No not Uma Thurman but ermine, more on that in a minute. On our first full day off together in over a month miracle of miracles it was sunny, warm and just a glorious day here in Kodiak. So before our chores and the Red Sox game (which I could have lived without watching) we hiked a trail that has been snow and ice covered till recently. The Boy Scout trail is a loop that starts out at the lake and heads for the sea and then loops back around, a nice 3 mile hike. The hike was uneventful until we reached the small beach area, once there we heard a strange noise coming from the end of the beach. Now living out here where wild animals roam and are a common sight I sprang into action in case in was a hungry bear or other predator.
Then finally I laid eyes on what was making the noise and threatened our safety
I sighted in on this creature that looked like at any moment he would pounce on us and gnaw on our ankles
Okay I'm making this whole thing up and staged the picture with the gun. But the ermine was real and actually very playful considering it is a carnivore and will kill and eat a small dog but mainly feasts on rabbits and other animals twice its size. They are found in Canada and the Northern US and Alaska. They are a chameleon like critter that changes its coat in the winter to all white while sporting a brown coat in the summer. As you can see this little guy is in the process of changing back to brown. He had no problem with posing for the camera and the next photo if you click on it is a keeper.
The rest of the hike was uneventful although we did see bear signs including an unlucky deer carcass spread along a couple hundred yards. Japhy had a ball and loves this trail because of all the rabbits he can chase, the last time he was here he chased one for 20 minutes before coming back. Here he is taking a break and catching his breath
No comments:
Post a Comment