BEAR BUMP!

As you may have noticed, the country is bursting with wildlife. Almost every day I see something beautiful and worth mentioning. One of my most memorable stories is a little short but certainly worth retelling…

About five years ago, the nursery was still in the construction phase, I was hanging out at my brothers house down the way. My father came down the hill on the rhino (a beefed out golf cart) and stopped to pick me up. We were heading down the hill to have dinner with my brother and some friends. We went out the gate, around the corner and had only gotten about…100ft or so down the road when I looked up the hill on my right directly behind my bro’s house and there was a black bear charging down the hill at us. Before I even had time to think he was upon us. He turned just as he reached us and actually bumped into the side of the rhino! My thigh brushed his fur and if I’d had the mind to reach out I would have touched him. He was as long, and almost as wide, as the rhino itself.

My dad hadn’t even noticed the bear was there before he was gone back up the hill again. The entire experience couldn’t have been more then 20 seconds but it’s something I’ll remember forever. Definitely a story to share with the grandkids someday.

I wanted to give you guys at home a little more information about the Wild California Black Bear. I found both of these sites very useful and interesting, I hope you feel the same.

http://sagehen.ucnrs.org/Documents/visitors/wildlife/bear.pdf

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/mammals/ursu-ame.html

~ Stephanie

Deer Story

Our first rottweiler, Shiva.

Back in May 2002, when we first purchased our properties and the land was new to us, we took walks to understand the “lay” of our land. One particular 40 acre section on my son’s land was covered in a delightful patchwork of small meadow and oak woods. This meant constantly changing dapple-light and sudden late spring sun, followed by dense oak shade, as we walked along the cow trails from meadow to meadow. The wood was really just on its best behavior – the grass was still green and stood up like little wires around the lushly mossed oaks; the wild flowers, actually a little shy, were sprinkled here and there and then gone.

Now, my rottweiler, Shiva, was with me. She was always keen and alert for these walks. She loved being up close and following my son. Suddenly her head darted to the side and into a grassy clump my son had just past. I heard a squeal. Her head came up. She gave the very young fawn in her mouth one swift shake and it fell quiet, drooping limply out either side of her jaws. She looked at me briefly, tossed her head high and pranced off into the woods with her prize.

And, if this isn’t strange enough, two weeks later, hidden in the very same clump of grass, Shiva caught another fawn, in exactly the same manner.

Steve

Further Reading:

A Little About Rottweilers

A Little About Meadows

Our Yearly Visitors: Red Tail Hawks

 

An alert red tail hawk perched on top of a stump.

Our land expands beyond the barn in all directions.   The walk on the road from the hothouse to the olive orchard is about a quarter mile.  But if you decide to take a walk on the wildside, you can cut through the woods below.  There are no trails, only one way across a 15ft gully, and it’s about the same distance but it’s a much prettier walk (and really what fun is taking the road anyway?)

One day I was heading that direction and as I was just getting to the edge of the orchard I heard a noise above me.   It was a sudden, loud scream!  I wasn’t worried because I knew it wasn’t human (and therefore also not a mountain lion, because they sound very human).   As I glanced up I couldn’t see anything at first.   Then I spotted them.  Two Red Tail Hawks were in the trees over my head.   They were flying back and forth, screaming at each other.   Swooping and twirling around each other.   It was a beautiful dance to behold.  As I watched I noticed they didn’t particularly care for one another, and that’s when I realized they both had to be males and a female had to be near by.

I searched the surrounding area, and sure enough, about 10ft away up another tree was the pretty girl.   She was sitting on a branch very calm.   Whenever the males got near  she would shift a little, occasionally screaming at them.  I stood and watched the mating dance for a little while and then moved on.

Every year since the female has returned to breed in the same area.  It’s possible the same males come back as well but since the hawk population is steadily growing, it’s also possible she has many admirers.  We say, the more the merrier!  Especially near our orchards.   Hawks are wonderful vermin control along with being a beautiful addition to our amazing home.

Stephanie ~ 3/2/09

 

Further Reading:

http://www.desertusa.com/aug96/du_hawk.html

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk_dtl.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk

Wildlife Abounds

 

A buck standing at attention in the morning fog.

My family’s land is located in the mountains of Northern California.   Because of this, we are surrounded by woods teeming with wildlife.  Most people see a deer and think, “So cute!!”  Although we admire the buck’s beauty, we also see the animal that decimated our olive orchard last spring.

Whenever I walk I almost always catch a glimpse of a deer or two out in a meadow.   Maybe a rabbit might dart across my path or a coyote will howl in the distance.  Dusk is one of my favorite times to walk.   The sky turns so many colors, and the way the light shimmers thru the trees can be breathtaking.   I often find myself daydreaming as I slowly wander down the road.   Seeing a mushroom here or a pile of poop there.

However, walking at dusk has its disadvantages.   As I mentioned before, we are in the wilderness, and with the grazers comes the carnivores.   Mountain lions are aplenty here.   My father and brother have both been stalked multiple times at night.   Now they don’t go out in the dark without a gun.   Dusk is the time for hunting.  Deer (and unfortunately humans’) eyesight is poorest during these late hours of the day.   And mountain lions know this and take advantage.  Luckily I have never been on foot when I’ve spotted a lion (although I’ve definitely gotten the chills like someone is watching me attentively) but I have seen two while driving.   One I only caught a glimpse of a backside with tail.   But the other I was able to see the entire animal, or at least I hope it was all of him.   His head was going off one bank of the road while his tail was still in the bushes on the other side!  He was gone before I had a chance to absorb how huge he really was!  Without tail he had to have been at least 10 feet long.

We’ve never had an animal attack on our land (although they have happened recently in the surrounding area).  We do find deer carcasses quiet often, which is a delight to the dogs.  And although it can be kind of scary to have natural born hunters creeping thru the woods outside your bedroom window, we love it.   Having a healthy ecosystem means we can be secure in the knowledge our land remains abundant and safe, just the way we want it.

Stephanie ~ 1/27/09