On my way home from my morning workout this morning I saw 5 moose hanging out in a field. This particular field is the local spring moose gathering spot. Around dawn or dusk, the moose congregate here (which is why I don't have a picture of them....the lighting wasn't quite right to get a good quality pic with my iPhone camera. This is a moose pic from in our yard.). This field is on East End Road, just past the Gear Shed a little ways, on the left. We have seen as many as 13 moose in this field at once--we are usually limited by how fast we can count. Despite the pile of haybales, the moose spread around the field, probably nibbling for the more nutritious first green shoots.
Much of the winter I see only occasional moose in Homer, but at this time of year they come out in droves, hanging out in highly visible spots along the roads near town at the lowest elevations. I always thought it was because of the snow up high, and that might partly be the case because at the top of the ridge, there are still feet of snow and little food to be found, while in town at lower elevations things are a few weeks further along the spring growth spectrum. The momma's are also getting heavy with calves, though it will still be at least a few more weeks till they start dropping, so they are staying near civilization where bears, newly out of hibernation, are less likely to get at them.
Speaking of calves...that is a fun time of year to wait in anticipation to see the little babies tottering around, freshly born--and it seems most years we do see the very newly born moose calves. The lives and rhythms of moose's lives are like the tides: they become part of the rhythm of our lives too. It is a sweet thing that I know I would miss if I didn't live here!
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