(Opinion) Bear Flat Dispatch: Spring finally

BEAR FLAT, B.C. — Everyone is happy to see that spring is finally here after the old-fashioned winter we just had.

It has been many years since we had that much snow, and so far, it seems to be soaking in nicely with enough run-off to fill dugouts.

Finally getting a good snowpack will be beneficial for agriculture and basically the region in general.

BC Hydro is probably overjoyed because they finally got some moisture to help fill Williston Reservoir again. The late spring is holding off the crocuses a bit longer than normal, but also wildfires hopefully.

The wildlife are probably happier than us humans to see spring arrive. The deer look rough and many are very thin. We are finding a lot of winter kill deer, and many are not predator kills, but just weakened animals that perished.

Some deer may yet die from their weakened state even as green grass is about to come on. The elk look ok, but many of the moose are in sad shape due to being infested with ticks.

I have heard different numbers, but many thousands of ticks can be on a moose at one time. It is hard to imagine just how miserable that must be, and we have found a few dead ones this spring.

The snowshoe hare population was high again, and where the moose snapped over small poplar trees as they foraged, the ‘rabbits’ cleaned up the bark on what was left.

Where there was snow drifts in brushy areas, they were also able to browse much higher than is normally possible.

The mice and vole populations did very well judging from the trails they left overwinter under the now melting snow. The coyotes, ravens and hawks have had a field day gorging themselves recently in the fields around our place as the snow slowly melts.

The geese and swans have been alternating between eating what they can in the fields and sitting on the reservoir ice lately, but there is starting to be some open water which is probably cheering them up too.

With the south facing hills being bare of snow, it is interesting to see how many folks are out wandering around.

I believe many are out looking for shed antlers, and some are probably just out enjoying the freedom of being able to walk around without struggling through deep snow with winter gear on.

I understand why many people go south with the birds in the fall, but being here to experience the dramatic changes between seasons to me is incredible.

I wasn’t sure if I had told her before, so I mentioned to Arlene this morning that spring is one of my favorite seasons, but apparently, I had already!