The wildlife activity during the recent full moon included several nights of coyotes working close to the casa as well as seeing a coyote on the game trail behind the house in broad daylight 2 days ago. Karl let us know about the nighttime activity and it was close enough and loud enough one night that I heard it also. Karl also alerted me to the coyote on the game trail. His bark is unique for different critters and it was definitely an agressive, “Move on!” kind of bark. I looked out to see the coyote on the move with Karl behind. Karl “herds” critters off the property versus a chasing off. It is his inate behavior – nothing I trained. I am very happy with it as it discourages visitors but does not threaten them to the point of forcing them to attack.
Over the weekend, Steve and I searched the property for tracks and evidence of a coyote kill as from the noise, I thought they were on the property when they finally got whatever they got. We found one set of coyote tracks but that was it.
Steve was out on the mountain loop on Monday and came back telling of finding some tracks he thought were cat, as in big cat…as in mountain lion. They are a little old and a bit hard to pick up the definition in the photos that we could see with our eyes, but…
The tracks are definitely not canine, they are feline. They are too big for a bobcat.
Who goes there?
2 on the ice, 2 in the air: Egan Slough, north of Bigfork, MT – 12/12/2009
Today is the last day of deer season in Montana.
This big, healthy buck has been around a bit with his harem of two. He is gorgeous as well as vigilant – he stayed mostly in the trees while the does ventured very near the house.
Moss and lichen off fallen branches as well as directly off the trees attracted the does into the yard and within ten feet of the house.
Hope we see them again.
Regis noted on the prior post that he didn’t know turkeys played soccer. It might come as a further surpise, then, that Montana deer play football :)!
What???
Photos taken 10/19/2009 – midmorning.
Last year at this time there were 2 hens with 12 chicks between them and by Fall just 2 chicks at the nearly grown stage. Both Bob and Karl were inside when this group walked down the driveway. I confess to not being that fond of the turkeys. The males are beautiful when “strutting their stuff” – peacock-like with red, black and white plumage – but they are all loud and messy. Karl chases them off. I am not sure why they persist in coming so close to the house.
While working this afternoon 3 or 4 birds flew into the sunroom/office windows in fairly short succession. While not completely unheard of for a bird to hit one of the windows, it doesn’t happen all that often. After the 3rd or 4th hit, I started looking around.
The yard was full of these guys – not a sharp photo as they don’t sit still! Despite the fact that I have a recent edition of Peterson Field Guides: Western Birds, I have not yet identified a bird correctly on this blog. But, going out on a limb (hee!), I think these are finches, specifically White-winged Crossbill Finches. I await correction… They are tiny – about nuthatch size although the more rounded shape of a gold finch, smaller than a junco.
I’m not a bird watcher per se although I love watching the birds of prey and hummingbirds and it has been interesting to see birds on their migration spring and fall.
Bob was interested.
That is a tail in mid-thwap.
Karl was inside when a small herd of white-tailed deer visited yesterday afternoon. They eat the mossy stuff on the downed branches in the yard and woods. If Karl is not out to keep them away, they come right to the house and I will look up from working to see…
I think these were last year’s fawns – still small and hanging together.
Mr. Buck getting a start on this year’s antlers. I’d love to find his shed! I know they shed early in the year and I have not yet found any in my walks in the woods…maybe this year.
Meanwhile, Mr. Karl studiously avoided looking at me AND outside at the deer. Once the deer are acknowledged, he must do something about them and I think he sometimes doesn’t feel like it so he comtemplates his toes instead.
