Black Meadowhawk
Plains Garter Snake / Thamnophis radix
American Tree Sparrow / Spizelloides arborea
Juvenile Northern Goshawk, feeding
Great Gray Owl - from my archives
White Admiral
Giant seedpod of the Flame Tree, Blue Waters Inn,…
02 Bald Eagle in late afternoon sun
Meadow Vole for a tasty snack
Peekaboo - whooo are yooo?
First day of fledging
Juvenile White-throated Sparrow / Zonotrichia albi…
Checkerspot sp.
Wilson's Snipe hiding in the grass
Le Conte's Sparrow
Successful hunting
Great Gray Owl, side profile
Great Gray Owlet from June 2012
Missed opportunity
Mourning Cloak / Nymphalis antiopa
Hunting for Meadow Voles
Great Gray Owl with its catch
So pretty against the snow
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Small Blue sp.
Did anyone see what I caught?
A surprise to all
Young Burrowing Owl
Hiding in the grasses
The day before Christmas
The eyes give it away
Sparrow species
Why they are hard to find : )
Hiding in the grasses
Gray Jay sunbathing
See also...
Keywords
Authorizations, license
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169 visits
Painted Lady
REMINDER: DO NOT look at the sun today while the solar eclipse is taking place! Important, too, to keep pets' eyes safe. Although dogs and cats don't normally look up at the sun, so may not need eye protection, it might just be better to be safe by keeping them indoors.
This beautiful Painted Lady butterfly came flying along when I was standing on the rocky ground where the Pikas live, in Kananaskis. Back in the summer of 2005, Calgary had an invasion of Painted Lady butterflies, which happens every 10 years or so. Australia and Antarctica are the only continents that Painted Ladies do not live on. This summer (2017), we are seeing a few of these beautiful butterflies again - lovely to see them.
Three days ago, on 18 August 2017, I made a very last-minute decision (just after midnight) to return to this location. Last year (2016), I had finally made myself do this long drive (293 km), after longing for years to be able to get there on my own. I was determined to go again this summer, and 18 August was the day.
I left home a few minutes before 8:00 am and took the scenic back road to Highway 40. Unfortunately, we are still getting the smoke from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires, so distant shots are not the best. As of 19 August 2017, there were 140 wildfires currently burning across B.C., and this year's wildfire season is now officially B.C.’s worst ever wildfire season. However, the landscape on this whole drive is spectacular and I could never tire of it. I would imagine most people drive the whole loop along Highway 40, but my destination was the place where Pikas (or Rock Rabbits) live, keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of them would show up. I was in luck and saw two of them, and managed to get a few photos, though I have managed to get better photos in the past.
While I was standing near the base of the huge talus/scree slope, I started hearing the sound of rocks falling! The first thing that flashed through my mind was that I was not standing in the best place if a rock slide happened, and then I remembered seeing someone's photo of a bear with her two cubs walking across the rocks just above where I was standing. Looking around, I could see nothing - and then, suddenly, I could just make out the tiny silhouette of a Bighorn Sheep on the very top of the very distant ridge, and then several others came along. In a short time, one of them walked to the end of the ridge and stood there, on guard the whole time it took for the rest of the herd to slowly make its way down the rocky mountain side. Sometimes, they would stop and feed for a while. They ended up passing me on a closer, low ridge and finally reached the road. What a journey they made in order to get salt off the road surface! I watched them for a long time, while they hung around just below me, refusing to leave the road when cars came along. Nothing would make them budge! It was just as interesting to watch the reaction of the drivers - most slowed right down or stopped, and most people stayed in their vehicles.
After calling in again at Highwood House to pick up a much-needed coffee, I carried on with the drive home via various backroads, including the Priddis area. My early morning drive had given me just two birds - a Northern Harrier and some other Hawk. The return drive gave me maybe four Hawks, none of which stayed long enough for a photo. A strange, empty feeling, as two days earlier, friends and I had seen dozens of Hawks during a day's drive.
For maybe the last 10 days or so, I had been wondering why the little orange maintenance light had not come on, on the dashboard of my car. I have had the vehicle one year now and felt sure that I should have been notified to get an oil change way before now. Each time I have done a long drive recently, I was worried that the light would come on when I was in the middle of nowhere. Well, on this day, it finally did come on (at around 9,200 km), right where the Pikas live. Thankfully, I'm getting an oil change this afternoon.
This beautiful Painted Lady butterfly came flying along when I was standing on the rocky ground where the Pikas live, in Kananaskis. Back in the summer of 2005, Calgary had an invasion of Painted Lady butterflies, which happens every 10 years or so. Australia and Antarctica are the only continents that Painted Ladies do not live on. This summer (2017), we are seeing a few of these beautiful butterflies again - lovely to see them.
Three days ago, on 18 August 2017, I made a very last-minute decision (just after midnight) to return to this location. Last year (2016), I had finally made myself do this long drive (293 km), after longing for years to be able to get there on my own. I was determined to go again this summer, and 18 August was the day.
I left home a few minutes before 8:00 am and took the scenic back road to Highway 40. Unfortunately, we are still getting the smoke from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires, so distant shots are not the best. As of 19 August 2017, there were 140 wildfires currently burning across B.C., and this year's wildfire season is now officially B.C.’s worst ever wildfire season. However, the landscape on this whole drive is spectacular and I could never tire of it. I would imagine most people drive the whole loop along Highway 40, but my destination was the place where Pikas (or Rock Rabbits) live, keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of them would show up. I was in luck and saw two of them, and managed to get a few photos, though I have managed to get better photos in the past.
While I was standing near the base of the huge talus/scree slope, I started hearing the sound of rocks falling! The first thing that flashed through my mind was that I was not standing in the best place if a rock slide happened, and then I remembered seeing someone's photo of a bear with her two cubs walking across the rocks just above where I was standing. Looking around, I could see nothing - and then, suddenly, I could just make out the tiny silhouette of a Bighorn Sheep on the very top of the very distant ridge, and then several others came along. In a short time, one of them walked to the end of the ridge and stood there, on guard the whole time it took for the rest of the herd to slowly make its way down the rocky mountain side. Sometimes, they would stop and feed for a while. They ended up passing me on a closer, low ridge and finally reached the road. What a journey they made in order to get salt off the road surface! I watched them for a long time, while they hung around just below me, refusing to leave the road when cars came along. Nothing would make them budge! It was just as interesting to watch the reaction of the drivers - most slowed right down or stopped, and most people stayed in their vehicles.
After calling in again at Highwood House to pick up a much-needed coffee, I carried on with the drive home via various backroads, including the Priddis area. My early morning drive had given me just two birds - a Northern Harrier and some other Hawk. The return drive gave me maybe four Hawks, none of which stayed long enough for a photo. A strange, empty feeling, as two days earlier, friends and I had seen dozens of Hawks during a day's drive.
For maybe the last 10 days or so, I had been wondering why the little orange maintenance light had not come on, on the dashboard of my car. I have had the vehicle one year now and felt sure that I should have been notified to get an oil change way before now. Each time I have done a long drive recently, I was worried that the light would come on when I was in the middle of nowhere. Well, on this day, it finally did come on (at around 9,200 km), right where the Pikas live. Thankfully, I'm getting an oil change this afternoon.
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