Running south in upper Las Virgenes Canyon, I’d passed the connector to Cheeseboro Canyon and was nearing Las Virgenes Creek. Before reaching the creek, I turned left off the main road onto a path that has a log bridge across the creek.

As I stepped onto the berm at the edge of the road, I caught a glimpse of something small and furry moving at my feet. I stopped and stepped back.

That’s when the vole poked its head from a burrow. I could almost see it squinting as it assessed whether or not I was a threat. Deciding to continue foraging, it emerged from the hole as far as it dared, and worked to free a small clump of grass at the margin of the burrow. Mission accomplished, in a flash of fur it returned to its burrow.

Some other wildlife encounters while running:
– Bear Cubs on the South Fork Trail
– Coyote Tag
– Hawk, Bobcat and Rabbit
– Northern Harrier on Lasky Mesa
– Reagan Ranch Bobcat
– Big Southern Pacific Rattlesnake at Ahmanson Ranch
– Deer Encounters
– and many more.