americasgreatoutdoors: The hills have eyes. Or more specifically, they have great horned owlets! Hig
americasgreatoutdoors: The hills have eyes. Or more specifically, they have great horned owlets! High in the cliffs at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge in northern California, photographer Matt Poole spotted this young family. Tule Lake, no matter what time of year, offers chances for wonder and discovery. The 39,116-acre refuge is mostly open water and cropland that provides a plentiful buffet for wildlife such as migrating birds. Visitors can take a soothing drive along the water and enjoy the fantastic opportunities to birdwatch and photograph wildlife. Just watch for extra adorable eyes in the scenery! Photo courtesy of Matt Poole TULE LAKE Known for it’s wetlands, Tule is a rush that grows in the area. Tule Lake is a haven for birds traveling throughout relatively dry California, but the big draw for most Californians are the Tule Elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) that are endemic to the area. The tule is the smallest of North American elk,* but still sizable animals, Males - 450-550 lbs. Females - 375-425 lbs. The website notes that elk are the second largest member of the deer family after the moose. In the 1870s the Tule Elk were hunted nearly to extinction, but were saved ironically by Henry Miller, a butcher from San Francisco. Miller had built up a meat processing empire that was vertically integrated from pasture to the display case. Miller preserved the few remaining individuals and provided substantial acreage for habitat.Much of the area curently surrounding the reserve is farmland, so it’s not unusual to see the elk taking advantage of the irrigation system to keep cool during the heat of California summers.*samller size may be environmental rather than genetic as individuals moved to better grazing areas grow to the size of the other subspecies. -- source link
#tule elk#tule lake#california#cervidae#central california#henry miller