Keep Looking Up

tanjabrittonwriter 61 Comments

When I’m out in nature, my attention is primarily directed towards winged creatures, but I equally enjoy encountering others. I tend to avoid locales crowded with humans, preferring the company of wild beasts instead, though they frequent busy places surprisingly often.

While “keep looking up” is a rallying cry typically employed by nighttime stargazers, it is just as applicable for observers of the daytime skies. What follows is a selection of my most memorable moments with non-avian animals in trees, discovered because I followed the above advice.

Wenn ich in der Natur unterwegs bin, gilt meine Aufmerksamkeit hauptsächlich gefiederten Kreaturen, aber genauso gerne begegne ich anderen. Ich tendiere dazu, mit Menschenmassen gefüllte Orte zu vermeiden, da ich den Umgang mit wilden Tieren bevorzuge, obwohl sich diese erstaunlich oft in belebten Gegenden aufhalten.

Wenn sich der Rat „schau nach oben“ typischerweise auf nächtliche Sterngucker bezieht, gilt er ebenso für Beobachter des Tageshimmels. Was folgt ist eine Auswahl meiner denkwürdigsten Momente mit Tieren in Bäumen, die keine Vögel waren. Ihre Entdeckung habe ich der Befolgung des obigen Rats zu verdanken.

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it.

Zum Vergrößern, das Bild bitte anklicken. Um den Titel zu lesen, mit der Maus darüber schweben.

Bobcat/Rotluchs
Raccoon/Waschbär
Raccoon/Waschbär
Black Bear/Schwarzbär
Porcupine/Stachelschwein
Porcupine/Stachelschwein

61 thoughts on “Keep Looking Up”

    • Not really, Steve. I saw this bear in a tree on someone’s property next to a fairly busy trail. I mainly wanted to make sure it did not have obvious injuries, but it appeared ok. I called the Division of Wildlife to notify them, but they usually don’t intervene unless bears get aggressive. It was still in the same location when I returned from my walk two hours later, and I think it had chosen this particular location to sleep away its day.

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  5. Your photo of the black bear is wonderful, and seems to reflect what I’ve heard about their general shyness. I’d never, ever want to run across a grizzly, but it surely would be a delight to see a black bear. I don’t think there’s much chance of finding one in our palm trees or cypress, but out in the east Texas woods? You bet I’ll keep looking up.

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    • I am glad you enjoyed my black bear portrait. Fortunately, my encounters heretofore have been peaceful, but even black bears can become aggressive, so I always maintain a healthy dose of respect.
      My dad and I once had a (far too) close encounter with a grizzly in Alaska, and I have no desire for a repeat!

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    • I am glad you enjoyed gazing into those furry faces, Shannon. As you know, it is healthy to look down in Colorado, too, as we share some reptilian creatures with Texas, though gators are not (usually) among them.

      I just checked your blog for another post, but was disappointed. But I noticed the Master Naturalist emblem. Congratulations to you! How exciting!

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    • I am always touched when I am face-to-face with a non-human creature, Neil, but I think you are right, and in many regards we share a lot of similarities with them. A porcupine’s face always makes me want to cuddle, but I know better. 🙂

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  9. Too exciting to look up and see these guys looking down at you!
    Many years ago a naturalist pointed to what appeared to be a cluster of dead leaves hanging from a branch. It was a bat! 🙂

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    • Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed the photos. I think it took more courage for the animals not to flee from me, than the other way round, considering that so many of them have been hunted by humans since times immemorial. I was thrilled that they allowed me to get so close. 😊

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      • Herzliche Grüsse aus Süddeutschland zu Dir nach Colorado zurück 🙂
        Naja, einen Rotluchs, einen Schwarzbär, einen Waschbär oder ein Stachelschwein kann ich hier eigentlich höchstens im Zoo sehen. Bei Dir in Freiheit ist das schöner, aber auch nicht ganz ungefährlich für Dich…

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      • Das einzige Tier, das eventuell eine Gefahr darstellen könnte, ist der Schwarzbär, aber in der Situation, in der ich ihn vorfand, war mir ziemlich klar, daß er sich auf den Baum für ein Schläfchen zurückgezogen hatte. Glücklicherweise ging alles gut. Es macht mich immer sehr froh, wilde Tiere in ihrem Lebensraum anzutreffen, obwohl wir den immer mehr einschränken.
        Euch in Karlsruhe einen schönen Sonntag.

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    • Herzlichen Dank, liebe Karin. Da daß mit den Bärenbegegnungen auch hier nicht so häufig vorkommt, hat mich diese besonders gefreut. Und in das süße Stachelschweingesicht bin ich noch immer total verliebt.
      Tierische Grüße,
      Tanja

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