Moose in winter

I agree. I don't think I could get anything else done for watching outside to see all the activity.

nearly 9:30am, lots to do today, but w/strong winds, minus 18F and lower, I'd rather be looking out..so, here I sit w/coffee, view and DG friends.
Kiska

beautiful pics!

Kiska, cardinals are my favorite. They are so gentle. In the spring the male will bring seeds to the female and feed her. It's so touching. I too love your moose. I would also never get anything done outside because I would be intimidated by them! Watch from afar, yep!

Thanks Tir_Na_Nog. I love being able to post them.
Resin - That's funny, guess I'd better chase them outdoors where they can more easily find what they're looking for :) No coffee for them, maybe tea?
billyporter, Cardinals sound like a wonderful bird to watch. Fortunately, this time of year, not a lot to be done outdoors except moose watch :)
Kiska

Wonderful closer pictures!

This cow & calf moose spent several hours this afternoon, in the yard next door, chewing their cud.

The cow curled up and took a nap for a while. These are resident moose. They actually live in this down town neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska.


This message was edited Mar 6, 2007 8:39 PM

A close up of the calf.

Late in the evening, the pair went back to feeding, on decorative shrubbery. They moved from one yard, to the next, pruning the shrubbery. Here they stopped on top of a frozen snow pile to browse on a willow tree.

Grasmussen, they certainly look right "at home" in the first photo. Do most of the neighbors enjoy having them there? Thanks for posting; love seeing them.
Kiska

Kiska, No! We hate all the damage they do. It is insane allowing such large dangerous animals to be wandering free, in the center of a large city. Last night I came around the corner in the dark and spooked the calf. It was up an a snow bank like this, and nearly landed on the hood of the truck when it jumped off!

Grasmussen, we hear about all the moose in town, and how unique it is, but I understand what a problem it could be.
Kiska

Looks like you were right next to them to take their "close-ups". Great pictures.
Sorry, they are so much trouble for you, but WE LOVE to see the pictures. This is something unheard of here and something I will probably never get to see first-hand. I appreciate the wonderful pictures of these fabulous animals.
Carol

Everybody has some kind of wildlife in their yards. From little earthworms to big moose. Yes, you heard right, people here, none gardeners, complain about the little mounds left by night crawlers. It makes for rough riding on their multi-million dollar lawn machines. You would think on those expensive machines you wouldn't get a sore butt from earthworms. LOL! Big problem here are deer & rabbits. Wild turkeys are building up a population. They can be very destructive.
Pheasants here are having a though time since the big snowstorm. I traveled many miles yesterday, & pheasants were all over along the roads. They were scratching on the shoulders looking for something to eat. I saw three that had been hit by cars.
Bernie

Great pictures. Sounds like I should not complain about the deer. Moose are a much bigger problem. Thanks for letting all of us see these amazing creatures.
Reabilitation I feel should not be done except in the most extreme conditions. There is a balance in life and not everything survives for a reason. These animals do get run off and survive well on their own and learn, or do not learn. Reabilitation is tricky. Taking a wild animal out of his natural habitat is sometimes more harmful. I feel we should try not to interfere if possible.
Our deer use our wood trails when the snow is deep, so I can see why the moose would use the roads. Very dangerous for humans and the moose. Thanks again for letting us get a glimpse of life in the north.

Grasmussen, excellent photos. I do realize they can become a big problem & can be pretty scary when you are driving at night. Especially in summer when the flies drive them out of the bush, well I guess not in your case as they seem to be there all the time. Do you have the fall moose hunt in Alaska like we have in Northern Ontario?

CountryGardens, I'm trying to decide if you're "just kidding" about the earthworms or not - sounds just awful...otherwise, seeing deer, pheasants and turkeys sounds great.
broots - there is a hunt, but it's a complicated situation and I'm not up on it.
Look closely along the edge of the road, on the right, near top of hill, see the moose ready to come down?
Kiska

Not kidding this actually happens here all the time, especially the old farmers. They used to kill everything.

CountryGardens - What a nightmare - . Rarely have I seen a worm in our soil, much less the "Tremors" type. Guess I'd be housebound if I lived there :)
Kiska

We don't bother the worms. You wouldn't believe how much they improve the soil.

CountryGardens - that's good; and as large as they are, must be good for the soil since they keep it turned. One reason I like to garden here, is there are no surprises in the soil :).
Kiska

Kiska, I used to walk around the yard picking up the worm casts to mix in the compost pile ot just throw on the garden. They are hard and mowers do bounce around, but they are a sign of a healthy lawn!

I'm always suprised to see how much black is on a moose. If you were to name them, what would you go by? Facial colors?

billyporter - now, I can guess at what you mean, but just what is a "worm cast"? Sorry to be "in the dark" about this, but this is all new to me.
As to names for the moose; in the case of the cows, some have scars that help in indentification. A few years ago, one had a broken leg and after it healed, it was crooked. They certainly do look alike, but, it's hard to pinpoint just what is the exact differences. We've not named them, just refer to "mom w/twins", or the "young one on it's own", terms to that effect. They have a circuit, they'll be at my daughter's, then a few days later will be here and in my neighborhood.
Mom w/one - not too creative, is it?
Kiska

Little one following.
Kiska

Wow, looks like you were standing 10 feet away!

Laughing, I've been looking at all their faces and it would be hard to name them. We name all the feral cats. Sometimes three times before the name sticks.

Yep, poop. They eat the dirt to make their tunnels and deposit it at the entrance. The tunnels also aerate the ground and can go deep. In the spring, when it's warm enough for them to come up to feed, it sounds like a soft rain. Really neat. The full moon this month is called the Full Worm Moon.

Sure does, thanks to zoom lenses:). I was on our deck, which is several feet high, and they were only about 30? ' away. Hearing them walk through the snow, breaking twigs as they eat, makes me wish I could add sound effects, too.
Just read your post, billy - I'm sorry, but the thought of those worms gives me the shivers...so glad there's good to having them around.
Kiska

Laughing again. I love worms and still pick them up.

The worms make terrific fish bait. The Night Crawlers are about 6" long. Regular Earthworms about 3". Night Crawlers are on top of the ground at night or during a rain, so you just pick them up. Earthworms are in the top foot or so of the moist soil, so you dig for them.
Fact: All types of earthworms make up the biggest population of any one species on earth.

I would name the moose, Bessie, Susie, Molly, & all the names we used to use for our dairy cows.

Bernie

Billy and Bernie - glad you're happy w/earthworms; glad I don't have to deal w/them. Over the 28 summers here, bet I've only seen half a dozen, and those have been in the past few years. For bait, we use lures/flies. Have never seen worms used here.
Those are cute names; guess I'll have to assign them in order of their arrival.
Kiska

Apparently in Russia, they have domesticated Moose which they keep like cows for milking
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Milkmaid-and-Moose-Cow-hp4080.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kostroma_Moose_Farm

There was even an attempt to use Moose for cavalry in the 1930s!

Resin

Resin, the University of Alaska has had a long term research project on moose nutrition and food requirements, using captive animals. They are trying to understand and solve nutritional problems commonly associated with keeping moose in captivity. Moose can be very dangerous animals! Three people have been stomped to death in the city of Anchorage in recent years, and others have been injured by wild moose.

In this picture the woman walking her dog, had to restrain the dog as they walked past the moose. The dogs barking, only caused the moose to stop eating and look up at the dog.




This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 3:25 PM

The moose has only browsed her way around to the front of the garage, and a man comes out and gets into his car. The moose don't even look up. These City Moose are just large belligerent dangerous animals. They DO NOT show any fear of, or respect for, anything. (Imagine stepping out the door and unexpecticly facing a snorting bull. Suddenly you wish you had some training as a matador.) It is quite common here.
Just as the calf came into view from behind the garage, the camera's dead battery light came on. I charged it enough to download these shots from the camera.

This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 3:29 PM

Who was there first, the moose or humans ?

Nasty!

How long till they start attacking people to get the carrots and cabbages out of their shopping bags?

Or, for that matter, discovering that supermarket doors open automatically and give them free access to the veg. counter . . .

Resin

Laughing, but I think it could happen. I don't want to ever be face to face with one. I'm kind of leery around ordinary farm cows.

Chicken!

I also think being in the midst of cows would be a bit scary - think I'll just watch both moose and cows from a distance. Haven't seen any moose in the yard for a week - they are out near the roads, though. Come summer, they'll wait till the cabbages are nearly ready for harvest, then help themselves. They still haven't figured out grocery stores :}
Summer moose in the garden.
Kiska