Category Archives: mammals

Winter grazing

  Grazing herbivores regularly battle snow, which limits their winter access to the grass below. They paw at the snow with hooves to open a hole and then stick their heads down and feed. I had not noticed White-tailed Deer … Continue reading

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Otter visit

  Three River Otters visited early in this morning’s cerulean twilight. The otters promptly went through their usual routine of shaking water off of their fur, and then marking the dock as now belonging to them. Rather than illustrating those … Continue reading

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On the rocks

  On the surface of it, on the rocks, has to be a dumb theme for a posting. On the rocks: The phrase has its origin in coastal ship wrecks. From there it took on the metaphorical meaning of a state … Continue reading

Posted in birds, fish, mammals | 5 Comments

Muskrat vs mallard

  A muskrat is primarily a vegetarian, but occasionally it will eat other small mammals: snails, mussels, crustaceans, and small birds. But, would it tackle a large bird? The literature is unclear. There is a pond where a few of … Continue reading

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Bighorny sheep

  What I have managed to see of this season’s rut of bighorn sheep has not been particularly dramatic. I witnessed no head butting, and only one coupling. Even during the rutting season, rams often hung out together. Ewes did … Continue reading

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Stotting

  It doesn’t take many encounters with mule deer before one is seen to stot. Stotting is a rather unusual gait. Most quadrupeds can walk, trot, and gallop. But to these gaits the mule deer adds stotting. It is the … Continue reading

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Coyote rests

  Coyotes obviously have to rest sometime. Yet, before last Saturday, I had not seen one lying. Whether wandering, grubbing, hunting, eating, pooping, or snarling, each previous coyote had been standing.  A coyote was relaxing in a farmer’s field. When … Continue reading

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September goulash

  This is a month’s end collection of images, none of which has had a posting of its own. Loons have been gathering on Kootenay Lake again, most having spent the breeding season on smaller lakes high in the mountains. … Continue reading

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Bears feed

  After weeks of regular visits to a local creek, I managed some clear views of a family of Black Bears feeding on the bountiful Kokanee. The cubs are now old enough to catch fish on their own. The sow … Continue reading

Posted in fish, mammals | 8 Comments

Squirrel prepares

  It is difficult to overlook the ubiquitous red squirrel. It is always around as it tosses cones from the trees, eats them, and then berates anyone who enters its domain. Yet, in all of my (usually inadvertent) squirrel watching, … Continue reading

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