Wide Eyed

Lake Louise, Alberta

While out for an early evening walk, I was startled by this weasel. It was running towards me on the hiking trail that runs alongside Lake Louise and had a mouse in its mouth. As it passed me, I pulled my camera from my pack and leaving my pack on the side of the trail, ran after it. When it dated into the tall grass beside the trail, I was able to get into position ahead of it and wait. They are such a quick animal, rarely stopping to pose for a photograph. I stayed still when the weasel reappeared and watched where it when. When it disappeared again, I quickly moved to the spot and was excited to discover a series of holes in a small slope. Adult weasels are solitary but their young are dependant on the mother for food until they are close to two months old. This weasel had indeed returned to its burrow to feed its young. I watched as little head would pop out of the holes and then b e gone again just as quickly. I was losing light when I captured this photograph and felt lucky to have discovered the family in the first place. Their eyes are large relative to their body size which inspired the title for this photograph.