The two calendars for 2015 have been received with enthusiasm, so I wanted to tell the stories behind each shot. They are all local, taken by Derek Kite in his travels, sometimes between jobs.

The cover page is a grizzly bear female followed by two cubs. The shot was taken early October 2014 at Gerrard. Myself and three others left home early to get there at first light. The sow came down onto the beach, crossed the bridge, climbed a hawthorn tree to eat a few berries, then wandered down the east side of the Lardeau river. We moved a mile downstream and watched her swim across the river. The light was perfect, the subject awe inspiring.

January

February

In early August 2014 I was walking the dogs on the beach at 6 mile. Just as it got dark bats appeared and were flying around us. The dogs were looking wondering, and I decided I had to get a photo. Thus began a rather long and involved process of figuring out how to get a picture of a small very fast flying creature that only was available for about 15 minutes every evening in enough numbers to even contemplate the feat. There were a few things in my favor; the mayfly hatch was healthy, and the bats would leave their roosts, fly back and forth on the shoreline before spreading out to feed during the night. The location was limited in size by docks and the shape of the shoreline. I finally managed to get a couple decent shots.

March

Columbia ground squirrels are quite common in our area. I was driving down Six Mile Lakes road and noticed something sticking up from the road. It was a lone squirrel. I took a couple shots, not particularly interesting, but noticed a second one running across the road where it stood with the first one. Much better. All I had to do was take the photo.

April

Six Mile Lakes road near the end of July. This is a Golden Mantled ground squirrel, and the young were busy running about. One was eating a seed so it’s sibling wanted to share.

May

One of the young grizzlies. It was looking up at it’s mom hoping to get a taste of some berries she was picking in a bush. We were concerned that the branches would break and she would fall on the little one.

June

Yellow bellied marmots are common in the summer on rock piles. This is in Nelson just past Maglio Building Center. The two young marmots were getting cuddly, training for a life of leisure where they sleep most of they year to awake, reproduce and eat grass. As long as they don’t get run over or eaten by a predator able to move the large rocks they hide under.

July

A muskrat. I saw this on the Columbia River at the Waldie trail. A neat spot worth visiting, every time I go there I see something different. This muskrat was on the shore eating some weeds and allowed me to get close.

August

The river Otter graces our lake with it’s antics. This one was at the old Taghum Bridge on the Blewett side last winter.

September

The second of the bear cubs coming down the beach following it’s mother.

October

Another pair of Golden Mantled ground squirrels. This was right beside the road up Six Mile Lakes road, and one came out of hiding from it’s den.

November

A chipmunk posed for me at Apex.

December

The grizzly sow enjoyed hawthorn berries, gently picking it with her tongue.