Underground Entertainment

It's Freakin' Wild Kingdom Day At The Underground

By Tom Chandler 8/2/2012

Earlier this morning (hence the low-light photography), we had a Hummingbird faceoff. (Forget the hype -- they're vicious killers.)

Hummingbirds "You first. I insist."

 

Then midday, a black bear hit the ponds for a drink (sorry for the terrible pic, just too far away and moving to find a hole in the branches).

The bear's been around after hours too; two nights ago Wally the Wonderdog charged through a screen door after smelling the bear ("let me open that for you, oops, too late..."), then ran boldly into the back yard. I could hear the bear moving away through the trees -- until Wally got the edge of the trees, and the bear decided enough was enough.

The breaking twig noises reversed direction, now heading towards the bravery-fading-by-the-inch Wonderdog, who kept up the racket, but suddenly turned and ran all the way back to the back porch and up two flights of stairs.

The Wonderdog might be dumb, but he's not stupid.

Bear Sorry for the blur. But he's big.

 

Then the real party animals took the stage:

Kids The real party animals.

 

Sadly, too dark last evening to photograph all the deer, and the fox running around all night (which makes Wally bark, which keeps us awake) will probably require one of those trail cameras.

I'm thinking of putting together a backyard tour; buy a couple of beater cars, paint them with zebra stripes, and we've got Bear Country Safari.

Cheesy, but up here you learn never to ignore a revenue stream...

See you wondering what's next, Tom Chandler.
AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

10 comments
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Steve Z: I go on vacation and miss all the cuteness — the kids, not the hummingbirds. Very nice, Tom. I saw "cuteness" and thought you meant me.
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I go on vacation and miss all the cuteness -- the kids, not the hummingbirds. Very nice, Tom.
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That it is....Have hit most of them from Olympia to Tustin, on out of state jobs. Blackberry cobbler is da bomb for breakfast......
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Book early enough and you can also get a pedicure from Wally the Wonderdog in our day spa.
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The original black bear is right down the street here in Mt. Shasta. Good if you like kinda heavy food, and a lot of it...
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Hummingbird pics are always tough; the feeder are typically under an overhang and the lot sucks. At one point we had five hbirds going at it (the kids are growing up), and the constant thrumming of their wings were a real distraction if you were sitting out on the back porch. I'll make sure to shoot a couple new WWD pics soon.
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Damn! I'm so jealous! My feeder also has dueling hummers, but I cannot get a good photo of them (yours is excellent). And the picture of the girls is outstanding! Love M's blue hat! But where, oh where, is WWD?
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...I thought the Black Bear Diner was down the road in Weed. Glad to see Wally knows that discression is the better part of valor;although he most likely thought you were going to repel boarders for him.....Great pic of the munckins!!! Stylin' babes already......
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Mary, call the travel agent!!!
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The party animal picture is definitely my favorite. Glad you caught them on film. I like the Bear Country Safari idea. I drive through your neck of the woods a couple times a year and I'd pay good money to see beater cars with zebra stripes. Good stuff, Tom!
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