Dear readers,
My name is Mark Wetzler and on January 1st, 2024 I moved to a small town in the mountains of Central Washington. The following is a report of the wildlife I've seen since then.
Deer -- Lots of deer. I see tons of deer in town. If you go on any walk of any length there's a good chance you'll see deer.
Marmots -- These ones are harder to spot. They're cute but pretty dumb with cars. Definitely slow down if they look like they're going to cross the road, because they might run straight in front of your tires.
There was also a marmot living under the garage of my neighbors across the alley. Not sure if it's still there. Haven't seen it in a bit (wanted to say "him" but how the hell do I know if it's male or female).
Turkey -- Saw lots of wild turkey in the winter, especially in the condo complex near Hannah's apt. Haven't seen them much since the weather has gotten warmer. Presume they've moved somewhere else.
Redwing Blackbirds -- I'm not much of a birder but I love these birds because they remind me of my youth in Minnesota. Their call especially. You show me a cattail, and I'll show you a redwing blackbird sitting on said cattail (except there are no cattails here so they're mostly on reeds/branches).
Haven't seen any of the bigger more exciting wildlife yet. Still no bears, cougars or mountain goats. APPARENTLY there are wolves in the area, but I still want to do more research into that. For example the Napeequa "Pack" which is just north of where I live was reported in 2022 but at that time was just two animals, a breeding pair. So, like, the minimum required to be a pack. Seeing a wolf in real life in the wild is one of my greatest dreams in real life.
Oh also had an awesome coyote encounter back in February, but that was on Bainbridge Island. Though of course I will report on ANY encounters with wildlife here, regardless of where they take place.
In other news I got a job and have barely been playing GeoGuessr. I got paid for the first time today. I'm going sport climbing today. Right now I'm going to drink some tea and maybe go on a walk and do some yoga.
I wish you all the best.
- Wetzler
