In all of my years coming to Breckenridge (nearly 25!), I have never seen a Moose. I have seen videos taken by people that have seen the Moose around town or in their yards. I have seen the hoof prints telling me that the Moose had been there. And I know all of the ways to protect myself should a Moose suddenly show up while I am out snowshoeing. But never had I gotten even a glimpse of a Moose. And then all of a sudden I saw them everywhere!
Christmas Eve. Grampa suddenly states, "Moose" quite loudly, and we all scramble to catch a glimpse as two huge bulls walking from the side of the house to the backyard. We follow as they pass, and one even stops to look in the window, not inches from our faces, before heading to the back for some breakfast.
Seeing as there is glass between me and my phone camera, I dare to open the back office door with strict instructions to keep it open, so I can duck back inside if the Moose so much as takes a step in my direction. He is now about 10 feet from me, and he is HUGE. Like 6 feet to the shoulders huge. And those antlers must spread 6-7 feet (though one of the bulls is missing one). I am mesmerized...
First glimpse and he is in the side/backyard...
He keeps moving past the window in the office...
Until they are both out back by the swing...
This guy then moves to the hot tub area. Which is when I open the door to get a better view and take a video. I am literally feet away.
We posted the video and pictures, and my SIL, scheduled to arrive in about 48 hours, was so sad she missed it. She said all she wanted for her birthday was to see one (her birthday is the 26th).
And then, lo and behold, they appeared like magic on the afternoon of her birthday. Different guy this time - bigger with and even bigger rack. This time we didn't get as close, and neither did he. Still very impressive...
And a couple of days later, this little lady made herself comfortable on our woodpile, and then just wandering around the yard. The fox is a bit more skittish and fast, so getting a photo was tough unless she was lying around...
And I thought we were done. But no! One morning on the gondola coming home from a morning of skiing, I casually mentioned that since we were going over the forest preserve, we should look out for Moose. And almost instantly, MadHatter screams "Moose" and points behind us. The picture isn't so clear, because I had to get it out of a zipped pocket and we were moving away from the Cow (female this time) a rapid speed, but at least we all got to see it...
After 25 years of not seeing any real wildlife, save a squirrel or a bunny or two, this was undoubtedly a treat. But now I am hooked and want to see them each and every visit. Wonder if we can arrange that...
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