Sunset - The Labraduo and the Mountain Lion Duo

One evening recently, the Labraduo and I were enjoying a quiet evening hike up on our plateau.  R waved goodbye to the sun as it dipped toward the horizon.

And I was in awe of the deep red color that the setting sun brought out in Shyla's fur.

At almost the same time, a mother mountain lion and her kitten were in the middle of a long walk nearby. I caught footage of them at five trail camera different sites (about 600 photos and a minute of real video). I think I've figured out their favorite route!

Today, I'll share just one set of photos that is kind of funny. Here, mom is walking up a gully. She has a GPS and radio collar around her neck and tags pinned to her ears for a study she's in. She looks small. My guess is that she's a young mother.

Because she was in a shaded area, my camera went into infrared mode, glowing with a soft red flash and yielding black and white photos. Mom seemed to notice the soft red glow of the camera.

She licked her lips while she waited for her kitten.

Her kitten appeared behind her. My expert friend and I are guessing the kitten is somewhere between 4 and 8 months old.

At another camera, Kitty showed us her underside, and I'm pretty she's a girl (you'll see all the footage over the coming week or so). Kitty also focused on the camera.

For an instant, they both alerted on something else - maybe a sound in the forest. The kitten doesn't have a collar for the study (yet).

The curious kitten stared at the camera.

Her eyes squinted, as she seemed to contemplate it. I actually wish it didn't attract their attention at all. I have one camera with an invisible flash (no red glow), and I might move it to this site.

Then, Mom decided to leave, and the kitten started sniffing a spot often marked by wild cats.

Very interesting, she thought...

Then, unfortunately for me, she really focused on the camera.

With determination, she moved toward it.

And then the camera captured a whole series of photos like this one - a closeup of cat fur as the kitten rubbed very hard against the camera.

After a little while the kitten backed away, but you can see that the camera view is now skewed.

Indeed, the camera then fell to the ground, face down.

And that was how I found it. You can imagine, after the recent theft, that I felt very anxious when I glimpsed the camera lying on the ground. But, I quickly figured out that it was probably a wild animal's work because the strap holding the camera case in place had been broken. The cable lock between the camera and the tree was still intact. Phew.

When I looked at the photos, I laughed out loud. The antics of a kitten!!!!

I feel so privileged to be able to see the lives of our most elusive animals up close and personal. 

Sibling Bond

This particular Labraduo has a closer bond than almost any of our other pairs. This photo gives you some idea of that bond.

Even though R is definitely the "big brother" and leader of the Duo, he let Shyla rest her chin on him while they stood atop Hug Hill. So sweet.

I feel as if my luck is turning, after a series of small bad things that have happened over the past month. One good luck thing was that this photo got "Explored" at Flickr, which means that it was highlighted and a lot of people visited to view it. It was dumb luck that I captured the photo - I just happened to have my camera out when the Duo decided to do something cute!

Running headlong toward winter

A step in the transition to winter...

Look behind the Labraduo atop Hug Hill. Yes, that's snow on the mountains and a winter blanket of clouds clinging to them. It appears that the high mountains got a good covering of the white stuff last night.

And I needed winter layers plus mittens to ride this morning...

We are now running, rather than inching, toward full-on winter.

The golden leaves are coming down fast but there are still groves that glow with color.

For the moment, I'll still focus on the golden hues. I'm not ready to take out the Snow Bike yet - although I know that the snow on the horizon will be coming to our elevation soon.

As I gazed at the mountains today, I was reminded that I love the beauty and quiet of winter.

P.S. I must also say how sad I was to read of Dr. Sophia Yin's passing. She taught the world so much about how to help fearful dogs like Shyla. As I look at Shyla today, I feel great gratitude for all Dr. Yin did while on this Earth to help the Shylas of the world but I also feel sadness that she won't be continuing to use her scientific training to teach people how to rehabilitate fearful pets.

Wordless Wednesday

A Rolling Mountain Lion!

On 4/21, multiple mountain lions patrolled our forest. After carefully examining the photos, I am certain that this is a very large and tough male lion, while the other lion that I posted about on Friday was a smaller lion (I'm not sure of its sex). This guy put on quite a show.

He arrived and immediate sniffed the spot that a lion marked back in February.

The smell seemed to mesmerize him. Then, he decided to roll on the marking spot.

In mid-roll...

Then he was fully on his back. Ahem (trying to be delicate) - perhaps you can see how I know that he's a male.

After rolling, he sat and peered out into the forest. There is a commonly used deer and elk trail where he's staring.

I was stunned by that series of photos. What a strong and big lion he is!

So, in the Rocky Mountains, we have fierce wildlife along side our glorious wildflowers.

And, the mountain lions are also co-mingling with us humans and our dogs, although we humans rarely know it. It truly pays to spend the time to train your dog if you live here.

It also pays to learn how to "read" their signals so you're somewhat aware of what animals are around you.

And you can hide behind a tree with them, if needed!