Light-coloured Pika
The beauty of Kananaskis along Highway 40
Distant haze
Hiding between the rocks
Mid-squeak!
Peninsular area, Lower Kananaskis Lake
It's that little guy (gal) again
Peninsular area, Lower Kananaskis Lake
When fall colours are just a memory
Sometimes it's wildlife, sometimes it's .... cows
A patterned sky
The beauty of fall
3 Nature's artwork
02 Hidden in the clouds
01 The glory of fall
A beauty from mushroom season
Growing in the cracks
Osprey on the hunt
Shingled/Scaly Hedgehog fungus / Sarcodon imbricat…
A brief close encounter
Hiding in the shadows
Two winters ago
Hungry little Chipmunk
Gray Jay - Canada's new National Bird
One spectacular fall day
Love those little Pika feet
Mushroom at Rock Glacier
Red beauty on a scree slope
Before the snow came
And here comes the snow
White-tailed Ptarmigan - my first ever!
Black eyes and beaks are a give-away
Now you see them ... now you don't
Bighorn Sheep, number 18
A few craggy peaks
Glowing White-tailed Ptarmigan
Gathering of the White-tailed Ptarmigan
Curious Moose
Just like winter
A favourite mountain slope
White beauty
Resting on a bed of snow
Almost a disappearing act
White-tailed Ptarmigan in the sun
The sparkle of winter
Before winter officially arrives
Jagged little peaks
Master of camouflage
Before the snow
Canada's new National Bird - the Gray Jay
Almost-disappearing act
Pika pose
A sweet encounter
White beauty
Winter in Kananaskis
It's Pika time - again
It's those white birds again
A view from the Porcupine Hills
Upper Kananaskis Lake
Colour among the mosses and lichens
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Arethusa Cirque trail, Kananaskis
Kananaskis - a winter wonderland
Our beautiful foothills on an overcast day
Push!
Lichen at Rock Glacier
The long road south
Between a rock and a hard place
Lichens and moss at Rock Glacier
Lower Kananaskis Lake at Peninsular
Quite a typical view
A brief moment of rest
Peninsular, Lower Kananaskis Lake
Chipmunk with a yummy snack
A brief moment's rest
Young Spruce Grouse
Mushroom in a wonderfully lush setting
One of my favourite meadows
A gathering of female Bighorn Sheep
Northern Gentian
Young Spruce Grouse
A bright splash of blue in August
Bighorn Sheep - she's a beauty
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
The cutest little furball
Female Spruce Grouse with one of her young
Tiny Hummingbird at Highwood House
Unexpected closeness
Above the tree line
Green jelly mass on Buller Pond
Strawberries and Cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
A joy to behold
Slightly patterned
Treasures of the forest floor
Unidentified fungus
Wind-blown Osprey
Mt Lorette Ponds, Kananaskis
Paintbrush - green flowers, red bracts
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Osprey take-off
Now they can't see me
Meadow Creek area, Benchlands
A day in the mountains
Pika / Ochonta princeps
Ice carving at Lake Louise
Clark's Nutcracker
When winter really was winter
Taking the quieter road
Rent a canoe at Emerald Lake
The beauty of Lake Louise
Emerald Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Emerald Lake
Chateau Lake Louise and ice castle
A winter walk
Winter beauty
Snow, snow and more snow
Clark's Nutcracker
"Canoe with three warriors", by Team Sakha from Ru…
Now THIS is winter!
Clark's Nutcracker / Nucifraga columbiana
Spikes of ice
Sunlight on the low cloud
Morning awakes
Sparkles on Forgetmenot Pond
Deciduous yellow
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Spruce Grouse, adult female
About five weeks ago, on 20 August 2016, I went with friend, Pam, for a long day out in Kananaskis (the mountain area of the Rocky Mountains that is closest to Calgary). What a great day we had, seeing so many different things in such beautiful scenery.
We met up in the city at 7:00 am and drove southwards through Millarville and took the back way from Turner Valley to Highway 40. This is exactly the route that I had planned to go when I was all set to take my daughter on 4 August. Then my 17-year-old car's muffler and catalytic converter died and I hadn't been able to do any long drives at all. Nothing further than maybe five or ten minutes from home, with a vehicle that sounded dreadful with its loud, broken muffler noise and the loudest rattle that sounded as if the bottom of my car was about to fall off. Thank goodness, that is now all past.
Before we left the town of Turner Valley (on Highway 22), we called in for a few minutes at friend Jackie's garden to see if there were any interesting birds at all her feeders. We only saw Pine Siskins, but no doubt all sorts of other species would arrive for her during the day.
Our first stop along Highway 40, which is the highway that goes right through Kananaskis, giving spectacular scenic views every inch of the way, was at Highwood House. This small store/gas station, at such a convenient location, is known for its Hummingbird feeders. We were lucky enough to see either one or maybe two of these teeny birds, and I did manage to get one slightly blurry shot, just for the record. I thought they would all have left by fairly late August.
Continuing on our way north, we eventually came to Rock Glacier where we happily watched one or two little Pikas darting all over the massive scree (talus?) slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months. I have added more information about these very small animals under various, previously posted photos of them. These are such difficult creatures to photograph - only six or seven inches long and more or less the same colour as the surrounding mountainside of broken rock.
Our next destination, after bumping into friend Kerri who was photographing the PIkas, was Buller Pond, near Spray Lakes along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien road. I don't remember ever going there before and we were so glad we called in. Just before we got there, we took a drive up the mountainside road to Mt. Shark and gazed at the mountain scene before our eyes when we reached the highest parking lot. I have been up here maybe two or three times before, but in winter time.
Soon, we arrived at Buller Pond, which is a lovely pond/lake, where we saw masses of small, green, jelly-like 'blobs' floating near the edge of the water. I finally found out what I think is the correct ID for them - Ophrydium versatile.
""These blobs are made by a colonial microscopic single-celled protozoan called Ophrydium versatile. They can be found all over the world in fresh water. The individual cells line up side by side in the “blob” and attach themselves to a jelly-like substance they secrete. They are symbiotic with microscopic Chlorella algae which live inside the Ophrydium cells and give the blob its green color. " Fro the link below;
askanaturalist.com/what-are-these-green-jelly-blobs/
It was here that, while walking through the trees near the edge of the pond, I suddenly gasped and couldn't believe my eyes. There was a beautiful Spruce Grouse perched on a log, with a second one lying on the ground. Such a beautiful sight! I quietly called Pam to come and see what I had just found and we spent some time watching them. These two birds, with their gorgeous feathers, showed no sign of moving, allowing us plenty of time to take photos. Eventually, I saw yet another one of them moving around on the ground nearby, and then a fourth one. So, it seems that it was a mother and her three young ones. What an absolute treat to come across these spectacular birds and to be given time to really enjoy them. The bird in this photo was the female adult.
Once back on Highway 40, we started driving southwards, heading for home. We just couldn't resist calling in again at Rock Glacier, where I was able to get closer and slightly better photos of one of the Pikas. Then, fifteen minutes later on the highway, we saw several cars pulled over at the sides of the highway. Could it finally be a bear? Unfortunately, no, it wasn't, but instead we saw a group of five Bighorn Sheep, four at the edge of the road and a fifth standing in the road as if to let us know that she owned the road and had right of way. One of the Sheep started walking along the edge in the direction of our vehicle. She walked with determination, her focus on a photographer who was out of his car and walking towards her, then crouched down to photograph her as she got closer and closer to him. She stopped just a matter of maybe six feet from him - we drove off now that the road was clear, so I've no idea if anything happened between the Sheep and the photographer, but he was doing everything that a photographer (or anyone) should not be doing.
Thank you so much, Pam, for enabling me to get out to the mountains! It was such a fun, enjoyable day, in beautiful weather, spectacular scenery, and much-enjoyed company!
We met up in the city at 7:00 am and drove southwards through Millarville and took the back way from Turner Valley to Highway 40. This is exactly the route that I had planned to go when I was all set to take my daughter on 4 August. Then my 17-year-old car's muffler and catalytic converter died and I hadn't been able to do any long drives at all. Nothing further than maybe five or ten minutes from home, with a vehicle that sounded dreadful with its loud, broken muffler noise and the loudest rattle that sounded as if the bottom of my car was about to fall off. Thank goodness, that is now all past.
Before we left the town of Turner Valley (on Highway 22), we called in for a few minutes at friend Jackie's garden to see if there were any interesting birds at all her feeders. We only saw Pine Siskins, but no doubt all sorts of other species would arrive for her during the day.
Our first stop along Highway 40, which is the highway that goes right through Kananaskis, giving spectacular scenic views every inch of the way, was at Highwood House. This small store/gas station, at such a convenient location, is known for its Hummingbird feeders. We were lucky enough to see either one or maybe two of these teeny birds, and I did manage to get one slightly blurry shot, just for the record. I thought they would all have left by fairly late August.
Continuing on our way north, we eventually came to Rock Glacier where we happily watched one or two little Pikas darting all over the massive scree (talus?) slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months. I have added more information about these very small animals under various, previously posted photos of them. These are such difficult creatures to photograph - only six or seven inches long and more or less the same colour as the surrounding mountainside of broken rock.
Our next destination, after bumping into friend Kerri who was photographing the PIkas, was Buller Pond, near Spray Lakes along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien road. I don't remember ever going there before and we were so glad we called in. Just before we got there, we took a drive up the mountainside road to Mt. Shark and gazed at the mountain scene before our eyes when we reached the highest parking lot. I have been up here maybe two or three times before, but in winter time.
Soon, we arrived at Buller Pond, which is a lovely pond/lake, where we saw masses of small, green, jelly-like 'blobs' floating near the edge of the water. I finally found out what I think is the correct ID for them - Ophrydium versatile.
""These blobs are made by a colonial microscopic single-celled protozoan called Ophrydium versatile. They can be found all over the world in fresh water. The individual cells line up side by side in the “blob” and attach themselves to a jelly-like substance they secrete. They are symbiotic with microscopic Chlorella algae which live inside the Ophrydium cells and give the blob its green color. " Fro the link below;
askanaturalist.com/what-are-these-green-jelly-blobs/
It was here that, while walking through the trees near the edge of the pond, I suddenly gasped and couldn't believe my eyes. There was a beautiful Spruce Grouse perched on a log, with a second one lying on the ground. Such a beautiful sight! I quietly called Pam to come and see what I had just found and we spent some time watching them. These two birds, with their gorgeous feathers, showed no sign of moving, allowing us plenty of time to take photos. Eventually, I saw yet another one of them moving around on the ground nearby, and then a fourth one. So, it seems that it was a mother and her three young ones. What an absolute treat to come across these spectacular birds and to be given time to really enjoy them. The bird in this photo was the female adult.
Once back on Highway 40, we started driving southwards, heading for home. We just couldn't resist calling in again at Rock Glacier, where I was able to get closer and slightly better photos of one of the Pikas. Then, fifteen minutes later on the highway, we saw several cars pulled over at the sides of the highway. Could it finally be a bear? Unfortunately, no, it wasn't, but instead we saw a group of five Bighorn Sheep, four at the edge of the road and a fifth standing in the road as if to let us know that she owned the road and had right of way. One of the Sheep started walking along the edge in the direction of our vehicle. She walked with determination, her focus on a photographer who was out of his car and walking towards her, then crouched down to photograph her as she got closer and closer to him. She stopped just a matter of maybe six feet from him - we drove off now that the road was clear, so I've no idea if anything happened between the Sheep and the photographer, but he was doing everything that a photographer (or anyone) should not be doing.
Thank you so much, Pam, for enabling me to get out to the mountains! It was such a fun, enjoyable day, in beautiful weather, spectacular scenery, and much-enjoyed company!
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