Battle-scarred bull and a dusting of snow
Karen Lewis, aka Klew, took this photo by her driveway in Stallion Springs of a bull elk grazing after the small snowstorm we had a few weeks ago.
Klew and her husband, Carl, like watching the wildlife that frequently visits their yard. Located in the southwest corner of Cummings Valley, Stallion Springs is cradled by the Tehachapi Mountains, and homes and lots at the western edge of the community overlook the San Joaquin Valley.
Stallion Springs was created in the late 1960s from land that formerly comprised a big ranch, owned by Rex Ellsworth and before that by the Hill family, among others. Today the human population of Stallion Springs is about 3,500 and the area encompasses a little more than 10,500 acres.
There is still a host of wildlife that lives in or moves through Stallion Springs, including elk, deer, mountain lions, black bear, bobcats, coyotes, gray foxes, long-tailed weasels, badgers, skunks, raccoons, California condors, red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, and even a bald eagle or two in the winter time.
The big American or Rocky Mountain Elk bull in this photo shows lots of breakage in its antlers, caused by breeding season battles with other bulls. Klew and Carl have watched many of these jousting contests, usually won by an even bigger bull that often hangs around by their house.
The Nuwä (Kawaiisu or Paiute) word for elk is parahui, pronounced pah-rah-HOO-ee, and it means “water deer,” since elk often like to be around or even in water.
NATURAL SIGHTINGS is a regular feature of the Tehachapi News edited by Jon Hammond which showcases photos of the natural beauty that enhances the quality of life in Tehachapi. If you have a good quality image of plants, animals, insects, trees, birds, weather phenomena, etc., submit it to the Tehachapi News for possible publication. Submissions can be dropped by the News office in the form of a print or CD, or sent by email to: editorial@tehachapinews.com.