The time of the ferret night had come.
It was 21:30. Carfulls of idiots with their SUV's gathered for this chance at seeing a rare critter. The photographers grouped among themselves, talking with unrestrained zeal about their various camera setups. They talked so loud, you could learn about all their different preffered settings from 200 meters away. They discussed how to best control light, expoposure, apperture speed...if only they could control the volume of their own voice. And there were those "tourist photographers", the kind of wealthy Americans who would walk into a camera store and say: "I want the best camera you have." The still of night was broken by the loud beep of an automated car-lock.
But there was some mighty good company among us: my new friend Dane and some Bee researchers whom I later had the pleasure of accompanying in the field.
The ferret researchers finally arrived, appologizing for their lateness. "But we're actually early for the ferrets" they said. Ferrets only lurk in the dead of night.
"Is anyone going to bring a gun?" asked one concerned young lady. "What's going to attack you, a prairie dog?" replied our guide, to her embarassement.
Luckily, by 1:00 am, the touristly folk turned in since it was past their bedtime. The researcher offered to take us into one more pasture for a last try. Only myself and another dude remained. What happened next, I did not expect. As soon as all the people left, the researchers let us climb in their USGS truck, and we rampaged over the prairie dog town with a super spotlight!
We found the ferret, and the researchers even encouraged us to get closer and closer, until we cornered it in a burrow. I was in disbelief that this was happening, but this photo tells it all.
And here's it running around. Sorry for the photographer who walked in front of me while I I was recording.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI5M_D-JXP0
I was so stoked after this that I had to go on a night drive, and I almost hit this badger with my car!!
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