Category Archives: mammals

Hummingbirds, plus

  Hummingbirds have been seen recently around the region. I have seen a female Rufous Hummingbird for about a week. And of late, a male Black-chinned Hummingbird has arrived. During the hummingbird season, we get three different species: rufous, black-chinned, … Continue reading

Posted in birds, mammals | 4 Comments

May miscellaneous

  I went looking for something else, but instead found, well, many other things. On a pond by the river, there was a loafing log with 14 painted turtles in three sizes. The mature females are the largest and there … Continue reading

Posted in birds, herptiles, mammals, wildflowers | 4 Comments

Spring arrives

  The temperature now rises above freezing day and night at the bottom of the valleys. The trees begin to bloom, and skunk cabbage sprouts in moist areas. Birds mate and build nests. Migrants arrive and some pass northward. This … Continue reading

Posted in birds, bugs, mammals, wildflowers | 4 Comments

Two interesting visitors

  The last week has been bitterly cold with bouts of steam fog and snow. Critters seemed few in number, but it has warmed, and recently there were interesting visitors. Two Trumpeter Swans came along the shore feeding midday. They … Continue reading

Posted in birds, mammals | 2 Comments

Otters frolic

  I don’t often see river otters; indeed the last one was well over a year ago. However a family of otters visited yesterday morning and spent a half hour on a nearby dock. There were two parents and two … Continue reading

Posted in mammals | 6 Comments

Weasel

  Thud. A robin collided with a window and fell to the deck. What followed was unexpected. Soon a Short-tailed Weasel found the robin. Now it wasn’t clear whether the robin was dead or just stunned, but the weasel quickly … Continue reading

Posted in birds, mammals | 7 Comments

White-tail suckling

  There are many white-tailed deer in the valley and they are, on the whole, quite visible. Yet there are some things that one rarely sees: rutting, mating, birth, and suckling. It is probably not that the deer has a … Continue reading

Posted in mammals | 2 Comments

Exotropia in bears

  The word, exotropia, is not found in my computer dictionary. But it is found clearly on the web (e.g., wikipedia). It describes the situation were one’s two eyes, rather than looking at the same thing, are deviated outwards. In … Continue reading

Posted in mammals | 2 Comments

Grizzly & Kokanee

  A (female?) grizzly bear wandered by and began feeding on Kokanee salmon. Before wandering off, it had eaten perhaps a dozen Kokanee. A few days ago, I looked at black bears eating Kokanee. I think the grizzly bear was … Continue reading

Posted in fish, mammals | 5 Comments

Bears in Park

  Bears have arrived at Kokanee Creek Park. Usually, it is earlier, but while black bears have been here for a few days, they seem to be a bit late this year. Well, it was a good huckleberry season at … Continue reading

Posted in mammals | Comments Off on Bears in Park