Grizzly Bear sow - mother of two cubs
Bighorn Sheep female
Bighorn Sheep
Grizzly female (#152) and cubs
Bighorn Sheep female
Grizzly & one of her two cubs
Bighorn curiosity
Terrible photos - but it was a GRIZZLY : )
Black Bear, Kananaskis
Bighorn Sheep / Ovis canadensis, Kananaskis
American Pika
A usual pose of an American Pika
After running and chasing for a few hours
White-tailed Deer enjoying the sunshine
Black Bear on a distant hillside
Whiskey & Titan
Old barn and Mule
Young Coyote
Pika - tiny fluffball
Bighorn Sheep / Ovis canadensis
Hey, lady, got any food?
See, I'm almost as tall as my Mom!
Young Pika having a rest
Bighorn Sheep / Ovis canadensis
Columbian Ground Squirrel / Urocitellus columbianu…
Checking me out
Eileen Tannas with baby Flemish Giant Rabbit
Andolesian Shepherd, farm dog
Flemish Giant Rabbit
Mangalitsa piglets, about 5 weeks old
Andolesian Shepherd
Eileen with 3-week-old Flemish Giant Rabbit
Rare Thirteen-lined Groundsquirrel / Ictidomys tri…
Young Richardson's Ground Squirrel / Urocitellus r…
Richardson's Ground Squirrel / Urocitellus richard…
Farm dog
Jackrabbit in my garden
Day 2, Fox Squirrel, Pelican Bay Resort, South Tex…
Yellow-bellied Marmot - from the archives
Horse and hoar frost
Frosted chin whiskers
Llama beauty
The white Llama
Overload of Llamas : )
Llama
Up close with a Llama
Llama in winter
Christmas Llama - oops, Bird! - Count
Have you ever seen a furry pig?
Farm cat, High River Christmas Bird Count
Day 7, Harbor Seal, Saguenay Fjord, Tadoussac
Day 7, Red Squirrel eating the bird food, Tadoussa…
Day 7, Red Squirrel, Tadoussac
Day 4, sleeping Raccoon, Point Pelee, Ontario
Day 4, Raccoon, Point Pelee
Pet 'rescue' Ferret
A pet 'rescue' Ferret
Friendly horse
The picture of contentment
A Ferret in the park
Red Panda / Ailurus fulgens
Snow Leopard / Panthera uncia
Fun to spend time with
American Pika - such a cutie
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138 visits
Bighorn Sheep licking salt off the highway
10 October 2019: temperature is -12C (windchill -14C), but is supposed to get up to 3C this afternoon. Rain is forecast for Sunday and light snow for Monday (Canadian Thanksgiving).
Having seen the weather forecast for another snow storm, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people.
Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds.
Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day. I guess cows, too, like licking salt and other minerals off the road surface.
So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added three of them, just for the record. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag, which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies in Alberta in all these years - a female with one cub.
Having seen the weather forecast for another snow storm, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people.
Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds.
Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day. I guess cows, too, like licking salt and other minerals off the road surface.
So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added three of them, just for the record. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag, which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies in Alberta in all these years - a female with one cub.
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