They're Here, Too?
The trails have been well tamped down everywhere in the ravine. Plenty of snow, a fair-to-middling snowpack once again. Not quite what it had been by the end of December, but getting back up there, after the mild start of January brought warmer temperatures and rain and fog and rain and more rain. There are animal tracks everywhere, testament to the bustling wildlife in the ravine.
From time to time we venture feeble attempts at trying to discern which animals or birds have left particular tracks. Some, that we see often, are no-brainers. Like the squirrels, hares, neighbourhood cats, dogs, grouse, even muskrats and beaver. And mice too, of course, possibly voles. We look often to see if we can make out deer tracks for from time to time we know that deer have come through the Ottawa River corridor, and the greenbelt, where they abound.
On Sunday, yesterday, just about finished our daily ravine walk we came across flame-haired, diminutive Gale. We haven't seen her in ages. With her was a flamboyant companion, his colouration echoing her own. Winston is nine years old now, a huge loping beast of a golden retriever, easily the largest of his breed we've ever seen. Gale no longer takes Chrissy into the ravine. She's thirteen, a smaller retriever. She just can't make it up the hills any longer.
Gale recounted an incident a few days earlier when she'd been out with Winston for an evening walk and had come across another dog walker, a man she hadn't seen previously. He was with another large dog, and he told her that a few days earlier he'd been in that very spot in another evening walk with his dog, when his dog froze and refused to walk on. He looked up to see three coyotes standing close by, quietly watching.
We've been warned. We've always been careful with our two little dogs, now we'll simply be more careful.
On our walk today, early afternoon, we were just about through the circuit when we came abreast of two other walkers and their dog. This was a Russian woman who lives at the foot of our street with her son and daughter-in-law. She looks after her two granddaughters while their parents are at work. And she always walks a large and beautiful Doberman Pinscher.
Tell your grandmother, I tell the little girl, that coyotes have been seen in the ravine. The little girl turned her sweetly grave face toward her grandmother and delivered the message. She knows, the child said, turning back to me. She was here early morning last week and saw four of them. Lucky her. But then, perhaps we'll have our opportunity, too.
From time to time we venture feeble attempts at trying to discern which animals or birds have left particular tracks. Some, that we see often, are no-brainers. Like the squirrels, hares, neighbourhood cats, dogs, grouse, even muskrats and beaver. And mice too, of course, possibly voles. We look often to see if we can make out deer tracks for from time to time we know that deer have come through the Ottawa River corridor, and the greenbelt, where they abound.
On Sunday, yesterday, just about finished our daily ravine walk we came across flame-haired, diminutive Gale. We haven't seen her in ages. With her was a flamboyant companion, his colouration echoing her own. Winston is nine years old now, a huge loping beast of a golden retriever, easily the largest of his breed we've ever seen. Gale no longer takes Chrissy into the ravine. She's thirteen, a smaller retriever. She just can't make it up the hills any longer.
Gale recounted an incident a few days earlier when she'd been out with Winston for an evening walk and had come across another dog walker, a man she hadn't seen previously. He was with another large dog, and he told her that a few days earlier he'd been in that very spot in another evening walk with his dog, when his dog froze and refused to walk on. He looked up to see three coyotes standing close by, quietly watching.
We've been warned. We've always been careful with our two little dogs, now we'll simply be more careful.
On our walk today, early afternoon, we were just about through the circuit when we came abreast of two other walkers and their dog. This was a Russian woman who lives at the foot of our street with her son and daughter-in-law. She looks after her two granddaughters while their parents are at work. And she always walks a large and beautiful Doberman Pinscher.
Tell your grandmother, I tell the little girl, that coyotes have been seen in the ravine. The little girl turned her sweetly grave face toward her grandmother and delivered the message. She knows, the child said, turning back to me. She was here early morning last week and saw four of them. Lucky her. But then, perhaps we'll have our opportunity, too.
Labels: Perambulations
posted by Pieface @ 6:28 PM
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