Monday, September 26, 2011

Wolves - Our World Tuesday/Outdoor Wednesday

We spend our summer vacation time up in the Haliburton Highlands in Ontario. It's a beautiful thickly forested area in the province that has over 600 lakes and heaps of wildlife roaming around.

It's not unusual to see bears, moose, beavers, woverines, deer etc. Sometimes the sightings are a little too close for comfort...like when a woverine shows up on your cottage property, or you barely miss hitting a black bear as it lumbers across the road a few feet from your car.

One of the most elusive creatures in the Canadian bush is the wolf (grey timber wolf). They are often heard howling at night, but rarely seen.

Luckily for us, the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve's Wolf Centre, is just up the road from the cottage. I love spending an afternoon there, watching and photographing these beautiful creatures.

Click on the pics to enlarge
Mom

Dad

Being lazy in the sun

Pup #1

Just like dad

Pup #2

Just like mom
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"We have doomed the Wolf not for what it is, but for what we have deliberately and mistakenly perceived it to be..the mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer..which is, in reality no more than a reflected image of ourself."
-Farley Mowat

View the many wonders of the world HERE @ Our World Tuesday
Take a look at the great outdoors around the world HERE @ Outdoor Wednesday
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45 comments:

  1. Wolves are mysterious and amazing. Wonderful post.

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  2. I've tracked wolves in Yellowstone - they are amazing animals. Your photos are awesome. I especially like Mom's amber eyes.

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  3. Wonderful shots. You are lucky to spot them.

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  4. A very beautiful family of wolves!
    The first pic is so beautifully captured!

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  5. One of my thrills on our trip to Alaska last year was seeing wolves in Denali. The the people were caged (in buses) and the wolves roamed free.

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  6. Hi there - what great animals - one of the things I really want to hear are wolves in the wild. But that’s a bit difficult here in Melbourne!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Australia

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  7. It must be exciting to meet wolves at close quarters. Did you really come that close to them? A few weeks ago a wolf was sighted in the woods in the middle of my country. Not everybody was delighted, but the gamekeepers were. The wolf is a bit like the dingo in Australia: elusive and mysterious.

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  8. Wow these are amazing shots. Such lovely animals, you were lucky to get so close.

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  9. Hey you've redesigned your lovely blog. I like it. Great post.

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  10. These wolves at the Reserve certainly seem relaxed and comfortable being captured by the camera. The pups (like many young creatures) are adorable replicas of their parents. :)

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  11. What utterly magical shots!

    It's such a shame with wolves being hunted down for no reason at all.

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  12. Wolves are beautiful creatures, I have only ever seen them in the local zoo, but I was staring into the eyes of the pack leader, thinking how beautiful he was, when he backed away, threw his head back and started to howl, then the rest backed away and began howling too. I was later told that looking straight into his eyes was seen by him as a challenge to his position, I don't know if that is true. I was really just admiring him.

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  13. good thing the wolves are not camera shy. lovely captures.

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  14. wow.....amazing creatures they are and i always enjoy see the young!!

    for me, it is such a thrill to see wildlife roaming freely, as when i spot a deer in the woods.

    it is always difficult for me to see them contained, i always wonder if they are happy, i know they are well cared for.

    these photo's are beautiful, they really give you a glimpse into their personalities!!

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  15. They are amazing animals and so misunderstood. Thank you!

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  16. Gorgeous photos of the wolves, Karen! They look incredible!

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  17. I never knew wolves could be that dark in colour. We have very few wild ones left in Sweden but whenever they appear they always cause a lot of debate. I've only seen them at our zoo... if you like,
    here is a link to a recent post from the zoo with a wolf among them.

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  18. Great post, especially with the Mowat quote. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  19. Your wolf family IS nice to look at, Karen, but I still would want a good fence between them and me. I'm about half way through a tome entitled Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong (winner of the Man Asian Literature Prize) and if you really do love wolves, this would be a magical read for you (it's in English).

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  20. These are stunning photographs! I see you are making good use of your telephoto lens. The head shot of dad is brilliant. Bravo!

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  21. These are wonderful shots and such a good post. I love the quote at the end.

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  22. it's amazing to see them in the wild, and your photos are impressive! but i'd be more comfortable to watch them from a distance, a great distance.:p

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  23. Great shots. I love the sleeping one, it looks like a friendly dog.

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  24. Those are wonderful pictures. What a great place to have a cabin. You must really feel like you're part of the natural world when you're there.

    I'm sad because a breeding pair of the wolves that were recently re-introduced into Oregon have been OKd to be killed because farmers are complaining. I'm sorry they can't all get along!

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  25. excellent photos with nice text

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  26. Wow, you were so lucky to be able to take such wonderful pictures. I have seen wolfs only in a zoo. the puppy looks so cute !

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  27. Oh! Wow! Wow! Wow!
    Thanks for sharing these wonderful captures;o)

    ***
    Have a nice and happy day****

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  28. No wolves downunder here in OZ, or bears, wolverines or moose! But I guess we make up for it with crocodiles, snakes, spiders and killer jelly fish!!! Love your pix!!

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  29. The wolf is my totem animal, I have had one walk up to me in the Rockies, it was a truly magical moment.
    Thank you so much for these beautiful family portraits.

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  30. Wolves are truly beautiful...and the pups are so so precious! Thanks for sharing and Happy Outdoor Wednesday.
    ~Holly

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  31. How thrilling to hear wolves howling at night! They are so beautiful.  Mom looks like my deceased dog. Thank you for sharing these precious captures.

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  32. Absolutely incredible!!! I won't hesitate to say your photo gave me chills. But, it's chills of delight to see them like this, and I envy you to be so up close and personal during the summer time spent in the mountain cottage.

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  33. I feel very sorry for wolves as they have been misunderstood and mistreated for a long time. They are beautiful and affectionate animals. Unfortunately Japanese wolves became extinct more than 100 years ago. Excellent photos and words!
    Best wishes,
    keiko

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  34. These pictures are amazing! I've always loved wolves. I saw one once, when I was out running. It took my breath away!

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  35. Beautiful creatures and your photo's bring them so well.
    Have a nice day

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  36. They look downright cute and cuddly in your pics.

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  37. Oh my goodness, they are beautiful. What a great time you must have taking pictures of them. hugs ~lynne~

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  38. such majestic animals. how great to have a sanctuary close by for these kind of photos! thanks for sharing!
    Faythe @~GMT~

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  39. Karen girl I just saw this now .. these are truly misunderstood creatures that are so intelligent and only act on natural instinct .. unlike humankind that should know BETTER !
    These are amazing shots girl .. you captured an essence of them, well done you !
    Joy

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