Due to a major photo transfer snafu, I lost a great deal of original content. That means that not all of the following pics are the ones from our original sightings during the 2017 calendar year. I know no one would be the wiser if I didn't out myself, but such things matter to me. Critter on, Faithful Readers!
Espying critters is, hands down, my favorite part of hiking. It’s just about my favorite thing in all of life, truth be told. Nowadays, there are a dozen or more nature programs on TV at any given time or an endless number streaming online, but when I was a kid, we had to wait for Sunday nights when Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom would air, and I’d be glued to the screen. We also had a large, glossy-paged book of nature photos, and although I think it was originally given to my brother, I was forever thumbing through it, completely captivated. The photographs were so clear and up-close that each time I pulled the book out, I had to quickly bypass the one of a jumping spider that scared me silly.
This post will showcase the critters we espied during our adventures this past year. I thought it would be interesting to share a Fresh Fun Fact™ (FFF) about each critter, one that I hadn’t included in the original blog posting of that critter. Some of these critters we have seen in years past, but many were new sightings, shown with an asterisk, and the caption of each photo is a link to the original post if you need to kill even more time.
So, without further ado, I present the Critter Round-Up of 2017!
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| Western Side-blotched Lizard* |
FFF™ = Mating males have a sort of rock-paper-scissors hierarchy using the color of their throats. Orange > Blue > Yellow > Orange.
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| Black Oystercatcher* |
FFF™ = They can’t swim!
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| Yellow-bellied Marmot |
FFF™ = 80% of their life is spent underground.
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| Bull Snake |
FFF™ = Bull snakes have a very loud hiss (we didn’t scare it, so we didn’t hear it.)
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| Bighorn Sheep |
FFF™ = The number of segments on a bighorn sheep’s big horn is one more than its age.
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| Ladybugs |
FFF™ = Ladybugs bleed from the knees when threatened. They say it’s to make them taste yucky, but I suspect “they” never tasted them.
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| Hoary Marmot |
FFF™ = They are the heaviest rodent in the squirrel family. And I love them.
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| Mountain Goats |
FFF™ = They’re not really goats at all! They are more closely related to antelope.
FFF™ = They have five front toes, but only four back toes.
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| Pika |
FFF™ = Their foraged material is called a “haystack” and can be up to 60 lbs. for one pika.
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| Spruce Grouse |
FFF™ = Grouse will stay in place when very closely approached, giving them the moniker of “fool hens.”
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| Wild Turkeys |
FFF™ = Turkeys’ heads change color with their emotions, red, white, and blue! Another reason they were almost the national bird, I’ll wager.
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| Mountain Bluebird |
FFF™ = Females, known as helpers, will raise the young of other birds.
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| Rock Squirrel* |
FFF™ = I lied. I’m repeating a fact that I posted about this critter the first time around. Their alarm call is ridiculously loud. Ri.dic.u.lous.
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| American Badger * |
FFF™ = Go away, they like to be alone!
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| Pronghorn |
FFF™ = They are the fastest long-distance land mammal in the world.
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| Pileated Woodpecker |
FFF™ = Their tail feathers have spikes that make a sort of kickstand to help them cling.
I can’t wait to see what we see in 2018. Happy New Year, one and all!
I can’t wait to see what we see in 2018. Happy New Year, one and all!