Wildlife of Spring
Lots of Wildlife on Grouse Mountain Spotted Stretching Legs and Wings after a Long Winter
Posted by Devin Manky May 3, 2013
As the daylight grows longer and the temperatures warmer, we are noticing more and more wildlife activity up here on Grouse Mountain. Last week we had an amazing opportunity to view a Bobcat (Lynx rufus) right in the backyard of our Wildlife Office (photos by Dan Grima). He was out patrolling but was curious about our activity as well.
Bobcat are incredibly adaptable to a variety of habitats and can be found everywhere from snowy mountaintops, such as Grouse Mountain, to the desert Canyons of the Southern USA and Mexico. They roam so frequently that they rarely spend consecutive nights in the same den. They are only found in North America and survive on a diet of small mammals, birds and reptiles.
In addition to the Bobcat, the Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) have also returned to Grouse Mountain. We've been watching them feed at the feeders up here for the last week or so. The Rufous Hummingbird undergoes one of the longest migrations for a bird its size when it goes from BC/Alaska down to Mexico and back each year.
At Grouse Mountain we are members of the North American Hummingbird Monitoring Network and we are gearing up for another great season of hummingbird watching and banding. If you would like to get involved and help with the monitoring please email dmanky@grousemountain.com to be added to a mailing list for volunteers.
We are also seeing the return of many migrant bird species and our local squirrels, chipmunks, deer and black bears are all waking up and getting ready for a gorgeous summer ahead.
And of course, our wolves and Grizzly Bears are enjoying the warm days as well with lots of long naps soaking in the rays.
Be sure to get up here and you never know which wild critter you may run into!
