Each one different from the others
A road less travelled
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Golden Eagle along the fenceline
Pine Grosbeaks adding colour to our winter
In the bleak midwinter
Keeper of the farmyard
Outlined in frost
A typical pose for the White-breasted Nuthatch
Foothills and mountains
Pine Grosbeak female
Farm friends
So pretty against the snow
The gathering
A fine old barn
Desolate
The donkeys with reflector eyes
A splash of much-needed red
On a bitterly cold, hoar frosty day
Heritage tree from 1907, at Carburn Park
Hoping for food
Enjoying the morning sun
Winter chill
Little red barn on the prairie
Christmas remnants
Old barns in heavy frost
Pine Grosbeak in pretty light
A tiny owl from the past
A different style
Farm cat watching for farm mice
White beauty
Avenue of trees at Baker Park
Cosy little birdhouse
A friendly visitor
Triple treat
Fenced in
Find the owl
High wire act
Fond memories of a popcan-sized owl
Mystery rock
Pine Grosbeak
Follow the fence line
A winter day in southern Alberta
Short-eared Owl
A sweet face
Spikes of ice
Clark's Nutcracker / Nucifraga columbiana
Now THIS is winter!
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Sheltering in the trees
Winter walk at Beaverdam Flats
"Canoe with three warriors", by Team Sakha from Ru…
Clark's Nutcracker
Modern charm
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
One of yesterday's treats
Just in time
Snow, snow and more snow
Winter beauty
A winter walk
Home of the Snowshoe Hare
Chateau Lake Louise and ice castle
Winter wonderland with a bonus
One of five White-tailed Deer
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Fish Creek Park New Year's Day Bird Count
Northern Shrike / Lanius excubitor
At the end of the day
Winter colours
A touch of frost
A toothy smile
Remnant of the old days
Lovable, but shy
The rule of red
Hairy Woodpecker
Ice is nice
Eurasian Collared-Doves
With a view of the mountains and the prairies
Bohemian Waxwings
Long-billed ice bird
The beautiful Badlands of Alberta
Christmas is a fun time for a kitten
Old homestead and barn
Bald Eagle in the Badlands of Alberta
Tea, anyone?
A favourite little country church
The only one
Creature of the forest
Great Gray Owl in early morning light
Cute as always
Ruffed Grouse - from my archives
Puffed up for warmth
One of my favourite barns
Rural decay in winter
Downy Woodpecker
Weathered wood
Popcan-sized cutie
A closer view
Enjoying seeds and sunshine
Old homestead with texture
Mule Deer at dusk
Roller coaster roads in winter
A prairie homestead
Sunshine on a mighty peak
Blackie grain terminal
There once was an owl
A red prairie barn
Snowy Owl with mountain bokeh
A favourite tree
The Famous Five again
Our beautiful Foothills
White-tailed Deer
Off limits
Wolf Willow berries
Barn on a hoarfrosty day
Sitting in the middle of the lake
The old and the new
Two of a kind
A barn to be proud of
On a fence post, but no Vole
A smudge stick sky
Gently falling snow
Guarding his barn
Old homestead in sunset light
Mountains at sunset
See also...
Sheep River Christmas Bird Counts, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Sheep River Christmas Bird Counts, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
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150 visits
Guarding the barn
This owl was on a barn door at one of the places we called in at during the annual Sheep River/Priddis/Turner Valley Christmas Bird Count, on 30 December 2015. It caught my eye and I rather liked it. Makes me almost shiver, as everything in the photo is covered with a light touch of frost.
Four days ago, on 30 December 2015, 7 of us took part in the annual Audubon Sheep River/Priddis/Turner Valley Christmas Bird Count. I know I also did this Count on 31 December 2007 and 30 December 2008, but I can't remember if those were the only times I had taken part previously.
Judging by this photo, you might think that it was another day of not being able to see any (real, live!) birds close enough to photograph, but in fact it was a great day : ) Great, but COLD, starting off at -22C warming to a balmy -3C later in the day.
Our time was spent travelling by car, driving the backroads SW of the city and calling in at several farms. I wasn't sure just where this count covered. This time, our area was in the centre of the count circle and I'm so glad I decided to go again. I hadn't expected that many of the roads would be familiar to me and a few were new.
Our day started and ended with a Moose, which was pretty amazing. Not the greatest views for photographs, but I did manage to get a couple of OK ones.
Another find was a group of Wild Turkeys that were at a location where they had been seen before. This time, we drove down the hill to the farm buildings and were able to see these spectacular birds quite well. All were females, but the females are still stunning, with their iridescent plumage.
A great stop was at Rod Handfield's place. Some of us used to go there on botany trips and he always had the best mushrooms and other fungi growing in his forest. Hadn't been back there the last two or three years and I really missed our old botany outings. Rod and his wife have such a beautiful cabin there, and he invited us in for coffee and pastries. This was so much appreciated on a day of birding! Rod is always so delightfully hospitable!!
Thanks so much, Anne B, for driving two of us - without you, I would not have been able to go! Our time spent in a snow-filled ditch simply added to the adventurous feeling of the day, lol! Just shows how easy it is to get stuck when there is snow on the ground. The road had been snow-ploughed, but the edge looked like it was solid ground, not part of a ditch. Thankfully, a shovel was available and with the help of the rest of the group pushing from the front of the car, we made it back on to firm ground!
I will add our leader's final species list for the day:
SHEEP RIVER CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, 0850-1500, Tue,30 Dec 2015. Centre of Circle, SW of Millarville,AB. Clear, sunny, calm, -22 to -03°C. 30 cm snow on ground. Most waterbodies frozen over.
Total Party kms by Car - 80; Total Party kms by foot – 1km.
Total Party hours by Car – 3; Total Party hours by foot -2 hrs
Total Party hours feeder watching – 1:10 min.
Wild Turkey-9, all f.
Downy Woodpecker-6.
Hairy Woodpecker-4
Gray Jay-3
Blue Jay-6
Black-billed Magpie-14
Common Raven-33
Black-capped Chickadee- 118
Mountain Chickadee-32
Boreal Chickadee-4
Red-breasted Nuthatch-14
White-breasted Nuthatch-5
Dark-eyed Junco-2
Pine Grosbeak-22
White-winged Crossbill-36
Common Redpoll-14
Pine Siskin-1
RedSquirrel-2
vole sp.-1
Mule Deer-3
White-tailed Deer-7
Deer sp.-2
Moose-2
Four days ago, on 30 December 2015, 7 of us took part in the annual Audubon Sheep River/Priddis/Turner Valley Christmas Bird Count. I know I also did this Count on 31 December 2007 and 30 December 2008, but I can't remember if those were the only times I had taken part previously.
Judging by this photo, you might think that it was another day of not being able to see any (real, live!) birds close enough to photograph, but in fact it was a great day : ) Great, but COLD, starting off at -22C warming to a balmy -3C later in the day.
Our time was spent travelling by car, driving the backroads SW of the city and calling in at several farms. I wasn't sure just where this count covered. This time, our area was in the centre of the count circle and I'm so glad I decided to go again. I hadn't expected that many of the roads would be familiar to me and a few were new.
Our day started and ended with a Moose, which was pretty amazing. Not the greatest views for photographs, but I did manage to get a couple of OK ones.
Another find was a group of Wild Turkeys that were at a location where they had been seen before. This time, we drove down the hill to the farm buildings and were able to see these spectacular birds quite well. All were females, but the females are still stunning, with their iridescent plumage.
A great stop was at Rod Handfield's place. Some of us used to go there on botany trips and he always had the best mushrooms and other fungi growing in his forest. Hadn't been back there the last two or three years and I really missed our old botany outings. Rod and his wife have such a beautiful cabin there, and he invited us in for coffee and pastries. This was so much appreciated on a day of birding! Rod is always so delightfully hospitable!!
Thanks so much, Anne B, for driving two of us - without you, I would not have been able to go! Our time spent in a snow-filled ditch simply added to the adventurous feeling of the day, lol! Just shows how easy it is to get stuck when there is snow on the ground. The road had been snow-ploughed, but the edge looked like it was solid ground, not part of a ditch. Thankfully, a shovel was available and with the help of the rest of the group pushing from the front of the car, we made it back on to firm ground!
I will add our leader's final species list for the day:
SHEEP RIVER CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, 0850-1500, Tue,30 Dec 2015. Centre of Circle, SW of Millarville,AB. Clear, sunny, calm, -22 to -03°C. 30 cm snow on ground. Most waterbodies frozen over.
Total Party kms by Car - 80; Total Party kms by foot – 1km.
Total Party hours by Car – 3; Total Party hours by foot -2 hrs
Total Party hours feeder watching – 1:10 min.
Wild Turkey-9, all f.
Downy Woodpecker-6.
Hairy Woodpecker-4
Gray Jay-3
Blue Jay-6
Black-billed Magpie-14
Common Raven-33
Black-capped Chickadee- 118
Mountain Chickadee-32
Boreal Chickadee-4
Red-breasted Nuthatch-14
White-breasted Nuthatch-5
Dark-eyed Junco-2
Pine Grosbeak-22
White-winged Crossbill-36
Common Redpoll-14
Pine Siskin-1
RedSquirrel-2
vole sp.-1
Mule Deer-3
White-tailed Deer-7
Deer sp.-2
Moose-2
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