You’re
headed to New Hampshire, and you decide it would be pretty cool
to see a moose.
It
sounds pretty cool, right?
Seeing
orcas near the San Juan Islands. Bears in Yosemite. Bison in Yellowstone.
Alligators in the Everglades. All pretty cool.
But
let’s get back to the moose. And instead of New Hampshire, I want
you to consider your yard, neighborhood, or nearby park.
I
live in an area where seeing a bear or a moose isn’t an impossible
scenario. It’s unlikely. Very unlikely. But so is seeing a coyote,
and I stumble across coyote tracks fairly often. (Ok. A moose
is far more unlikely than spotting a coyote. It’s an example for
emphasis, not a fact for debate. When was the last time you saw
a coyote in your yard? And a moose? Number for most of us is zero
for both considerations. Back to the thought…)
In
my yard, I have on occasion looked up to see a deer standing all
of about twenty feet away. Done that a couple of times. Done it
during the day, and done it during the evening. Also been outside
at night with a flashlight checking this or that, spotted movement
in the distance and directed the light onto a skunk. (Moral of
this story, when you live near brush and woods and in the country,
always worth carrying a flashlight with you when outside at night.
You’re welcome.)
On
a grand total of none of these occasions where I’ve been outside
and encountered a deer nearby have I had a camera, a phone, or
anything else with me to record the moment. And that’s what brings
me back to the moose. Preparedness for the random.
If
I did happen to open the back door and spot a bear across the
yard, I feel fairly confident that more often than not I will
have no way to capture the experience. And that brings us to this
wonderful reality: I would really love to see a moose or a bear,
but if it happens, chances are I will be wildly unprepared for
the moment when it arrives.
It’s
a great follow up for any conversation you’re having with someone…
“I’d
love to see a sea turtle.”
“What
would you do if you did?”
Yeah,
yeah, the obvious answer is watch it. Be careful, of course, because
you don’t spot a bear in your backyard and just start walking
over to offer it a slice of pizza. But watch it. Try to take it
all in and create a lasting visual for your memories.
I’ve
watched a parade of skunks—one big and four very small, waddling
behind the leader balls of fur—and watched them for long enough
to make sure they completely crossed my yard and the neighbor’s
and three-quarters of the next neighbor’s. I’ve seen flocks of
turkeys, deer as a single and a pair and a herd, and groundhogs
and raccoons and more in my yard. Had my phone around for pictures
of a few of them. But these random encounters are just that, random.
We get warnings on the television screens and from apps on our
phones, telling us when thunderstorms are approaching and flood
warnings are being raised. We do not get the same information
outlining that a black bear or a moose will be stepping into the
yard at 6:35am on Tuesday.
Wildlife
photographers set up camps, using lots of research and scouting
for perfect locations, and can still wait a week or two to get
a picture (if they even get one at all). If the professionals
can come up empty with advice and experts navigating the way,
how are we supposed to be prepared while enjoying a cup of coffee?
Is
there something you’d like to see? Something rare and unexpected?
Something pretty cool? While your answers might be different than
mine, and neither of us might match up with the thoughts of the
next ten people we meet, I’m just wondering… will you be prepared
if you do?