The Critters I Saw On My Last Vacation
The first critter to greet me when I got off the plane was the resident Duck-Toller, who invited me to play with her…um…tree.
If you know anything about Duck-Tollers, this is considered perfectly normal bhaviour.
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While on the water, I saw a lot of loons. Beautiful birds, but not that uncommon.
Every Lake in Ontario has to have its resident loon. It’s a Provincial By-Law.
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In campgrounds and parks, the moose are used to people and you can get really close.
But here, in the real bush, they’re skittish and you’re lucky to come within a few hundred meters of them.
The photo doesn’t do this justice, but this among the biggest moose I had ever seen. I estimate his antler rack spanned~ 6 feet.
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Next, is a bald-eagle-critter.
It’s not often you get this close to one in Ontario. I tried to throw him a fish, but he didn’t take it.
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This Bear-Critter made a regular appearance at the dump every night at ~ 8:00 PM, when they threw the garbage out. He reluctantly tolerated our presence, as long as we kept our distance.
And seeing how he considerably outweighed me, I did.
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Let’s not forget the fish-critters, like this small Northern Pike.
Normally, I wouldn’t be excited about a pike this small, except that I had caught him right off the dock, after supper.
It gives you an indication of how good the fishing is on this lake, if you can catch them like this without really trying.
Here’s a more decent pike-critter. Not a trophy, but still respectable, by any books. It was 30 inches…and I’m guessing ~ 7-10 lbs.
Here’s a close-up of its toothy maw. If I were to title this photograph, I’d call it “The Last Thing a Minnow Ever Sees”.
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Of course, we also caught walleye, which are nice-looking fish, viewed from the side…
…but when viewed head-on, GAWD, they’re UGLY!
Also of note, is that these toothy critters have razor-sharp gills which can slice you like a knife, if you pick them up the wrong way.
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Of course, I had the last laugh, though.
It’s called “SHORE LUNCH”.
Tags: Duck Tollers, fishing, loons, moose, northern ontario, pike, walleye
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August 7, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Looking down the fishes’ throats makes me wonder if that was Gene Roddenberry’s inspiration for the Star Trek episode “Doomsday Machine”
August 7, 2011 at 11:15 pm
@Army Wife
Do you actually think Gene ever fished? (I can’t picture Trekkies being so outdoorsy).
August 7, 2011 at 11:21 pm
Maybe he saw it as a kid and it freaked him out so he used it to create a monster star eater???
August 7, 2011 at 11:53 pm
The picture where your head is cut off reminds me of Tim The Tool Man Tailor’s elusive neighbour …
Looks like a great day on the lake.
August 8, 2011 at 8:04 am
@Army Wife
I can just see it now…a giant inter-galactic Northern Pike…swallowing everything it meets.
@SVC
I’m a shy, retiring Friar. That’s why you’ll never see my photo!
August 8, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Being a suburban girl, I’m settle for the critters around here (except maybe the coyotes), thank you. Wild trip!
August 9, 2011 at 8:42 am
Wow, I’m impressed! You’re so fortunate to see a bald eagle so close.
The two photos of gaping fish mouths made me wonder if various species of fish have a unique mouth gape. Well, you guessed it. I Googled “fish mouths open” and then clicked on images. Well the first 20 photos were of various species of fish with their mouths open. I was puzzled when these images were followed by photos of women’s high heeled shoes.
Well I learned something new today. An opened toe shoe (showing one or two toes) is actually called a “fish mouth” shoe. http://www.louboutin1.org/louboutin-pumps/christian-louboutin-altadama-100-fish-mouth-open-toe-pump
You can learn from Friar’s posts.
August 9, 2011 at 7:26 pm
What a BEAUTIFUL dog!! Love the “tree” he is carrying, that is funny!
August 10, 2011 at 4:24 pm
I thought that edit was planned. That is ok, it keeps some of us guessing. Kind of fun.
August 11, 2011 at 12:20 am
@Dot
Depends where in the suburbs you are. I live in the sububrs of my small town, and bears occasionally poop in my back yard!
@Friar’s Mom
Because of your natural curiosity, I think YOU learn from Friar’s posts. .I certainly don’t…except from your comments.
@Gayle
You should see the dog when she really wants you to play. She will literally SHOVE the stick right at you. The dog is obsessed. All Duck Tollers are like this.
@SVC
Yeah, I like to keep under the radar, as much as possible. You’ll see more of my Teddy Bear in the blog, than me.
August 14, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Say it aloud: I like a “Shore Lunch”.
August 24, 2011 at 12:29 am
@Unknown
I….LOVE….SHORE….LUNCH !!!!!
September 5, 2011 at 11:07 am
Pretty cool. Those toothy fishes look dangerous. I would love to bag one of them!