Category Archives: mammals

  I have not seen a wolf, but Doug Thorburn has—or at least his trail camera has. High in the Selkirk Mountains just south of Nelson, it captured a number of images of a foraging Grey Wolf.  I had wondered … Continue reading →

  A doe in my yard is clearly eating for both herself and another. I have yet to see the fawn.

  It was an amazing experience to sit amidst a horde of hunting bats. Derek Kite alerted me to the shoreline feast. For an short intense period in the late evening, the air above a tiny stretch of beach became … Continue reading →

  Black bears were given their name by early European settlers along the eastern shore of North America. There, and along the south coast of British Columbia, black bears are obligingly black. Around here, however, black bears come in a … Continue reading →

  Only two of these I saw; the bear was photographed by Derek Kite. Snowshoe hares are around, but are not all that common. The three I saw one morning are the first I have seen in nine years. Who knows? … Continue reading →

  I have not seen a porcupine in decades; nor had Doug Thorburn who took these pictures earlier in the week. I suspect the reason is that a porcupine is usually active at night, while we are not.  The porcupine was ascending … Continue reading →

  Pikas usually live on alpine scree slopes. I have heard their calls, pee-ka, previous years but before today, I had not seen this relative of the rabbit. Today at an altitude of over 1100 metres, I saw my first pika. … Continue reading →

  This is the season to see marmot babies freshly emerged from the den. These are the pups. This is an adult Yellow-bellied Marmot.  An adult and pup watch the world. A pup looks around.

  Saturday’s sunrise found me watching an otter sleeping on a local dock. Otters are short-sighted and I maintained a discreet distance, but an inadvertent noise woke it. It did not seem to spot me and so set about sniffing to see if any … Continue reading →