Harsh reality

These are winter backroads that I never, ever drive on, lol! In fact, it has been so long since I drove outside the city, that I can't even remember. As you can imagine, it's so difficult or impossible to know just where the road ends and the ditch begins. You certainly wouldn't want to be part way up the hill when another vehicle appeared over the top in the opposite direction! However, Tony, driving just a small car, did brilliantly! This is another winter scene taken on 5 January 2014, when three of us spent a whole day driving in such conditions, searching for birds to add to our list for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. We covered one quadrant of the large circle around the town of Nanton. As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us that day. What you can't see was that it was brutally cold that day! On the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! It did eventually warm up a few degrees and thankfully, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. The only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms and homesteads. One backroad in particular had too much snow on it, so we had to leave that one out. Also, there was just too much snow in many of the farmyards, so we weren't able to check out all the trees and bushes as thoroughly as we would like to have done. I absolutely love the scenery on this Count. Not sure where all the Hawks and Owls were hiding that day, but we did see 2 Golden Eagles and 2 Bald Eagles, plus various smaller species.

After driving (being driven, for me, which was pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 4:00 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards to thoroughly enjoy a delicious supper. One of my favourite Bird Counts and perhaps the most favourite. Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! Can't wait for next Christmas!

www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/12103838925