Photos of Wild Creatures in Winter

Arctic fox

Wild turkey

Bison

Vole

White tail buck

Wolf

Today's Snow (with Photos)

It started to fall a little after midnight - I was reading, and noticed the raindrops mixed with snow.  It was still a mixture after 1 a.m.  About 2:30 I could see snow accumulation on vehicles in the parking lot.  When Lovey and Nedi awoke me at 6:45, there was about 5 inches of snow on the balcony. It continued snowing until 1 this afternoon, then the sun tried to come out; and almost everything melted away.  Since 5 p.m., we've had brief periods of heavy snow, and snow mixed with rain...  There's an icy glaze on the balcony floor now, but that's about it.  I'll have to see what the local NWS says about snowfall amounts....  The National Weather Service says 8.2 inches of snow fell on 4 April.

Deer in Evergreen

Looking west in Boulder

Hiking in the snow at Chautauqua

Crab apple blossoms this afternoon

Train near Niwot

Farm in the Foothills

Bison in Evergreen

A Sampling of Rocky Mountain Wildlife - Photos

Moose and calf

Black bear

Pika

Big horn sheep

Wolf

Elk

Mule deer

Bald eagle

Bison cow and calf  (buffalo)

Marmot

Mountain lion  (catamount, puma)

Colorado Views

Near Westcliffe

Ground squirrel

View from Baker Mountain in Larimer County

Bison 

Walker Ranch Trail

Diamond Lake west of Nederland

Lone Eagle Peak in Indian Peaks Wilderness Area

New Foal and Wildlife

I'm starting to get my horse and pony motors revved up again.  We're 8 weeks away from the running of the 2016 Kentucky Derby, and, last weekend, the first Chincoteague pony foal born on the Virginia end of Assateague Island.  The mare is Tunie, and she has a bay pinto baby.  Darcy Cole is the photographer who tracked them down....  She states the sire is "Hoppy," a bay.  I don't know if she's referring to Little Dolphin, or Effie's Papa Bear….   Darcy calls Effie's Papa Bear "Hoppy."

There are three expectant mares on the Maryland (Northern) end of the island.  Apparently these three did not lose their estrus cycles when darted with their annual birth control medication...

   The birds and other critters are getting the feeling that it's really Spring here in Boulder.  The mating displays can be breath-taking, even when I'm just sitting in the back yard.  Flights, plumage displays, and dancing are very common; and the squirrels are running in patterns only they can see up, down, and around tree trunks.  I stopped the car at 6:10 this morning on a normally busy street to watch three bucks, twelve does, and eight yearlings slowly walk across traffic.  

   I feel so lucky to be able to observe nature - one is not going to see a herd of mule deer crossing the street in any large city.  And, even though I frequently see elk, I am still surprised by their size and majesty.  Buffalo, or bison, are just amazing.  And I'm used to handling large horses, including draft horses and draft crosses - I guess it's because they are wild creatures.

Random Thoughts

Yesterday, Bea and I visited Estes Park, just to get out of Boulder…  It was grand, as usual.  There were a few idiots driving along 36 - I was driving (yes, I admit it) 7 miles over the speed limit on a two-lane black top that has a 50 to 90 foot drop down to a very rocky creek bed.  The other side of the road os blasted rock that is almost perpendicular.  Beatrice and I were amazed when four separate vehicles passed us as if we were standing still.  I have no idea where they were headed in such a hurry, but I was afraid we'd see an accident ahead of us, once they had passed.  We didn't, so I guess angels were looking out for those drivers (and us).
    We poked around and looked at houses, and drove down some roads we hadn't gone down before.  Besides mule deer outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, we saw elk in Estes Park and in Big Thompson Canyon.  On the way home we took another back road and drove past a herd of bison…  I enjoy getting out and seeing wildlife.
    This morning, at a traffic light, I had a green, and was driving at 45 mph.  Some ditzy blond in a Cadillac Escalade turned from the red light side directly in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and watched in disbelief as she made a huge U-turn, and headed in the opposite direction of my stopped progress.  My jaw was, literally, hanging open.  Maybe she didn't see me at all, but a 3/4 turn to go in a totally different direction?  I also felt a bit unsafe as I was driving the Prius this morning, as opposed to the Lexus SUV….
    We drove by Larimer County's Devil's Backbone Open Space yesterday, and I noted that the area is currently closed due to raptor nesting season.
    There are crocus blooming in the back yard this morning.  They are beautiful, but I also know full well that Boulder usually has it's last freeze on or about May 6 - and today is only March 9.  Our little ivy plant inside the apartment is growing very nicely - it's put on about 20 new leaves, and the stems have grown about three inches each.  Usually the only thing I can grow and keep alive is catnip.
    I sat down to do some intensive genealogy work Monday, and was surprised to learn that one of my favorite websites that I use for "quick and dirty" research was totally down and won't be back up until March 15 or so.  The site says that have "hardware" problems…..   Did one of their servers crash and burn?  It's just weird that when I finally get the urge to research, the site is down.  It's pretty frustrating, too.
    As much as I loved driving in the mountains yesterday, I kept talking to Beatrice about Chincoteague and Assateague.  Thank goodness I'm heading back for 11 days in July!  I have foals and fawns on my mind, as well as hatchlings and new growth….   Yes, I miss the islands.

Wildlife in Snow - Photos

Spring Critters

Wildlife Babies - Photos