Do the animals of Pilot Butte sleep with one eye open?

A good Friday. Worked, then met some friends for lunch. We had vegan pancakes at a local Mexican place—they were really good and very filling, and it was a nice, mellow break. Worked some more, started a poster for our Forks Over Knives showing next month, then hiked Pilot Butte in the near darkness. I started around 7:40 and had it mostly to myself, except for a couple of people and the owls, ravens, mountain lions, bobcats, deer, rodents, insects, and … OK, I don’t know if there are any cats that live on the butte. But they’re around nearby, so who knows?

Interesting that it never seems to get completely dark on the butte. It’s illuminated on all sides by bright city lights. Today, Bend High to the Southwest was having a football game and the stadium lights really lit up that side. I could also hear the Star Mangled Banner pretty well and the roar of the crowd and I could almost make out the players.

I wonder what it’s like for the animals that live on Pilot Butte? Slowly, over time, their once dark and quiet volcano has pounded and echoed with the footsteps and voices of thousands, maybe millions of human animals, and their automobiles. The once midnight darkness has become a permanent twilight. Does it make them uneasy? Do they sleep with one eye open? Or have they adapted, just like we have, to the crowded neighborhoods of our modern world?