Sunday night’s frigid and howling winds provided a perfect backdrop for the spectacle of the Wolf Moon Eclipse. While we were saddened to miss out on a chance to gather with all of you due to safety concerns, our photo documentation mission served as a reminder of the harsh and sometimes unforgiving side of nature that our wildlife must endure. Those in the canine family don’t hibernate and have the daunting task of always being on the prowl for their next meal regardless of the weather. As we shivered and stared at the lunar transition above us where the relationship between the earth, moon, and sun is presented in an almost theatrical fashion, our thoughts were with our wild canines.
It is reasonable to assume that somewhere along the treeline of the Wildlife Center a red fox was looking back at us. It is likely that nearby in the rolling hills of Harford County’s northern farmlands, coyotes were out hunting their rodent prey. Maybe even a locally uncommon gray fox was clinging to a tree to avoid becoming prey itself. But noticeably absent were the echoing howls of the red wolf, a species that used to imprint its tracks across this landscape and bring health to what is now out of balance. While we will likely never again hear the beautiful sound of a wolf in this region we hope that nature finds a way to heal and restore the balance that we lost.
