Animals Animals Animals Animals Animals Everywhere

Also in Southern Alberta. My bear tally for the trip is up to three now. Everyone loves bears. I’m not sure why everyone loves bears so much. It occurred to me this morning, after seeing a bear, that bears are like the polynesians of the animal world in that:

  1. They’re big.
  2. They’re playful.
  3. If you cross them, they will literally kill you.

Was driving out of the park this morning when this guy jumped out of the bushes behind my truck and ran across the road:

He sized up me and I him.

It was the only photo of him I got. He seemed cool, though. More importantly, I was the only one on the road at that point. I’m selfish about my animal sightings that way. On the boat ride back from Crypt Lake all 80 of us saw another brown black bear on the lake shore going to town on a fish. I liked, though, that the road bear actually looked at me. Reminded me of that one time at Spring Training when I got Ken Griffey to nod at me.

This morning driving through Cardston, I saw a circle-of-life drama playing out in the temple parking lot:

Bird-on-bird crime.

There were another four or five magpies that were there for backup. Apparently the hawk had taken a chick out of someone’s nest. Not sure what the adult magpies were going to do about it, but the hawk was squawking at them and they were circling the asphalt menacingly. And then the hawk took off with the chick in its talons. I don’t know how it ended up. Maybe it’ll be on the news tonight.

I also saw some deer.

Deer at Waterton Townsite.

But deer are boring.

Maybe we’ll get some mountain sheep tomorrow.

bkd

4 comments

  • Mr. Telkontar

    I got screamed at by 2 very near hawks today. Nobody got carried off, unfortunately.
    At least your bear there knew enough to pose in front of a somewhat interesting background (instead of mere lakeside shrubbery).
    And by “mountain sheep,” do you mean bighorn sheep or mountain goats or simply sheep (dall, etc.) that live in the mountains?