A good friend and I were fly fishing on the Chattooga yesterday. We caught some nice trout and a few other species too. We wade in the river to fish, and toward the end of the day i managed to take these photos while standing in thigh deep water. I wasn’t the only one watching.
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Was that on Section 1?
Looks healthy and well fed. Good photos.
Wonderful photos of a keystone species.
Kinda weird that the heron was unfazed by such a close passing.
@willowleaf said:
Kinda weird that the heron was unfazed by such a close passing.
That’s what I was thinking.
You can bet it was watching how close the yote got and how fast it was able to move in the creek.
@pblanc said:
Was that on Section 1?
Yes, but just, and the water is low.
@willowleaf said:
Kinda weird that the heron was unfazed by such a close passing.
My camera has a 5X optical tele. Also I cropped the photos to make the animals larger in them. They were a good 25 feet apart or more with somewhat deeper water between them. I was a bit surprised that it held it’s ground too. Though the heron’s bill can be a lethal weapon when aimed at the eye.
@castoff said:
Though the heron’s bill can be a lethal weapon when aimed at the eye.
Especially if you’re a frog or salmon fry!
We also saw a pair of Bald Eagles, and not another person. Weather was perfect. Cloudy half the day then becoming sunny air temp about 70, and water temp 64F. Frank spotted a midlands water snake on the bottom.
Bald Eagle on a branch
river views
An eagle eye observes,
in low flow gone absurd,
a line canine per passage,
wasn’t flipping off the bird,
and thus shall find old kyotes,
in knee high waters sharin’,
a peace midst flies a tossin’,
or so as some were heron.
I use to see a lot of semi-urbans when I lived in Reno. Across the road from my apt, hunting rabbits, families would come through the parking lot at work and along fields in city limits. Very cool animals…
We encountered a female with a pair of half grown pups along a remote road in Death Valley back in 2011. Evidently they would sit on the outwash gravel ridge along the road and jog down when they saw a car coming. We stopped to look at them and get some photos but knew better than to feed wildlife. Apparently other tourists must have been sharing treats though because they looked pretty sleek for such a sere landscape. And she looked annoyed at us for not coming up with any goodies – turned tail and trotted off to watch for the next carload of potential suckers.
@willowleaf said:
We encountered a female with a pair of half grown pups along a remote road in Death Valley back in 2011. Evidently they would sit on the outwash gravel ridge along the road and jog down when they saw a car coming. We stopped to look at them and get some photos but knew better than to feed wildlife. Apparently other tourists must have been sharing treats though because they looked pretty sleek for such a sere landscape. And she looked annoyed at us for not coming up with any goodies – turned tail and trotted off to watch for the next carload of potential suckers.
Interesting to see a skittish predator like a yote so tame somewhere so remote.
Most places with any people population coyotes are a little less forthcoming due to being hunted.
When they hear or smell something that may be food they generally circle downwind to investigate before sneaking in.
Ditto on the photos! They are adaptable and resourceful for sure, and undoubtedly she had been feed more than once.
All the coyotes I have been near are gone pronto when they realize a human is there. We have seen them in our yard in town, and while bowhunting on National forest land I have had them come fairly close. However, they are so alert and in tune that they know to leave immediately. Just look at those radar ears, and they have a phenomenal sense of smell that it almost seems they have a sixth sense.
So , smelling you made their ears stand up? Probably made their eyes water too.
I thought they always carried “ACME Anvils”
@grayhawk said:
I thought they always carried “ACME Anvils”
That was back in the iron age. Now in the information age they carry a smartphone and order from ACME on line. Their new preferred implement is the ACME Drone which can also carry the Anvil.
@string said:
So , smelling you made their ears stand up? Probably made their eyes water too.
LOL… they do reacted that way, but don’t seem to have watery eyes as they always see the fastest way to get away anyway!
In the southeast they are usually a little more stealthy. You see them by accident. Blink, then they are gone.
A Coydog would be an interesting pet. Except he might be smarter than us. Upon reading more about coydogs, apparently you have to be skilled with canine training and be very calm , strong willed, and patient.
Sounds like my wife.
OOOOOooooooh!