Category Archives: mammals

  Recently my parents and I visited Khutzeymateen Provincial park, located an hour and a half north of Prince Rupert by boat. Finn’s posting: This posting was both photographed and written by Finn, who is Alistair’s grandson. Grizzly bears are … Continue reading →

  Come summer, I often see bears  in my neighbourhood on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. They are almost always black bears, and always look heathy, whether boar, sow, or cub. So far, this year has been unusual. I … Continue reading →

  The North American red squirrel is our most common tree squirrel. It is generally a solitary creature. It will only be with other red squirrels when the female nurses pups or when it mates. The oestrus period for the … Continue reading →

  We certainly have grizzly bears in the West Kootenay. Yet we practically never see them on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, which has a fair number of homes. Presumably, grizzlies just avoid people. Joanne Siderius, the Senior Naturalist … Continue reading →

  A red squirrel found a reddish berry and hauled it away to eat. (But, I have been unable to determine what the species of berry it is. It seems that no reddish berries are yet in season here.) The … Continue reading →

  Deer grow their antlers anew each year. And although it is variable, the new antler buds usually appear in April. Yesterday, I saw a male white-tailed deer with antler buds. A deer’s antlers are the fastest growing animal tissue … Continue reading →

  Yellow-bellied marmots are back out of hibernation. I think that only the adults are visible at present. Soon there will be mating, and then, after about 30 days of gestation, we will see pups nursing. A marmot watches the … Continue reading →

  This posting just celebrates a visit of a marten. Of the two species of martens found in B.C., this is probably the pine marten.  The marten travels over the snow. Photo by Cynthia. It climbs a rowan tree and … Continue reading →