Breakfast Time For Beaver

The last few posts have been from an early morning shoot at Mission Marsh. I arrived just before sunrise and spent some time watching the sun come up over the Sleeping Giant and across the lake and if you go back over the past few posts you will see some of the amazing shots I captured. 

The reason for my visit however was to search for beavers. A few days before I had been for a walk nearby and I had seen the freshly chewed stump of a felled tree and not far away was the tree itself, abandoned across the path and I figured that we had disturbed the beaver and it had run off to take cover. We searched for a little while around the edge of a small lagoon but without luck and I determined to come back in the morning to see if I would have any better luck.

As you can see from these pictures I was not disappointed. As I walked along the edge of the pool I heard a splash and turned just in time to see the ripples as a beaver disappeared beneath the cold water. I thought that that might be my last sighting of a beaver but decided to hang around for a while longer and I am so glad I did because I was able to watch not one but four beavers busily working on preparing their lodge for winter and having breakfast. I was so excited that I went back a couple of days later and the whole family of five beavers were there. This has to have been one of the highlights of my visit and an experience I hope I will never forget.

Later on the day of my second visit I went to see the Fort William museum, a replica of the original trading post on the banks of the Kaministiquia river. Although it was a fascinating insight into the history of this region and the importance of the fur trade to the prosperity and growth of the North West territories it was also sad to see piles of furs/pelts including beaver that were shipped to Europe and used to make  top hats in London. I thought about the family of beavers I had watched that morning and I was pleased that they would be safe from trappers because they have the good fortune to live in a conservation area.

How Deer You

These are the first of the wildlife shots from my trip to Canada. These beautiful whitetail deer were spotted on Mission Island near the Mission Marsh Conservation area (site of one of my best wildlife sightings during the trip).

These deer are completely wild but have become used to living alongside the residents in this quiet community grazing on the lush grass and feeding on the apples in the autumn. Although they seem quite happy posing for photos they remain alert and will quickly disappear into the undergrowth if they get spooked.

Rainy Day Fawn

You can see from the water droplets on the grasses that this was a fairly wet day and while we were out looking for deer the deer were taking shelter under the trees and in the undergrowth. That is the ones who weren't tempted by the apples we had brought to feed them.

This fawn was snuggled down but fully alert and was too wary to come and enjoy a free meal.

Just For You, Deer

I am sticking with a wildlife shot for today and I hope you will agree this is a great shot of a female white tailed deer. 

As we drove through the Mission Marsh area of Thunder Bay we had been promised we would see some deer and sure enough we spotted a couple taking shelter from the rain under a few trees. We stopped the car and with the help of a few apples we managed to coax one a little closer, then before we knew it about eight more approached from their places hidden in the long grass. Although they came close they were appropriately wary but I was able to get some good shots. They have such gentle faces, beautiful eyes and lovely long lashes.

In The Wild

So today I got out, in spite of the rain and was lucky enough to see this beautiful black bear, she was rooting around in the rubbish looking for a tasty snack. She walked off with the remains of a bag of Doritos. Although we were very close the fact that she was hungry and the fact the we were inside the car meant we were able to watch her for some time. I can't wait to share the proper photos when I get home.

Also while out we visited Mission Marsh, a conservation area and well known for its deer population. Although they're wild they're not afraid of himans and came really close. I have some really good shots with my camera, including a young fawn still with its spotted coat. Again I can hardly wait to share those, but hey, I still have lots to see and do here first.