Wood Duck male
A favourite subject with photographers
Evening Grosbeak female
Ruddy Turnstone, Blue Waters Inn, Tobago
After a busy night of hunting
Double-crested Cormorants / Phalacrocorax auritus
Rufous-vented chachalaca, Blue Waters Inn, Tobago
Learning from Mom
The ever-friendly Black-capped Chickadee
Sweet White-tailed doe
Licking salt from the road
Yesterday's absolute treat - the size of your fist…
American Tree Sparrow / Spizelloides arborea
Couple of Coots / Fulica americana
Shadows
One of a pair
Common Redpolls / Acanthis flammea
Swainson's Hawk juvenile
Canada Geese on ice at Pine Coulee Reservoir
Popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl, from January 2015
Another surprise on another gloomy day
Common Redpoll / Acanthis flammea
It's the little guy/gal again
Evening Grosbeaks, male and female
Purple Honeycreeper male
A change from a world of white
Time to rest
She can't see me
House Sparrow at the Saskatoon Farm
Ruddy Turnstone, Tobago
White-necked Jacobin, Asa Wright, Trinidad
Where countryside and civilization meet
White Pheasant
Wild Turkey
The sweetest little thing
Bison/Buffalo
Handsome buck
Licorice Allsorts eyes
Wild Turkey at the Cochrane Ecological Institute
Young White-tailed Deer
I spy with my little eye
"Just" a little House Sparrow
Handsome Mulie buck
Unexpected, and very welcome, Moose
Common Redpoll
A welcome addition to our Christmas Bird Count
Feeding frenzy - is the top right bird a Hoary Red…
Hungry Moose
Common Redpoll with an orange spot
Always a treat
Not quite Santa's reindeer
Back-lit White-tailed Deer
Mountain Chickadee / Poecile gambeli
Pine Grosbeak female
Common Redpoll
Jackrabbit, seen in my car headlights
Handsome Pine Grosbeak male
On a brutally cold New Year's Day Count
Cute and curious
An upside-down kind of life
Northern Pygmy-owl
Immature White-necked Jacobin
Long-tongued Bat, Trinidad
Pam and friend
Yesterday's Bald Eagle
A Coyote's last look back
Bighorn Sheep, mom and youngster
Merlin
Oilbird / Steatornis caripensis, Trinidad
At the Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis) cave, Trini…
Ring-billed Gull / Larus delawarensis
Great Blue Heron, fishing
Yellow Oriole, Asa Wright, Trinidad
Great Horned Owl on a fence post
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
I'm tiny - and BLUE
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Beautiful Mule Deer doe
Red-tailed Hawk?
Disappearing Skunk - just for the record
Eurasian Collared-Dove / Streptopelia decaocto
Three years later ....
Purple Honeycreeper female, Asa Wright
Swainson's Hawk
Juvenile American Coot
Freeze!
Wood Duck juvenile
Juvenile Swainson's Hawk
Wood Ducks
Pika, on a windy day
Hybrid Mourning Dove-Eurasian Collared Dove
Green-winged Teal and Black-bellied Plover
American Goldfinch eating Sunflower seeds
Swainson's Hawk juvenile
Killdeer / Charadrius vociferus
Yellowlegs
Canada Warbler / Cardellina canadensis
Swainson's Hawk juvenile
Green Honeycreeper female, Asa Wright, Trinidad
Semipalmated Plover / Charadrius semipalmatus?
You looking at me, lady?
On the way down
Remember to stop and smell the .... wildflowers
Blue-gray Tanager / Thraupis episcopus, Asa Wright…
Handsome Wood Ducks
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in a Pika's cave
Waiting for the herd to descend
Keeping watch over the herd
Small and fast .... and adorable
Licking salt off the road
Jackie's Hummingbird
Crested Oropendola, Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trin…
Mule Deer doe
Western Meadowlark
Swainson's Hawk / Buteo swainsoni
Ruddy Duck female
Evening Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Purple Honeycreeper male, Trinidad
Stellar's Jay juvenile
Wild European Rabbit
My new neighbour?
Common Nighthawk
Red-winged Blackbird juvenile
Here comes dessert!
See also...
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Bighorn Sheep on the slope
![Bighorn Sheep on the slope Bighorn Sheep on the slope](https://cdn.ipernity.com/200/56/50/45715650.5befb4fc.640.jpg?r2)
![](https://s.ipernity.com/T/L/z.gif)
I have no idea why this Bighorn Sheep female tilted its neck and head like this. It was standing upright on the steep cliff slope, so doing this wouldn't help with balance, I'm sure.
"Widespread wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h, with some reaching as high as 130 km/h, blasted southern and central Alberta Tuesday afternoon and evening, fanning wildfires and leaving some 10,000 customers without power." To put things into perspective, sustained winds between 119-153 km/h are considered Category 1 hurricane-force by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A strong Pacific Jetstream caused dramatic weather on this day, along with rain and very strong winds that brought down trees, powerlines, falling glass from windows of office blocks in downtown, fanned wildfires, and so on.
Friend Gayle had asked if I would like to go out for the day and we ended up driving through the Springbank area and then on to Canmore. I had checked the weather forecast and, I have to admit that if I was planning to go out of the city on my own, I would have changed my mind and stayed home instead. However, we decided to at least get out for a while and see how far we would go. As it turned out, we got to Canmore in the mountains, where we had lunch - Lasagne for me : )
Feeling re-energized, we decided to start driving up the mountainous road that leads from Canmore to the Spray Lakes area. Though I have been on this road at various times, I have never driven it myself. If I want to get to the Spray Lakes area, I go from the south and all the way along Highway 40. This rough, narrow road is quite an adventure at any time. It gives a wonderful view looking down over the whole of Canmore and the river. It is also a popular road for Mountain Sheep, and we were lucky to see four of them in a little group, licking the salt from the bottom of the cliff rock face. It is incredible how these wild animals can climb the steep, rocky surface - done very cautiously. This is their road and if they want to stand in the middle of it, then cars wait.
"One of the most important features of the bighorn sheep is the unique structure of its hooves. Rather than being hard like those of a horse or cow, the sheep have rubber-like hooves that allow excellent mobility on steep rock faces."
www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/rocky_mountai...
Part way up the mountain, we took the turn-off to Quarry Lake, a place I had heard of and seen photos of, but had never been there myself. We parked and decided to walk round the lake, which turned out to be very unpleasant, with strong winds picking up grit and leaves and whipping our faces. For the first time ever, I believe, I saw a tree come crashing down at the edge of the forest.
Once safely back to the car, we thought we would drive a little further and see what conditions were like. Rain and very strong winds continued and once we reached the north end of Spray Lakes Reservoir, we made the decision to turn around and head back down. The mountains were disappearing from sight, so there wasn't much point in continuing, anyway. Gayle had hoped to go on as far as Banff, but there was no sense in doing so in such dreadful weather.
As often happens, the weather seemed to brighten somewhat once we were out of the mountains. It felt so good to actually see some blue sky. Getting closer to Calgary, the car radio was announcing which city roads were blocked by a fallen tree or downed powerlines.
I was not far from home, shortly before sunset, when I noticed some impressive clouds and, on the spur of the moment, drove along one of the gravel back roads just within the edge of the city. It was worth it, though I was quite relieved when I finally reached home.
Many thanks, Gayle, for a great day out, braving the weather! We had fun and it certainly was an interesting experience. I really appreciated the chance to use my camera once more, before the next snowfall arrives and stays on the ground for the next few months.
"Widespread wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h, with some reaching as high as 130 km/h, blasted southern and central Alberta Tuesday afternoon and evening, fanning wildfires and leaving some 10,000 customers without power." To put things into perspective, sustained winds between 119-153 km/h are considered Category 1 hurricane-force by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A strong Pacific Jetstream caused dramatic weather on this day, along with rain and very strong winds that brought down trees, powerlines, falling glass from windows of office blocks in downtown, fanned wildfires, and so on.
Friend Gayle had asked if I would like to go out for the day and we ended up driving through the Springbank area and then on to Canmore. I had checked the weather forecast and, I have to admit that if I was planning to go out of the city on my own, I would have changed my mind and stayed home instead. However, we decided to at least get out for a while and see how far we would go. As it turned out, we got to Canmore in the mountains, where we had lunch - Lasagne for me : )
Feeling re-energized, we decided to start driving up the mountainous road that leads from Canmore to the Spray Lakes area. Though I have been on this road at various times, I have never driven it myself. If I want to get to the Spray Lakes area, I go from the south and all the way along Highway 40. This rough, narrow road is quite an adventure at any time. It gives a wonderful view looking down over the whole of Canmore and the river. It is also a popular road for Mountain Sheep, and we were lucky to see four of them in a little group, licking the salt from the bottom of the cliff rock face. It is incredible how these wild animals can climb the steep, rocky surface - done very cautiously. This is their road and if they want to stand in the middle of it, then cars wait.
"One of the most important features of the bighorn sheep is the unique structure of its hooves. Rather than being hard like those of a horse or cow, the sheep have rubber-like hooves that allow excellent mobility on steep rock faces."
www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/rocky_mountai...
Part way up the mountain, we took the turn-off to Quarry Lake, a place I had heard of and seen photos of, but had never been there myself. We parked and decided to walk round the lake, which turned out to be very unpleasant, with strong winds picking up grit and leaves and whipping our faces. For the first time ever, I believe, I saw a tree come crashing down at the edge of the forest.
Once safely back to the car, we thought we would drive a little further and see what conditions were like. Rain and very strong winds continued and once we reached the north end of Spray Lakes Reservoir, we made the decision to turn around and head back down. The mountains were disappearing from sight, so there wasn't much point in continuing, anyway. Gayle had hoped to go on as far as Banff, but there was no sense in doing so in such dreadful weather.
As often happens, the weather seemed to brighten somewhat once we were out of the mountains. It felt so good to actually see some blue sky. Getting closer to Calgary, the car radio was announcing which city roads were blocked by a fallen tree or downed powerlines.
I was not far from home, shortly before sunset, when I noticed some impressive clouds and, on the spur of the moment, drove along one of the gravel back roads just within the edge of the city. It was worth it, though I was quite relieved when I finally reached home.
Many thanks, Gayle, for a great day out, braving the weather! We had fun and it certainly was an interesting experience. I really appreciated the chance to use my camera once more, before the next snowfall arrives and stays on the ground for the next few months.
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