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Monday, April 27, 2015

April Winter and a Mountain Lion

We are still in the grips of winter weather here in the mountains. 
Today, I used every trick I've learned over the years to lift my spirits. Playing with Shyla is a big one.
Although she hasn't returned to a normal diet yet after her "dietary indiscretion" last week, we feel that she's almost all better.
While we were out in the foggy, gray, and intermittently snowy day, I noticed an amazing little plant that somehow has survived this weather and has popped up through its own hole in the snowpack. That made me smile too!
Last, but certainly not least, seeing the photos of the mountain lion who killed and ate a deer right behind our house thrilled me.
You might remember that I just recently realized that the cameras near our house had captured the first photos ever of a mountain lion right by our house. I expected that the same lion had killed the doe on Friday night. I was wrong.

You can see that Friday night's mountain lion wore a GPS collar while the lion who came through our land on 4/13 did not have a collar.
The most recent mountain lion had eaten most of the meat from a small doe on Friday night. On Saturday night (when these photos were taken), her stomach still bulged. However, I also wondered if she's pregnant. This may be the mother mountain lion who separated from her kitten a few months ago and has probably mated since then.
I'll share more photos of the events at the deer carcass in the future. My trail cameras took thousands of photos so I need to sift through them before telling the rest of the story. The mountain lion has abandoned the carcass so the feline story has probably ended.

In the meantime, Shyla and I will keep on playing and training to keep the winter blues away.

22 comments:

  1. glad shyla can cheer you. wow, two mountain lions so very close!

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  2. We think it's fantastic that you can catch the action on your cameras.

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  3. Keep up the good work, Shyla - you need to keep those spirits high:) We're hoping this is the last of your winter in April.

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  4. I'm so glad that Shyla was able to cheer you up! I would probably start to feel frustrated with the weather, too!

    I love your cougar photos! They are so cool!

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  5. Shyla is the all natural spirit lifter.
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  6. We can't believe you still have snow coming down. We are supposed to be 80 on Wed.
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  7. Just amazed that you have mountain lions so close to your home!!!

    Hope Shyla managed to lift your spirits. I'm sure she did.

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  8. Mom always says I make her feel better too. Love the photos.

    Aroo to you,
    Sully

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  9. I hope it warms up for you soon! Can't wait to hear more of the mountain lion story!

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  10. There's no doubt about it, your winters are a lot longer than ours are!

    When we were in Ithaca, New York there was no spring at all. The end of winter was around the end of May, then the weather got hot and sticky. Your weather is better than that, thank goodness!

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  11. Wow,, your camera catches such amazing photos of those cats!
    love
    tweedles

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  12. We hope you're back to 100% soon, Shyla!

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  13. Hi KB, I'm hoping that you get sunshine today-it is sunny here and I think most of the storm has passed, though I heard there'd be rain on the northeast plains(I'm hoping it is near Sterling not here). I'm sorry you have PTSD from FC; you were going with K when I first started following you. In fact, I remember offering to bring you coffee or tea while you waited for her treatments. It's been quite awhile,hasn't it. For some reason I thought R had been treated there to. Love the photos of the mountain lion, but I'll tell you that would stress me out to have it so close to my house.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  14. Shyla, the magical wonder dog. Dogs are wonderful for our spirits. And a mountain lion would be so exciting.

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  15. WE were griping about how chilly it was at our house yesterday (50's) until we saw your pictures...we will stop that now.
    stella rose

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  16. I adore the snow photos! The colour, the light, everything! That first one should be a Christmas card! :)

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  17. Mountain lion in your backyard! Living in the city surprisingly we have dealt with a bear that came across the river from Kentucky, foxes, and plenty of deer. One big buck that would not let us in our back door but a Mountain Lion. Oh if we ever saw a Mountain Lion we would just wilt away.
    Like your night camera shots.
    Thanks for wishing me well
    Sweet William The Sco

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  18. So fascinating to see those lion pictures
    Lily & Edward

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  19. Shyla is a beauty. If we had two mountain lions behind our house we would be nailing down the for sale sign. You are brave

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  20. Lots of lion activity! Spring is coming. We have some really nice weather and are sending it your way!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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