Friday, June 17, 2011

Moose Site-ings

There is a new moose sighting site branching off CBC NL's web site, called "Moose Sightings in Newfoundland" (they missed the full province name, Newfoundland and Labrador). It's an interactive site to upload where you have spotted the majestic or notorious beast, depending on your point of view. The map, like many Google maps can be magnified, and dragged, to view closely where moose have been seen, hit, or where a collision resulted in a fatality. Users may also type in a description of where/when they saw the moose.

It can be a useful tool for sure, to give people an idea where they appear to be frequenting. There is one factor to keep in mind when interpreting the map. The Avalon peninsula has a higher density of population because of urban places, and therefore, any individual moose may be spotted and reported more frequently. So it may not necessarily mean that there are a high proportion of moose numbers in this area, as compared to central, west coast or Labrador areas.

Last week as I drove back from Cape Spear, there was a cow grazing about 100 feet from the road, near the community of Blackhead. I quickly, though quietly jumped out of the car with cam in hand, and hoped that the animal would stay and pose. Every second counts since they could run or even attack. I uploaded the first photo below to the CBC moose sighting site.
She looked a little docile, and after a couple of mins of nervously giving me the eye, she galloped into unpressured treed home.
I wondered if she would attack, but we were both thinking there would be no charge for this photo

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