Some elks!!!!!!

[golden optimist]

We drove to Estes Park yesterday looking for some elk. We saw some laying around on the golf course in the middle of town. They mingle with the people all over town almost like dogs.On the way home we stopped at the local open space about 6 miles from the house. There we saw a huge herd just munching along.

We saw a pair of eagles a couple of days ago.
Leonard

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[Hoser John]

Love them critter pics-John

[golden optimist]

Yesterday we saw this Blue Heron sitting on a fence post. That's unusual. They are usually sitting on a log or standing in water. The elk were still where we saw them 2 days ago.
Leonard

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[Matt Mattson]

You two are doing great with those pics - keep it up!

[Jim_Alaska]

This is not Elk, buuuut

As I write this the date is May 1st. 2018. We have had to move our residence to a different place about eight miles from where we previously lived. It has been a long and arduous task for two old people, but we got it done. A new location always brings about unexpected changes and surprises, but with this move there was a surprise that I never could have anticipated.

When most people think of California they immediately think in terms of big cities and huge populations. I also thought this way before I became a resident. The truth is that there are many places in Far Northern California that are extremely rural and even off the beaten track. Many places are desert with no population, or mountainous and forested. Where we live is mountainous and heavily forested. It is just a place name with little population. In a fifteen mile stretch of highway the population is just 115. The nearest sizable city is 80 miles distance. Out nearest neighbor is more than three miles away.

Hello




So, having established how rural we are I will move on. Being surrounded by wilderness we see a lot of wildlife. When we moved in here the person that was moving out told us of a small California Kit Fox that visited regularly. He said this fox liked to stop by for a slice of bread. Since we moved in this little female fox has stopped by a number of times. But I found out something about this visitor that no one ever would have guessed.

I'm Foxy



After the first couple of visits where I would dole out a slice of bread in small bites, one evening I decided to sing. I often sing when alone and outside, or in the truck. As I sang I noticed a visible change in the demeanor of the little fox. She was standing about six feet from me and her eyes seemed to soften as she listened. I could tell she was enjoying the songs because her ears would move back and forward in response to certain notes.

Got Bread?




Then began a ritual whereby she would stop by not only for a scrap of bread, but also to be sung to. She doesn’t leave right away when the bread is gone, but waits quietly for the singing. The first time this ritual began I was pleasantly surprised to see she was not just inquisitive about the pleasant sound of song, but she was thoroughly enjoying it. First, as she was listening she seemed to relax more and then sat down. As I continued to sing different songs she then lay down with her head up, still a mere six feet away. Finally she not only lay down, but put her head down between her paws, flat on the ground. She ended up with her front feet tucked under her and her head on the ground in a very peaceful position and continued to listen.

She shows no fear with the exception of my wife trying to get a picture of her through the window, that makes her wary, but not fearful. Having lived in Alaska for many years I am familiar with most kinds of wildlife. I do not make it a habit of actually feeding any wildlife because they can become habituated to it and lose their ability to forage for themselves. One scrap of bread once in a while is not likely to have this effect.

I Like Bread



As I said in the beginning of this story, “a new location always brings about unexpected changes and surprises.” But this is a surprise I never would have imagined.

Awww, come on, just one more song

[golden optimist]

Nice pictures and story. It's amazing how much wildlife is around if you just look.
Leonard

[golden optimist]

We were driving about 3 miles from the house the other day and saw 5 bull elk standing in a barley field near town. I didn't have my camera but got it about 2 hours later. They were still there but now were laying down. All you could see was their racks sticking up out of the field.

Leonard

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[russau]

And they thought they had found a good hideout!

[dickb]

That's a photo that you don't see often. Good shot of the elk in velvet. Nicely formed racks.

Dickb

[rivraton]

You need to mow your lawn...