Local Sightings There have been a number of amazing sightings in the Whistler area recently. The Patterson family observed an adult Eagle and Hawk on the same tree in their backyard in Nordic. Gillian Toperowski was surprised by two acrobatic animals while working on Whistler Mountain one night. A Brown Squirrel suddenly appeared in front of her groomer then, seconds later, was followed by a Long-tailed Weasel. A number of Martens have been spotted under the lifts on both Blackcomb and Whistler. One warm, sunny day in the alpine, Leigh Edwards and a ski companion saw some bizarre behaviour from several Ravens. The Ravens repeatedly lifted snowballs with their claws, flew straight up, then dropped them. Local artist and Park Ranger Christina Nick reported a rare sighting of a Wolverine in Garibaldi Park. Few Wolverines are seen anymore near Whistler, likely because they require such large areas of wilderness. The home range of a male can be as large as 2,600 square kilometres, inside of which he will have two or three females. Wolverines don’t migrate or hibernate and are so ferocious they are able to fend off grizzlies and cougars. Due to the lack of fresh snow it has been a prime time to observe all the tracks left by foraging and travelling animals. The summit of Flute Mountain and surrounding area has been a perfect place to see some interesting tracks: Martin, Long-tailed Weasel, Snowshoe Hare and even Fox tracks were seen recently. Thanks for all those people who have been reporting their wildlife and bird sightings. Please keep them coming to Leigh Edwards at [email protected]. Upcoming Events: Feb. 24 –Monthly Speaker Series. Max Gotz presents "Monitoring bird migration in B.C." Myrtle Philip school lounge; 7-9 p.m. Call Bob Brett (932-8900) for more information. Mar. 4 – Monthly Bird Walk. Meet at the base of Lorimer Road at 8 a.m. Contact Michael Thompson (932-5010) for more information. To join the Whistler Naturalists, please call Bob Brett (938-8900) or Marlene Siemens (938-9690).
