Winter 3

Lol, I was determined not to come home with no new photos on 17 November 2013. I really didn't want to face the cold temperatures and snowy paths, but the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Snapped a few ice photos while I walked near the edge of the creek at Shaw's Meadow in Fish Creek Park. Supposed to snow again tomorrow. Next morning: It snowed again last night and is still snowing very lightly this morning. Temperature is -14C (windchill -23C) and tonight it will fall to -21C (windchill -27C). Not as bad as the record low for this date, which was -33C in 1896. Forecast for Saturday is 4C and Sunday 1C - yes, that's +4C and +1C!

I just couldn't get this photo to look how I wanted it to, lol, so in the end I uploaded as it finally was. No matter what I did, it still looked like sand rather than snow. I think I must have taken this shot looking towards the sun. Anyway, I had such a very enjoyable day with a birding friend yesterday, 23 November 2013, going SW of the city to Highway 40 and Highwood Pass, in Kananaskis. To look for a White-tailed Ptarmigan was our main aim, plus enjoying a beautiful, sunny day in magnificent scenery. Our weather at the moment is comparatively mild - if only it could be like this all winter long! No White-tailed Ptarmigan to be seen by us or several other people we bumped into, though my friend did see some tracks made by these birds. Thanks so much for a great day, Tony!

I had such a very enjoyable day with a birding friend yesterday, 23 November 2013, going SW of the city to Highway 40 and Highwood Pass, in Kananaskis. To look for a White-tailed Ptarmigan was our main aim, plus enjoying a beautiful, sunny day in magnificent scenery. Our weather at the moment is comparatively mild - if only it could be like this all winter long! No White-tailed Ptarmigan to be seen by us or several other people we bumped into, though my friend did see some tracks made by these birds. The main highway in this area had just been opened for the first time since all the damage done by Alberta's Flood of the Century, but the whole area will be closed again in about another week, because it always closes each winter. My photo was taken near the parking lot for Ptarmigan Cirque, and the only way you could get around was with cross-country skis or snowshoes. My friend had just bought some snowshoes, so he got a good workout checking through the trees, but I had neither skis nor snowshoes and so stayed on this very narrow track for just a very short distance, trying not to plunge through the thin snow crust along the centre of the trail, into very deep snow. Thanks so much for a great day, Tony! Much appreciated!

I had such a very enjoyable day with a birding friend yesterday, 23 November 2013, going SW of the city to Highway 40 and Highwood Pass, in Kananaskis. To look for a White-tailed Ptarmigan was our main aim, plus enjoying a beautiful, sunny day in magnificent scenery. Our weather at the moment is comparatively mild - if only it could be like this all winter long! No White-tailed Ptarmigan to be seen by us or several other people we bumped into, though my friend did see some tracks made by these birds. The main highway in this area had just been opened for the first time since all the damage done by Alberta's Flood of the Century, but the whole area will be closed again in about another week, because it always closes each winter. My photo was taken near the parking lot for Ptarmigan Cirque, and the only way you could get around was with cross-country skis or snowshoes. My friend had just bought some snowshoes, so he got a good workout checking through the trees. I had neither skis nor snowshoes and so stayed on this very narrow track for just a very short distance, trying not to plunge through the thin snow crust along the centre of the trail, into very deep snow. Thanks so much for a great day, Tony! Much appreciated!

The last few days, I have been trying to back up and delete a few more photo folders ready for when I take the plunge and replace my computer. I have to do this within the next few months, probably sooner than later. I pulled out a few old photos while looking at these archived images, and will post them along with more recent shots. This mountain scene was taken on 20 May 2012, when I went with friends, Cathy and Terry, part way along the Bow Valley Parkway, and along the Smith-Dorrien / Spray Trail (where I think this photo was taken) and the Lake Minnewanka loop. A day in the mountains like this one is quite a rare treat for me and tremendously enjoyed and appreciated : )

It's so easy to picture snow as being white and smooth, but it is anything but that. I think I had my camera pointed in the direction of the sun and so the snow came out looking more like sparkling sand than snow. Haven't been able to change the colour, so will post as is. These tiny ripples were photographed at Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, last weekend, on 23 November 2013, when a birding friend and I went in search of a White-tailed Ptarmigan (without success!).

This was our destination yesterday, 30 November 2013, when I went with a birding friend to Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, again. A week ago, we had been there, hoping to be able to find a White-tailed Ptarmigan, with no luck. Same story yesterday : ) We parked at the Ptarmigan Cirque parking area on Highway 40 and walked some distance in the area seen in this image, on very deep snow that had a hard crust on it. Every few steps, down I went, crashing through the snow up to my knees. I think it has to be my least favourite surface to walk on! We had one brief moment of excitement when Tony spotted what looked exactly like a Ptarmigan beneath one of the very distant trees. Even when I zoomed in on my camera, I could have sworn I saw the tail end and the head end, lol. However, it turned out to be a lump of snow that must have fallen from a branch. These birds are extremely difficult to find!! This was our last chance to visit the area again, as today, the winter gates across Highway 40 close and don't open again till next June 15th. Highwood Pass is the highest drivable pass in Canada, at 7239 ft. (2206 m.) This road is Highway 40 in Kananaskis Country, Alberta south of Calgary. The road is closed from 1st December to 15th June every year to facilitate elk, big horn sheep, deer and moose doing their spring grazing during that time. As well, with spring babies being born, predators are attracted to the area.

Back to reality and our snow-covered world! This was taken on 23 November 2013, when I was lucky enough to go to the Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, with a birding friend. A week after this photo was taken, we returned for one last try, again without success : ) We were hoping that we might be lucky enough to find a White-tailed Ptarmigan, but, like on a few previous tries in other years, we were totally out of luck. The main highway in this area (Highway 40) had just been opened for the first time since all the damage done by Alberta's Flood of the Century, but the whole area was closed again one week later, because it always closes each winter. My photo was taken near the parking lot for Ptarmigan Cirque, and really the only way you could get around was with cross-country skis or snowshoes. My friend had just bought some snowshoes, so he got a good workout checking through the trees, but I stayed on this very narrow track for just a very short distance, trying not to plunge through the thin snow crust along the centre of the trail, into knee-deep snow. Even though it's a nice, soft landing if you lose your balance, it's just about impossible to get back up again without help! Highwood Pass is the highest drivable pass in Canada, at 7239 ft. (2206 m.) This road is Highway 40 in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, SW of Calgary. The road is closed from 1st December to 15th June every year to facilitate elk, big horn sheep, deer and moose doing their spring grazing during that time. As well, with spring babies being born, predators are attracted to the area.

I had such a very enjoyable day with a birding friend on 23 November 2013, going SW of the city to Highway 40 and Highwood Pass, in Kananaskis. To look for a White-tailed Ptarmigan was our main aim, plus enjoying a beautiful, sunny day in magnificent scenery. Our weather around that time was comparatively mild - if only it could be like this all winter long! No White-tailed Ptarmigan to be seen by us or several other people we bumped into, though my friend did see some tracks made by these birds. The main highway in this area had just been opened for the first time since all the damage done by Alberta's Flood of the Century, but the whole area was closed again a week later, because it always closes each winter. My photo was taken near the parking lot for Ptarmigan Cirque, and really the only way you could get around was with cross-country skis or snowshoes. My friend had just bought some snowshoes, so he got a good workout checking through the trees, but I stayed on the very narrow track just past the wooden bridge for just a short distance, trying not to plunge through the thin snow crust along the centre of the trail, into very deep snow up to my knees. Even though it's a nice, soft landing if you lose your balance, it's just about impossible to get back up again without help! Thanks so much for a great day, Tony! Much appreciated! Highwood Pass is the highest drivable pass in Canada, at 7239 ft. (2206 m.) This road is Highway 40 in Kananaskis Country, Alberta south of Calgary. The road is closed from 1st December to 15th June every year to facilitate elk, big horn sheep, deer and moose doing their spring grazing during that time. As well, with spring babies being born, predators are attracted to the area.