Common Redpoll / Acanthis flammea
Common Redpolls
The old and the new
Rough-legged Hawk
On a distant fence post
Winter on the prairies
Vole brains for her afternoon snack
Common Redpoll
The beauty of Lake Louise
Primula denticulata / Drumstick Primula
A friendly face in Weaselhead
Common Redpoll in the forest
Sweet little poser
Downy Woodpecker
One day closer to spring
Matching colours
A fence without an owl
European Pasque Flower / Pulsatilla vulgaris
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Wearing a heavy coat of hoar frost
Beware those icy fingers
One of my favourite birds to photograph
A great winter for Pine Grosbeaks
Yesterday's treat
Dainty little Common Redpoll
Rent a canoe at Emerald Lake
Much better than a utility pole
Eurasian Collared-Dove / Streptopelia decaocto
Embracing the sun
Short-eared Owl
Pine Grosbeak
Taking the quieter road
On the hunt
Dianthus sp.
Little Downy Woodpecker at work
Pretty good camouflage
An unusually pale American Robin
Red Squirrel
Swivel-head
Dainty little Common Redpoll
Time for an old barn again
One year ago
A photographer's nightmare
The cross and the moon
'Superman, where are you now?'
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Little country church
A quick glance
Sweet little garden ornament
Delicate colours of summer
Varied Thrush - a lifer
Northern Hawk Owl with Meadow Vole
Aging gracefully
Common Redpoll / Carduelis flammea
A friendly greeting
When the clouds roll in
Davisburg Community Church, Alberta
Fancy silo with stairs
One of yesterday's Snowy Owls
Male beauty
Common Redpoll on the wire
Varied Thrush
When winter really was winter
Shepard Energy Centre, east of Calgary, Alberta
Vibrant
Hiding
The best colour to see in winter
Winter wonderland with a bonus
Busy little bee
Common Loon
Emerald Lake
Chateau Lake Louise and ice castle
Summer greens
Home of the Snowshoe Hare
A winter walk
Winter beauty
Snow, snow and more snow
Just in time
Persian Cornflower / Centaurea dealbata?
One of yesterday's treats
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Modern charm
Clark's Nutcracker
"Canoe with three warriors", by Team Sakha from Ru…
Winter walk at Beaverdam Flats
Painted Tongue / Salpiglosis
Sheltering in the trees
Pine Grosbeak / Pinicola enucleator
Now THIS is winter!
Clark's Nutcracker / Nucifraga columbiana
Spikes of ice
A sweet face
Short-eared Owl
A winter day in southern Alberta
Follow the fence line
Pine Grosbeak
Mystery rock
Fond memories of a popcan-sized owl
Snow in the forecast - need colour
Carnivorous Sundew
High wire act
Find the owl
Fenced in
Triple treat
Remembering the warmth of summer
A new find on a bitterly cold day
A friendly visitor
Cosy little birdhouse
Avenue of trees at Baker Park
White beauty
Rusty Blackbird
Farm cat watching for farm mice
Reflection through the fog
A different style
Red-sided Garter Snake scales
A tiny owl from the past
Shoo Fly / Nicandra physalodes
Pine Grosbeak in pretty light
Old barns in heavy frost
Christmas remnants
Get well, Rachel
Little red barn on the prairie
Winter chill
Enjoying the morning sun
Hoping for food
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173 visits
Emerald Lake, British Columbia, Canada
This is a photo of Emerald Lake Lodge at Emerald Lake, with the small area of the lake in the foreground. I can't remember if the water in this spot actually was less "emerald" than the main part of the lake, but it looks like it is in this photo.
On 11 July 2015, I had a wonderful day out with friend Sandy, driving westwards from Calgary and eventually reaching the next province, British Columbia (B.C.). Sandy had two destinations in mind - a stop at the Spiral Tunnels and then to explore the forest around Emerald Lake. I had only been to B.C. a handful of times in 37 years, so this was an absolute treat.
"The lake is enclosed by mountains of the President Range, as well as Mount Burgess and Wapta Mountain. This basin traps storms, causing frequent rain in summer and heavy snowfalls in winter. This influx of moisture works with the lake's low elevation to produce a unique selection of flora. Trees found here are more typical of B.C.'s wet interior forests, such as western red cedar, western yew, western hemlock and western white pine. The alluvial fan on the northeast shore produces wildflowers in abundance during late June and early July.
Due to its high altitude, the lake is frozen from November until June. The vivid turquoise color of the water, caused by powdered limestone, is most spectacular in July as the snow melts from the surrounding mountains.
The first European to set sight on Emerald Lake was guide Tom Wilson, who stumbled upon it by accident in 1882. A string of his horses had gotten away, and it was while tracking them that he first entered the valley. The lake had an impression on even the most seasoned of explorers: "For a few moments I sat [on] my horse and enjoyed the rare, peaceful beauty of the scene." It was Wilson who gave the lake its name because of its remarkable colour, caused by fine particles of glacial sediment, also referred to as rock flour, suspended in the water. However, this was not the first time Wilson had dubbed a lake 'Emerald'. Earlier that same year he had discovered another lake which he had given the same moniker, and the name even appeared briefly on the official map. This first lake however, was shortly renamed Lake Louise." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Lake_(British_Columbia)
Our trip started just after 7:00 am, to get a good, early start, especially before the temperature soared. The drive from Calgary to Emerald Lake takes about 2 and a half hours and is a 218.5 km drive via Trans-Canada Hwy/AB-1 W. We took a quieter route home at the end of the day. Rain arrived just in time for this drive home and, by the time I got back to my car in Calgary, the rain was really heavy and a few of the roads were beginning to flood very quickly.
Shortly after we began our walk though the forest along the right hand side of the lake, we heard a commotion coming from the water. When we found a place to see through the trees, we could see two beautiful Common Loons and a female duck with several babies, possibly Common Mergansers. My guess would be that the Merganser mother kept chasing away the Loons, creating a lot of splashing.
Also, at the beginning and the end of our "hike", we watched a family of Violet-green Swallows that were nesting. Not sure how many young ones there were, but I saw three. Though we do get these birds in Calgary, I've never seen one properly - just when a mass of Swallows swarms over the Bow River and someone calls out that they saw a Violet-green amongst all the others; The adults flew to feed their babies at top speed and barely stayed a second at the nest hole. I was just thrilled to see one of these birds - thanks, Sandy, for your patience, allowing me to try and get a few photos! Thanks, too, for such a great day, as usual!
On 11 July 2015, I had a wonderful day out with friend Sandy, driving westwards from Calgary and eventually reaching the next province, British Columbia (B.C.). Sandy had two destinations in mind - a stop at the Spiral Tunnels and then to explore the forest around Emerald Lake. I had only been to B.C. a handful of times in 37 years, so this was an absolute treat.
"The lake is enclosed by mountains of the President Range, as well as Mount Burgess and Wapta Mountain. This basin traps storms, causing frequent rain in summer and heavy snowfalls in winter. This influx of moisture works with the lake's low elevation to produce a unique selection of flora. Trees found here are more typical of B.C.'s wet interior forests, such as western red cedar, western yew, western hemlock and western white pine. The alluvial fan on the northeast shore produces wildflowers in abundance during late June and early July.
Due to its high altitude, the lake is frozen from November until June. The vivid turquoise color of the water, caused by powdered limestone, is most spectacular in July as the snow melts from the surrounding mountains.
The first European to set sight on Emerald Lake was guide Tom Wilson, who stumbled upon it by accident in 1882. A string of his horses had gotten away, and it was while tracking them that he first entered the valley. The lake had an impression on even the most seasoned of explorers: "For a few moments I sat [on] my horse and enjoyed the rare, peaceful beauty of the scene." It was Wilson who gave the lake its name because of its remarkable colour, caused by fine particles of glacial sediment, also referred to as rock flour, suspended in the water. However, this was not the first time Wilson had dubbed a lake 'Emerald'. Earlier that same year he had discovered another lake which he had given the same moniker, and the name even appeared briefly on the official map. This first lake however, was shortly renamed Lake Louise." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Lake_(British_Columbia)
Our trip started just after 7:00 am, to get a good, early start, especially before the temperature soared. The drive from Calgary to Emerald Lake takes about 2 and a half hours and is a 218.5 km drive via Trans-Canada Hwy/AB-1 W. We took a quieter route home at the end of the day. Rain arrived just in time for this drive home and, by the time I got back to my car in Calgary, the rain was really heavy and a few of the roads were beginning to flood very quickly.
Shortly after we began our walk though the forest along the right hand side of the lake, we heard a commotion coming from the water. When we found a place to see through the trees, we could see two beautiful Common Loons and a female duck with several babies, possibly Common Mergansers. My guess would be that the Merganser mother kept chasing away the Loons, creating a lot of splashing.
Also, at the beginning and the end of our "hike", we watched a family of Violet-green Swallows that were nesting. Not sure how many young ones there were, but I saw three. Though we do get these birds in Calgary, I've never seen one properly - just when a mass of Swallows swarms over the Bow River and someone calls out that they saw a Violet-green amongst all the others; The adults flew to feed their babies at top speed and barely stayed a second at the nest hole. I was just thrilled to see one of these birds - thanks, Sandy, for your patience, allowing me to try and get a few photos! Thanks, too, for such a great day, as usual!
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