Errol and I used to hike in these hills all the time with our dogs when we first moved here. At that time, there were black bears and bob cats here, enough of them for me to have seen them when they came close to our house, but we never ran into them on a hike. There were also mountain lions, but I believe few people ever saw one.
One bear loved to come in the night and scratch it's back on the utility pole right outside our house, which over time got pretty messed up. I would find fur stuck in the pole, but we never saw the bear.
These days, I don't even see coyotes and all the rest of the animals have been gone for years. The higher and wilder mountains are not far away and I imagine they moved there as more people moved in here and the weather changed to become so much dryer.
The coyotes were the last to move on, but I see them when my Junipers drop their nuts ,which look like berries, and apprently taste very good if you are a coyote. I believe gin is made from them, but I haven't seen a tipsy coyote yet.
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteGin is made from either grain or sometimes potatoes... The juniper berries are used for flavouring only. What a shame that the wildlife has retreated so much...a sign of human and environmental encroachment I suppose. YAM xx
It's worrying to realise how much wild life has depreciated in our lifetimes. I wish we could go back to the days of having insect-splattered windscreens as we drove - I never thought I would wish for that.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to hear they moved on. My husband and youngest son saw a coyote as it bounced through our yard. It was like a dog with long legs and no fear. It seemed to look at them as equals.
ReplyDeleteWas Errol named after Errol Flynn?
We have coyote in our small NJ town. I've seen one near the community garden when I was working on my plot. Local alpaca farmers are always alert for them. So they've adapted to our encroachment.
ReplyDeleteI do hope you and Faith don't meet up with a drunken coyote! ha ha. its a beautiful place to walk.. its been about 2 years since we last saw a coyote..
ReplyDeleteThose do look like a wild terrain! We have a lot of animals that only come out at night...thank goodness! I know you like to look at the tracks when you hike. Take care!
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this part of your lives together. what creatures appear when we are not there. We have coyotes here in our desert climate. Even though it is the middle of a city, they manage to find a way.
ReplyDeleteHello, dear Inger. I’m a long-time visitor, first time commenter. Here in suburbia (Orange County, California), we regularly see coyotes, and they are bold! They can be seen trotting along side the winding streets in our neighborhood, sometimes in broad daylight! In addition to coyotes, our backyard has been visited by rabbits, opossums and skunks, who are quite a nuisance. Neighbors were visited by raccoons who destroyed the contents of their storage shed! The wildlife we appreciate most are the birds, especially the hawks and the hummingbirds. I doubt we’ll ever see a bear here, but we’re always aware of the possibility of new visitors, especially at night.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a peaceful weekend.
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ReplyDeleteIt is really a shame that people are taking more and more of wild animals' homes. Of all of the animals, the coyotes are the ones who can adapt the best.
ReplyDeleteSad that you don't see many animals anymore. We don't see many foxes or coyotes around our farm anymore. I don't miss the coyotes much!
ReplyDeleteWe have bears and coyotes here but don't see them very often.
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