Look To the Mountains

At first glance, the Great Canadian Rockies appear cold, inhospitable, forbidding. It is true that few plants and animals have been hardy enough to adapt successfully to the vast snowfields and glaciers characteristic of the remote peaks. However, forested slopes and valley floors provide conditions more favorable for life. In high mountain passes, the immaculate snow lies long into spring. The play of light and shadow on snow-covered boulders creates designs and textures of incredible beauty. With the advance of early spring, the mountain streams throw off their icy bonds and cut gleaming channels to lower levels. At this time, bighorn sheep are often found at lower elevations where they seek out sunny slopes from which much of the snow has melted. Here, dried grasses carry them over until the new growth begins. These sure-footed animals move swiftly down steep, rocky slopes with hardly a pause. Their rubbery, spongy-centered hooves give them a firm grip on the hard, uneven surface. They proceed almost as though following a well-worn trail. Despite the rigors of the long, hard winter, the yearlings have grown a good deal. A Clark's nutcracker perches in the top of a slender spruce tree and surveys his surroundings. Unlike members of the deer family, which shed their antlers annually, mountain sheep retain their horns throughout their lifetime. They continue to grow and curl, the number of broad rings indicating their age. This bull elk or wapiti has not come through the hard winter so well as the sheep. Wapiti either graze upon grass and other flowering plants or browse upon the twigs and bark of trees. Only the bulls have antlers, which they drop in the spring. Wapiti are usually shy and difficult to approach. Canada jays or whiskey jacks are common residents in the Rockies. Friendly black-capped chickadees are at home in the mountains, too. They seem bright and cheery even in the coldest weather. Though not black in color, both nutcracker and jay belong to the crow family. The magpie is another one of their interesting relatives. As spring advances and the snow melts, the footing becomes slippery and treacherous. The mule deer have shed their old antlers and have not yet begun to grow their new sets. Their long, thick coats have enabled them to come through the winter successfully. The snowshoe hare has already begun to turn brown in preparation for summer. Hares have a keen sense of smell and the location of the eyes well to the sides of the head give them a wide field of vision. Mule deer spend a great deal of time browsing upon the younger twigs of willow and poplar. These deer prefer the edges of forests rather than the deep woods. Dense forests seldom contain many fresh young plants. Tracks in the fresh snow tell us that a ruffed grouse has been walking around here before taking flight. He may not be far away. He has flown into an aspen poplar tree with its plentiful supply of fresh young buds. Since ruffed grouse are found only in well-treed areas, they are often referred to as bush partridges. A few days later, the aspen catkins have burst into full bloom. Male willows may be readily recognized by their bright reddish stamens tipped with clusters of golden yellow pollen. Snow lilies or glacier lilies flower very early in the spring, even at high altitudes. They may often be seen pushing their way right up through several inches of packed snow. The early alpine violet hugs the forest floor, flourishing among the mosses. In a few short days, the brownish slopes have begun to take on a soft vernal green. Elk or wapiti find the fresh new leaves welcome after the long winter on drier, frozen fare. It looks as though this spotted sandpiper might have a nest nearby. The nest with its four beautifully camouflaged eggs is finally located under a small willow. Drummond's dryas carpets the gravel bar near the nest. It is an attractive little flower when viewed closely. The eggs have just hatched and naturally the mother is very excited about the presence of strangers. Sandpiper chicks leave the nest almost as soon as they have dried off. As they follow the parent from place to place, they are constantly on the lookout for food, small insects, spiders, and young shoots of new vegetation. The Columbian ground squirrel is another interesting resident of the lower elevations. It is amazing how widely these less than day-old chicks forage for food. They experience little difficulty forcing their way through tangles of long grass. The Columbians are hungry after their long period of hibernation. They have been below ground for about 8 months. Spotted sandpipers have a strange bobbing or teetering motion, which is inherited by the chicks. At higher altitudes, the growing season is short, but growth is rapid. In a week or two, the slopes are a riot of bloom. The alpine campion, paintbrush, vetches, heath, columbine, cinquefoils, buttercups, and a host of other colorful forms. One of the most stately is the oxeye daisy, or marguerite, or wild chrysanthemum. Its brilliant yellow central disc is surrounded by snow-white ray florets. Black bears are seldom far away, especially at lower elevations. Since the feeding season is short, they must immediately begin renewing the fat reserves required for the long winter ahead. They have a varied diet consisting mostly of roots, berries, nuts, other vegetable matter, flesh, carrion, fish, and insects. Bears do not really hibernate, since the body temperature remains high throughout the winter. The sandpiper chicks grow rapidly. The adult is still in attendance, attempting to lead intruders away by feigning injury. While mountain streams tend to flow more gently at lower altitudes, they flow much more swiftly higher up. Rapids and waterfalls become more common as the slopes become steeper. These fast waters are the favorite haunts of the harlequin duck. Harlequins often choose a nesting site a few feet above a rushing waterfall. The nest is concealed from above by willow, buffaloberry, and juniper. Their nests are almost impossible to find. Later, the newly hatched ducklings will be taken directly into these turbulent waters. One would wonder how they could possibly survive. Because of their brightly contrasting colors, harlequins are often looked upon as the clowns of the duck world. They spend the winter on the sea along the Pacific coast. They then migrate over no fewer than three ranges of mountains in order to nest along these streams. These heavy stands of spruce and lodgepole pine look like excellent Franklin's grouse habitat. The Franklin's grouse is a type of spruce grouse. During much of the year, they feed upon the needles of spruce and pine trees, which give the flesh a strong flavor. The male is a magnificent bird in the spring when he displays his flashing colors. Placing a mounted female grouse in the territory of another hen should give some idea of her behavior towards intruding females. She attacks the intruder with flailing wings and tries to peck out its eyes. The male displays all his finery in an attempt to attract the attention of the live female, but at the moment, she is much too busy to even notice him. She undoubtedly feels that another hen has invaded her nesting territory and must be driven out. The male flies up into a tree and continues the courtship from there. He puffs out his neck sacs and erects the scarlet combs on the top of his head. He turns this way and that, displaying his brightly contrasting colors. Frustrated, he pecks at the bark as though feeding. This displacement activity redirects his pent-up energy. Red squirrels are common residents of the mountains, especially wherever spruce and pine trees occur. They are particularly fond of the seeds found in the cones of such trees. It is now time for the sheep to begin their movement up to the high country, where they will spend most of the summer. This vertical migration is probably related to the time of birth of the lambs, as well as to the availability of preferred food items. It is in this high country, where the forest thins out, that we find such interesting forms as the blue grouse and the golden-mantled ground squirrel. The latter must wait many months for the deep snow to disappear before they can emerge from hibernation and search about for food. At first sight, the male blue grouse appears drab and colorless. His courtship display is very colorful. At first, the combs are bright lemon yellow. The tail becomes a magnificent fan as he moves towards the drab female. The final oblique rush to the hen is made with tail tilted forward and wing tips dragging the ground. When suffused with blood, the erect combs turn a brilliant scarlet. The strawberry-red neck sacs are inflated, and the surrounding feathers are erected, forming white rosettes. By now, the mountain goats up here are shedding their long winter coats for the short summer season. They return regularly to salt licks, where the earth is rich in the natural salts which they require for health. Goats have sturdy legs and strong rubbery hooves for climbing the steep rocky slopes and crags well above the timberline. The very young kids are already capable of following their parents over this steep terrain. They have found another salt lick and are busily licking up the mineral. At least five different kinds of chipmunks occur in the Rockies. At these high altitudes, tumbled masses of large boulders are typical hoary marmot habitat. One should listen for their shrill, piercing whistles and scan the rocks to try to spot one stretched out in the sun. All chipmunks are slender, attractive little fellows with long, bushy tails, striped backs, and striped faces. They are charming, sprightly little elves, always on the move, always in a hurry. Often tame and unsuspicious, they become delightful companions around a wilderness camp. Hoary marmots are the largest common rodents above timberline. They are usually wary and difficult to approach, warning others of danger by their whistled notes. They are active for less than 5 months of the year, since they spend more than 7 months in closely spaced periods of hibernation below the snow. Since food is not plentiful in these high cold surroundings, alpine mammals must spend much time searching for it. The front limbs are well adapted for food handling. The spectacular waterfalls of mountain regions are often incredibly beautiful. The water may fall in a sheer drop of a thousand feet or more, breaking into a fine veil of gossamer threads below. It is now time to leave the cool pure heights and make our way slowly down to the valley floor. Climatic conditions are quite different at lower levels. Here flourish a great many colorful flowers adapted to warmer temperatures and more moisture. While not common, sego lilies are very attractive in their soft pastel colors. Most people recognize the brilliant tiger lily or wood lily. They are widely distributed and are at home in a variety of habitats from aspen parkland to mountain meadows. The usual color of the petals is deep reddish-orange with dark brownish spots. Viewed against dark shadows, wild barley has a rich pearly luster. Here we may find a quiet mountain pasture and sit for a while. In a moment, our senses are flooded with the clear bubbling notes of the ruby-crowned kinglet. Then the more familiar songs of two thrushes, the Swainson and robin, descending from the trees overhead. And on the ground, the exciting antics of curious, delightful, disarming, compelling Columbian ground squirrels.