By: Katie Anthony, University of Vermont
When first arriving in Atlin for the summer, I was skeptical about how much wildlife I would actually get to see. Maybe a moose or two? A grizzly if lucky? Never could I have imagined the number of animals I would get to see during the first three weeks here, let alone in the span of a single day.
Waking up on the second day at our campsite near Union Mountain, I was excited to learn that we would be hiking up into the alpine to conduct an opportunistic ungulate survey and collect temperature loggers. As someone with a deep love for ungulates since I first saw mountain goats in Denali National Park, I was eager to conduct yet another ungulate survey but this time, at the highest elevation we’d been at yet.
Only five minutes into our hike, I see Micheal Minnick, the unofficial wildlife spotter of the group, point toward a mountain just west of us. There, clear as day, were three caribou moving leisurely on a snow patch. Quickly grabbing our binoculars, we stared up at the mountain, now able to see that one of the caribou was a calf and the other two appeared to be adults.
Two adult caribou and one calf observed resting on nearby snow patch. Photo: Micheal Minnick
After somewhat quietly freaking out about our first caribou sighting of the program, we continued hiking upward for a few minutes only to stop once again. This time I was forced to look down rather than up, surprised to see signs of multiple animals having used the same trail we were currently on. Avoiding stepping on the preserved tracks and nearly tripping over my feet in the process, I looked down to see both Wolf, Grizzly, and Moose tracks all within a meter of each other. After getting a closer look, I saw that all the tracks appeared to be relatively fresh, as they had not been caked in or dried out in the mud yet. Interestingly, all three animals appeared to have also been moving in the same northeast direction, back toward where our campsite was. I was amazed at just how much wildlife had used the trail we were hiking on, and relatively recently as well.
Moose and Grey Wolf tracks in mud along hiking trail. Photo: Micheal Minnick
Continuing up into the rocky alpine, we paused yet again at the sound of a unique bird call. Simultaneously trying to catch our breaths and pull up the Merlin app, we spotted the mysterious bird only a couple meters away perched on a lichen-covered rock. After some deliberation and help from Merlin, we identified the call as belonging to an American Pipit, a species we had not yet seen during our three weeks in the program. Only a couple meters away blending in with the rocky landscape, we were surprised to see yet another new species: a female White-tailed Ptarmigan and two chicks. After mistakenly thinking I was observing Rock Ptarmigans, I quickly learned that the key to differentiating this species from others is by the lack of a distinct red brow above their eyes.
Soon after jotting this discovery down in my Grinnell journal, we finally reached our alpine summit location at 1721 meters in elevation. Looking out from over the rocks, we could see almost all of the locations we had been to so far this summer, from Atlin Lake and Sentinel’s Bowl to even the edge of Llewellyn Glacier.
After taking in the view and eating nearly all our snacks, we got ready to do the ungulate survey. Facing northeast toward clear skies, I was amazed to spot yet another group of caribou on a large snow patch near the peak of a far-off mountain. Using my binoculars, I spotted four caribou in total, three adults and one calf. They appeared to be moving slowly through the snow patch, most likely attempting to cool down from the warm weather.
Still staring at the caribou through my binoculars, I heard murmuring behind me about a potential moose located in a pond just northwest of our location. We all quickly shifted positions to get a glance at the moose which was quickly moving through the pond with a small animal in front of it. Depending on who you ask from our group of observers, the moose appeared to either be chasing the small animal or fleeing from something along with it. I believe the animal was most likely a small calf in front of the larger moose fleeing alongside it from a potential predator.
Ending the ungulate survey with this interesting observation, we began collecting the temperature loggers hidden throughout the site. As I searched for the last temperature logger, I heard someone yell and gesture for me to come back up to where everyone else was. Less than 100 meters from us staring directly in our direction was an adult male caribou with antlers nearly as tall as it was. The caribou appeared to be just as shocked as we were and quickly began to trot away down a hillside after a couple seconds of silently staring at us. This was one of the closest encounters with wildlife we’ve had yet, and with a species that is now becoming rarer and rarer to see in British Columbia. Even now, I can’t believe how lucky we were to have been where we were and seen a caribou that close to us.
Adult male caribou trotting away down a neighboring hillside. Photo: Micheal Minnick.
This incredible encounter concluded our wildlife packed day in the backcountry. I am still amazed by the wildlife we were able to see during this one day and can definitively say that my initial skepticism and doubt regarding how much wildlife I would get to see during the program has been overcome. I am eager to see what other species we will get the chance to encounter during our last three weeks in the Taku. I’m hoping for a grizzly, but perhaps from a bit more distance than I was from the caribou.