Cougar Medecine

Signature of Puma concolor couguar (for reference, lense cap is 2.4'' / 6cm in diameter)

In the still of the night, a deer expires. The web of the forest, stretched for a fluttery moment of animal panic, springs back into baseline like a blade of grass in a feline footprint. A 3 inch footprint to be precise. Roundish, with no claw marks, two lobes on the interdigital pad, inner toe visibly larger than outer toe and further forward, third toe from the outside leading (same as your hand, human) and toes offset and pointing in a different direction than the pad. The scene* takes place at Maplewood Flats, unbeknownst to most of the daily human visitors or even the preserve volunteers. This is the medecine of the cougar, to be seen only when wishing to. Living at times close to the habitat of humans, who might never know of their presence despite years of proximity. It isn't surprising that these lowland Flats would be a sought-out place for cougars: dense undergrowth, lots of deer. Curious looking bipeds acting funny, with no visible natural instincts, a cougar's version of the cinema. Except movie actors know they're watched...


*The part about the deer kill was a projection, no actual sign of this was found.

Classifieds

All ranges needed for daily choir

Dawn Chorus still seeking supplementary voices to assist permanent singers (Song Sparrow, Robin, White-Crowned Sparrow) in giving thanks to sun. Early birds only need apply. No real spring chorus until all soloists back from winter break.

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Carcass disposal

All your carrion disposal needs taken care of. On time. Quiet. Efficient. Just back in town. Contact Turkey Vulture through smell on wind only. No putrefaction please.

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 "What???!"

Tasty advice: Deer

Deer reported that indian plum is the season's sweet treat.

What's the season's delicacy for you?

Deer: "Definitely, I'd have to say the new blackberry and salmonberry shoots are very tender and juicy right now. Also the delicate young leaves of indian plum. Yum!"

Blossom party, all tree-dwellers invited

The ground under a neighbour’s cherry tree is speckled with the white blossoms that cloud the branches above. But they have not fallen through a final and voluntary surrender to gravity. It is the doing of tiny dryads hiding among the fragrant cumulusses: House Finches and Pine Siskins. They pluck the blossoms from the branch, then chomp on the ovaries and let the unfavoured petals and bracts float down to the ground. Curious about this culinary habit, I tried said delicacy, and found it to taste quite sweet and almond-like, while the rest of the flower is slightly more bitter, and probably less nutritious.

Crow nest building underway

The thin outer bark from a dead cottonwood branch is a valuable item for a crow nest. A pair collecting this papery offering rubs it against the branch and shreds it through their talons to split up the fibres. One crow, slower at the job, shows frustration and tries to snatch some of the bard the partner has collected. A little matrimonial squabble, all made up for when the material is delivered to the home in the young, dense redcedar. Of course, it’s good practise to pause first on a nearby tree before entering the nest, a moment to compose oneself and check out the surroundings to make sure the coast is clear of any nosy spies. The operation is repeated as needed.

Birds: “Humans have a right to be here too”

The Council of Ground-Feeding Birds, a working-group of the United Bird Nations, has issued resolution aimed at clarifying bird-human relationships in the wild commonwealths.

During the discussion period, Towhee declared the following:

“Of course humans have a right to be here too. The troubling thing is, we’ve noticed that many humans seem to doubt this. And when a human acts like they don’t belong, we get alarmed.”

Robin went further into the analysis of the urban human’s mindset:

“Two days ago a passing human was thinking: 'you birds must really resent us humans for what we’ve done to you!' as if we couldn’t tell the difference between a casual walker and those truly responsible for our current marginalization! We don’t hate all humans simply because a handful of them have been acting destructively. Do some humans really think in such unmitigated terms?”

“And of course that human, like many, didn’t realize that we can perceive their thoughts;" Varied Thrush continued, "that would become clear if they would let themselves be a part of the forest. The trouble is, I perceive a lot of humans as being victims of an inferiority complex to us, you know? They admire us, put us on a stump [pedestal], while inhibiting their own participation in the world of the forest, as if they were not worthy! We want to tell them, if you’re gonna be in the forest, you have to act on an equal plane! Not wrapped up in your own inner struggles, not wandering elsewhere in your mind while your feet are wandering here! Those things freak me out.”

To clarify what an acceptable participation in the forest world would look like, Song Sparrow explained:

 “Well, humans can walk through at an appropriate speed, look around them with an appropriate gaze, gather materials or graze in an appropriate manner, with an appropriate mind state.”

When asked what was appropriate the assembly shifted uneasily, indicating that the question itself in a departure from wild etiquette.

“There is an appropriate way to do everything. This cannot be explained. It must be learned through participation and observation.”

The resolution itself, adopted unanimously, is to be sung during dawn chorus until the new moon, so be sure to tune in for advice on forest etiquette.

All birds agreed that while overcoming the sense of alienation many humans experience in the wild would not be sufficient to be instantly accepted by all creatures, it is an important step. They promised to keep advice coming to dedicated bipeds wishing to return to their senses.