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With the blink of an eye it has turned to Autumn here in Lake Tahoe as the days are getting shorter, the nights are longer, and the wildlife is showing signs that the winter months are rapidly approaching. This morning while walking to work it was a brisk 36 degrees out, the sun hung low in the sky(brrr), and I saw a gaggle of Canadian Geese flying in a V formation to the south.
With the changing of the seasons we adapt and change our activity patterns as daylight is no longer abundant. We are not the only ones who are going through changes, the wildlife of Tahoe is getting ready for the winter months preparing for short days, cold weather, and lots of El Nino snow. Every summer shows signs of the seasons to come and local folk lore always has some sort of adage for what the wildlife is doing. When the bee’s are abundant it is sure to be a huge winter, the same goes for the presence of migrating butterflies, or as we have seen this year the high activity level of bears.
Yesterday I heard one of my coworkers in the office yell to me with excitement that there was a bear by the river. I love seeing the bears so I jumped out of my chair and looked out the window towards the
river. I was amazed when I looked out and saw not one bear but 3 bears, a momma and 2 cubs waddling down to the Truckee River. I quickly grabbed my camera and headed downstairs to the Crest Cafe as they have a beautiful deck overlooking the river and I knew the deck would offer a better vantage point to view the 3 little bears than our office window. By this time 2 of my coworkers joined me along with 2 patrons of the cafe to look at the bears. From our vantage point the bears appeared to be in a very natural setting even though Highway 89 is only 20 yards away and we were viewing their activity from the deck of a commercial building. This did not seem to bother the bears as they continued to drink the fresh water from the Truckee River(the only outlet of Lake Tahoe) and go about there business. After a quick drink the bears disappeared into the thicket and we returned to our daily activities. This was a great reminder that here in Tahoe we live amongst the wildlife on their land. I felt very lucky to have witnessed 3 magnificent creatures in their own environment enjoying a beautiful Tahoe day. I am hoping that the appearance of the bears along with the numerous other bear sightings this summer means that we are in for a deep El Nino winter filled with prosperity for all.
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