A Bull Moose in Wyoming, from the Shiras subspecies
The North American Moose (Alces alces) is one of the most impressive land creatures found anywhere in the Americas.
Being the largest member of the deer family, the Moose can weigh more than 700kg and stand more than 2m tall! There is actually a large difference between subspecies, with only the Alaskan and Chukotka Moose (in Russia) measuring such heights.
This specific subspecies is the Shiras Moose, Alces alces shirasi, found in some western US states and Canada, including Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and British Columbia. It’s actually the smallest subspecies in North America, reaching only about half the size of some of the moose in Alaska!
Algonquin Park is one of those special, quintessential Canadian experiences. Hiking, camping, canoeing and Moose-spotting are favourite Canadian past times in this part of Ontario, and when is the best time of year to spot Moose? Spring time!
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Algonquin Park more times than I can remember, including guiding groups of tourists around parts of the park. I’ve always had a soft spot for this park because of it’s impressive wildlife watching opportunities, with Moose being the #1 desired animal for me, and pretty much everyone else.
Algonquin Park Moose – Springtime
The most Moose I’ve seen in one day was 13 (in Springtime of course), but despite there being so many of these odd looking creatures in the park, most of my summer visits have resulted in seeing no Moose. How come? Well, they’re just so good at camouflage!
Take a look at this photo. This is the same Moose that was pictured above. But after slipping only a few feet into the bush, all you can see is a silhouette. The springtime vegetation was just starting to fill in during this trip, so if this Moose was standing there in summer, he’d be totally hidden by leaves and branches. If you’re driving or walking by, you probably won’t notice this shadowy figure. Especially after he takes a few more steps deeper into the forest and virtually cloaks himself in darkness.
Algonquin Park Moose – Camouflaged
That is the trick with these giants of the forest, they’re just so hard to spot sometimes! While spring is the best season to spot them – less vegetation, and they like to be near roadways, getting salty nutrients after a long winter – any season is a good time to go looking for Moose.
In summer, thankfully they love eating water lilies so spotting a Moose while canoeing down a lake is always a possibility in Algonquin. The same goes for autumn, but by then you have the added bonus of leaves changing colours and the male Moose will be sporting impressive, large antlers. In winter, finding animals like Moose in the park is made more fun by being able to see their tracks in the snow.
Moose in Algonquin Park – they are the tallest members of the deer family
Now, in general, the Moose tend to like grazing open waterhole and grassy areas, like this guy was. But not during the heat of the day in summer. They like to take shelter in the shade then, so it’s always best to look for Moose in the early morning and late evening hours, after sunrise and before sunset.
This particular Moose was one of 9 I saw on a day trip to go canoeing in Algonquin Park with Algonquin Outfitters, a trip organized by Explorer’s Edge. Some people I was with said they saw 14 or so Moose that day, but my eyes couldn’t spot them all!
This Moose could use a nice, new coat of summer fur…
A lot of people laugh at the weirdness of these creatures. They look awkward, being so tall, and have odd faces. This guy also happens to be one of my favourite Moose I’ve seen in all my visits to Algonquin. His antlers are starting to grow, with a smooth, furry “velvet” on them, but his fur is still matty and ugly-looking from the winter.
Have you ever seen a Moose in the wild? What do you think of these Moose pictures? Is he cute? Ugly? Weird-looking?
Editorial note: While I am always looking for my next great outdoor adventure, this particular experience was compliments of the great people at Explorer’s Edge, who sent me on a 3-day “Quintessentially Canadian” tour in Ontario as part of the TBEX Toronto conference.
Hey wildlife friends, it’s National Wildlife Week in Canada this week.
Every year, on whichever week April 10th falls, is National Wildlife Week. The Canadian Wildlife Federation runs events and contests during this time to help get everyone – in particular youngsters – interested in wildlife and the outdoors.
If you’re a fan of Canadian nature and the animals that make their homes in our lakes and forests, then enjoy this selection of Canadian creatures from Ontario and Quebec.
Hope you have time to get outdoors for a hike this week!
A Deer photographed in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Ontario
A Chipmunk photographed in Arrowhead Provincial Park, Ontario
A Painted Turtle photographed in Point Pelee National Park, Ontario
Moose photographed in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
Groundhog photographed in Wakami Lake Provincial Park, Ontario
Red Squirrel photographed in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario
Beaver photographed in Parc national d'Aiguebelle, Quebec
This week has been declared National Wildlife Week in the US, by the National Wildlife Federation.
Since National Wildlife Week in Canada isn’t until next month, it means I get to do two ‘wild week’ posts, with this one focusing only on animals I’ve photographed in the USA.
Taking a quick count, it seems I’ve been to around 30 different American states. As far as wildlife goes I enjoyed Utah, Wyoming and Florida the most. From Yellowstone to the Everglades, here are seven wildlife photos in honour of National Wildlife Week, enjoy!
Elk Photographed in Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina
An Alligator walking past Vultures near the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades, Florida
Coyote photographed east of Mammoth, Wyoming
Harbor Seal lounging around at La Jolla Cove, California
Moose wading in a Watering Hole, near Jackson Hole, Wyoming
A Thirsty Bison, photographed in Yellowstone National Park
Mule Deer outside of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah
