Moose-achusetts

It finally happened - we saw a moose! And not just any moose, one of our own Massachusetts moose, those impossible denizens of our populous state. We were driving down Route 202 late last night, and just after we passed the new moose crossing sign (see post from April 17) upon coming into Pelham from Shutesbury, Shannon excitedly pointed out an indistinct shadowy figure on the roadside. We went whizzing by before I could get a good look, so we turned around and backtracked but saw nothing. Initially dejected, we turned back around with the expectation of seeing nothing or at least of identifying some inanimate object as the culprit for our deception, but just as we were about to conclude that it was actually nothing, there it was, a definite something - the head and torso of a female (or perhaps juvenile) moose casually browsing the grasses and shoots along the roadway, plainly visible at a standstill by the indirect light of our high beams. Cars kept flying by at 60 mph, and the great beast was entirely unfazed, though certainly not oblivious, which is much more than we can say about the drivers of those cars. The moose only acknowledged us once, and that was when it heard the start-up tone when I turned my camera on - it perked up, aiming its large ears and fleshy upper lip at us and staring for a moment like the "great frightened rabbit" that it ultimately is, but finally returning to the immensely necessary business of subsistence. The flash on my camera is not designed for more than 10-15 feet, so even though we were just 25 feet away, none of my pictures came out as more than just shadows. But I need no photographic evidence to fulfill the satisfaction I now enjoy for having finally seen this amazing and elusive creature, the most majestic and surprising element of our state's natural heritage.