Thursday, July 12, 2012

Black Bears, Northern Harriers, Wetlands, and Other Wildlife Of The Vermilon River. A Post To SWF.

All these photos were taken on a hike along the abandoned east track railway line right to the road that leads to the one inhabited lake in the north east chain. I'm proud of myself because it's the first time that I have done this, and it has opened new trails, wetlands and more uninhabited lakes to me. The abandoned track is not a difficult hike, but the old gravel remains on it, which alerts the wildlife. This improves the further you go as some of the gravel has been spewed off of the old road bed by snow machines and ATV's.

I left early in the morning and the mist was still rising off the first series of wetlands.

I'VE SET THE POST UP AS A SLIDE SHOW SO CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE, AND SEE THE SHOW. ALTHOUGH YOU SHOULD READ THE COPY FIRST.
 Mist Rising.

Looking Southerly.

 I'm not certain if this is the bottom of Moose Lake or just an other wetland at the base of Moose Lake. It doesn't matter much as there is a good trail running north which I can use to explore.
 The Northern Harrier's were out again. Just some quick information: Harriers are falcons, a hawk, but of a different genus. They hunt by flying large slow circles, aiming to find their prey in mid air, not as hawks do on the ground. Their beaks are notched; they use their talons to seize the prey, but they kill with their beaks. Hawks kill with their feet. Falcons when they spot prey will suddenly drop and can achieve speeds up to 200 miles per hour. The female has a mottled chest, while the male has a white chest.
This a typical position for her wings while circling.

Again the notched shaped wings.

Still circling.

 This Cedar Waxwing was near the new wetland. On that tree, he looks like something from one of the spaghetti westerns of Clint Eastwood.

Eastern Kingbirds are not especially rare. They are aggressive and will attack predators,even landing on their back to defend their young.



 Coming back I always take a different trail to see what is active. I call this area of the trail Hummingbird highway. Hummingbirds' colour comes from the refraction of light through their feathers, which is also true of most bluebirds. So in the shade this little guy would lack those vibrant colours.





 An illusive Red-eyed Vireo. The first shot which shows his red eye was unfortunately out of focus.

 This is one of those crazy things that happen. This is an American Bittern that I've been trying to get some photos of . As I said earlier all the wetlands on the east track are filled with wild life, but the gravel alerts them. In this case he was in the new wetland.,and then flew directly for me. Head on there's not much to see on a heron because he's stretched out flat.
 This brown toad is about the size of your thumb.
 This one is even smaller, say maybe the nail on your little finger.
Eyed Brown

Fritillary

Side View.

Chalk Fronted Corporal

Comet Darner?

Unknown

Unknown

Evening Primrose?

Canada Thistle.

Guess where the other raspberries are.

Blueberries.

E It's fitting that the blueberries are positioned here. I've been seeing bear sign on the trails for a while, but not the bears. That's why I wanted to push further on the east track. Not only to find more trails but to reach the hydro pole line. Hydro clears the trees away from the pylons, and the cleared areas support large numbers of blueberry bushes with easy access for the black bears. She's just had a meal in  the hot sun, and after a scratch disappeared into a shaded spot for a sleep.
 Black Bears have poor eyesight , but a really fine sense of smell, and excellent hearing,so had she heard me she would have left. She's not much more than a yearling on her own now, trying to remember all that her mother taught her. I say she, because males remain with the mother longer for protection from full grown male bears who see them as a threat. Her size indicates her age.
Say goodnight now!!.


A post to SWFCamera Critters and Scenic Sunday.

57 comments:

  1. oh, the bear sighting is great! (laughed at your 'guess where the other berries are' comment). :)

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  2. Hi Gary

    Great shots but I understand there is a fox outside, nature calls.

    Guy

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  3. Wonderful photos of the nature again,Gary!Thank you for sharing!

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  4. Fantastic shots and every time I learn more what is living and blooming in your beautiful country.
    Have a love weekend Gary

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  5. Your world is really wonderful and amazing!!!

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  6. Terrific captures as always, Gary! Love your blue skies, beautiful birds and flowers, but the bear has to be my favorite today!! Have a great weekend!

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  7. love the Harrier and the steamy waters. :)

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  8. Great collection of images, Gary.

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  9. Brilliant photos, especially the Black Bear, isn't it so beautiful.

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  10. Gary I love those misty shots..and those flight shots are my favourite...another great post.Have a great weekend!

    Shantana

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  11. Very nice - I love the bear!

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  12. Amazing photos! Especially the black bear. Great flight shots. I enjoyed the info also.

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  13. Great photos of your trek--and a black bear to boot! [I finally saw a pair of Waxwings this week; only able to hear them before.]
    Good weekend to you two.

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  14. Lovely series of photos. I love the bear and all the birds. Thanks for sharing, have a great day!

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  15. Excellent series of photos. Yes, I love them all especially the eagle in flight.

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  16. So many beautiful birds, guess you enjoyed the raspberies, while the bear had a good feed of blueberries. Thanks for sharing these.

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  17. Again you have an amazing series of splendid photos, Thank you so much for showing them!!! ... I will be back for more


    My contribution is to find here:
    http://www.starone.dk/wp_2/?page_id=874

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  18. Nice. Really like your header of Boomer.

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  19. Delightful little hummer, and it's always awesome to spot a bear!

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  20. Beautiful bear shots. And I love the misty southerly shot.

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  21. Beautifully captured sky!

    Fire in the Sky
    Have a great weekend.

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  22. I sure like that mist rising from the water. Just beautiful!

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  23. Always love meandering through your posts enjoying your scenes and the wild life there! A beautiful variety of both today! Especially loved the butterfly!

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  24. The early morning shots with the mist rising are beautiful - and how wonderful to see the young bear.

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  25. Wonderful shots. Happy sky watching.

    My Sky.

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  26. Wonderful series again.
    The photos of the bear are great.

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  27. It must have been so exciting to see the bears! As always, a awesome photo series :-)

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  28. Great work!
    Saludos desde España, GDF

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  29. Great photos, especially the bear. Never saw a bear in the two years I lived in Canada, but think I would have run away in terror if I did!

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  30. Wow - amazing black bear shots! And fabulous mist photos too.

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  31. Great wing-span photos. Clint Eastwood/Cedar Waxwing made me smile!

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  32. Love the little frogs ! they look so cute ! and a meeting with a bear ? unthinkable here ! If I am lucky I could meet a fox !

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  33. A fabulous collection Gary, thanks for posting.

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  34. I really like your misty morning photos, but the pictures of the bear are pretty neat as well.

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  35. Great series of photos as ever Gary, congrats on getting a shot of a Bittern. Glad you caught up with the bear too.

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  36. Lots of great pictures! I appreciated the info about the Northern Harrier and loved the bear shot.

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  37. Great series of shots, Gary! I particularly like the falcon...you've captured him beautifully.

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  38. Excellent photos, ESPECIALLY of the bird in flight. You did a fine job of capturing the grace of the bird's flight.

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  39. Gorgeous shots and yes, that is yellow primrose. I have some in my flower bed. They do not like the heat of this summer and the many days without rain.

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  40. Such a lovely post. Love all your beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing.

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  41. Wow!great photos you have hare!Will surely be back for more:)Thanks for dropping by.Have a lovely weekend!

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  42. Your hike sounded wonderful, and obviously rich with photo ops! Your bird photos are always fantastic (I'm particularly fond of Cedar Waxwings and all hummingbirds), and how exciting to see the young bear! I hope she does remember everything her mama taught her and that she stays safe and thrives.

    Can't blame you for grazing on those raspberries, I'd have done the same thing (and eaten that last one after I photographed it, too!) :-)

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  43. Amazing captures! You certainly have captured the beauty of the area.

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  44. Awesome photos! Love the bear photographs!

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  45. Oh, a fabulous hike, Gary, with so many different photos. I'm so glad you take us with you. Please skritch Boomer for me.
    K

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  46. I just love and think your photography is spectacular ~ Wow! the Bear was amazing ~ I think I would have ran for my life ~ LOL ~ going back and view the slide show ~ thanks, ^_^ (A Creative Harbor)

    ps ~ so glad you 'stopped by' ~ ^_^

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  47. A terrific post Gary. I really like the bear photos.

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  48. I love the bear shots! Wonderful post.

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  49. Wow, you discovered a wonderful new way to hike Gary! and I don't see how you could have gotten any more great pictures -- that gravel obviously didn't scare too many critters away. The bear sighting is wonderful! I didn't know that about how the males stay with mom longer ..very interesting! Going back to look at the slide show as soon as I post this.

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  50. An amazing assortment of photos!!! I totally enjoyed your hike through the wilderness :0)

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  51. Hi there - I still can’t really believe that you can just "find" a bear when you go for one of your hikes! Remarkable really.

    The trip to Queensland was a holiday - lots of pics and posts to follow.

    Stewart M

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  52. Kaunis ja monipuolinen on 'Kuva-Kavalgaadi'...
    Katselin ja ihailin.
    Utu ja sumu ovat niitä valokuvaajan 'ystäviä'.
    Se muotoilee ja retusoi mukavasti..!
    Terveisin Eko

    Kiitos vierailusta...

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  53. Beautiful images and captures. I especially love the Cedar Waxwing, such pretty deep shade of brown.

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  54. What a delight!!! Love the bird photos [and the black bear was an unexpected guest post!] You continue to always have the most fantastic blogs. Well done.

    Just wanted you to know that I added a linky to my newest bird photos today. If you'd care to stop by and leave a link. And perhaps if you know of anyone who loves birding--let them know of the new birding meme I set up for a weekly run---The Bird D'Pot. Stop by if you can. And have a glorious week.

    I'd Rather B Birdin'

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