Weaselhead

Wish I could have gently moved the two twigs out of the way - but that's nature photography for you! I'm always amused when I see the size of some of the nuts these birds fly off with. This female was no exception.

These Common Redpolls seem to be as active as the Chickadees! Oh, what fun! These little guys are "in constant danger of running out of fuel and dying from hypothermia, so they are almost always eating" ("Birds of Alberta" by Fisher and Acorn).

Got another chance to see a few Redpolls this afternoon when I called in at a second natural area. After uploading this photo, it suddenly struck me that maybe this is a Hoary Redpoll, not a Common Redpoll, because of its lighter coloring. I would love it if someone could confirm or correct for me! The highest this photo has been in Explore is #110 on 22nd January 2007.

We couldn't believe how fluffed up this female Hairy Woodpecker was this morning. She looked huge. Not a very good photo but it does show her fine feathers.

These overhead wires always spoil this view but, what can you do? This was the start of the sunrise, looking in the direction of downtown. I so often marvel that one can live in a large city, yet be this close to nature.

I should get out before sunrise more often, LOL! Sunrise and sunset both cast such a beautiful glow on the ice and snow.

This path takes one by the Elbow River that runs through Weaselhead. Sunrise added a pleasant glow to the ice- and snow-covered river.

Thought I'd add a few photos taken yesterday morning starting just before sunrise. This photo shows the frozen, snow-covered Elbow River and Weaselhead. Temperature was something like -13C.

Yesterday, the ground was bare and the sky was deep blue and we all crossed our fingers that this was the end of winter, finally. Got up early this morning and the ground was bare and my car looked fine. Half an hour later, the ground was white and my car was snow-covered. Still went on a walk with the snow falling heavily. We saw something like 18 species of bird, including Trumpeter Swans, American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Common Redpolls, and Blue Jays.