Of Mice and Bears…

Autumn is beautiful in far Northern Ontario. While those a little further south from us experience a plethora of orange and red and yellow leaves from the deciduous trees, this far north maples are rare, and so we see more vibrant yellows and ochre leaves, interspersed with pops of vibrant greens.

Watching as the season changes is a joy. Despite the gloominess of overcast or rainy days, one is always taken with the complete transformation of lush green into the muted fall palette of colours, as the tree tops slowly thin out in preparation for winter.

And around us, the creatures of the forest are doing the same. Field mice seeking shelter from the coming cold weather are common, but the species of weasel here, we assume the ‘Least Weasel’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_weasel?wprov=sfla1),  are also abundant, and we’ve been fortunate enough this year to have seen less mice, and more weasels and snakes. But the weasels are such appealing looking creatures.

Their adorable presence is a constant rage bait for Remy, who clearly wants to rush outdoors to play with them, although they would be entirely too fast for him.

Having taken the time to sit and observe the forest around us, we have managed to see a larger variety of wildlife this year. Grouse have been less plentiful, but still a presence, the weasels, of course, and even some wild rabbits. 

We had an incident where, while sitting by the fire pit, a rabbit trotted up a little too close and Remy actually managed to catch the poor thing for a very brief moment. I yelled out and wriggled free of his grasp with ease (and no signs of injury) before bolting off back into the undergrowth.

We have been able to enjoy late afternoons and early evenings sitting outside and taking in the forest and the peace, knowing that soon, snow will cover everything and begin the long winter reset before the forest comes fully alive again in spring.

But as the temperatures get colder, another visitor has shown up.  A black bear we have named Barry. Barry isn’t a new visitor to us. We believe that he is the same bear who we observed in our first year here, watching us from a distance in the forest. We also believe he is the same bear who last year in spring was rummaging around the camper in search of food, and making a mess.

But a few nights ago, long after dark, we were going from the older camper to the new one to head to bed. There was some commotion in the forest, which got Remy’s attention, but we thought nothing of it, and went into the camper. Not much later, Remy barked an alert, and while we saw nothing, the next morning there was evidence that something had been fighting the compost pile.

The next evening, sitting in the old camper, the one small security light we have on the wood shed came on, and there was Barry.  He is quite mischievous, for sure. We have a theory he is trying to set up his home and needed supplies, as we observed him carrying one of our empty 5 gallon water jugs I to the forest, before we yelled at him and he dropped it.  He spent the next few hours rummaging around and inside the woodshed, where there is still some items stored.

The next morning revealed that he had stolen a few items such as a tiny fan, and a few empty spice containers. He didn’t cause much in the way of damage, although he did make a bit of a mess of things. Mostly, he is harmless, and looking for food for winter. Finding nothing of interest after visiting the next night too, he hasn’t been back. Although, as it is still bear hunting season until the end of October, we are hoping he is safe and simply has realised that there is no food here for him.

A bit of clean up is a small price to pay for being intruders in Barry’s domain. We are just visitors here afterall, and share this space with the creatures around us.

We will be sad to leave the property when winter is fully here. It’s been far too short a year for us, and while physical progress has been slow, our mental and emotional progress has been extraordinary. A reset of one’s nervous system in the warm embrace of nature is something that cannot be understated.

As we watch the forest starting it’s yearly renewal and our subscription to the front row seat is almost up for the year, these memories and experiences and images burned into our minds are a reminder of the power of nature and how resilient it is. How despite our ever changing climate, nature endures and continues her cycles of growth and renewal, despite the man made chaos the world seems to be in.

Nature always finds a way to press on. We should treasure that, and learn its secrets for ourselves.