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Furry Friday: Tracks

Dec21

One of the best things about winter is seeing all the animal tracks in the snow. It’s fun to go out after a light snowfall, when you can see signs of all the mammals that have passed. Sometimes there are bird tracks and wing-prints too.

Hare tracks
Hare Tracks, November 2018. Photo by Rodney Nicholson.

These are likely the tracks of a White-tailed Jackrabbit. It was travelling from right to left, the opposite direction of the “arrow” the tracks make.

So far we haven’t had much snow this winter, but we should still get plenty of opportunities in the new year to see all kinds of animal tracks.

Furry Friday: Another Bobcat

Sep28

Ron Chiasson recently found this beautiful Bobcat in north Calgary.

Bobcat

Bobcat, Calgary, September 2018. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

Bobcat

 Bobcat, Calgary, September 2018. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

It seems that Bobcats used to be seen mostly in the SW, near the Weaselhead or Fish Creek Park or in adjacent neighbourhoods. In the last few years we are hearing reports from many more areas of the city, including places that are quite far from the river valleys and the boreal forest. I don’t know if they are more numerous, more widespread, or if more people having cameras at the ready means we hear about almost every sighting.

Bobcat

Bobcat, Calgary, September 2018. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

You can see more of Ron Chiasson’s photography here.

Furry Friday: Porcupine at IBS

Sep14

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Earlier this week some of the Friends of Fish Creek birding groups found a Porcupine in a tree at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. I happened to be there with my camera and took of few shots of it sleeping. It was surprisingly high up in a poplar – higher than I’ve ever seen one before! Thanks to the birders for the tip on where to see this mammal.

Porcupine

Porcupine, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, September 11, 2018.

Porcupine

Porcupine (back view), Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, September 11, 2018.

Below is a shot showing just how high up the Porcupine was. I had to take this shot with my phone since I couldn’t get far enough away to get the whole tree in with my big lens. Can you spot it?

Porcupine

Porcupine in tree, IBS, September 11, 2018.

Porcupine

Porcupine in tree, IBS, September 11, 2018. It was about 25-30 feet up.

Furry Friday: Praying For Spring

Mar16

Richardson’s Ground Squirrels are beginning to come out of hibernation, right on schedule. But with the record snowfalls we’ve had, and more on the way, it must be a nasty shock for them. All photos were taken by Tony LePrieur just outside Calgary in early March.

Richardson's Ground Squirrel

Richardson's Ground Squirrel

 

Furry Friday: Raccoon

Dec22

Tony LePrieur photographed this Raccoon in one of Calgary’s parks on December 10, 2017.

Unfortunately this animal had a bad infection in both eyes. It is obscured in this photo by the tree branch.

To see more of Tony’s photos, see his Flickr page.

Furry Friday: Jackrabbits

Dec15

Here are some White-tailed Jackrabbits photographed in Queen’s Park Cemetery by Tony LePrieur in November and December, 2017.

And here is a shot of one in its summer coat in August:

To see more of Tony’s photos see his Flickr page.