Splash of colour

This is about all I photographed yesterday afternoon, when I drove an area I'd never driven before - all in the slim hope that I might just see a Northern Hawk Owl that had been seen there. This bird is at the top of my Wish List : ) My concentration went on the unfamiliar road, not to mention the fast-moving vehicles that always seemed to appear out of nowhere each time I wanted to slow down and look for birds : ) I think these bushes are Willows of some kind - they added such gorgeous colour to the snowy landscape here and there. Oh, and needless to say, I never did find the Owl. This area is in the Foothills of the Rockies, just before Bragg Creek, west of Calgary. I made no turn-offs on this road, to make sure I didn't get myself lost - and, oh, how I hate that feeling of not knowing where I am.