topic Re: It Rained on our Parade in Community Chat

It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:31:58 GMT

Last Sunday we had a rogue thunderstorm. The elk herd was moving to the open area. Picture #1 shows the lead group.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:33:55 GMT

Photo #2 shows the middle of the pack.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:36:15 GMT

Photo #3 shows back group pushing ahead as storm intensified.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:38:55 GMT

Photo #4 The last of the herd reached open land.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:43:32 GMT

I did a screen shot of the video I took to post these pics. The video will be posted at a future date when my son can take over for me. It is something to see. Stay tuned.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

Mindy D — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:45:41 GMT

I wonder where they stay during storms. I wonder if they always keep moving. I've thought about where animals go during storms for a long time.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:50:49 GMT

@Mindy D They moved into the open land owned by the village. They spread out over a lot of space, but the elk did not cluster under trees. Maybe instinct tells them about lightning. They seemed frantic to reach a space where they had options for escape.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

Kachina624 — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:00:55 GMT

I always feel sorry for wild and domestic animals that must stay outside during storms, especially those with big, nasty hailstones. Those have got to hurt.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

songbird — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:08:02 GMT

Lots of animals can take the rain. Elephants just stand out in the rain. I think they're like any herd animals. Just stand out in open ground. The rain we've had come down very hard and in deluges. No gentle rain. Most doemestic animals will seek shelter.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

We rescue cats — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:13:46 GMT

Great shots! Thank you for sharing them, we sometimes camp in Elk County, they are glorious animals.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

fthunt — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:30:16 GMT

They might actually like the rain - bath time to shed dust & bugs on their skin.

Birds often fly thru garden sprinkler and then flutter their wings.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 18:32:29 GMT

We are back from running errands. I have photos taken about two hours after the storm had passed. They were taken from the street that leads into the athletic complex, the dog park, the golf course, and the village lands.

This photo is of elk with no babies. They are grazing on the soccer field. Zoom to see the guys on the basketball court and the group enjoying the picnic pavilion. Wildlife and humans sharing a facility in harmony.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 18:36:53 GMT

The mother cows with their calves. Zoom to see various sizes. Some young bulls are mixed in as well. After the storm has left, they are relaxing beneath the trees.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 18:57:52 GMT

We chose to go down there because two tourists got out of their car. They walked out onto the vacant area where the elk were milling around. The tourists frightened them, and we saw elk scurrying away toward the back side of the park out of sight. I get frustrated with humans!

We never leave our automobile nor do we approach the wildlife. However, yesterday my husband was startled. He was puttering beside the garage and heard a noise. He looked up to see the wild stallion horse about 10 feet away. He said it was magnificent and in beautiful condition. My husband stood perfectly still, and the stallion strolled on by.

@Kachina624 @Mindy D @fthunt @elated I tagged you to look at the two photos above this post. They went up late and I knew you did not see them. They are the calm after the storm.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

Jk9 — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 19:01:40 GMT

Thank you for posting and explaining each pic @On It . Very interesting for those of us who don't have elk to watch. Interestingly, I have seen horses stand out and also graze in torrential storms when shelter was right beside them. I mean standing in what I thought would be painful conditions without a sign of discomfort. They just hood their eyes and go right on with their day.

I appreciate the time you take to post these.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

on the bay — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:13:54 GMT

These are incredible photos @On It!

I never would have imagined that these elk would roam around humans and so many! and babies!

Thanks you for these and also your explanations. And your husbands close-up experience-how amazing and probably a little startling to say the least!

Re: It Rained on our Parade

luvzchiz — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:20:11 GMT

@On It You said, "Wildlife and humans sharing a facility in harmony.". My wish for all, humans and animals alike.

Thank you for sharing your pictures.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

Kachina624 — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 21:06:18 GMT

@On It You'd think as hot as it is, the elk would move up to higher altitudes where it's much cooler. Our Valles Caldera elk disappear in summer and are not seen again until it cools off.

Re: It Rained on our Parade

On It — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 21:41:20 GMT

@Kachina624 I have been very quiet about our current weather. It is 76 here currently at 3:30 pm. We had 92 for a high one day, but we are getting scattered mountain showers that cool us off almost daily. We hit our high about noon and then it drops. I didn't want to mention our cool temps when everyone else is scorching.

Our altitude is 7200 ft. The area where I am taking pictures is cooler than the lower end of the village that is further down the mountain. Here is one from this morning.