Deer Family of British Columbia - MOOSE

Moose Antlers, Hoopy Lake, Kamloops, BC

To the first-time observer the Moose, Alces alces,  looks kind of prehistoric, clumsy, awkward and outright strange. Its head is not "cute" (by human standard ) like that of a deer, the snout is way too long and out of proportion, the legs are long and spindly for the large body that they have to carry, the hooves are too big ..... it would not make it in Holywood ...but ... why don't we take a closer look?

A couple of years ago, my camera and I found ourselves seated on the ground of a cold muddy ditch. We were pretty much in a swamp near one of the Kootenay Summits waiting for a whitetail deer to show up for his daily Salt'n Spa Treatment. 

The deer tiptoed in and I, hiding under a large umbrella and admired by clouds of black flies, was totally absorbed in my photography. Five minutes later, no longer able to withstand the flies, I shook my head only to see a large moose cow and her calf some ten meters away, enjoying the mud and salt as well. When did they show up? Two large animals like that and I did not hear them come! (Yes, I am semi-deaf, but still...)

Biting flies or not, I did not dare to move much; Big Mamma was too close and I did not dare to take a chance of upsetting her. You need to know that I paid for this picture with my blood regardless, for in the name of their next generation, the black flies sucked me dry before she decided to take her calf elsewhere.

It was not too bad for her to move through the swamp because the moose have hooves that can spread widely - that helps them move through mud and snow as if they wore snow shoes. 
Let me tell you - I tried to walk in and it was not so easy for me.

Their long, strong legs carry them well above the water or snow. They are excellent hikers and swimmers, well adapted to many different environments - deep forests, swamps, lakes and rivers.Their long snouts, with nostrils that can close when under water, help them reach the submerged vegetation or, when hiking, reach lichens suspended from branches high above. 

In its last stretch before Castlegar, Kootenay River does not look like an ideal moose habitat. It is too rocky and sterile because it had been dammed so many times. Yet during the fall, when aquatic plants thrive in some of the shallower bays, the moose come to feed. Not the huge moose bulls whose antlers we photographed in the Kamloops area. At least I have not had an opportunity and the privilege to meet one here. But on more than one occasion I did meet a moose cow on these shores, usually in late summer and fall and always after the sunset while letting my kayak glide on the glassy surface of the river. 

Last Stretch, Kootenay River just before its conjunction with Columbia River by Castlegar

Common Mergansers and mating insects, Kootenay River after Sunset

Anchored by the weeds I was observing a heron that landed on a dry tree above a beaver's lodge. A mother whitetail with her twins happened to show up competing for my attention. When I looked back the heron was gone. It was getting darker by the second and I decided to turn back and head home. 
Yet, before I even moved something that wasn't there before caught my eye - a boulder that seemed to be, somehow, out of place.

Elodea, Water Weeds

While the moose was feeding - completely in and out of water, a beaver swam by and all I could do in that falling darkness was to put away my camera, sit, watch and think how lucky I am to live a peaceful life in such an amazing part of the world.

As stated above, moose can completely close their nostrils and when they feed under water their long snout helps them to reach down and feel for for grasses.

The same long snout also helps the moose (mooses, meese .... TOEFEL studies ... couldn't help it ) reach up for twigs and lichens and buds; other favourite moose foods.

OK, I do realize that I haven't seen much when it comes to this species. I have only seen the cows and the young - the bull is apparently much larger and almost 2x heavier than cows. The antlers can be huge - the largest I have seen have been tossed in the grass by a cabin at a remote lake by Kamloops, BC.
There was another pair nailed to a log on a shed. No wonder that the male must be so much larger and stronger - to carry such weight.

Moose Antlers, Hoopy Lake, Kamloops, BC

Like every male in the deer family, the moose needs his antlers for advertising his condition, for fending off the rivals and for protection from predators. By the end of the rutting season it is time to shed the heavy weight (a good set of moose antlers could weigh 30 or more kilograms). The exhausted bull would only attract attention of predators not having much of a chance to beat his odds.
Rut happens in September  and October and the calves are born some eight months later. They will stay with the cow for the most of their first year of life. 

A Moose Cow and Her Young, Manning Park, BC

A bull moose shed his antlers. With the upcoming spring they will start anew. For now there are only two nubs on his forehead.
This photo was taken in the dark ages of pre-digital era (actually using a wonderful Fujichrome Velvia slide film) - it had been scanned on almost an equally old scanner at 1200dpi.

My most exciting moose encounter happened on Kootenay River several years ago. The darkness was falling so I put away my camera, keeping out only a small camcorder. 
Just in case. The moon would rise soon, perhaps I could record that.

I sat in my 2-meter kayak, parked on the rocky shore - more or less stuck between two boulders and quite immobile at a moments notice. All was quiet and the world came to a complete still. 

One of those magical moments, I thought.

Well, it was magic allright because as I lifted my head I was staring at a dark bulk of ... something. It seemed that IT was also staring at me. Neither of us dared to move (well, I better talk only for myself).

Another something stumbled onto the shore - much smaller than the heavy shadow that was towering above my shore-stuck-kayak-bound little being. A baby moose!

Oh boy!

Now what?

I whispered in my weakest, tiniest little voice ever: "Hi you." 

(or maybe it was something different, I do not remember).

 Thankfully, the big mamma moose was  in a tranquil mood, two steps and she would have easily shared the kayak with me. She nervously lifted her powerful hoof then turned back, unsure, glancing in my direction. 

Awwwwhhh, Great Mamma Moose, thank you for being a nice girl tonight! I shall not move or spook your little one, not make a sound (though the courage is growing equally with the distance between us and the camcorder is gently purring in my silly palm.) 

With a couple more glances they walked away skirting the shore, to find another spot.

I treasure this fear-soaked, awesome footage and it bugged me that I could not use it for the purpose of this blog (not yet - have to figure out how first). 

But today it dawned on me that, perhaps, I could rip an image or two from the precious video.

Not only did it work (what would we do without the right mouse button?) the frames happily jumped into "My Documents" and saved themselves as a ".png"  file.

Dragged into Adobe Photoshop I adjusted the exposure and noise and saved as a .jpg  so I can finally share my greatest evening on Kootenay River with the rest of the world. 

And I am happy that I am still able to write about it too, for an angry mother moose is one of the most aggressive animals around. She is also so protective and so formidable that her young does not need the well known protective baby spots.

As she decided to walk away, she immediately placed herself (and her hooves) between her young and myself. Just keep on walking it that direction and, thank you very much for everything!

TIMBER WOLF... and a photographer's rant

The Basic Rules of Nature Photography read somewhat like this:

Rule # 1: Have you camera near or ATTACHED to your body 24/7

Rule # 2: Check your camera settings the night before a trip.

Rule # 3: Have you batteries charged. Always carry a spare one.

Rule # 4: Carry your camera attached to a tripod.

Rule # 5: Check the memory card. Carry a spare one.

There is more but ... try to neglect only one of the above and your trip will end up as follows:

Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Halcyon Hot Springs near Nakusp, BC. Great. 

Monashee Mountains near Nakusp

So, the last night I placed my camera bag and the tripod onto the back seat of our vehicle to be ready (good girl).

Hopped into the car at 8 a.m. (OK timing) without even setting an eye on the bag on the back seat (bad girl). 

Somehow I did not believe that we would see any wildlife today (no comment).

The drive through Slocan Valley was beautiful as always and there were plenty of whitetail deer by the road but somehow I was too lazy to turn back, fish out a camera and set it on my lap (as I always do).

It was around 10 a.m. when ... a dog? ... a coyote? ... no, a wolf climbed out of the ditch adjacent to Arrow lake. 

A real, wild and pretty large gray (also called timber) wolf !!!! We have NEVER seen a wild wolf in nature before!

Now, where is my camera? 

Yes, safely zipped up in the camera bag on the back seat! The bag with all my equipment is beautifully laid parallel to the tripod waiting to be picked up and transferred to the front (and I am suffering from a pinched sciatic nerve so turning back shall be no fun)!

The wolf seems to be in no hurry - as soon as we pass, it steps onto the road. 

Meanwhile, I am frantically trying to reach back (rip the silly nerve in two if I have to), fighting not one, but a couple of sturdy zippers, pulling out the the camera with a 100 mm lens and finally (my torso twisted into a painful pretzel) managing to press the shutter: 

SHOOT first, see what you got later. Even through the rear window! Then try to get a better shot.

(Another rule)

As the car comes to a full stop the wolf pauses - a second or two. Then it resumes walking (not running) to the opposite ditch from which the forest climbs up the steep side of a mountain.

I have a feeling that the animal too, has a pinched nerve or a busted leg ... something does not seem to be right, as if he was favouring his hind leg.

I manage to get out of the car and take another shot - just when he pauses, one last time, among the trees.

The exposure seems to last way too long! 

Gone.Time to check the settings.

WHO on Mother Earth was playing with my camera? The F stop is at 29. ISO at 800! 

I swear I did not have anything to drink last night! 

In a way the ISO 800 saved at least one of my shots - the one through the rear window! 

But F 29 for a free hand .... well, I am afraid that I am too old for that.

So - the very first time we saw a wild wolf  I came home with 2 photos: 

1) A striped wolf

2) Picasso wolf

ENJOY

Striped Wolf

After talking to people at the Hot Springs we realized that the wolf, like us, was probably visiting one of the thermal streams that come down the mountain and into the lake.
It would only make sense for a hurting animal to utilize the Nature's Spa.

Piccaso Wolf
(Wondering how much they would pay me for this.)

To avoid further disappointments like this 

I promised to myself :

To buy a very large tube of Crazy Glue to make us (my camera and I) inseparable from now on.

Each and every night at 8 p.m. to check all the settings, batteries and filters in all the cameras within the 1 km radius..

To scrub each and every glass element on every lens I can find until it shines like a diamond.

To baby my tripod and carry it with me at all times.

(Yes, you guessed right: I just had a glass of wine.)

On a positive side: We saw a live gray wolf right here, in the West Kootenays and it was the sight that will always remain etched into my mind.

Slocan Valley

Gray Wolf, Canis lupus also called 

Timber Wolf.

It is native to North America and Eurasia.

The wolf story is quite well known by now, fortunately the outlook  seems to be improving.
The North American wolves have been quite abused by the European settlers, and almost wiped out (ruthlessly shot, poisoned, trapped) in most of its former habitat in the
United States.
Canadian wolves were just a bit luckier, probably only thanks to the fact that the human population here is about 10x less than that of the USA.
European Wolves  shared a very similar fate.

Fortunately the attitudes are somewhat changing and there are increasing reports of wolf sightings.
As the understanding of their behavior and biology increases perhaps the fortunes of the wolf will turn for the better.

The wolves in my three photographs are not truly wild. They were born into captivity, used in the movies and when they grew older they could not be released anywhere in the wild. There is a Refuge for Wildlife at Grouse Mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia that offered to take these wolves in. They live in a quite a large, protected area and it is a gamble to see them. We were lucky on one occasion when they seemed to enjoy a sunny day of  Spring.

Deer Family of British Columbia: WHITETAIL DEER

Whitetail Deer, Odocoileus virginianus is a smaller cousin to Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus. While mule deer inhabit the Western, more mountainous parts of  North America, whitetail deer have spread throughout the entire North American and most of  South American continents thus becoming the most widely distributed ungulate species of the Western hemisphere. And while mule deer got their common name from the size of their ears, the whitetails owe it to the wide, fluffy tail that is carried upright when they feel scared or fleeing from danger. (Virginianus in their Latin name comes from being firstly described in Virginia)

The tail has a bright-white underside that is strikingly visible, especially in low-light conditions.

The white tail flag, along with other visual, vocal and olfactory means, is an part of  deer communication.

Whitetails have a language of their own - snorting, hissing and whistling sounds that they used differently in different situations.

Their scent glands, although less prominent than those of the mule deer,
play an important part as well as does their body language.

I came upon this doe and her fawn at dusk while kayaking Kootenay River. Once she figured out that I could pose a danger she gave out the typical deer snort and both of them took off.  The light was already low and their coats quickly blended into the surroundings. But their white tails shone for a while form the darkness of the forest making each one aware where the other was going.

When threatened, the whitetails take off with an elegant gallop of a race horse but when they are really scared they tend to gain advantage by making huge leaps, preferably down the hill, gaining advantage against their pursuers.

Seeing them to flee like that, at a neck-breaking pace, jumping over bushes and broken trees several meters far and couple meters high into the unknown terrain, down the hill,  always makes me wonder how come, that they do not break their delicate ankles and knees.

A small kayak on a quiet body of water  at dusk or dawn   can work wonders for a nature observer. As long as there are no sudden movements the animals do not perceive the kayak and its cargo as a threat.  

I usually set up a tripod inside my little boat (challenging, but the times of my steady-photo-hand  have vanished a long time ago). To manoeuvre between the tripod and the paddle takes some practice and more than an occasional prayer but for the most, the setup works pretty well .

The only trouble is that the vegetation can obscure the view. Nevertheless, I doubt that otherwise I would be able to get close to this buck who took up its residence among the dense bushes on a very steep river bank. He would hear and smell me way before I would ever be aware of its presence. Then he would sneak away, hide in the bush and watch me to stumble by.

The mule deer are "jumpers". Whitetails are "hiders". They are amazingly good at hiding in the underbrush and sneaking quietly away - unnoticed.

They are also much less social than mule deer and prefer to travel alone (that applies doubly for the males during the summer months.)

Just like the mule deer, the whitetails are more gray in the winter, their air-filled hair providing insulation from cold and also helping them to stand out less in the bleak winter weather.

In the summer they are more rusty brown.

Does are bred in the Fall, the fawns are born some six months later, usually May or June. When the fawns are born they can walk within a very short time. Yet, their Mom "park" them in a safe place where they lie still, their speckled bodies blending into the shade dappled undergrowth. They are nearly scentless; that making it difficult for predators to pinpoint their location. On the top of that, they do not eliminate any bodily wastes until a few weeks later - Mom then ingests everything further lowering the possibility of detection by the predators.

There is usually one fawn in tho doe's first pregnancy, the following might lead to two or rarely three young. The fawns stay speckled for about six months - they get their new one-colored coat just in time for the winter.

Last summer I sat in my kayak, parked in the dense mat of underwater vegetation by the edge of the river, silently enjoying the sunset, and the peaceful time on the river. 

Soundlessly, the trio below walked out of the forest just a few meters away from me - way too close for my long lens to focus. Argggh. I had to move - slightly - to be able to re-adjust the settings. The twins seemed to enjoy my company but Mom just stomped her foot and all of them slid back into the darkness of the ravine.

 Any north American country gardener can tell you that the whitetail deer like to eat shrubs! And things in the garden - flowers, veggies, even tomato plants! Wonderful in the evening - gone by dawn! We used to groan and say: "Why? There are grasses everywhere! Why do they have to destroy the gardens?"

The answer is fairly simple. Yes, they will eat grass but that is not their main supply of nutrients. They have GREAT cravings for salt - perhaps it has something to do with them being ruminants and needing to support all those bacteria in their complex stomachs.
I watched this deer for several evenings - every day after the sunset he walked out of the woods and took a very long walk down to the highway where salt from the winter road accumulated in the swamp.

In any case - the salts and other nutrients they need are not in the grasses - they are in buds and twigs and leaves of our precious garden trees (and the wild ones of course)! In cedar hedges especially!
All we can do to keep them away is to build a nice tall fence! (No link here - just type in "deer fence" and see how many sites you will get. Proof enough.)

So there we have it - Odocoileus virginianus - the Americas' most hunted, yet the most abundant deer. 

Hiding in shadows, thriving in cleared lands and cultivated fields. Adjusting to people, their gardens, dogs, radios, their parks, even their cities. 

Enjoying the demise of their main predators like wolves and cougars, increasing in numbers year after year. 

Cursed and cherished at the same time, taking the lowlands, leaving the higher elevations to the mule deer. 

Watching us from the shadows and, thankfully, most likely to stay with us for a very long time to come.