Hardy Falls along Deep Creek in Peachland BC - assembled art work...

Assembled images - using Hardy Falls as a backdrop with a *Buteo Jaimaicensis Kriderii (Krider's Red-tailed Hawk), This bird is native to North America. It is not a traditional bird in European or Middle Eastern falconry as it does not exist in the wild in Europe, but it has been very successfully used for falconry worldwide since North American falconry developed. The Red-Tail hunts small rodents, mice, voles, snakes, and even rabbits in the wild, but will hunt just about anything if the opportunity arises. Because of their large size, they are great birds for hunting rabbits as they can get through even deep brush and have the physical size to catch and hold rabbits. This is the staple of apprentices being one of two widely used birds; it is an underestimated hunting companion.
The call of a Red-Tail is a sound most people have heard, whether they know it or not. It is frequently used in movies (especially Westerns) and substituted in for many other birds as the sound of a red-tail is a clear 2 - 3 second piercing call.

There are up to 16 subspecies (some put it at 7 with a variety of races) of Red-Tails in North America. There are different colorations, or morphs, adding variety within each subspecies. The darkest subspecies is called the Harlan's Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis harlani). The lightest subspecies is called the Krider's Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis kriderii).

* Marmota Flaviventris (Yellow Belly Marmot), The yellow-bellied marmot lives in the western United States and southwestern Canada, including the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. It inhabits steppes, meadows, talus fields and other open habitats, sometimes on the edge of deciduous or coniferous forests, and typically above 6,500 feet (2,000 m) of elevation.

Their territory is about 4 to 7 acres (2 to 3 ha) around a number of summer burrows. Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, and coyotes. When a marmot sees a predator, it whistles to warn all other marmots in the area (giving it the nickname "whistle pig"). Then it typically hides in a nearby rock pile.

Marmots reproduce when about two years old, and may live up to an age of 15 years. They reside in colonies; a colony is a group of about ten to 20. Each male marmot digs a burrow soon after he wakes up from hibernation. He then starts looking for females, and by summer has up to four females living with him. Litters usually average 4-5 offspring per female. Marmots have what is called "harem-polygynous" mating system, which means the male defends up to four mates at the same time.

Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal like most mammals. The marmot is also an omnivore, eating grass, leaves, flowers, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs.

*Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) The bear was born during the past winter and have an innocent curiosity about them as it is it's first month out of the winter den. Black Bears are unpredictable and should be always treated with caution and respect.

A work of digital art - June 09, 2011.