You might have wanted to hit snooze one more time...

Colorado was hit with a late spring snowstorm last night.  The forecast initially called for about 4 inches, but as the storm developed, the predictions went from that initial low total to the 12-18 inches they say we might get by the time it's all over.  We definitely need the moisture.  Three straight weeks of red flag warnings and wildfire danger had us all a little stressed out.  It's really nice to have that pressure off even if it's only for a little while.

We've got our hummingbird feeders out and there have been a couple of the little guys hanging around.  I looked outside last night and saw them both perched on the feeders; they were wet and shivering from the cold.  I thought that the front porch lights might offer them a little warmth overnight, so flipped them on and went to bed.  I guess it was a good idea because they were both perched on the fixtures this morning.  

Mary woke up a little later and said, "How long was I sleeping?  Did I sleep through summer and fall?"  It did look like winter out there.  Nine inches of snow on the ground and coming down heavy.  It's supposed to keep snowing until mid-afternoon, so we might actually get the 12-18 inches they're now predicting.  It's ok with me, though; gives me an excuse to build a fire, sit on the couch and watch sports all day.

Trailcam footage from this week was pretty awesome.  Two of the resident bear boars - Baloo and Trouble - are back in the area and there's a new bear I've named "BullsEye" who has made an appearance.  Videos are shown below.  Fair warning that a couple of the videos are pretty long (two to three minutes or so).  Given the snow this morning, the bears might have wanted to stay snug in their dens just a little while longer...

First, a young bull elk decides to send me a message:

Next, making his (or her) debut appearance is the bear I've named "BullsEye."  He (or she) has distinguishing rings around his (or her) eyes; thus, the moniker.  The other interesting thing is that BullsEye has discovered the stock tank.  Most of the bears don't come out of the trees that far.  This is one very curious bear.

A big boy bear I've named "Trouble" - as in "Here comes Trouble" - also wandered through this past week.  Trouble has only one eye.  I'm not sure how he came to be a one-eyed bear, but my imagination says he lost it in a brawl over dominance with some other big dude.  He's got the size and demeanor of a dominant male, with his confident walk, scent marking the little aspen by the water hole and back scratch on the bear tree.  My hope is that the boys in the 'hood have worked out the ursine pecking order and that no further fights are necessary...

Our last look this week is another big, brown, boy bear named "Baloo."  I think this is the third summer I've seen Baloo in the area.  He's not quite as big as Trouble or Handsome, but he's not shy about rubbing on that tree.  Or chewing on my cameras.  I guess a bear's gotta do what a bear's gotta do...