A Coyote's last look back
Bighorn Sheep on the slope
Learning from Mom
Sweet White-tailed doe
Licking salt from the road
She can't see me
Unexpected, and very welcome, Moose
Hungry Moose
Jackrabbit, seen in my car headlights
White-tailed Deer through the snow
Silky Anteater, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Agouti, Asa Wright, Trinidad
Young and innocent
A lucky Moose day
Nibbling on a tasty leaf
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Agouti, Trinidad
Bighorn Sheep mom and youngster
Red Fox (just for the record)
One of two Coyotes
Wild European Rabbit
Jackrabbit
Cinnamon Black Bear, Waterton Lakes National Park,…
The start of a great day
Black Bear seen through the bus window
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel munching on Yellow…
Black Bear seen from the bus
Jackie's squirrel - Red or Eastern Gray?
Columbian Ground Squirrel / Urocitellus columbianu…
Thirsty Bighorn Sheep
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
American Pika - such a cutie
Day 7, Harbor Seal, Saguenay Fjord, Tadoussac
Yellow-bellied Marmot - from the archives
Jackrabbit in my garden
Pika - tiny fluffball
Terrible photos - but it was a GRIZZLY : )
Bighorn curiosity
Grizzly & one of her two cubs
Bighorn Sheep female
Grizzly female (#152) and cubs
Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn Sheep licking salt off the highway
Grizzly Bear sow - mother of two cubs
Bighorn Sheep female
Beautiful Mule Deer doe
Disappearing Skunk - just for the record
Freeze!
Pika, on a windy day
On the way down
Remember to stop and smell the .... wildflowers
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in a Pika's cave
Waiting for the herd to descend
Keeping watch over the herd
Small and fast .... and adorable
Licking salt off the road
Mule Deer doe
Wild European Rabbit
My new neighbour?
Forever cute
White-tailed Deer
White-tailed Deer family
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Bighorn Sheep, Waterton Lakes National Park
Beautiful blonde Black Bear
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Beautiful Mule Deer family
"They can't see me"
"Alan, Alan, Alan ...Steve, Steve!"
The look that says: "Please feed me"
Agouti, Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad
Muskrat, SW Calgary
Agouti, Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad
Moose in the mountains
Guardian of the path
Yellow-bellied Marmot
It's Pika time - again
Moose from the archives
A sweet encounter
Pika pose
Two's company
Curious Moose
Bighorn Sheep, number 18
Confused bunny
Love those little Pika feet
Muskrat ripples
Hungry little Chipmunk
A brief close encounter
Eye contact with a very distant Moose
02 Two young Moose
One of four Moose seen yesterday
It's that little guy (gal) again
Coyote on the hunt
Mid-squeak!
Light-coloured Pika
Bighorn Sheep on Plateau Mountain, 2012
Push!
Between a rock and a hard place
Quite a typical view
A brief moment of rest
Chipmunk with a yummy snack
Mom and her spotted twins
A brief moment's rest
Looking beautiful
A gathering of female Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn Sheep - she's a beauty
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
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Bighorn Sheep, mom and youngster
"Widespread wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h, with some reaching as high as 130 km/h, blasted southern and central Alberta Tuesday afternoon and evening, fanning wildfires and leaving some 10,000 customers without power." To put things into perspective, sustained winds between 119-153 km/h are considered Category 1 hurricane-force by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A strong Pacific Jetstream caused dramatic weather yesterday, along with rain and very strong winds that brought down trees, powerlines, falling glass from windows of office blocks in downtown, fanned wildfires, and so on.
Friend Gayle had asked if I would like to go out for the day and we ended up driving through the Springbank area and then on to Canmore. I had checked the weather forecast and, I have to admit that if I was planning to go out of the city on my own, I would have changed my mind and stayed home instead. However, we decided to at least get out for a while and see how far we would go. As it turned out, we got as far as Canmore in the mountains, where we had lunch - Lasagne for me : )
Feeling re-energized, we decided to start driving up the mountainous road that leads from Canmore to the Spray Lakes area. Though I have been on this road at various times, I have never driven it myself. If I want to get to the Spray Lakes area, I go from the south and all the way along Highway 40. This rough, narrow road is quite an adventure at any time. It gives a wonderful view looking down over the whole of Canmore and the river. It is also a popular road for Mountain Sheep, and we were lucky to see four of them in a little group, licking the salt from the bottom of the cliff rock face. It is incredible how these wild animals can climb the steep, rocky surface - done very cautiously. This is their road and if they want to stand in the middle of it, then cars wait.
"One of the most important features of the bighorn sheep is the unique structure of its hooves. Rather than being hard like those of a horse or cow, the sheep have rubber-like hooves that allow excellent mobility on steep rock faces."
www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/rocky_mountai...
Part way up the mountain, we took the turn-off to Quarry Lake, a place I had heard of and seen photos of, but had never been there myself. We parked and decided to walk round the lake, which turned out to be very unpleasant, with strong winds picking up grit and leaves and whipping our faces. For the first time ever, I believe, I saw a tree come crashing down at the edge of the forest.
Once safely back to the car, we thought we would drive a little further and see what conditions were like. Rain and very strong winds continued and once we reached the north end of Spray Lakes Reservoir, we made the decision to turn around and head back down. The mountains were disappearing from sight, so there wasn't much point in continuing, anyway. Gayle had hoped to go on as far as Banff, but there was no point in doing so in such dreadful weather.
As often happens, the weather seemed to brighten somewhat once we were out of the mountains. It felt so good to actually see some blue sky. Getting closer to Calgary, the car radio was announcing which city roads were blocked by a fallen tree or downed powerlines.
I was not far from home, shortly before sunset, when I noticed some impressive clouds and, on the spur of the moment, drove along one of the gravel back roads just within the edge of the city. It was worth it, though I was quite relieved when I finally reached home.
Many thanks, Gayle, for a great day out, braving the weather! We had fun and it certainly was an interesting experience. I really appreciated the chance to use my camera once more, before the next snowfall arrives and stays on the ground for the next few months.
A strong Pacific Jetstream caused dramatic weather yesterday, along with rain and very strong winds that brought down trees, powerlines, falling glass from windows of office blocks in downtown, fanned wildfires, and so on.
Friend Gayle had asked if I would like to go out for the day and we ended up driving through the Springbank area and then on to Canmore. I had checked the weather forecast and, I have to admit that if I was planning to go out of the city on my own, I would have changed my mind and stayed home instead. However, we decided to at least get out for a while and see how far we would go. As it turned out, we got as far as Canmore in the mountains, where we had lunch - Lasagne for me : )
Feeling re-energized, we decided to start driving up the mountainous road that leads from Canmore to the Spray Lakes area. Though I have been on this road at various times, I have never driven it myself. If I want to get to the Spray Lakes area, I go from the south and all the way along Highway 40. This rough, narrow road is quite an adventure at any time. It gives a wonderful view looking down over the whole of Canmore and the river. It is also a popular road for Mountain Sheep, and we were lucky to see four of them in a little group, licking the salt from the bottom of the cliff rock face. It is incredible how these wild animals can climb the steep, rocky surface - done very cautiously. This is their road and if they want to stand in the middle of it, then cars wait.
"One of the most important features of the bighorn sheep is the unique structure of its hooves. Rather than being hard like those of a horse or cow, the sheep have rubber-like hooves that allow excellent mobility on steep rock faces."
www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/rocky_mountai...
Part way up the mountain, we took the turn-off to Quarry Lake, a place I had heard of and seen photos of, but had never been there myself. We parked and decided to walk round the lake, which turned out to be very unpleasant, with strong winds picking up grit and leaves and whipping our faces. For the first time ever, I believe, I saw a tree come crashing down at the edge of the forest.
Once safely back to the car, we thought we would drive a little further and see what conditions were like. Rain and very strong winds continued and once we reached the north end of Spray Lakes Reservoir, we made the decision to turn around and head back down. The mountains were disappearing from sight, so there wasn't much point in continuing, anyway. Gayle had hoped to go on as far as Banff, but there was no point in doing so in such dreadful weather.
As often happens, the weather seemed to brighten somewhat once we were out of the mountains. It felt so good to actually see some blue sky. Getting closer to Calgary, the car radio was announcing which city roads were blocked by a fallen tree or downed powerlines.
I was not far from home, shortly before sunset, when I noticed some impressive clouds and, on the spur of the moment, drove along one of the gravel back roads just within the edge of the city. It was worth it, though I was quite relieved when I finally reached home.
Many thanks, Gayle, for a great day out, braving the weather! We had fun and it certainly was an interesting experience. I really appreciated the chance to use my camera once more, before the next snowfall arrives and stays on the ground for the next few months.
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