Badgers, Beavers, Bear and Elk

It is a great day when you can see a badger in the wilds. Badgers are not common in our part of BC yet I was lucky to see one the other day, just at dusk. His curious, distinctive face as well as his low slung style of walking quickly distinguished him from some of our more common creatures.  We often see marmots, rabbits, raccoons and coyotes. Less frequently are weasels, beavers and martens. But this is the first time that I have ever seen a badger in the wild. We were delighted to have a few moments to watch him as he watched us. He was cautious but not alarmed by our presence. 

Also last week it was a pleasure to have an up close encounter with a beaver. Hiking past a beaver pond I was lucky enough to spot the resident beaver within 10 feet of me. He looked up at me and continued to eat new shoots of bull rushes. Other than the occasional glance to confirm that I was still non-threatening, he paid me no mind. It would have been wonderful time to have had my camera. Yet it was a great opportunity to study that beaver...he is clearly caught in my mind's eye waiting to become a painting.  

Now I have to say that my bear sightings are at an all time low....not one bear sighting for 2013.  Seems like everyone has seen their first bear of the year and their second bear of  the year and so on. My husband has been doing some mountaineering and is up to 15 -20 bear sightings. Not one yet for me. I am going strong seeing creatures of all types...........but still waiting on bears.

Now I want to share another favorite animal of mine, Elk. They are a creature that is a combination of grace, elegance and power.  Here is one of my recent paintings of an Elk.  I  look forward to creating a large scale painting of an elk sometime soon.
                                          

The woods are Alive.

Spring is my favorite time of year. Everything is growing, coming out of the winter dormant stage and coming alive....just love the feel of this season, the smell of the air and the chance to see the animals all out and about again.

My top animal sighting this past week is of a 2 year old moose. I had the opportunity to see him while we were on a hike up the mountain.  He crossed the trail just in front of us and loped up the hillside. Second interesting sighting on the same hike was of a large garter snake swimming across the creek. Always cool to see how well snakes can swim.

But have to tell you this week is full of animal sightings...here are a few more. Baby mallard ducklings (13 with one mother,) painted turtles, blue herons, eagles, pheasants, squirrels, flock of quail, marmots, kestrels, magpies, red winged black birds and a multitude of other birds at both the feeder and the lake. The year will only get better with more and more animal sightings now that weather is warming. It is, as I said, my favorite time of year!

In celebration of my first moose sighting of 2013, here is a moose painting I painted a few years ago. This big painting has found a wonderful home in northern Saskatchewan.