Another new feature!

I was working through the next day's shots, which just happen to be one of my favourite parts of the trip. We went to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and got an unexpected bonus. We were allowed INSIDE the Lynx enclosure during feeding time. The enclosure is big enough, with lots of vegetation that one might walk past the enclosure and never see the Lynx.

As an aside, Lynx is both singular and plural, and the collective noun is chain, as in a chain of Lynx. Don't ask me.

Last trip 2 years ago, the keeper pointed to a spot near the fence, and said to point your cameras there. We could see the Lynx eyeing us from the underbrush. She tossed lunch over the fence (I had imagined something more high tech.) and seconds later the show was over. Anyone not pointing their focussed camera missed it.

This year, after Neil confirmed he had insurance, and we'll never know what inducements were offered behind the scenes, Lindsay took us inside. We didn't see them at first. There's a female and her daughter, and an unrelated male. The females ate first, and it took a bit of doing to get the male out. He was considerably shyer.

These are still wild creatures, totally not habituated to humans, even the ones that feed them. They were cautious of us and never got closer than about 10 feet from us. Which is still incredibly close, especially with no fence between us. It's a little unnerving to have a wild cat eyeing you, clearly wondering which of us would make a good lunch.

I'd posted some photos here last week, and finally got a chance to look at all the photos on a better screen. There's going to be lots of that this week. I edited another 40 or so this morning, and since I love kitties so much it was impossible to winnow the photos down to just a few. Much as you might like to see Lynx photos, 40 of them in one go might be a bit much. So, announcing a new feature, Lynx of the Day!

Here's one to start you off. I think this is the daughter, she's a bit smaller than the other female.

Another wild creature from the preserve. No, it's not running from the Lynx.

This little red fox is almost a mascot for the Preserve. It was found by someone who thought it was abandoned, and it couldn't be re-wilded. It ended up being raised by a Chihuahua and thinks it's a dog. It comes out to say hello to all the visitors.

Peony of the Day
(Still July 25)

Driftwood of the Day
The white/grey background is more driftwood, not a rock.

Lynx of the Day
A different Lynx butt, just for Susi.