While you can't always get what you want, some times you get what is pretty darn interesting in its own right. Two nights ago, we headed over to Victor Bay to see if we could get another look at the bears, but there was none to be found. They are still around though, and we got to see them again last night. There is, apparently, another of trio of Polar Bears in the area, a sow with a couple of smaller cubs.
But as we were motoring along, we did get an excellent look at another of our mammals. Travis (of course) saw it first, shouting that there was an avinga (lemming) under an old water truck tank that is used as a water tank for the campers of Victor Bay. It was instantly clear that it wasn't a lemming, but one of their biggest predators the weasel. I believe this is a Least Weasel, but my guide books are still somewhere in boxes.
This was one of our best looks yet of these quick, sleek hunters and I managed to get a couple of decent shots of it, despite the low light and high ISOs. The weasel slipped easily in and out from under the tank, checking us out when ever I'd squeak - looking for the strange wounded rabbit making all the racket. It had enough when I got out to try and get another photo, but they are quick and it was difficult to get a shot of it in the open, it rarely paused.
Luckily everyone had a long close look at the handsome beast.
With no Polar Bears in sight, and Travis clambering to go to the water lake to look for Char fry, we left Victor Bay and headed out there. After a short stop to confirm that the Pacific Loon was still incubating what must be a long dead egg, we went a little farther up the road to the inflow of the lake.
As we pulled off the main road two large birds were at the water's edge, feeding. After my initial shout that they were geese I quickly realized that they were actually a pair of Sandhill Cranes, a bird that no one in the truck but I had seen before. They were nervous at the appearance of the truck but settled quickly and resumed their foraging.
Foiled again by the lateness of the day and the lack of light, I managed only record shots of them. Grainy and shaky. As soon as we tried to roll quietly closer to them they took to the air. What was surprising, apart from their appearance, was that there was no chick with them. It seems as though the Pacific Loons aren't the only ones having trouble raising a brood this year.
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