Last night I had this delightful experience. I was awakened around 1:30 am by a pack of wolves howling not too far outside my open loft windows! My wood stove keeps my whole house so toasty that I often sleep with one or two windows open now even when it's well below freezing outside. And last night that allowed me to hear this.
I grabbed my little camera since that is the only way I have to record sound and propped it in the open window to try to catch their voices. There is no visual with this video, just turn your volume up the whole way to catch the audio. It was a pretty dark cloud covered night. Not that they were within sight of my window anyway, but they were not too far away.
Last winter I saw tracks from a loan wolf around my place, but this is the closest I've heard a pack. I'm pretty sure there were at least three distinct voices, and a lot of times it sounded like five or more. It was a pitch dark cloudy night, so I certainly couldn't see them, but from the sound, they were not too far up the drainage from my house.
These photos are obviously not from last night, but they are all mine. Of various wolves I have seen over the years, always from the road, or tracks I've run into, mostly while hiking. I have to admit, I'd love to get one of my house with one or more wolves walking through the frame. Not that that is very likely, but I can dream...
I think hearing a wolf howl is about the most wild sound I've ever heard. And it was amazing to get to listen to them for almost a half hour before I fell asleep again. I don't know how long they kept it up, or if I will get to hear them around here again, but it was certainly an amazing experience.
Awesome, awesome sound. How lucky you live near these wild animals and get to hear them. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteIs there any danger for your cats to have wolves so close by? Are there any animal shelters in the area that would take the cats so that they can live inside where it's warm and safe?
ReplyDeleteYes there is some danger. But they have lots of places they can run and hide or climb too. They may not be safe for ever but I think they will be much happier living out their lives free to run around as they please, catch mice, be petted and played with, and generally be cats, than to always be totally safe.
DeleteCool! They sound so different than coyotes (who yip and have higher pitch). The pic of wolf at creek appears to have a collar. Are there any studies going on in your area tracking wolves? If not, that animal may be a lost dog or could be collared wolf from another area who wandered. Was also thinking about your cats... you may not want the wolves any closer. Domestic cats are easy prey. Would suggest not leaving cat food out as the smell might attract predators closer. (I do same with my barn cats - anything uneaten within 30 minutes gets put back in the container, which is an old cooler that requires 2 hands to open.) If the cats seems skittish, it could be they've detected a wolf, coyote, bobcat, or cougar nearby. Thanks for sharing the recording! That was way cool! Have loved seeing your wildlife photos. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, there are a lot of collared wolves in this area and quite a few are tracked and studied.
DeleteAnd yes, my kitties are all pretty good about bolting for cover and taking care of themselves. That doesn't mean that someday they won't make it, but they all seem to enjoy their life. And that is a good point about keeping their food secure.
What a cool experience to get to share via your recording! Thank you. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I am so excited to finish our THOW and begin traveling. We listened to the recording several times, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAriel, do you have an email address? I've looked on the blog but didn't see one.
ReplyDeleteI'd tried to reply to this a while ago, but it looks like it never went through. Sorry about that. I do. Ariel.C.McGlothin at gmail dot com.
DeleteI love it! Your blog is an inspiration for me. Around here (the midwest) I get to hear coyotes occasionally, but never wolves. While I don't think I'm willing to live as far north as you, I do hope to live in a semi-wild area in a small cabin within the next few years. Thanks for your inspiration; it reminds me why I am working so hard to achieve my goal.
ReplyDeleteHey Ariel- looks like this youtube channel stole your vid! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18LRWuDHpGs
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up. I contacted youtube and hopefully they will take it down.
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