Creatures Great and Small

 

We arrived safely home after our long drive, with enough time to stop at my parents' home for a visit before driving to the ferry. After the cold crisp dry mountain air, everything felt a wee bit damp here on our island. I thought I'd show you some of the wildlife we encountered on our trip to Jasper. Above is the cheekiest raven. He is perched on the hood of our truck, and seemed to think it his kingdom. I rolled down my window and leaned way out to take this photo. He didn't budge. Finally, when we began driving, off he flew with one last hoarse protest. 

There were Mountain Sheep along the road to Maligne Lake. How agile they are, lightly tripping down steep rock faces and jumping over gaps. These animals live in the National Park and are not threatened by humans who treat them with respect and stay the prescribed distance away. 

We had nine sightings of moose, including this unusual one of a bull moose (there were two cows among the trees) peacefully chewing his cud while lying in the snow. 

Later, another bull moose and cow crossed the road in front of us, taking their time before disappearing into the forest. 

It's amazing how birds stay warm in frigid water. I believe this is a Western Grebe paddling along in glacier water. 

A cow moose, one of the two who were lying in the trees the day before. The bull was nowhere in sight, but we saw both cows slowly cross a meadow just below our vehicle, stopping to chew the grasses still visible. Soon snow will cover the ground and these non-hibernating animals will rely on trees such as willows for their winter food. 

We saw several groups of female elk. They wander through town at dusk. Rounding a corner on the Maligne Lake road late one afternoon we came across two bull elk. They were feeding in the burned forest. The white trees in the background have lost their burned bark. Soon willows and shrubs will grow up among them, but the trunks will stand as sentinels to the fires for decades. 

Not many birds were about and I wondered about this small American Dipper. Accustomed as he is to cold water, he had to dodge the ice forming at the edge of the lake. Such a hardy little bird.

In 1908 Mary Schaffer and her party reached Maligne Lake and travelled its length by raft. She later wrote that at the far end of the lake, "there burst upon us...the finest view any of us had ever beheld in the Rockies." It was truly magnificent, a view that filled my own heart and soul. 

Also at the lake is a boathouse built in 1908. It's the last remaining structure of the early days of recreational boating on Maligne Lake. Behind the boathouse is Samson Peak. The day was cloudy but the mountains were mostly visible. 

I am so glad that there are vast areas preserved from development. People from all over the world come to this area and it's a delicate balance between allowing some access while preserving the wildness. If we had come during the summer, a constant stream of cars would drive along the roads where we saw one or two vehicles, and every parking lot would be full. 

Remembrance Day is tomorrow, a time to honour those who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. There will be services at the cenotaphs, and many Canadians have worn a red poppy in our lapels for the past week. We must never forget, and always work toward peace.