American Marten

The American Marten can be found throughout Canada. A male can have a territory as large as 7.8 square km, while 2.6 for the female. The male will cover its territory in 8-10 days, hunting along the way. Defending it against another male, but they will be more tolerant of females. Being part of the weasel family, martens have the same typical body shape, long and slender as other Mustelidae. Their diet consists of small mammals, but will also eat fruits, nuts, insects, carrion and birds. I just recently came across what was left of a waterfowl that was eating underneath the car’s hood. Even with their small size, they are tough like other members of their family.  They will go after larger mammals, like snowshoe hares and marmots.

If spotted by birds, they will alert others. In the case of the Black-billed Magpies, they will mob it until the marten has left the area. Witness this a few times. It can be entertaining to watch. Before I saw this one, I heard an agitated red squirrel and a Song Sparrow. I was trying to figure out what was going on, when I heard a sound above my head. I looked up and saw this marten perched on a branch like a cougar. When it feels threatened, as it did when I arrived on the scene, it will climb up a tree for its safety. Once it feels safe, it will either come down and run away or go back to what it was doing.

Hoary Marmot

Epigenetic changes are a chemical modification that occurs in DNA and can be used to measure aging by studying the blood samples of an animal. UCLA researchers while studying yellow-bellied marmots. They discovered that the biological aging of these marmots’ stalls during their hibernation stage and continues during the active season. During hibernation, the marmot only uses one gram of fat each day and with a lowered temperature, it feels like a cold rock. Well, a cold furry rock. This adapted way of surviving the cold months helps the yellow-bellied marmot live up to 15 years. Longer than expected for an animal of its body weight. 

For us two-legged mammals, many of our species look at spending just one third of our time sleeping as a waste. But many researchers are studying the biological advantages of humans adopting hibernation for long-term space missions or for saving organs for transplantation. 

For the young hoary marmot in the attached picture, it was not thinking about a healthy lifestyle. It was time to take a break from eating when it was spotted early one morning. It was less than two months old and the size of three pikas, showing the camera how cute it was.

Black Bear

Cubs are born in January and when we see them in the mountains, they are already four to five months old. They weigh less than a pound, have a very light covering of fur and crawl very slowly. The mother will eat their birth membranes, lick the cubs and warm them by placing them next to her less furred belly. She will move and adjust to her cubs’ comfort sounds and cries, always making sure not to place too much weight on the cubs. The nursing mother loses about a third of her body weight with full-time babysitting and nursing, compared to non-nursing bears, who lose 15 to 25%.

 The cubs, when getting out of their dens, can’t out-run predators, but can climb trees for safety. The cubs depend on their mother for food, as their chewing teeth don’t come out until later in spring. Until it’s time to nurse, the cubs will be busy hanging out, exploring near their mom or, like this cub, practising its climbing technique. Since the cubs are not able to eat at first, being up in a tree is a safe place to be. When the mother is ready to move or time to nurse, she will call them down. The mother may also climb up a tree when there is danger or just to be in a safe spot with their cubs.

 Around this time of year, if you see an adult female black bear, maintain a safe distance and scan nearby trees for little shadows.

Egg For Breakfast

The journey of a bird egg starts with a tiny ova, which grows into an egg yolk. When ready, the yolk is released along the oviduct. The egg white is first to be added at the start of the oviduct, which consists mainly of protein, water, and minerals. As the egg carries on along the oviduct, it grows two connecting strands, one at the top and one at the bottom. Which helps anchor the yolk to the shell and keeps it in the center of the egg. After this, the egg continues down into the uterus, where the shell is added. Which is made from calcium carbonate. In order for air and moisture to pass through the pores, it’s made up of a semipermeable membrane.

 Two pigments, one greenish in colour and the other is reddish-brown.  When used in different combinations with the white calcium carbonate of the shell, they can provide egg colours from greenish-white to rich brown and deep blue. And speaking of deep blue. A study was conducted to see how a male robin would react if its mate laid eggs that were a brighter shade of blue. The idea was to test if brighter egg colour was a signal of the quality and health of their mate, and in turn, the healthy mate would create healthier babies. In conclusion, the males whose nest contained the brightest blue eggs, fed their young twice as much. Thus resulting in healthier young.

 Biliverdin is the pigment that is responsible for the American Robin egg colour. It is possible that higher biliverdin levels in female robins indicate a healthier female capable of producing healthier young.

Now the next experiment should be, is eating brighter blue eggs healthier for you?

River Otter

Apex predators have a major impact on an ecosystem, both from the point of view of controlling prey density and restricting smaller predators. They are crucial to the functioning of ecosystems, controlling disease and maintaining biodiversity. On land, in the air and in water. Some of the apex predators in the Canadian Rockies are bears, wolves, Bald Eagles, and more recently, in the rivers we’re seeing or coming across signs of river otter presence in the Bow Valley. The North American river otter is an apex predator. The otter population was nearly wiped out in southern Alberta. If their population keeps increasing, it will be a great success story for nature. Since their diet includes fish, frogs, birds, bird’s eggs, small mammals such as muskrats and young beavers and more. These species will be less happy with the river otter’s return. In the last few years those of us who spend lots of time outdoors have been experiencing a rare sighting of the otters. Hopefully, in the near future, it will be less rare.

Elk

Elk, like other members of the deer family, and bison, cattle, horses and many more have hooves. Which are like toenails and do not freeze. Hooves do not need a lot of blood supply, but the legs do. So they have a similar physiological adaptation as the birds, called a countercurrent exchange. Where the cold blood returns to the body right next to warm arterial blood moving down from the heart. Going back to the hooves, they act as an insulating layer between the legs and the frozen ground, snow or ice. 

As well, to survive the winter, they have a thicker insulating coat. Made of two layers, a dense coat under long guard hairs. The guard hair looks like honeycomb, thousands of tiny air pockets fill each hair, helping them to be waterproof and warm. Every winter I have seen this heavy winter coat at work, being thick enough, the fallen snow on the elk will not melt. On very cold winter days, the thick coat reduces the amount of heat lost, by lying down. Less heat lost through their belly, chest and legs this way. 

Elk will use stored fat to get through the winter, only around 30 percent of the winter energy requirement is met this way.  Remaining energy comes from additional adaptations. Elk reduce their metabolism by one-third. They will also go into a dense stand of trees where possible, the trees hold warmer air near the ground and as well catch snow before falling on them and the ground they are on. As well, help reduce the wind speed. Some elk in the mountains will migrate to an area where terrain difference can help them reduce the amount of energy they need each day of winter.

For many animals, winter is a time of survival until spring brings all- you-can-eat buffet.

Bighorn Sheep

I’ll never forget when I first heard the sounds of two rams hitting their horns together. It was the middle of the summer; both males were on the roads, licking minerals. One was pushing the other, when both looked at each other before their heads collided. Even though it was not with the same force that would have taken place during the rut season, it was still very loud. As if two large boulders had collided. Rams can weigh over 300 pounds and their horns can exceed 30 pounds. The force that is used when two male collide during the rut, scientists using the equation Force = mass x acceleration, 800lbs of force. A collision between two rams can be heard over a mile away. With their thick skulls, the rams are well protected from this force and it has been found that the volume of blood pumped to the brain increases before the collision occurs. This helps to create a “bubble wrap effect”. Just for comparison, an NHL player puts 100lbs of force when hitting the puck with a slap shot. And these horns for females and males, are made out of the same material as our nails are made of, keratin. A type of protein. I get my keratin when consuming eggs.

Grizzly

There are a number of qualities or traits that can help make one a good nature photographer.  I think one of them has to be being a positive person, where the glass is always half-full. If I wasn’t an optimistic person, I would be missing out on many opportunities. Every time I step outside with my camera, I think I’m going to get a picture. If I don’t have my camera when I go out, that’s when I feel I’m going to come across a unicorn made of chocolate. I do everything I can to prepare, so when that opportunity comes I’m ready to shoot. Before stepping outside, I check I have everything I need and it’s working. When I’m in the car, the camera is within arm’s reach in case an opportunity comes while driving. When on foot, I should be able to get the camera out and shoot within seconds. My pack only has what I need, everything is always in the same place. I should be able to find what I need with my eyes closed. Often with wildlife you may just get one quick chance at a picture. No time to look for the camera or figure out the setting before taking a picture. Have to be ready.

It also helps if you love being outdoors any time of the year. It’s a lot easier being happy when you’re where you want to be. You’re more likely to be looking around for wildlife signs and listening to the sounds around you. Instead of wandering outdoors and starting at your boots like the members of the many alternative music bands I watched and now listen to.  While being out there, I tend to think about all the past opportunities I have come across for photography. I seem to have very short memories of the days when I came back with no pictures. When I saw this big (M122) over the fall, it was a nice surprise, but I was ready.  I had the camera pointing at it within seconds.

He was coming to the end of his 23rd or 24th season, looking as big as ever. Experience has taught him where to find food and being a big bear, he can easily push off those predators that are far better than him at killing prey. The likes of cougars and wolves, he was following the pack’s day-old track when I came across him. One can’t just turn on a positive state of mind, but once reaching it with effort, life becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable. And when I come across a chocolate unicorn one day, I’ll be ready to take its picture. For now, enjoy the beautiful grizzly bear.

Grizzly

Just a few days before the picture was taken I had heard a large grizzly was around, and I thought it would be nice to see it among the fall colours we had at that time. A couple of days later, I got a heads-up from a friend that a large grizzly was passing through. M122 had decided to move on and was walking on a trail I use a few hundred times each year. We watched him slowly making his way away from town and I waited for him to pass through the area where I might get him in focus. Staying a safe distance from him, I had to focus through the vegetation. I was able to get a couple of images of him in focus, his eye visible and the fall colours around him. He’s 23 or 24 years old, even with the bad berry season we had this year, he still found a way to add weight to get ready for deep sleep this winter. It was the start of October; he was looking healthy as his new winter coat was coming along nicely. Having the experience and being in the same territory for much of his life has its benefits when it comes to finding what you need to survive.

Elk

Rut in zoology means an annually recurring sexual excitement in animals during the mating season. Particularly in the deer family, which include elk. When the males are active. History of the world dates back to the early 15 century, from the Old French word rut (“noise, roar, bellowing”, ruit, from Late Latin rugitus, from rugire (“to roar”). The male in the picture had just gotten ready after rolling in mud and his urine, with his antlers all decorated. Bugling as he made his way to the ladies.

White-tailed Deer

Once again, I was out early and had nature to myself. Listened to the birds around me and heard the breeze as it passed through the trees. I watched the tall grass as it swayed in the wind, as if unseen animals were moving through. Then from my left came a female white-tailed deer, and behind it two fawns. All three were nervous, when they saw me they quickly went back into the woods they had walked out of.

 I had seen the same family a week before, coming from the opposite direction. Before I could snap a picture, they were gone. But this time I had a chance to get pictures, they were going to cross a small field nearby I thought to myself. So I backed up and waited, enjoying nature as I looked in the direction I hoped they were going to come out. A short day's worth of time passed before I saw the doe come out in the open. A few seconds later, one by one the fawns came into view as well. They all saw me, it looked as if they were going to run across the open field. But stopped when they realized I was no danger to them. I stayed put and watched them through the light mist that was passing through and took pictures when the timing was right. They slowly moved across my view, they ate and watched me, repeated several times before they were out of view. Leaving behind memories.

Twins are quite common with the white-tailed deer; matter of fact 15 to 20 percent of the does will give birth to triplets when their habit is of high quality. But with twin and triplet fawns, not all are fathered by the same buck. Research has shown 20 to 25 percent of the fawn have been sired by a different male. These two fawns might be half siblings-twins, but I had left my DNA kit home that morning, so I’m only 20 to 25 percent certain.

Black Bear

The other week I went out birding during the evening. Sprayed on my favorite summer cologne, “Deet 30% by Chanel for men '', placed the bear spray canister on the outside of the pack and off I went. With lack of heat and smoke and a nice breeze moving through the trees, it was good to be out. I saw a small hawk in the woods, perched on a fallen tree. But before I was able to put the camera on it, it flew away. But the Lesser Scaup with three offspring were in no hurry, who I saw soon after. A few hundred meters later as I came around a turn, about 20 meters in front of me was a nice surprise. A young black bear must have heard me or saw me through the shrubs because it was already a couple of feet up a tree for safety. I touched my bear spray, but seeing the bear was more scared of me than I was about it, the spray stayed put. Nonetheless, seeing there was no way to create space between us for me to pass, I did a 180 and left the bear where it was. I connected with another trail, but on my way back from that trail, I heard a sound to the left of me. I looked into the tall grass toward the shrubs below the trail. A bear’s head popped up and looked at me. It was another black bear, but this one was cinnamon in colour and a year older. The trail was wider, so I moved to the other side of the trail and kept walking while looking toward the bear. It stopped looking at me and went back to eating the white dogwood berries. I stopped for a quick look, all I saw were moving shrubs and a couple of ears. Before I got to the car, I got a close look at a perched Great Blue Heron on a fallen tree. I got some images and I left. Another good bird walk. In the mountains, it’s rare I only come across birds during the bird walks. Always have to be ready for anything. This season the buffaloberry crop has not been good at all in the Bow Valley, the bears are travelling a lot to locate the calories they need before they head for the den in a few months.

Grizzly Family

The day I came across this mother griz and her two four-month old cubs, it was a cold mixed weather evening. It was less than two weeks since they had come out of the den and walked to the bottom of the valley. The setting was beautiful, early summer, the mountains still covered by the previous winter snow. Plenty to eat for the hungry mother, she would have been half asleep while nursing her cubs who were born in January. She now needs to add weight for herself and to keep producing milk for her cubs. I had missed seeing this female with her previous two newborn cubs in 2019. Sadly, she lost one of the cub at the start of the season and sometime toward the end the second cub. Most likely to an adult male grizzly. Last year, she mated and enjoyed a great berry season, which helped give her more weight coming out of the den and two healthy cubs.

But, this natural occurrence is called infanticide, which involves the killing of young offspring by an adult animal of the same species. It was to take place again about 24 hours after this picture was taken. Infanticide is not only just part of wildlife, it was a practice that took place throughout human history around the world as well. In nature, it’s just as common as in the past. I first learned about it listening to my unofficial teacher, David Attenborough, when I started watching wildlife documentaries as a kid. The practice is very common among the members of the Felidae family, among lions, tigers and other cats. It does not stop there, it has been observed throughout the animal kingdom, from the microscopic world, to insects, fish, amphibians, birds and mammals. In bears, it’s assumed for some of the reasons it occurs, for the male to be able to mate with the offspring's mother sooner and as well to remove future competition.

Twenty-four hours after the picture was taken, about a few kilometers away. The mother and her cubs were busy eating, in came a storm in the form of an adult male grizzly bear, out of nowhere. The mother was doing her best to protect her cubs, the cubs running for safety and the male chasing the cubs. When the storm had passed, the male was nowhere to be seen and no sight of cubs. The area was closed off to let the female grizzly deal with her loss.

Just off the top of my head, this year so far, a couple of black bears were lost on the road, a female grizzly F156 on the highway, leaving behind two yearlings and a female grizzly F130 on the railway with one of her yearling, leaving behind the other. These unnatural deaths are much harder to take. With natural occurrences, as sad as they are, that is the way of nature. As the years pass, the joy I had watching the two little cubs playing, having a small fight for ten seconds and just hanging out with their mother. Will be the memories that will dominate my thoughts when I look back at this image.

Mountain Goat

Just as I can’t survive on chocolate alone, mountain goats can’t on one type of food. They need to be able to freely move around to be able to consume a variety of food to survive. During the winter is when they are most challenged to find enough food. During the summer when they start putting back the weight, have milk for their kids and start working on their new winter coat for the coming winter. In the summer, they consume grasses, lichens, mosses, sedges and various flowering plants. Since goats are ruminants, which is an even-toed ungulate mammal that chews the cud regurgitated from its rumen. Putting their four stomachs to work, helped by microbes to break down coarse plants. If they are not able to get certain minerals through their regular diet, goats at some places are known to travel 25 km to lick natural salt deposits. The kid in this picture can relax while the nanny licks up the important mineral her body needs and to be able to pass on through her milk when nursing. But along the way, her offspring will learn from its mother where to go for all the nutrients it will need when it is on its own.

Moose

Moose calves weight 13 to 16 kg at birth, by fall they can weight 10 times that. The calves start nursing a few hours after being born, stopping in the fall when the mother is breeding again. They start eating or testing different food within a few weeks of being born. The mother using the knowledge she gained through her life experience will move around the landscape to get the food she and her calf need to be ready for the coming winter. The more weight the calf can put on, the better chance it will have to survive the winter. Over the winter, it’s more about conserving energy than consuming.  With less nutritious food, members of the deer family lose weight until spring arrives.

For this calf, her whole survival depends on her mother. Once this calf started walking, which was a few minutes after birth. Its survival instinct is to follow its mother, for food and for protection. As soon as the mother saw me, her ears were up and pointed toward me.  She needed to get to a safe spot. Within a few seconds she decided to get out of the area and into cover. She got out of the water, crossed a small open area and into the woods she went. The calf trying to keep its balance was right behind the mother. The mother was maintaining a pace its calf could keep up with. And just like that, the moose and the calf were out of perceived danger. Hopefully soon they found a place for the calf to recover from one of its first adventures, seeing a two legged mammal.

Mountain Goat

There could be as many as 100,000 mountain goats in North America, about half are found in British Columbia. Smaller isolated populations found in Alberta. They tend to stay close to the mountain range they are part of, except when some disperse to other areas. With some effort I can find them anytime of the year. Most times looking high up with the help of a binocular and or a camera. With aid I can enjoy watching them in their natural habitat. And a few times a year getting a wonderful opportunity to see them even closer with my naked eyes. 

Mountain goat’s feet are designed for the animals to be able to easily move around the steep cliffs, even with slopes having pitches that exceed 60 degrees. They have powerful shoulder and neck muscles to help them move up steep slopes. Even though they are great climbers, they do have their limits. I have seen a number of times when an individual is not able to go down a difficult path, only to end up spending time finding their way back before finding an easier route to their destination. The kids, who are given birth in isolation, can follow their mother over challenging terrain two to three days later to join the herd. They are born climbers.

Watching them moving on the side of the mountain has to be my favorite part of watching the goats, trying to see what path they will take. Because of their extreme habitat, they seem to know just where to stop and pose to provide these amazing photo opportunities. And sometimes I’m close enough to take advantage of the opportunities by getting a photo or two.

Cross Fox

A variant of a red fox, the cross fox is melanistic in colour, I should say partially melanistic. Meaning it has black pigments in its skin and fur. When a red fox morph mates with a silver fox morph, a cross fox is created. The name cross is resulted from the fox having a dark stripe running its back and another stripe over the shoulders to form a cross. About 25 to 30 percent of Canada's red fox population is made up of cross fox, found mainly in northern areas of North America. They are identical to the red foxes in regards to their physical shape, but some studies indicate the cross foxes might be slightly larger and have a bushier tail. To my eyes when I came across this cross fox on a cold morning, her size indicated she might be a female. Other than that, it was hard to tell if it was bigger than the red foxes. They don’t take kindly to me pulling out my scale and measuring tape.

Elk

This bull and other male elk will start losing their antlers soon. This process happens each year at different times with the members of the deer family and with the caribou females. It’s a rare regeneration process among the mammals, which scientists are studying and hope to be able to duplicate in humans. Not to have antlers growing out of our heads, but to help nerves regenerate to return mobility to those with damaged limbs. The antlers are used to defend against competitors and to attract females and they are shed sometime after the mating season.

  Replacement with new antlers start right away, with some moose they can be as heavy as 34 Kilograms. Growing antlers are surrounded by a fur called velvet, which carries all the material to build the bone. When the antlers are growing underneath the velvet, they are soft and can easily break. The animals will try not to damage them, the nerves in the velvet will provide the sensation to make sure the growing antlers are not banged or scratched until they stop growing and are hardened. Basically, with the nerves the animals will feel pain if the antlers feel pressure. In about three months the bone stops growing and they become sturdy. Blood flow stops and the velvet starts to break up. The males start feeling itchy, which gets them to start rubbing the antlers on branches, resulting in the velvet peeling off. Now they are ready to battle.

 For the scientist the interesting part is the nerve that can grow to three feet long, these wiring is called axons, where information is transmitted. With antlers, the axons regrow each year, but not with humans when a limb has been damaged. By studying the members of the deer family, the scientists hope to understand the process and the material needed to duplicate it in humans who have damaged limbs or spinal cord injuries.

Grizzly

I got this picture of the well-known larger male (M122) grizzly in November. Whenever I see the image, a lot of things go through my head, far beyond the morning I got the picture. From the first time I saw him many years ago, to all the times since. He’s no longer the dominant male grizzly he used to be, that should not be a surprise. The average male grizzly lives into their mid 20s, M122 is about 22/23 years of age. The last few years, including this one, he has been seen with bad scars from his battles, on his body and most of all on his face.

This season was no different, with his encounters with males and few with females. After one battle he hung around a meadow for a few days, waiting to recover and be on the move again. It’s the life of a dominant male, always on the move from the time he wakes up from his deep winter sleep to the day he is done for the season. M122 does not want to move into the background and take it easy for his last few years, we figure on his last day he will go out fighting. Looking closely, you can see some of the scars from this year. 

Over the years I have seen him a number of times, each one more interesting than the last. One of my favorite encounters was this summer. I was driving into Kootenay NP, chasing a beautiful rainbow. Parking lot for one of the trailheads was coming up, and I was going to pull in there and take a picture of the rainbow. I parked the car and stepped out with the camera in my hands under the falling rain.  As soon as I looked toward the start of the trail, M122 was coming onto the parking lot. He was less than ten meters from me, he looked toward me as I got back into the car. I changed my lens, lowered the window and took his pictures as he ate berries. He was making his way deeper into the Kootenay NP along the road.

I got back into the car and drove in the same direction, I passed him as he was moving and grazing. About a km ahead there was a better spot for the rainbow that was still in the sky. The rainbow lasted for 15 to 20 minutes, getting more than a few pictures. I sat back and removed the water from my equipment as I watched for the bear that was moving in my direction.  I saw the shrubs move, he was moving at a good speed and no one else was the wiser. With the lack of winter coat in the middle of the summer, you could see more of the battle scars he was carrying. He comes out of the shrubs, onto a small open space. Like a happy cub, he hopped/trotted across it. He was having fun. I smiled as he reached the other end, he slowed down and walked into the shrubs. Then into the woods behind, making his way to his next adventure.

Grizzly

According to researchers, play is a voluntary behaviour that is repeated several times and it does not seem to have an obvious function. For example, bear cub running, and not from a large male grizzly. We have seen dogs and cats playing and some of us have seen wildlife playing. Just have to pop onto your computer and it does not take long to find a video of bear cubs playing for example. I have seen the behaviour with my own eyes of four month old cubs to a 22-year-old male grizzly playing. Birds have been observed playing, reptiles and the list increases as more studies are conducted. The challenge seems to be trying to find the reasoning behind it, what are the benefits of using all that energy for playing. 

One theory is it may increase a brain’s functionality, helping increase the number of neuron connections. Which in turn can help the animals anything they do, hunting, mating, etc…, increasing the chance of surviving in the wild. 

But when I saw this cub and his mother playing with each other, it was easier to see for those of us lucky enough to observe bears a number of times. I was not thinking why, all I could do was smile and remember to take a few pictures. It was one of my favourite moments watching them take turns chasing each other.