Look! A blog that disregards politics!
So this was my first week to permanently reside in Grouse Creek yet again, for another summer. Yes, I've been back and forth since the end of November, but I am thankfully out here full-time now. Due to the fact that my previous technician ended earlier than I had anticipated and Mike (my friend the post-doc in our lab) was using the other technician until the end of May, I decided to hire my friend/roommate Kerry for a few weeks. I was really able to use her help! And thankfully she is a motivated person who avoids complaining, even when I know she is on the cusp of saying "screw this, let me just walk" when we drive the ATV. Oh, we walk plenty, but I have quite a few hens this year, scattered all about the place, and the use of an ATV makes things more efficient. Why don't I use a horse, since well, it is Grouse Creek, you wonder? Well I tried to convince my advisor of that last year and it didn't fly. As well as then I'd have to get a trailor to haul it somewhere 20 miles away, otherwise it would be inefficient.
Well, Kerry and I had quite a week. We found 2 hens nesting. Unfortunately one has abandoned her nest. I'm not sure if it was the cattle that caused this behavior, or some other disturbance, but it is VERY frustrating. A lot of my hens had their nests predated last year by coyotes and badgers, but they never abandoned their nest with eggs still in tact. It was odd. She took a few pieces of grass to cover them up, and just left. Very bothersome to say the least. Sage-grouse (in GC) have low nest-success rates, so we try our hardest to avoid disturbing the nest at all cost. Then again, this is an open-range ranching society. And the cattle have been all around her nest within the past week. But they didn't crush her eggs. Needless to say, frustrating, but I can't really do anything about it.
I also have several hens that have scattered about the northwest and northeast sides of the mountain ranges just north of Grouse Creek. Last year things were so easy. Most of the hens nested near each other--not too far from roads. Maybe they think that I've learned my way around this year, and need a bit of a challenge. And what a challenge it is. I've taken a number of new 2-tracks that I didn't even know existed last year. I've gone up and down ravines. And did I mention that yesterday (Friday the 13th), I took Kerry up north with half-hearted hopes that some hens may be up that direction? So we drive the ATV down into Cotton Thomas Basin--one of the most beautiful areas around GC according to my opinion. There is a larger dirt road that goes down in this canyon which we followed it for about a mile or two. Then I looked left and saw a large, very muscular mountain lion trotting away from us. It couldn't have been more than about 30 or 40 yards away. "Kerry look look." She was still. Then, once it looked like it was about to turn the corner, she reached for her camera. Too late. I thought about following it--I was awe struck with its beauty. I had always imagined that I'd be scared out of my mind if I saw that creature so close. But it was obviously more afraid of us and so beautiful! It does make me a little leery to continue wandering the wild alone though. This is the first time I've had a technician join me. I typically hike alone. No ATV, no technician. I think I might think again about this matter. And why did I ask Leighton to get rid of that handgun? I wouldn't kill an animal running away from me, but if it stared me straight in the face and charged, that might be a different story. Even only a few of the locals have ever seen mountain lions in the area. And never on more than one occasion. It must be due to the fact that it was Friday the 13th---hopefully that also explained the flat tire and issues with releasing the secondary latch, sputtering ATV when we saw the lion (well this has been an issue for months and I've tried to fix it, but my co-worker who is "supposed to be in charge of all the vehicles" sucks as his job), and returning Kerry back to Logan a few hours late.
But yes, the lion was a creature of such beauty and poise. When you have always instinctively thought you would fear such a beast, and then are overcome with a sense of tranquility and awe, you realize that the world does the ability to change your heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment