Radium Hotspring Getaway- Oct. 25-Nov.1 2020 Columbia Valley, Rocky Mountain Bighorns, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Hawk-owl, Mule Deer, Squirrels

Dian and I were getting house-bound so we decided to take a week and visit Radium Hotsprings.  We chose a nice apartment through Airbnb called  "Radium Condo with Mountain Views". It was a great location downtown with all the amenities of home.

We had heard of a festival there at the beginning of November called the Headbanger Festival, to celebrate the proliferation of Rocky Mountain Bighorns.  It was canceled this year because of Covid so it seemed like a good time to go and avoid crowds and get a discount on accommodation.  We lucked out on a week of good weather.  The day we got home the rains started.

This was our route.  

We came across two Mule Bucks.  

Although they look the same, they were two separate animals traveling together.

Dian took this shot of me with her iPhone.  We were hiking in the Columbia Valley, north of Fairmount Hotsprings.  

 On a day trip to Lake Louise, we found this Northern Hawk-owl.

This looks like a black and white shot but this is how the scenery actually appeared.  There was a forest fire here recently so there was not a lot of color.  Taken with the iPhone. The mountains at this time of the year are spectacular with the light touching of snow.  Unfortunately, I don't take enough time in trying to photograph them.

  

Main street Radium had a few Mountain Ash trees that had the Starlings going wild.  All the berries were gone in a few days.

The Starlings weren't the only ones after berries.  (iPhone shot)

The local golf course had more sheep than I have seen before.  I was hoping for some headbanging but it didn't happen.

Sheep were everywhere.  Landscaping seemed to be a favorite pastime.  One morning I was watching TV when a parade of them walked by the window.

The Columbia Valley.

I have a few theories of what is happening here.  I am going to go out on a limb (get it?) and surmise they are either trying to keep warm or one of them is afraid of heights.

Dian in the Columbia Valley

A Pileated Woodpecker landed close to us and proceeded to eat berries.

One last shot of the Columbia Valley taken with the iPhone by Dian.  We followed the trail to the end of the ridge in the distance. I rarely use the phone shots in the blog but they are better than the shots I got. 

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CHICKADEES, Mountain, Black-capped, Boreal, Mexican and Chestnut-backed. Sept. 2020

This is a short pictorial on Chickadees of which there are 7 species in North America.  I have pictures of 5.  Missing is the Carolina and the Gray-headed.  The Gray-headed is found in the far most northern regions of Alaska and the Yukon and the Carolina is found in the southern midwest and eastern states. Perhaps someday we may tack them on to our list but until then, here is what we do have.  These hardy little birds which weigh less than 1/2 an ounce, can live quite a long life. 

I took this picture of a Black-capped in Newfoundland.  I was surprised to learn years ago that Black-capped are not found on Vancouver Island, Haida Gwai, and some Gulf Islands. Instead, they are replaced by the Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

 Boreal Chickadees are the largest chickadee at 5.5 inches.  They are less social and more secretive than other Chickadees.  They tend to habit more northerly environments.  The oldest recorded Boreal Chickadee was at least 5 years, 4 months old which appears to be the least lived of all the chickadees.  Like most chickadees, the Boreal Chickadee hides food regularly. Known as caching, this habit is probably vital for winter survival in the harsh boreal environment. 

Our most common Chickadee is the Black-capped.  It is 5.25 inches long.  The oldest known Black-capped Chickadee was known to have lived over 12 years.

Cattails supply a source of nesting material.  

• Every autumn Black-capped Chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment. 

Mexican Chickadees have a large, black bib and are small at 5 inches.

We found these Mexican Chickadees in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.  This is one of the few places they can be found outside of Mexico.

Chestnut-backed Chickadees are the smallest of our Chickadees at 4.75 inches.  The Chestnut-backed Chickadee uses lots of fur in making its nest, with fur or hair accounting for up to half the material in the nest hole.

They are found all along the west coast and the Pacific Northwest.  It is the only species of Chickadee found on Vancouver Island.

Mountain Chickadees are usually found in higher elevations across most of the evergreen forests of Western mountains.  This one has found a larva.

             They are 5.25 inches.  This one has an insect wing.

• The oldest recorded Mountain Chickadee was a male, and at least 10 years, 1 month old when he was identified by his band, alive in the wild in Utah in 1974. He had been banded in the same state in 1965.  It is estimated that their population has been reduced by 50% since 1966.

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Beaver Shots-August 13-14, 2020 Ashcroft, BC.

  Dian and I camped at the Ashcroft Municipal Campground for 5 days in August.  Friends Art and Marlene joined us for a couple of days before they moved on to Douglas Lake campground.  When they left we went exploring on our own.  At a local lake, we ran into a lady who was camped there.  We struck up a conversation and she told us she was staying there while her husband worked at a local mine for the summer.  I guessed she was from Newfoundland as the accent was obvious.  She told us about a pond she had discovered where we were sure to find Beaver.  We returned to the pond that evening and set up our camping chairs around 6:15.  Almost immediately the action started.  The following pictures were taken over the next two evenings.  I have added comments that I have gleaned from the internet to make it appear I am an expert on Beavers.

Dian took this shot of me with her cell phone, by the beaver pond.

When the Beaver saw us they would swim up close, trying to ascertain if we were friend or foe.  This one had a notch in its' ear.  The setting sun was just right but went below the horizon shortly after.

A shot taken a few minutes later was taken in the shade.

This one had what looks like a "burr" alongside its' nose.

Beaver have a split toe on their hind feet that they use for grooming.  Here is it trying to rid itself of the burr.

The burr appears to be still there.  You can see the split-toe grooming the fur.

The scratching appears to feel pretty good.  The upper teeth can grow up to 25 millimeters. Constant chewing keeps them sharp and at an acceptable length.  We could hear them chewing the bark off twigs at a good distance. 

Beaver have sacs at the base of their tail that produces castoreum.   They use this to mark territory.  When I worked for the Hudson's Bay Co. northern stores (many years ago), we would buy these sacs off of trappers.  It is used for perfume and some food products although if you ever saw what we bought you wouldn't want to wear or eat it. Castor oil is extracted from beans so you can keep eating that.

Beaver have a cloaca like a bird.  I was quite surprised when I read this.  All excrement and urine are excreted out of the same hole which is also used for reproduction.  I guess the least amount of holes in the hull is a good thing if you spend a lot of time in the water.

This one came far enough out of the water so we could see the tail.

This was one of the smaller ones.  At one time Catholics considered beaver to be akin to fish and therefore okay to eat during fasting days.

This was the biggest one.  This one was so fat we almost laughed.  Both sexes can get up to 90 pounds.  Usually, they have young ones in May or June but they have been known to have kits later than that.  This has me wondering if this one is pregnant.

This was my favorite picture.  Remind me not to go on a "twiggy" diet. (Remember her?) 

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