Bob and I decided to take a drive into Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, one summer, and at one of the beaver ponds along Highway 60 in the park we spotted this moose cow and calf beside the road.
At first, the calf was hidden by the depth of shrubs and marsh plants.
Despite being a good distance from the end of the swamp where the Moose cow and calf were browsing, we could not elude detection. They had no problem recognizing our presence and zeroing in on our location. Although a moose’s eyesight is very poor, they have exceptional hearing and sense of smell.
Because of the wet, cool spring and summer weather in Ontario that year, the blackfly and mosquito populations were thriving. This Moose cow and calf, besides eating aquatic plants at the edge of the beaver pond, would be quick to wade into the water to cool down or to rid themselves of the blackflies that pestered them while swarming all over their bodies.
Being mid-morning, the cow and her calf had been munching the plants for quite some time already…
and having had their fill, the cow decided to take leave of the open edge of the marsh in Algonquin Park and seek better cover in the nearby forest. The calf was right behind its mother following in the cow’s footsteps. Within seconds, they disappeared from view.
Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean