365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Marmot Jr.
Day 305: The Berkeley bears didn't make an appearance during my hike to Lodi Creek making this the first time in several years that I haven't had an encounter with either a sow or a cub. Two years ago, I faced off with a rather bold cubbie for five or ten minutes until we agreed on the proper comfort zone for two-way traffic. This time, only Marmot Jr. and his mom shared the trail with me. Junior was slightly bigger than half-grown, still very curious about those two-legged creatures who passed through his meadow but wary enough to keep his distance. I'd first spotted him as he ran downslope and across the trail twenty feet ahead of me to duck into a small grouping of short subalpine firs. As I passed, he popped his head out to watch me, and then once he felt it was safe, he took up this classic pose on a sun-warmed rock. Roughly two hundred feet further on, mom scurried across the track, possibly wondering where her offspring had gone.
Labels:
Berkeley Park,
hiking,
Hoary Marmot,
Marmota caligata,
Sunrise
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