Tow truck came in the morning to get the Bus, so had to hang around the Cabin and wait, and not much time for a walk...paddled out to Bobcat Meadow and sat awhile by the Merced between the Bridges....quiet....Three DownyOrHairy Woodpeckers at Flicker Grove, chasing and calling..thought at first they were Flicker...same kinda call, but not as loud....sunny warm blue with a few hazy clouds....at Lunch, went to Ozone Beach, hoping to find a quiet window from tourists about, but they were about...but sighted Merganser, male, floating along, and followed, trying to get pics almost all the way to Swinging Bridge...nearing there, Merganser picked up and flew under the Bridge...pics are dim...and motion blurred...but the flight pic is a treasure...Merganser furiously flying is one of my favorite sights, and for the longest time, I didn't know what bird it was flying by at such a clip!!....sometime hope for an in focus bright pic...Male Merganser is veryvery hard to photograph because of the high contrast white and black feathers!!!....sad to see the Bus go...very cool to see Merganser...reports at break of Moose collisions with cars in new Hampshire near the border with Canada..and more talk of Bear and Deer collisions...and it dawned on me that the Two Deer at Lower Falls last Winter were likely killed from collisions...

some grims statistics:

quote

Car Crash Stats: There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. The financial cost of these crashes is more than 230 Billion dollars. 2.9 million people were injured and 42,636 people killed. About 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States -- one death every 13 minutes.

In 2003 there were 6,328,000 car accidents in the US. There were 2.9 million injuries and 42,643 people were killed in auto accidents.

In 2002, there were an estimated 6,316,000 car accidents in the USA. There were about 2.9 million injuries and 42,815 people were killed in auto accidents in 2002.

There were an estimated 6,356,000 car accidents in the US in 2000. There were about 3.2 million injuries and 41,821 people were killed in auto accidents in 2000 based on data collected by the Federal Highway Administration.

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/stats.html

unquote

and

quote

In an insurance claims statistics study conducted in 2004-2005 the top ten states for deer accidents were listed. According to this study, Pennsylvania drivers experience more deer collisions than any other state. The number of accidents increases with the deer migrating and mating season which occurs between the months of October and December.

Worst states for deer collisions based on total number of claims filed with one of the countries largest auto insurers:

1) Pennsylvania
2) Michigan
3) Illinois
4) Ohio
5) Georgia
6) Minnesota
7) Virginia
8) Indiana
9) Texas
10) Wisconsin

Tips to avoid deer accidents:

1) Be attentive when driving! And Slow Down!
2) Use high-beam headlights when driving in deer territory to increase your vision and will increase your time to react to a deer hiding on the roadside who decides to jump in front of your car.
3) The use of car-mounted 'deer whistles,' do not seem to affect deer and may result in drivers being less aware. These devices don't work! Watch out!
4) If a collision with a deer is unavoidable, it is usually best not to swerve to avoid it, brake and hold the wheel straight. Turning the wheel to avoid the deer may result in a worse accident with another car, or cause the car to spin out of control resulting a in much more serious crash.

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/deer-accident-statistics.html

unquote

and

quote

The late Will Rogers after a visit to Yosemite remarked, “They warn you not to feed the bears, but they have a hospital for those that do.”

Bears of Yosemite (1943) by M. E. Beatty

THE PRESENT BEAR POLICY AND ITS PROBLEMS

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/bears/bear_policy.html

unquote

that's a 1943 report and advisory...and has link to current Bear policy...

which reminds me to look up the current status of Bear Bags...on overnights, I always use a Bear Can, which really work...brb..

quote

January 13, 2010

It appears that Ursack will be allowed almost everywhere in the Sierra this year except Yosemite National Park and three areas (Rae Lakes, Dusy Basin, Rock Creek) of SEKI. We calculate that Ursack may be used on more than 98% of the Pacific Crest Trail. SIBBG, the Sierra Agency Black Bear Group, no longer exists. There are no standardized bear canister tests--each Superintendent of Forest Service Manager makes the decision for his or her own area. While Ursack will likely submit the S29 AllWhite Hybrid for consideration by Yosemite and SEKI, there can be no assurance of approval given those parks lack of testing criteria and/or their historical antipathy toward Ursack.