Wildlife!

About three times, when I’ve taken Ty for his morning walk across the dam, I’ve seen fresh moose tracks.  Last Friday I finally saw the moose – at least, one of them – on the other side of the lake near the horse camp.  A group of campers there told me they had seen three moose, which makes sense with the patterns of the tracks.  I guessed that there were at least two.

The moose are by far the largest of our wildlife neighbors.  We’ve seen several antelope on the road leading to the campground, but so far none have ventured within our boundaries. The only other mammals we’ve seen in the campground were chipmunks, squirrels and potguts (the Utah nickname for the Uinta ground squirrel – they look like fat rats with short tails.) 

We have a robin and a couple of hummingbirds that hang out around our campsight.  There is also a pair of bald eagles – they look pretty young – that we’ve seen flying overhead.  They seem to be camera-shy; twice I’ve aimed the camera at one of them perched in a tree, and both times she or he flew away before I could get the shot. 

The Forest Service has re-introduced Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep to this area.  I know this because there are signs posted – but I have yet to see them.  We’ve seen them in the Flaming Gorge area and they are quite beautiful, but quite aloof. 

The Uinta Mountains are also home to black bears.  Again, I know this because there are not only signs posted – one on every bulletin board and one in each restroom at the proper eye level for normal usage of the facility – but we also give a bear brochure to each camper as they come in.  We’re told there has never been a bear in the Hoop Lake campground, but just this year one was spotted about two miles away and another about four miles away.  Like most wildlife, bears tend to leave humans alone.  But we’re encouraging our campers not to tempt them by leaving food out.