Category Archives: mammals

  I see River Otters only a few times a year, but I have to wait two or three years for a sighting such as this: an otter that arrived with its own breakfast. 

  I sometimes see the Columbian Ground Squirrel during my wanderings. Although I try to take pictures, usually little more than a head is seen cautious peeking from a burrow, and it quickly vanishes. Yesterday, I was pleased to see one standing … Continue reading →

  Doug Thorburn’s camera has provided me with a recent, but uncommon, view of Elk grazing in the forests of the South Selkirks high above Kootenay Lake. Elk are social animals, but at this time of year, groups of cows, calves, … Continue reading →

  For three consecutive mornings, an otter has paid a short visit to a local dock. It arrives, defecates, preens, looks around, and leaves. An otter monitors its surroundings at daybreak.

  On adjacent days I watched two rather different mammals graze: marmot and elk. The two occupy different habitats and differ in weight by a factor of a hundred, but for each, grass is a staple of its diet. A Yellow-bellied Marmot … Continue reading →

  Around here, the Yellow-bellied Marmot emerges from hibernation in the latter half of March (2012, 2013, 2014). Yesterday’s marmot is having grass for breakfast after its long winter’s nap.

    We have two species of deer around the Lake: Mule Deer and White-tailed Deer. White-tailed Deer are seen mainly at the valley bottom (discussion of white tail, facetious comments). Mule Deer are seen mainly on the mountain slopes. It … Continue reading →

  As I watched two coyotes this morning, I sensed a pattern. So, I looked through all my (dated) coyote pictures for a decade and the pattern became clear: I only see coyotes hunting from December through April. Now, I live at the valley … Continue reading →