White-crowned Sparrow / Zonotrichia leucophrys

What a miserable, wet day we are having today, 10 June 2017. Continuous rain and much cooler. The day after this trip, Thursday, we had a really bad storm, with high winds and torrential rain. Lots of small branches were strewn all over my street and conditions were probably worse in many places.

This morning, I am again posting four photos taken three days ago, on 7 June 2017, when I went out for the day with seven friends, to Kananaskis. We drove west of the city into the eastern edge of the mountains, stopping at a few different places, including Forgetmenot Pond and Elbow Falls.

Elbow Falls is a very popular area, within easy reach of Calgary. The huge parking lot tends to fill up completely, especially at weekends. The devastating flood of 2013 destroyed the picnic area and trails at this location, but it is still a beautiful place to visit.

hikingwithbarry.com/2014/01/01/elbow-falls-flood-kananask...

www.albertawow.com/hikes/Elbow_Falls/Elbow_Falls.htm

Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It is just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. While we were eating our picnic lunch, this little White-crowned Sparrow was feeding down on the ground and came fairly close to us. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area.

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

What a great day we had! It was one beautiful find after another, and I think we all must have arrived back home at the end of the day, feeling happy and content. Dorothy and Stephen, as always, you planned a wonderful day for us and you even managed to arrange with the weatherman for beautiful sunshine and warmth, with an occasional welcome slight breeze. I still can't believe how lucky we were, seeing so many interesting things. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to decide what was the highlight for me. The Harlequin Duck, the distant Common Nighthawk, the Morel mushrooms, the small cluster of beautiful brown jelly cup fungi?? And so on .... Great to spend a day with such a pleasant group of keen, interested people.

Thanks so much for such a great day - my favourite kind of day : ) Thank you, also, for the ride and for the donuts you brought along for everyone to enjoy. Nice to end our day with a stop at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek, for a very welcome coffee.