Pika, on a windy day
Road through Kananaskis
Lichen on the rocks at Rock Glacier
A drive through Kananaskis
The beauty of erosion
The start of a great day
Beginning to look like fall
Scenery along Highway 40, Kananaskis
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in a Pika's cave
Painted Lady
Waiting for the herd to descend
Wide angle on the Bighorn Sheep ridge
Keeping watch over the herd
Small and fast .... and adorable
The beauty of our mountains
Clouds over the mountains
It's Pika time - again
Pika pose
Red beauty on a scree slope
Mushroom at Rock Glacier
Love those little Pika feet
Hungry little Chipmunk
A brief close encounter
Growing in the cracks
3 Nature's artwork
It's that little guy (gal) again
Mid-squeak!
Hiding between the rocks
Light-coloured Pika
Push!
Lichen at Rock Glacier
Between a rock and a hard place
Lichens and moss at Rock Glacier
A brief moment of rest
A brief moment's rest
A gathering of female Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn Sheep - she's a beauty
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
The cutest little furball
Tiny Hummingbird at Highwood House
Unexpected closeness
Above the tree line
Pika / Ochonta princeps
Pika, up close
Love a Pika's ears
Love those big ears and big feet
Such a cute little thing
Gathering food for the winter
A patchwork of lichens
A moment of closeness
Time for another Pika shot
Stocking up on food for the winter
Pika storing food for the winter in its cave
Just a small mouthful
Living in a rocky world
A moment to ponder
A change from Marmots
Pika, busily feeding
Oh, so cute
A quick, two-second rest
What could be cuter?
Snow slump
Footprints in the snow
Last day before the winter gates closed
This is where I was yesterday
Weird and wonderful
Arethusa Cirque, Kananaskis
Snow, snow, and more snow
Don't you just want to put it in your pocket and t…
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217 visits
On the way down
One week 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 this 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 some 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 better photos from previous visits.
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 ridge at the top of the scree slope, and then several others came along. They ended up passing me on a closer ridge and finally reached the road. Quite often on their descent, they would all stop and feed for a while, and one or other would stop and look back to see how everyone else was doing. What a journey they made in order to get salt off the road surface! It was interesting to watch the reaction of the drivers, too - 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.
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 some 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 better photos from previous visits.
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 ridge at the top of the scree slope, and then several others came along. They ended up passing me on a closer ridge and finally reached the road. Quite often on their descent, they would all stop and feed for a while, and one or other would stop and look back to see how everyone else was doing. What a journey they made in order to get salt off the road surface! It was interesting to watch the reaction of the drivers, too - 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.
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