, but the squirrel stayed up in the tree, and its quacks/barks changed into this screeching noise, same as was videoed by this lady in our FB group.

 

Now of course, I hear this noise all the time now, and I know what it is. And why it happens, simply from first-hand experiences.

 

But oddly, I do also recall this happening, where I have seen squirrels suddenly 'spooked' like this, yet there is no such predator in sight. No cat, or fox around. Has something else spooked them, something I am not able to see?

 

Anyway enough about squirrels, I also remember a 'strange' incident just a couple of weeks ago. I was walking back up the road from a local shop, and coming towards me was some gentleman walking their dog. Nothing untoward, yet suddenly - while I was still at some distance - the dog pulled away onto the large grass verge and then started barking. The dog was stood still and looking towards the road, and barking like mad. Their owner had stopped walking and was looking a bit puzzled too. As I got closer to them, I turned to look in the direction the dog was pointing, so I could see what had upset/annoyed it.

 

There was nobody else there. No-one on the other side of the road, and no other dog or animal. This dog was literally barking like mad at nothing. I found it extremely peculiar, though the dogs owner didn't look too bothered. As I passed by, this dog then stopped barking, and walked back towards the pavement. I looked again and there was still nothing else to see.

 

Well, nothing that I could see. But clearly, it seemed to me that SOMETHING was there, something that spooked this dog, and it reminded me of that squirrel being spooked in the same way, by something it could see or sense, yet I couldn't.

 

 

[Pierre-Luc]

On 9/12/2021 at 12:55 PM, Grumpy Owl said:

I participate in a local wildlife group on Facebook, and the other day someone posted a video of a squirrel up a tree in a local park. It was making some 'screeching' noise, and the poster was concerned about the squirrel.

 

I explained that it was perfectly natural, and that squirrels do this. And it reminded me of something I wanted to post about here.

 

Throughout much of my life, I have seen many squirrels about, but I always saw them as 'silent' quiet creatures. I never heard - or certainly never noticed one - making such noises until a few years ago. I'd moved into a nice little flat with a private garden which backed onto a canal, so it was a haven for all sorts of wildlife, including a number of squirrels.

 

There were of course also a number of feral cats in this small neighbourhood, which weren't much bother, unless you were a squirrel of course. So one day I was in my garden, and there was a squirrel sniffing around for food around my bird feeders. Suddenly, this squirrel darted off and up into a tree, and I started hearing this strange noise, kind of a cross between a 'quack' and a 'bark'. It was the squirrel!

 

It had been spooked by one of the feral cats, one then appeared into view hurrying towards the tree that the squirrel had just bolted up. I of course 'shoo'd' off this cat, but the squirrel stayed up in the tree, and its quacks/barks changed into this screeching noise, same as was videoed by this lady in our FB group.

 

Now of course, I hear this noise all the time now, and I know what it is. And why it happens, simply from first-hand experiences.

 

But oddly, I do also recall this happening, where I have seen squirrels suddenly 'spooked' like this, yet there is no such predator in sight. No cat, or fox around. Has something else spooked them, something I am not able to see?

 

Anyway enough about squirrels, I also remember a 'strange' incident just a couple of weeks ago. I was walking back up the road from a local shop, and coming towards me was some gentleman walking their dog. Nothing untoward, yet suddenly - while I was still at some distance - the dog pulled away onto the large grass verge and then started barking. The dog was stood still and looking towards the road, and barking like mad. Their owner had stopped walking and was looking a bit puzzled too. As I got closer to them, I turned to look in the direction the dog was pointing, so I could see what had upset/annoyed it.

 

There was nobody else there. No-one on the other side of the road, and no other dog or animal. This dog was literally barking like mad at nothing. I found it extremely peculiar, though the dogs owner didn't look too bothered. As I passed by, this dog then stopped barking, and walked back towards the pavement. I looked again and there was still nothing else to see.

 

Well, nothing that I could see. But clearly, it seemed to me that SOMETHING was there, something that spooked this dog, and it reminded me of that squirrel being spooked in the same way, by something it could see or sense, yet I couldn't.

 

 

I experienced it when i was young...maybe around 10 years old with the female cat that we had the time. It happen on two occasions. maybe experiencing it from time to time with my cat recently, but i don't put too much attention to it. He(the cat) do not seem to be threatened by what he see.

 

->First one; I was following her(the cat) in the basement short corridor on our way to my bedroom...we were leaning more on our right side of the corridor when she suddenly stopped, i stopped too, she then continue her way to my bedroom but she make a left loop toward our left obviously avoiding a obstacle that i was not seeing....i resumed my walk following her path to avoid the thing i was not seeing..just in case.

 

->Second one; I was laying on my back starting to fall asleep with the cat on my chest facing me. She(the cat) had her eyes closed purring while we were both start to fall asleep. She suddenly open her eyes and stopped purring fixing something over my left shoulder. From my point of view, what the fuck she looking at, there is only a wall just about a feet over my head when laying down in my bed. She then start to move her head slowly toward my right as she was obviously following something, until she stopped moving her head, closed her eyes, and slowly start purring again....i did not closed the light this day...and for many days.

[Chesterella]

A year ago my dog golden retriever and a sheep were facing each other through a closed gate very close 

 

both looked at each other my dog was very loving and they we  starring at each other for a couple of mins 

Then  both looked in the same dirrection then back at each other did this twice 

we both thought oh look he's made a friend thought  nothing of it until we watched the video of it  6months later 

 

Something flew past  them which they were both very much aware of but which was not visible to us but on the video when I slowed it right down frame by frame  it was clearly something

all I can describe it as is some sort of whispery flowing energy no distinct shape but was very fast went through the stone style    next to the gate which are in an ancient Woodlands  maybe some spirit   I'm a great believer in dogs and animals  they are  much more connected than us  we can learn a lot from them maybe one day we will all have the ability to see everything we might make more sense of this world hopefully