Carol Patterson

INSPIRING EVERYDAY EXPLORERS Through wildlife tales and trails

Carol Patterson

How to sex a marmot from 100 meters

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“Stop!” I screeched at my husband as he scrambled over granite rocks looking for the perfect place to rest. “There’s a marmot right above you!” Colin looked up at golden-mantled ground squirrel and kept walking, knowing he was far enough away not to startle the squirrel.

Hoary Marmot
Hoary Marmots are often heard but seldom seen by hikers at high elevation

 

My mind started its internal commentary. He can’t possibly think that squirrel is the marmot. Why isn’t he listening to me? I tried again. “The marmot is right above you!” I whispered as loudly as I dared, trying to get my camera out before Colin scared the marmot off.

Riders say a horse is dead-sided when it ignores your leg cues. I was watching the human version of this phenomenon as Colin ignored my verbal cues and proceeded to walk within ten meters of the marmot before finally finding the perfect rock for his rest. I clicked off several pictures of the marmot that surprisingly hadn’t moved from his perch and I sprinted up to Colin.

Paintbrush on Stanley Glacier trail
Paintbrush on Stanley Glacier trail

“Did you see THE marmot?” I squealed, “Why didn’t you stop when I told you to?” Colin

The hoary marmot is the largest of North American marmots
The hoary marmot is the largest of North American marmots

looked up and caught the gaze of the dog-sized squirrel looking down at him. “Oh that marmot!” he shrugged, “I never heard you.”

I wasn’t sure I believed him but I’m pretty sure that marmot was a male following the guy code of having each other’s back. I had my picture, Colin got his rest, and the marmot got a little human drama.

 

The hike into Stanley Glacier provides stunning views at all elevations
The hike into Stanley Glacier provides stunning views at all elevations

If you go:

The Stanley Glacier hike in Kootenay National Park is an outing that gives maximum value for your time outdoors. From the time you step out of your car in the crowded parking lot until you crest the rock scree below the receding glacier there are dozens of eye-popping views worthy of an Instagram post. There is also a good chance of seeing hoary marmots, the largest species of North American marmot. It is found above tree line which means you have to work for your sightings but at Stanley Glacier you can reach marmot habitat within a couple of hours.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/kootenay/activ/randonnee-hike/jour-day.aspx

How to find a bison stampede

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When I learned to fly, my flight instructor told me flying was boredom 95% of the time and the other 5% delivered sphincter-narrowing excitement. That phrase ran through my head as I searched unsuccessfully for bison in Elk Island National park. With over 460 plains bison in a relatively small park, you might think they would be hard to miss. You would be wrong.
After two hours of driving back and forth on the 18 kilometer road that dissects the park I spotted nary a bison. Or a bird. Or anything moving. It was frustrating because I could tell by the poop scattered everywhere and the tracks in the snow there were bison around. “The best time to sDSC05682ee them is at dawn and dusk,” suggested the Parks Canada visitor center employee. Unfortunately it was mid-morning and I would be long gone by dark.

Daydreaming to take my mind off my lack of photos I crested a small hill and saw several vehicles stopped on the road. “Wildlife!” I thought. I didn’t care if it was a squirrel, by now I was happy to look at anything with fur or feathers to break my wildlife-viewing drought. I coasted to a stop and spotted dozens of brown shaggy behemoths jogging across the frozen grasslands. Bison! They were several hundred meters away – too far to photograph – so I grabbed my video camera to capture the movement.

In the viewfinder I noticed the lead animals turning towards me. At the same time I thought, “they are coming this way” a stampede erupted behind my vehicle. Tons of plain bison thundered across the road, youngsters following moms and spunky teenagers kicking their heels in the air as they went. The snow flew up as they pounded across the plains, steam circling their dark heads. In seconds the reached a large stand of aspen and the forest gobbled them up as if they had never been. My racing heart told me otherwise. I love that 5%!

Watch the action on this video.

Dogs save lives in avalanches

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Cazz and Mike Henderson look for drowning victims and do poaching patrols in summer
My latest story on Cazz, the avalanche dog, ran recently in the Red Deer Advocate. Watching this highly-trained canine search for his 'victim' was thrilling and highly inspiring. This is important work and dogs do it well- a dog and his handler can search the same area as 20 humans eight times faster!!

To read more click here http://bit.ly/HSgHAx