Mongooses. Mongeese. More than one mongoose.

The Northern hemisphere seems to be neck-deep in long, thin, sneaky creatures. These are the weasels and their cousins; ferrets, martens, stoats, ermines, minks, sables, polecats and more. This is partly an illusion, because the good people of the north seem to while away the cold winter months by thinking up new names for their wildlife. This is fantastic for nature enthusiasts, because you can fill up your wildlife checklist very quickly. If you are lucky enough to see a mountain lion, you can also tick off panther, puma, catamount, cougar, painter, and, if you’re feeling feisty, mountain screamer.

For the Birds

I’m not a birder. For the same reason I’m not a suicide bomber. Every faith has its fanatics, its extremists, its lunatic fringe who take things too far, and if wildlife were a faith, the birders would be the ones trying to sneak through airport security with a shoe-heel full of plastic explosive and a craft knife hidden in a hollowed out copy of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa.

A birder quietly pursuing his gentle hobby.