I had to go back to Sterling Pond for work and I got to see the moose!  His name is Sterling the Moose, of course.

I hiked up the Sterling Pond Trail to the Long Trail shelter and ran right down to the water to check for him.  At that point, there were only a couple of ducks.  They made a beeline for us and kept showing off like we were going to give them treats.  Sorry, ducks.

I went back to the shelter to do some more work.  The GMC caretakers at the Sterling Pond Shelter have gotten quite used to the moose’s schedule, they’ve named him, and they’ve done all kinds of research to determine that he’s just over a year old and needs to eat 50+ pounds of vegetation per day.  They suggested I go back down to the water a little while later, and lo and behold, there he was!  Just chomping away on some lilypads, like you do.  Also blowing bubbles with his nose in the water, because why not?

He’s like a gangly teenager, all empty stomach and awkward movement.  FYI, I did use a zoom lens on my camera to take these photos, as you should never get close to a moose.  A good rule of thumb for all wildlife viewing is to extend your arm, make a thumbs up, and if you can’t cover the animal in your view with your thumb with one eye closed, you’re too close.

Sterling didn’t seem to mind the gawkers or even the yappy little dogs, but he did eventually fill up and wander off into the woods.

What a wonderful morning at work!