Where countryside and civilization meet

This photo was taken on 25 August 2017, when I at last did a long-overdue drive east of the city. This is my least favourite direction in which to drive from the city and I have to say it stresses me out so much. Once I reach the back roads, I can relax a little, but I am always worried about getting lost.

I saw this Swainson's Hawk early on in my drive, a fair distance away. For me, it made a good start to the day. If I remember correctly, it was a juvenile. Little did I know that later on, I would come across a young Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence post the far side of the back road I was on. Those were the best few minutes in my day, as it was content to sit there. Amazingly, not one single vehicle came along while I was there. It felt so good to get a few photos of a hawk in the wild, unlike the ones I had photographed fairly recently at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. I had really hoped I would see a perched hawk this day and that's all I needed to make me happy and feel that the drive was worthwhile.

For the first time ever, and after having driven past the location other times, I stopped at Weed Lake (south end). Lots of birds, but most were really too far to photograph. Still, I was glad to see a Killdeer and a little Semipalmated Plover close enough to get a few shots.