Originally Posted by Buglady
Speaking of such - I saw THE COOLEST thing on my way in this morning. There was a beaver swimming happily along in the river! I have spent years hiking to all kinds of remote areas and never spotted a beaver in the wild; so where do I see one? Right in the middle of Calgary! Craziness. I'd been riding right past its lodge for weeks, thinking it was a mass of flood debris. I also saw a Hooded Merganser, as a bonus.
In other words, a really good morning
No headwind, light traffic, a nice fast ride AND wildlife sighting. It doesn't get much better!
That is one of the things I miss not riding those Southern paths any more. However, if you do ride into the late fall/winter be advised, when it starts getting dark down there, good lights are a must. Twice I nearly hit a porcupine south of the bird sanctuary. Both times I saw it when right on top of it, fortunately, it was grubbing around at the
edge of the path!
One time I came upon a fawn, passed by so close I could have stroked it! That was in Carbun Park, the deer there are almost pets. Also rode past a coyote a time or two. We went past in opposite directions about ten feet apart, I gave him a very
direct look, as if to say "we're not going to hurt each other, are we?" No worries, they are not a problem for adult humans, if you a little dog with you......
Oh! and keep your eyes peeled for the Pelicans, yes, Pelicans. They often fish just below the weir.