Category Archives: mammals

  There seems to be a rather large number of Black Bears around the valley bottoms this year, both scrounging on the ground and in the trees. This is third posting showing a bear in a tree that I have … Continue reading →

  Black Bears were given their name on the East Coast where all are obligingly black. They are also uniformly black on the West Coast. But, around Kootenay Lake, Black Bears come in a delightful range of colours. Some, of course, … Continue reading →

  Surely my most unexpected observation of this year was made last evening when a Chipmunk crashed an outdoor dinner party. When I was a child, I would often see chipmunks at the valley bottom around the Lake. However, for … Continue reading →

  I have made many postings about marmots, but all recent ones treated the Yellow-bellied Marmot. This one is about the Hoary Marmot. Three species of marmot are found on the mainland of British Columbia — Yellow-bellied, Hoary, and Woodchuck — … Continue reading →

  Who has seen a Pika? Although subalpine hikers sometimes hear its warning, eeep, spotting this potato-sized relative of the hare is difficult when it is at home in the talus, for it blends well. Pikas do make quick trips … Continue reading →

  A Black Bear in a tree huffed at me. The bear was about three metres above the ground feasting on bitter cherries when it decided that I had wandered too close. It let me know its feelings. While a huffing Black Bear … Continue reading →

  The long weekend is a time to retreat from life’s exigencies. So it was that a young buck with velvet antlers arrived in its quest for wholesome serenity. A White-tailed Deer looks for a good setting for its contemplative … Continue reading →