Mulies

In the summer months we get our share of visiting mule deer. In some cases, such as the two bucks in the bottom photo, they are transient.

In other cases, like the mama and baby in the first photo, they are relatively long term residents, hanging out all summer long.

I have to wonder if the fawn in the first photo will grow up to tell its children about the day it escaped death. Because it literally did just that - with a little help.

My basic philosophy is to leave nature alone. Sometimes that is easier said than done. About a month ago I stepped outside and heard the screams that can only come from a baby deer in mortal danger. It was heart wrenching and I couldn't stand it so I took off on a run to see what the problem was. As I came over the hill I spied this fawn on the ground with two coyotes attached. One had it by the neck and they other was taking a piece from its rump. I yelled at the canines and they fled, leaving behind what I was sure was a dead baby. As I got closer I realized the fawn was gasping and its heart was beating so hard I could actually hear it! I knelt on the ground beside it and stroked its back, trying to calm it down, waiting for it to die. Instead, after about 10 minutes, it got shakily to its feet and took off at a full sprint for the hills!

At that point I worried I had condemned it to an even worse death of bleeding out all alone and scared. Again it surprised me when it showed up about two weeks later with its mother. It has been hanging around the house ever since.

If you look closely you can see the scars on its neck.  The one on its right hip is out of sight. It is pretty awful but it looks healed. It is one lucky baby!

Why I Love Rock Wrens!

 I mentioned before that we have a greater population of rock wrens on our property this year than I ever remember seeing in the past. The wren pictured here is the one that built its nest in our garden. I am pretty sure it is on its second brood of the year since most of the others have already left to head south and yet it is still feeding its young.

You may think the three shots on the bottom are all the same but I guarantee you they are not. These four photos were taken over the period of about a half hour.

Approximately every ten minutes this overworked bird arrives with yet another grasshopper for its offspring.

 I would love to see it bringing in the rocks for the nest. Next year I will have to be on the lookout for that. My guess is that each of the rocks in the nest must weigh close to the same amount as the bird.

Kestrel

 Today's post is mostly about the beautiful Kestrel or Sparrowhawk we saw last week but I also wanted to show a photo I forgot to include yesterday of the reason we went to Deep Lake.

Ken and I have a pretty clear policy on fishing when we are camping -we catch what we can eat and then quit. In this case it took me two casts to get the cutthroat trout on the left and Ken four casts to hook his brook trout, right. They were both big fish and provided more than enough nourishment for dinner that night.

Deep Lake does not get much fishing pressure so I don't feel bad taking a couple of trout out of the pool.

 Meanwhile, this kestrel was an amazing spot of color against the brown cliffs behind him. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you will see that even his beak is multi-colored!

Deep Lake

 One of the classic hikes in our part of the world is the one to Deep Lake in the Beartooth Mountains. There are basically four ways in and none is easy. Over the years, Ken and I have done them all - I suspect there are few people in the world who can claim that honor.

The four different ways in get you to three different areas of the lake. The lake is almost two miles long but very little of the shoreline is accessible. Two of the customary routes leave from Sawtooth Meadows which is where we camped Wednesday night. We took four llamas in with us, two old hands and two newbies that we wanted to get some experience. They all did great.

It was much colder than we expected the first night out. When we got up Thursday morning the llamas' water bowls had a solid half inch of ice on the top and the boys had a heavy coating of frost on their backs.

The plan was to leave the llamas grazing in the meadow while we went down the south trail to the lake to do a little fishing. As we gathered our gear to leave we noticed two hikers coming our way so we waited for them to arrive. Travis and Les are two young guys from Billings. They had hiked all the way in from the trailhead Thursday morning and were going down to Deep Lake for the first time. Since we were ready to go we all headed off together.

Of the four ways to the Lake I would have said the one we were traveling was the easiest - that was before this year. Now I would probably label it as the toughest. Earlier in the summer we went up from the bottom at Little Rock. Along the way we ran into a significant blow-down of trees that was likely a result of the fire several years ago and strong winter winds. That did not come close to comparing to what we faced out of Sawtooth. The trail was basically obliterated and the going was some of the worst I have ever traveled.

In the photo to the right you can see Travis hiking one of the very few clear sections of the route.

Looking over the lake from the lookout about half way down gives you an idea of the elevation you need to navigate to get there. Negotiating the cliffs is tough at the best of times. This year it is next to impossible.

Once down to the lake you can get a sense of how isolated it is by cliff walls on all sides.

This photo is one Ken took that gives a good sense of what we faced the entire way. The trail is under all those trees. Not only was it impossible to follow, the only way to travel was up and over each barrier; not an easy task with a heavy pack.

The last 100 yards or so to the lake is a steep scramble. On the way back Ken was leading and I was just behind him with the two guys following closely. As I came up out of the steep bank from the lake I heard Ken say "stop - griz". Sure enough, I looked over and there was a large grizzly bear right on the trail, staring at us. Now we have had more than our share of bear encounters over the years and I was pretty sure the griz would hightail it as soon as the other two popped their heads up over the bank. The fact that she didn't - in fact she moved toward us - told us she was probably not alone and that we were in a bit of a predicament. Sure enough, one of the guys spotted the cub-of-the-year just behind mama, climbing over some of those trees that stood in the way.

We really had no choice but to try and go around the area where the bears were situated, taking us once again off trail and into unknown territory. We had a tense few minutes as mama bear followed us for a while, paralleling our tracks and keeping a close watch on us all the time. Eventually she must have figured we were not a threat because she and her cub backed off and we were able to continue on our way.

My advice to anyone wanting to travel to Deep Lake from Sawtooth Meadows this year would be "don't do it!" If you feel you must, then you really need to consider three things:
1) Travel as lightly as possible. Don't take along any extras unless they are necessary for survival.
2) Plan on taking about twice as long as normal to get down and back. There is no easy way to go and it all takes time.
3) Be comfortable navigating without a trail. Chances are you will not be able to see the trail and even if you can, you won't be able to travel on it.
I have to say I was really impressed with the two guys from Billings. I was bushed when we got back to camp and they still had to hike another 4-5 miles to their vehicle at the trailhead! It was great to have the extra company for the trek but I bet they won't want to hike with us again anytime soon!

PEI Wrap-up

 Today's photos are the leftover shots from Prince Edward Island that don't really fit in a category.
The first one is the view looking out over the river at New Glasgow. The wild roses were too gorgeous to ignore!

 The second shot, above, shows a dory hidden in the weeds by Sawmill Pond. The early morning light made the grasses and the cowslip glow.

At the same place, toward the east, a great blue heron stood in the top of a tree. With the sun rising to the east behind him, I was treated with a wonderful silhouette of the big bird.

This photo really doesn't fit any category but it was so unusual that I had to post it. I was shooting the spider web in the mirror but if you look closely you see a clear image of Dad, who was driving, two images of me (or at least my camera) in the back seat and a very in focus view of the land behind the car at Swimming Rock.

The last shot is of a bee in a wild rose bush on Homestead Trail. The roses there are always this intense color of magenta.

Hummers

 Today's post is about a very specific winged visitor to Prince Edward Island. This female ruby-throated hummingbird was enjoying the honeysuckle bush at my parent's place when she wasn't at the feeder.

 In the second shot the flowers almost look like a skirt!

 You can see how they are uniquely constructed to take advantage of the shape of these flowers.

Island Birds and a Goodbye

 The Island is a haven for many types of birds in the summer months.

Even though they are primarily bug eaters, this red breasted nuthatch couldn't resist flying in to snatch away some leftover sunflower seeds. Look at the feet on this guy - no wonder they find it so easy to walk down tree trunks upside down!

 I think there are possibly more goldfinch on Prince Edward Island than anywhere else in the summer. They seem to be everywhere and are constantly flitting around the trees and roadside plants.

The provincial bird of the Island is the bluejay. We always laughed at this since the decision was made based on putting the question to school kids a number of years ago. There are many more unique and beautiful birds that could represent the province but the bluejays are so ubiquitous and so annoying with their raucous calls that they were the bird all the kids thought of when asked. 

Of course, now that I live in an area where I rarely see bluejays, I rather miss their presence. That is why I decided to try and capture a photo of one on my visit but they did not make it easy to get their photo. 

The shot below is one of those that "would have been" absolutely amazing if the camera had just been aimed 6" lower. I was trying to get a shot of this bluejay in the tree. I did not even know the cedar waxwing was in the area. All of a sudden the bluejay dove out of the tree at full speed with the waxwing in hot pursuit. The smaller bird likely had a nest in the tree that the bluejay was trying to rob. Look how vertical the waxwing is! He was determined to let the jay know it was not welcome!

On another note...Rest in Peace Jake's Girl. She was older than Methuselah and tough as nails to the very end. She is almost twenty in the photo below, taken some years ago just after she had her next to last baby, Dusty. Jake came to us when she was 11 years old and she had already had 8 or 9 babies at that point. She gave us another 6 before we decided that was enough about 5 years ago. She was a great mama and she will be missed.

Island Morn

 On our second morning on the Island I hauled Ken out of bed at 5:30am, made a thermos of coffee and headed for Cavendish Beach. It was a glorious day and the rising sun on the red cliffs looked as good as I had hoped it would! These photos have not been saturated - this is really what it looks like along the shore at that time of morning.

 There was a group of gulls hanging out on a sandbar just off the shore. To get their photo against the cliffs I wandered out into the water a short way. I think it was worth it.

 The gulls are mainly Great Black Backed Gulls, the largest type of seagull in North America. When they fly they actually look like bald eagles until you look closely. They are really huge birds. In this grouping we have both adults and juveniles. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you will see the amazing red "eyeliner" that matches the red dot on their beaks.

Typical PEI

From Bavaria, across the Pond to Prince Edward Island, Canada. Home of my childhood and beyond and still the place where the majority of my relatives can be found on any given day in the summer. 

Today's photos are those I consider classic poses of the Island. The first, above, is looking out across New London Bay toward French River from the Homestead Trail in Cavendish National Park. Even in late morning you can see the distinctive red cliffs below the lighthouse.

Next up is a shot of Green Gables from the front yard. I had the privilege of spending a few hours hiking the nearby trails with my mother and her sister, both of whom lived in the house as children before it was taken over by the government and turned into a manifestation of the fictional centerpiece of Lucy Maud Montgomery's oh-so-famous literary work.

Above is a shot of Stanley Bridge pier in the evening light. So many of my teenage memories are wrapped up in this area!

The last two shots are of Rustico Harbor in the morning light.


It is hard to imagine a prettier place than the Island this time of year!

Bavaria - Last Day

Today's post will wrap up the recent trip to Germany with some photos taken on a foggy day when we went for a hike in the Alps near Garmish. We started by taking a tram up the steepest part of the mountain to reach a lovely trail that sat at around 5000'. Strange to seem to be so high and then realize that is the elevation our house sits at home.                    

 The photo ops were limited due to the fog and clouds but every now and then the sun would peak through and light up the surrounding mountains.If you look closely at this photo you will see a small dairy farm sitting in the cradle of the landscape on the right.

There were a few flowers around including these beauties which I think are Alpenrose.

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of an American Pipit, the first wagtail I have ever seen. Then, as so often happens with life's coincidences, I saw this bird in the parking area near the tram. A European wagtail - probably the one officially known as a White Wagtail. It has the same elongated body, long tail and sharp beak of the pipit - just the coloring is different. 

Another life form I saw near the top of the mountain was this reptilian pair. They have scales which means they are lizards rather than salamanders but that is all I know about them at this point besides the fact that they live at altitude!

People Watching

 Today's post is less about the landscape and more about the people. In many ways Bavaria is a caricature of itself - in a good way. The people seem healthy, happy and very aware and proud of their heritage. Beer is certainly an integral part of life. The drinking age is 16 and it is not unusual to see people consuming a beer at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 The fellow to the left was demonstrating woodworking at one of our events while the trio above entertained us with their music.

 I couldn't resist snapping these girls playing on a swing. Look at the smile on the one in the middle!

No photo album of Munich is complete without at least one bicycle picture.

These Bavarian Horns are impressive but they must be tough to carry around!

Tony Blair

Today's photos are not the typical tourist pics of Bavaria. It just so happened that the key speaker at the event we attended was none other than the former Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair.

He arrived in the German countryside via helicopter and spent a considerable amount of time talking to the group before taking questions.

I was lucky enough to be near the front of the audience and we were not discouraged from taking pictures.

 Over the years I have had amazing opportunities to hear former Prime Ministers and Presidents. I am always impressed by their "humanness"- even those with whom I have fundamental differences. Mr Blair spoke intelligently and openly on many subjects and it was an honor to hear him talk.

 The event was held inside an un-airconditioned tent on a day that was much hotter than normal in the German Alps!