Wildlife Viewing

We went from Watson Lake to Ft. Nelson yesterday. Along the way we saw plenty of wildlife. The first thing we saw were horses along the road. They weren't wild, but I count them because they were on the side of the road. Then we saw a herd of bison hauled out along the road...

We also saw white tail deer; caribou (including a family unit: bull, cow, yearling); an elk (just 1, but I finally saw an elk!!); and a groundhog.

In the birding world, the first birds we saw were ravens. There are a lot of ravens around here. I also saw a bald eagle. I wasn't really expecting to see one here as the terrain is mostly fields. I think of them mostly along the coast, although this one was on a lake. I also got a Swainson's hawk (lifer!!). There were many of them flying over the fields looking for prey. Many juncos on the sides of the road. And a Blue Grouse (another lifer!!!) They were just hanging around the sides of the road too. The highway has very wide sides, making it easy for animals and birds to be there without getting into traffic. It makes the long, boring drive a little more interesting because you are always looking for things.

Last night (Tuesday), we stayed in Fort Nelson. Only saw a couple of white tail deer. But we did see two large flocks of geese flying overhead. And a peregrine falcon hunting in a pasture. This area is really big horse country. And cattle country. So there are plenty of pastures for birds of prey.

We finally made it to Dawson Creek, BC. We're planning on staying here 2 nights. We have to put everything back in place and get reorganized. My jeep looks like it went through a war zone. The windshield has lots of dings and 2 cracks. And the amber light covers are cracked. And the front is so chipped up it will need work. I feel sorry for it. We don't have a cover for it, but we will now. It looks like every other Alaskan vehicle, but it's only a year old and I was hoping to save it from this for at least another year. Oh well. It needs a good washing now. It's covered in rocks. Laundry needs to be done too. And vacuuming and cleaning and all that stuff. Yeah.

I'll try to write again tomorrow and let you all know what our plans are after we leave Dawson Creek. I think we're heading toward Prince George.