Weaselhead

Oh, what a grey sky this afternoon! I had carefully planned my walk for today because the forecast was for sunshine. Snow is in the forecast for the day after tomorrow.

This male made up for missing the chance to get a photo of the female when two people and their unleashed dogs came down the hill and passed me. The dogs went crashing wildly through the trees and bushes, scaring off all the birds - which is exactly why they are supposed to be on a leash.

I think this is perhaps the closest I have been to a Magpie. This one was amazingly unbothered by my presence, or else so hungry it didn't care! The light was beginning to fade, unfortunately.

I was really happy to see a few Common Redpolls on my walk this afternoon. Didn't do a very good job photographing these either - this is the best of three! I think she is such a pretty little bird, with the red dot on her forehead.

Usually, Magpies are really hard to get close to, but this afternoon, one was hanging around a feeder in the park. Even so, I didn't manage to get particularly good photos. Maybe it will be there next time I go for a walk in the same place. Famous last words!

I didn't even need to crop this photo, the Gray Jay was so close. I hadn't had the chance to photograph a Gray Jay for a few years and those old photos left a lot to be desired. So, I'm happy with the improvement.

When I was on my walk this afternoon, I noticed a set of prints in the snow, coming out of a grove of trees. There were no human footprints with these animal tracks, so I wondered if they belonged to a Coyote. My footprint, going in the opposite direction, gives a sense of scale. Can anyone ID this animal print? I have seen a Coyote in that area a couple of times.

I was thrilled to bits this afternoon in Weaselhead when a couple of Gray Jays flew down to the bushes near where I was standing. These made my day! The highest this photo got in Explore was #141 on 16th January 2007.

I couldn't believe the glorious colour late this afternoon as I climbed the long hill up from the Weaselhead natural area. I don't remember seeing this before.