Watching the cougar...

We learned cougars can jump from as high as 60 feet up in a tree without injury!!!  Something to think about next time you are hiking!

We were able to have a private session with the biologist in charge of the owls.  Here she is holding an injured northern spotted owl that resides at the park.  Most people will never see this endangered owl in their lifetime, especially since there are only about 1,000 left in the wild!

Misty tickles Brittany with owl feathers we were able to look at up-close.  The feathers are velvety on top, enabling the owl to fly silently.  The font edge of the wings are also comb-like, which helps break up the wind sound as well. 

In contrast to the highly endangered northern spotted owl, we also met a very common Great Horned Owl!  Contrary to popular myth, the "horns" are not ears, but are a type of camouflage that breaks up the owl's silhouette against a tree.  The ears are located beneath the black ring that circles the bird's face, and are about the size of its eyes - which means they are relatively huge for such a small animal.  The ears are positioned asymmetrically to improve the owls ability to pinpoint the location of its prey in the dark.

Watching the river otter playing in its pond...

What's that smell???  We learned the strong musky odor of a porcupine!  The porcupine was very playful and showed off what he could do...

One of the four grey wolves residing in the park's pack.  Another very cool opportunity to see an endangered animal up close!  Tiare learned on a previous trip to NW Trek that the wolves are actually fed Science Diet dog food!  Why not, it is perfectly blended for the canine family...

We took an hour-long tram tour through 450 acres of the park where ungulates (hooved animals) are allowed to roam free.  Many of the animals will walk right up to the tram, so we were able to see some pretty cool animals!

Taken through the tram window, this bison is enjoying a good rub on a stump.  It is spring, so they are currently shedding their thick cashmere-like coats (that enable them to live at temperature to -40 degrees!).  The bison are huge animals!  The males weigh in at about 2,600 pounds!  The woodland bison is another endangered animal.

Here you can see a white mountain goat outside our window.  They are almost ready to have their babies, at which time they will move up to the high areas of the park for a better vantage to watch for predators. We learned that 5 years ago a cougar broke into this area of the park and killed 10 animals over a period of a couple months before it was trapped and moved to the North Cascades.  The entire area is surrounded by an 8' fence with 2 additional hot wires on the top, extending it to about 10' tall.  (But as we know, cougars can jump 20' from a standstill.)

Here is one of the two baby bison we saw that have already been born this spring.  This one is about 2 weeks old.  They look just like baby cows, but then again, they are members of the cow family!  The orange color is due to the fact that their kidneys are not yet fully developed and thus they have a touch of jaundice that lasts until the fall, when they turn brown like their parents.  We learned that color-blind animals that see in shades of black and white cannot distinguish between orange and green, and thus this orangish color actually camouflages the baby against the grass.  We humans are lucky to be able to see them in full color!

A herd of female elk relaxing in  the sunshine seen out our tram window.  The males have just begun growing their antlers, which can grow between 1/2 - 1 1/2 inches per day!!!  We also saw the caribou - another endangered animal.  The caribou are just shedding their dark winter coat for a lighter-colored white summer coat.  This coloration is the reverse of the pattern displayed by most animals, who turn white in the winter for camouflage and added warmth from the hollow white hairs.  The reason is that caribou spend the winter at low elevations, in dark forests, thus the dark fur.  In the summer, they actually head up the mountains and into the snow to graze lichens off the rocks!

A great view of the landscape from the top of a mountain!  We learned that a mountain goat can spot a cougar over 5 miles away!!!  That is amazing vision!