I’ve come to appreciate the fact that not everyone finds wildlife encounters to be as truly thrilling as I do. After a relatively boring hike out to Abbott’s Lagoon (in terms of photographic opportunities), I was fairly resigned to be out of chances to make an interesting image for the day. However, my ever constant scan for wildlife came up with a huge score when I saw this adorable mustelid standing tall in the pasture along the trail. I was stoked! The long-tailed weasel is an animal that I’ve wanted a chance to see for a while, but I figured that it wasn't likely to ever happen.
We saw him take a few leaps and chases at something, although he never came up with a snack. It was fun to watch him disappear down one gopher hole and then have to scan the area to see where he would pop up next.
While the pictures themselves aren’t anything special (harsh midday light and cropped significantly), crossing a new wildlife species off of my list is always fantastic, and I was excited to tell anyone about it when we got back. Alas, the odd looks on the faces of the people I told reassured me that it takes a, umm, *special* kind of person to get so excited about encountering a weasel.
Now that I’ve got that one off the list, here’s to hoping a get a chance at a badger!
Awww he's great !! Those pics are wonderful - I love this little guy with his funny attitude :)
ReplyDeleteHey, there's lots of us special folks out here! ;)
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I saw a weasel bounding down the trail in Tenn. Valley a month or so ago, and it was a first for us too. We definitely didn't get such a nice view as this though.
I think they are lovely set of images and I am very envious. Good luck with badgers.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky for you to see such a special animal! I hope to see one in the wild one day too.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel. I spotted one at Pt Reyes Natnl Seashore yesterday ! Unfortunately, not everyone was as excited as I was about the find :)
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