Category Archives: mammals

Marmot suckles

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Alistair

  The pups of the Yellow-bellied Marmot are now out of the burrow.  But, they are still firmly bonded with mommy. Here one pup suckles.  

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Vulture feeds

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Alistair

  In the last decade, local observations of Turkey Vultures have roughly doubled. Is this a result of changing observer attentiveness, global warming, or just vulture behaviour? Who knows? For the first half of the decade, the only views I … Continue reading →

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March goulash

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Alistair

  This is a collection of images from March, each of which lacked a posting of its own. Such observations of nature serve as a balm to my own increasing social isolation. These are creatures oblivious to our present angst. … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary, mammals | 7 Comments

Trotting while flagging

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Alistair

  Something struck me as odd about the White-tailed Deer crossing the road. Yet, I couldn’t immediately identify the inconsistency. The doe had raised its tail as a flag to indicate that a predator had been detected. That imagined predator … Continue reading →

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March marmots

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Alistair

  Yellow-bellied Marmots are out of hibernation. I didn’t see any a few weeks ago, but yesterday I saw over a dozen of them on the talus. The first one spotted lounging on a rock was fairly small, and so … Continue reading →

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Whither spring?

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Alistair

  What are the present intimations of spring? This snow-flecked Red Squirrel should be entering its summer moult about now. The arrival of Dark-eyed Juncos indicates spring is imminent…, as does the arrival of a Belted Kingfisher (with fish), which … Continue reading →

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February goulash

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Alistair

  This is a collection of images from this February, none of which has had a posting of its own. The Rough-legged Hawk is a winter resident that hunts for rodents.  Our smallest falcon, the kestrel, hunts in open habitats. … Continue reading →

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Bad-hair skunk

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Alistair

  Being normally nocturnal, skunks are only rarely seen. Yet, when spotted, they usually seem well coiffured, not the unkempt creature I encountered yesterday. A skunk stopped by for a visit. But as it wandered off, it looked as if … Continue reading →

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Stuck cat

Posted on February 16, 2020 by Alistair

  This blog does not usually concern itself with domestic animals, but this seemed special: a stuck cat. It was beside the highway and high on some utility cables about a third of the way between the poles. Presumably it … Continue reading →

Posted in commentary, mammals | 11 Comments

December goulash

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Alistair

  This is a collection of images from this December, none of which has had a posting of its own. A Coyote hunts for voles in a field. Each winter, Nelson’s waterfront plays host to a variety of interesting water … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, mammals, weather | 2 Comments