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Monday, October 9, 2017

Moose and bears at two mountain ponds

A couple of ponds nearby have intrigued me for years because I wonder what kinds of wildlife visit them. Water sources are not common in our neck of the woods. By this time of year, most of the smaller ones have dried up.

Imagine my delight when the owners of the ponds said that they'd love to have me put wildlife cameras near them! As you can see from the photo below, there was some fun action at the ponds in late September.

There are two ponds, and it seems that different species use each one. The upper pond is favored by bears while the lower pond is favored by moose. We'll see if that trend continues over time.

I compiled a video of the visitors over the first 3 weeks of September. First, a flock of wild turkeys showed up. They drank from the pond but didn't go into it.

Then, our first bear arrived. He was curious about the trail cam, which makes me think that he's a regular there who noticed that something had changed. He started by examining the cam and fogging up the lens. He then headed into the pond for a swim. After he came out of the water, he rolled around on the grass, much like a dog would do!

Soon there was another bear visitor. It was easier to see this one as s/he swam. This is my first experience with bears actually swimming. Most of my observations have been of very shallow water sources.

Next, the moose came around at the second pond. The first view of them showed only two moose, both bulls. Then, it sounded like a freight train was approaching. It turned out to be a third moose who was galloping through the water!

Last but not least, I included a clip of a mother-calf moose pair in the water at night. I loved hearing the mother "talk" to the calf.

I hope that you enjoy the video either here or at Youtube.


26 comments:

  1. that is too beautiful for words... I wish we always will have such places where the nature is just nature... without us peeps and without cars and loud noises...

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  2. Hari om
    ,,,what DE Phenny said above! ...sigh... YAM xx

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  3. I.Love.It.!!!! this is the way God intended for our world to be with his creatures, I am so glad you show us what life is without us humans in the mix. those glowing eyes of the second swimming bear are amazing and who knew they can swim like that. the mama talk almost sounds human.. so glad they let you put the cam there...

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  4. Maybe Milton will show up here?
    So nice to have cams out there
    to see a different view of
    what happens in nature.
    xo Astro

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  5. Those are great. Moose are so verbal, more so than most wild animals I think.

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  6. ok, this is my all time favorite cam placement. Yeah. I am so excited to see more from this.

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  7. I keep game cameras at my little place in NE Kansas, too... it's fascinating to see what's just beyond the reach of the yard lamp at night!

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  8. Oh, my GOODNESS! Mama Moose's voice is amazing! I've never heard that sound before!
    Your video and the still shot just blow me away. They are so clear and sharp -- and WOW, the bear taking a swim! You put me at a loss for words!
    KZK

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  9. It sure is fun seeing them just being themselves!

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  10. Wonderful to see these photos and then the video. The Moose and a baby, what a surprise. And fogging the lens!!! We see so much of wildlife with many thanks to your trail-cams, glorious nature.

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  11. Always something interest on the cams. What a treasure trove of action at the ponds!

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  12. These are all so awesomw. Thank you for sharing them.

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  13. Love it! We show every buddy we know your videos
    Lily & Edward

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  14. Wonderful - love the moose!
    hugs
    Hazel & Mabel

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  15. How many more times are you going to amaze us? It is so wonderful seeing the wild animals do what wild animals do. Thank you!

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  16. What a fun video. It was nice that the land owners let you put your cameras there.

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  17. I bet it is the smells from the camera that get the bears curious at first, but once they realize it is nothing, they can go on. Such fun footage you capture with those cameras.

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  18. That's pretty cool. Delilah also notices when something 'new' shows up in an area she frequents, she also insists on checking it out.

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  19. came back again today to watch the video. I love it.

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  20. Very nice images! I've never seen a bear swimming but knew that they can because I've seen tracks on little islands :)

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