Forest Happenings

Shyla and I were out for sunrise today, although it was slightly veiled through thin clouds hovering on the eastern horizon. Shyla tends to be a dog who has her thoughts written all over her face - like in this photo.

And that wasn't the only time she looked very alert and on guard.

Indeed, when we rode through the forest just after sunrise, I saw the tracks of a huge variety of wildlife in the snow. An entire herd of about 100 elk had come through.

I love having the elk around, which is a pretty frequent occurrence in the winter.

But, it's not common to have moose within a half mile of our house. I wasn't expecting a moose here so the trail camera was set up at bobcat/mountain lion level.

You might remember that I captured some moose photos last fall in our neck of the woods. The one last fall was a young bull moose while yesterday's was a young cow. Maybe they'll meet and make a family! In any case, I think we need to get mentally prepared for a moose meeting someday in the forest near our house.

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while probably know what other animal was walking our forest paths yesterday. I'm going to save her photos for tomorrow but s/he generally shows up where the elk are.

So, Shyla's wide-eyed look was for a good reason! Fortunately, she also relaxed and had fun during our sunrise outing today!

It's a flying Wubba!!! What could be more fun for a Labrador Retriever? Shyla forgot the wildlife scents for a while and played a joyous game of fetch!

P.S. Don't forget to comment on Tuesday's post if you'd like to have the chance to win a calendar! I'll be doing a random drawing tomorrow afternoon.