Tales From The Wood Booger: Wildlife

Showing posts with label Wildlife. Show all posts

Friday, September 9, 2022

Smokies Plus Wild Cherries Equal Bear Jam

Hiking and mountain vistas weren't the only highlights of my recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). No, it was seeing the park's most famous inhabitants...BEARS!

For anyone familiar with this blog you know that bears are a favorite animal of mine. So, when I get to see one it is great, but multiple bears, well that is spectacular and that is what happened on that Thursday. As I was coming down the Newfound Gap Road right not long after passing the Chimney Tops Trailhead there was a huge gaggle of cars for the Tops main overlook. Immediately I knew what it was a BearJam. For the unenlightened, it is when traffic backs up, usually on both sides, because of bears.

My Smokies High Country Adventure.

Usually what awaits at Chimeny Tops Overlook.

I saw where everyone was looking it was a tree right before the Chimney Tops Overlook (or after for me) and it was packed with cars, so I parked at the overlook on down and hurried towards the crowd. I had seen two bears that looked like a yearling and a larger bear that looked like a sow. From what I have seen in the past for these Bear Jams the bruins move on quick, but not this time. The adult bear I saw had come down the tree, but she had not one, or two, but three cubs in the tree. So, with this bear family and the yearling that made five. When I looked up into the tree it was obvious why they weren't to eager to leave, it was a Wild Cherry...it was loaded! Anyway, I got some great pictures of all five. While it was cool it did get a little uncomfortable, because a number of people were getting too close. I fully expected this one guy to get mauled. Yes, cubs are cute but they're bears. Still, that brings my bear total to seven!

Bear Number 1: Mama Bear...

...Bear Number 2: Yearling...

...Bear Number: Cub #1

...(Above) Bear Number 4: Cub #2 & (Below) Bear Number 5: Cub #3....

Monday, November 22, 2021

Wildlife Of Summer 2021

This blog started out very different. It was going to be a regular syle Wildlife blogs like I have done with in the past. But now I decided to try out the new style of blog for Wildlife and Wildflowers and such. Instead of all the pictures on this page I will have a couple and the rest will be linked at the bottom and you will have a choice of Google Photos or SmugMug. These blogs just take too much time and I am going to try to work on some book projects (I will blog about that soon).

June

July

August

Anyway, summer is always the best month for wildlife, and 2021 was no different. This year was highlighted by that most special of mammals Ursus Americanus...the American Black Bear. This bear encounter was at Rocky Fork State Park on the White Rocks Cliff Trail. As I talked about here I ran into it halfway up the trail and I got huffed! The reason it was a momma bear and two cubs. She became such a problem that the trail was eventually closed and the park rangers said they were going to try and "move her along." Another highlight was seeing a Striped Skunk at the Cabin. Then we had all kinds of birds, bees and deer. Anyway here are the photos...enjoy!

Google Photos

SmugMug Photos

Monday, June 14, 2021

Wildlife Of Spring '21

Spring has come and gone, but while it's not yet astronomical Summer (five days) it is meteorological just step outside. Anyway, it is time for the quarterly blog on Wildlife I see and take pictures of. I have been doing these a certain way for a while now, but I have decided it's time for a change. I am going to do it with the same format that I do the Wildflower Blog. The main reason it is just easier. So with that here are birds (most of the blog), squirrels, and all the Wildlife of Spring '21...(Cover: Field Sparrow & White Blaze; Bottom: Eastern Bluebird)

St. Clair, TN (03-20)