The highway between Ft Nelson and Watson Lake took us through gorgeous country. The scenery is absolutely stunning. Construction was minimal so delays and really rough road weren't bad. After reaching Stone Mountain Provincial Park we saw lots of wildlife.
First we spotted a lone caribou. Later we saw a group. These, I believe, are called mountain caribou. I had never realized there were several subspecies of caribou.
Along the road in the provincial park was a pond with two beaver lodges and a dam. No sign of the occupants, but fun to see their huge houses.
At Stone Mountain and then right before Muncho Lake, we saw stone sheep. These are a subspecies of thinhorn sheep - their horns are thinner and more pointed than bighorn sheep. They are attracted to the minerals along the road and can often be found there.
A herd of about 250 wood buffalo live in the forest in the Muskwa-Kechika area, a 4.4 million hectacres managed area, which includes wilderness and several provincial parks. It is managed to sustain one of North America’s most significant large mammal predator-prey systems. After Muncho Lake we saw several groups of males, including some who hung out just north of Liard Hot Springs. In spite of all the wilderness they have to roam, they seem to prefer the verge or expanse of cleared area bordering the sides of the highway with easy access to forest. Signs warn of buffalo but more than a dozen are killed on the highway each year by truckers and motorists.
George spotted a moose feeding in the warm water runoff from the hot springs. Mostly hidden by trees, you can make out that it is a moose. Marmots lived under the boardwalk leading to the upper spring. They duck under the boardwalk at any disturbance.
We did see two more bears after we left Liard. A cub was feeding along the edge of the woods. No mother in sight, but I’m sure she was keeping an eye on her youngster. A few miles down the road another black bear chomped clumps of green grass as he walked along the verge.
On his previous trip, George was told that in the Yukon the First Nation people can hunt at any time to maintain their traditional way of life. However, this translates into fewer wildlife to be seen along the road in Yukon Territory than in B.C.
It is always a thrill to see animals in the wild for me. In fact, as girls, my sister and I were thrilled to see cows - and we grew up in the country with dairies nearby! We have been fortunate to see such a variety and have them close enough to photograph - from a safe distance. These were taken with George's Nikon D70, a digital Nikon that can use a variety of lens. Someday maybe he'll get one of those giant lens, which allows for fantastic wildlife shots. For now this works, and the real thrill is seeing them - the photo is frosting on the cake. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Photos by George and Jaimie Bruzenak (depending on which side of the road the animal was on!)
Great photos - thanks for sharing
Posted by: Keith | June 19, 2009 at 08:20 AM