Wildlife on the CCT

We’ve really been taking advantage of the Clear Creek Trail.  Sometimes we just go out for a morning walk before sitting down at our desks, sometimes a run or a quick bike ride, and one day we even took a long bike ride into the city via the CCT (but that’ll be another post).

What I’ve really enjoyed about this trail is the wildlife.  Ducks, herons, and Canadian geese are common.  But it’s been the random surprises that I’ve enjoyed.  Most of these have happened around sunset, so now we go out more often at this time of day to see what we’ll find.   We’ve heard owls at night and have seen some deer…but it is the beavers and foxes that I’m enjoying.

I’ve now counted up to five beavers in the family that swim and eat in the Clear Creek about a mile west of us.  I can’t tell you how many beaver dams and beaver ‘lodges’ we’ve seen over the years, but only a couple of beavers have ever been seen.  What a treat now to watch them.

We are now up to three red foxes on the trail – different days, different locations.  Andy claims he saw a fourth red fox…"or was it a coyote?”  For all I know it was a dog, or even a cat…I can’t trust him sometimes so I’m not counting that one!  Ha!  They are beautiful creatures, and again, not something we’ve seen frequently until now.

The only drawback to going out at sunset?  The “lake bugs” as Andy calls them – some type of fly or gnat that hover in huge clouds over the trail and the creek.  Nasty when you’re trying to run (and breathe).  I think I’ve swallowed a few…hope they’re not poisonous.  Bleh.