Category Archives: mammals

I confess that in the winter I miss the bears. So, when spring comes, I welcome them back. Thus it was fun last Saturday to watch a black bear grazing in a field. About the same time, my friend, Doug … Continue reading →

This Columbian Ground Squirrel has its burrow well out on the edge of the colony. This suggests that in the colony’s hierarchy, this squirrel ranks low. However, its suburban location did make it easier to watch.

Mule deer are the only local wildlife that stot. Quadrupeds display a variety of gaits: they have various manners of moving, such as, walking, trotting, galloping. To this list of gaits, a handful of animals around the world add stotting … Continue reading →

The muskrat was the second wild mammal I encountered along this lakeshore when I was a small child: a muskrat often nested in a float from which we swam. (The first encounter was with the squirrel). The Kootenay Lake website offers … Continue reading →

Kootenay Lake (altitude 532 m) does not freeze over in the Winter. In the past, portions of the West Arm would sometimes freeze over, but that has not happened for a long time. The change had nothing to do with … Continue reading →

At noon on Sunday, I watched a coyote hunting in a large field of snow. I saw it pounce, dig in the snow, and come up with something in its mouth (right). It is likely that it caught a vole. … Continue reading →

Life becomes difficult for Mule Deer when snow is deeper than than 30 centimetres. As deer must stay on the move both to find food and escape predators, deep snow is problematic. What these pictures from a few weeks ago show … Continue reading →

At the north end of the Lake, a friend put his bird feeder out again yesterday, thinking that the bears have now retreated for the winter. Yet, among the visitors to my snow–covered yard overnight was a bear (tracks below). So, … Continue reading →