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