Moose

Three more photos from our High River Christmas Bird Count - I need a change of things to photograph! This is the same female Moose that I posted the other day, just a more distant shot. Four days ago, on 19 December 2017, it was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for High River, a town to the south of Calgary. I am adding the report by Gus Yaki, the leader of our small group of 7, travelling in two cars. What Gus did not add, because he did not stay for the delicious Potluck supper after the Count, is that the forecast snow (Snowfall Warning in effect) arrived in full force in the evening and the drive back to Calgary was most unpleasant, with low visibility. Looked like there were about 10" of the white stuff on top of my fence by the next morning. Thanks so much, Lorrie and John, for being so kind and picking me up in the early morning and driving me all day long, and then dropping me off for the Potluck and returning later to collect me ready for the three of us to return to Calgary. Appreciated more than I can say! Thanks, also, to Greg Wagner for organizing the Count - as usual, great job! Last, but not least, many thanks to those who organized and prepared such a wonderful feast for us all to thoroughly enjoy at the end of the day! I left home around 7:00 am and arrived home about 8:15 pm, finally getting to bed at 2:00 am and eventually waking up at noon the next day! Was I tired after a full day out, especially after only two hours sleep the previous night! I should also add my thanks to the various property owners who very kindly gave us permission to wander round their farmyards in search of any birds. Being allowed to do this adds so much more interest to our Count day, and we really appreciate it. One exciting sighting was a beautiful female Moose, maybe two years old! This was the very first sighting ever of a Moose in our SE quadrant of the High River Count circle. From a distance, she was barely noticeable through the falling snow. I have added a bit of filter in post-processing, to make her stand out a bit more. Common Redpolls were enjoyed at some feeders. They gave me the first opportunity to take photos this season. Much as I prefer photos without feeders, I am very glad for this chance. They are such dainty little birds, and fast-moving. It always looks like a feeding frenzy when they are at the feeders. "High River CBC, SE Quadrant, including Frank Lake. 0800-1545, Tue, 19 Dec2017. Light overcast, light snow beginning at 1100. N Wind 10kph, -07 to -06°C. Ground bare initially, 3 cm at end. Little Bow River, mostly open. Mallard-500 Northern Shoveler-1 f. Northern Pintail-2 Common Goldeneye-3 Gray Partridge-8 Bald Eagle-1 ad, on Frank Lake Prairie Falcon-1 Rock Pigeon-56 Great Horned Owl-6 Snowy Owl-1 Blue Jay-4 Black-billed Magpie-17 Common Raven-4 Song Sparrow-1 Snow Bunting-150 Common Redpoll-790 House Sparrow-202 Ring-necked Pheasant tracks by observation blind. Gord Fraser, on W side of Little Bow, just N of 594 Av, had 40 Gray Partridges this a.m. Coyote-4 Skunk track by observation blind Meadow Vole-1 Mule Deer-6 Moose-1 f. Km by Car- 58 Km on foot -5 Total km - 63 Time by car – 2 hrs Time on foot-5 hrs Total party hours-7 hrs"

Today, the sun is actually shining, with a temperature of -17C (windchill -29C). I was longing to go on the annual Snowy Owl Prowl east of the city, but, after being out yesterday, I just couldn't face the long drive across the city to today's meeting place. So glad that I did go on the successful Pre-Owl-Prowl outing the other week. Instead, I plan to join several friends for a local walk this afternoon. It would be just so easy to hibernate the whole winter and I am trying to make sure I don't let that happen : ) So, yesterday, 17 February 2018, a small group of us headed way SW of the city - and into yet another snow storm. I kept checking to see if the trip was going to be cancelled, but fortunately, our leader had only read about the "few flurries" for the day. I had read further detail that said that a huge snow storm was moving into the area, bringing up to 25 cm of fresh snow, poor visibility, white-outs, treacherous roads! I knew taking photos was going to be a challenge, and seeing anything in the first place was going to be an even bigger challenge. So glad we went, though - even more so, that I wasn't driving, other than to our local meeting place in the city. The main reason for the trip was to look for Golden Eagles, though of course we were happy to see anything else, too. Last year, we saw five, but this time we couldn't find any. With such poor visibility, they could still have been out there. We did see Bald Eagles, though, and quite a few (mainly very distant) Sharp-tailed Grouse. At one location, they were on the road way ahead of us. I was able to get two or three closer shots of one of them, and managed to sharpen the 'best' one as much as I could, enough to make it just about fit to post this morning. They are such beautiful birds. I thought we might see some small birds during the day, but we saw no Snow Buntings or Horned Larks. A very distant Great Horned Owl was seen in the yard at one of the places we always used to call in at when we were doing the annual Christmas Bird Count for the area. Also spotted a distant Merlin perched in a bare-branched tree. Three Moose were seen - the one in this photo and two others together at a different location. This one had been standing but took a few steps and lay down in the deep snow. The other two were spotted when we were almost at the top of a steep, snow-covered back road. Our leader slowed down and, though I normally don't ask someone if they would stop for something, I did so this time. Oops, sorry, Tony, lol! We were stuck, unable to continue our climb to the top of the steep hill. Luckily, Tony is really good at reversing (and trying again)! There were also many Mule Deer to be seen, especially along the coulee. I love the landscape in this whole area and always enjoy photographing it. Yesterday, the weather was so bad that most of the landscape was just a faint shape in the distance, or else had completely vanished. Sometimes, it was difficult to tell if the distant shapes were actually hills or clouds! A great day, despite the weather. Thanks so much, Tony, for the ride and for another most enjoyable day!

Yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting this beautiful female Moose who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing her. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. She was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left her. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though. This morning, I have posted 10 photos from yesterday's drive - mainly just odds and ends. Still more that I want to upload, so that I can get back to dealing with photos from a number of other recent trips. Sorry to flood Flickr.

Yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting this beautiful female Moose who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing her. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. She was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left her. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though. This morning, I have posted 10 photos from yesterday's drive - mainly just odds and ends. Still more that I want to upload, so that I can get back to dealing with photos from a number of other recent trips. Sorry to flood Flickr.

The day before yesterday, 11 July 2018, my place was just too hot for comfort. so I took a short drive SW of the city to see what I could find. I had been wondering if the Mountain Bluebirds were still around and I wanted to check on them. A few were found and two pairs gave me a few chances to take photos. The first pair I checked on was nowhere to be seen - and then I knew why. Way down the road, perched on a high power post, was a Red-tailed Hawk. Once the hawk had flown off over the fields, the Bluebirds appeared. Certain other bird species were not seen during the time I spent out there, so I guess I will have to try again another day. The highlight of my drive was suddenly spotting a beautiful Moose (probably a young one from last year) who was busily feeding on the trees and bushes a short way into the forest. It was so dark within the trees that I almost missed seeing it. In fact, I thought I had spotted a deer, but a quick U-turn and I discovered it was a Moose, not a deer. It was in no hurry to move away and was still there when I left. Almost every one of my photos came out blurry - most likely because I was shooting from the driver's seat across the passenger seat, with the car still running : ( I had pulled over in a place that was not the best for stopping, so wanted to be able to move if I needed to. Happy that a handful of photos came out OK, though.

Quite a change from all my recent 'green' photos taken at Point Pelee, Ontario, back in May! Two days ago, on 18 November 2018, my daughter and I drove west of the city to check out a couple of Christmas Markets. Something I no longer bother to do myself, but it is enjoyable to spend a few hours with my daughter. She had a free day and was hoping we could go west, before coming back to my place and doing a bit more sorting out. I really appreciated her help, sorting and lifting. She suggested we drive a few backroads on the way, and this is one of my favourites in winter, with its gorgeous view - as long as the road is reasonably clear of snow and ice. The sun on the distant, snowy peaks was so beautiful. Along one of the backroads, we had an interesting encounter with a female Moose and her youngster. From a huge distance, we suddenly saw an adult Moose start to cross the road, turning around to look back at the other side. Then we realized that there was a youngster who was unable to either jump over the fence or climb through it because of the wire netting that covered all the gaps. The poor thing kept walking along the fence line looking for a way to reach Mom. Eventually, the owner of the acreage came over and removed part of the fence, but the Moose didn't notice ths. Removal of another piece and - success! Over the lowered fence it jumped and joined its mother. We were so far away, not wanting to risk spooking either animal. Most of my photos were taken through the windshield, so were tinted green and blurry, but a handful were taken with the car door open and turned out OK. An interesting thing to witness and, as usual, all about timing. Right place, right time, and it was so good to see someone helping wildlife.

Quite a change from all my recent 'green' photos taken at Point Pelee, Ontario, back in May! Two days ago, on 18 November 2018, my daughter and I drove west of the city to check out a couple of Christmas Markets. Something I no longer bother to do myself, but it is enjoyable to spend a few hours with my daughter. She had a free day and was hoping we could go west, before coming back to my place and doing a bit more sorting out. I really appreciated her help, sorting and lifting. She suggested we drive a few backroads on the way, and this is one of my favourites in winter, with its gorgeous view - as long as the road is reasonably clear of snow and ice. The sun on the distant, snowy peaks was so beautiful. Along one of the backroads, we had an interesting encounter with a female Moose and her youngster. From a huge distance, we suddenly saw an adult Moose start to cross the road, turning around to look back at the other side. Then we realized that there was a youngster who was unable to either jump over the fence or climb through it because of the wire netting that covered all the gaps. The poor thing kept walking along the fence line looking for a way to reach Mom. Eventually, the owner of the acreage came over and removed part of the fence, but the Moose didn't notice ths. Removal of another piece and - success! Over the lowered fence it jumped and joined its mother. We were so far away, not wanting to risk spooking either animal. Most of my photos were taken through the windshield, so were tinted green and blurry, but a handful were taken with the car door open and turned out OK. An interesting thing to witness and, as usual, all about timing. Right place, right time, and it was so good to see someone helping wildlife.

Quite a change from all my recent 'green' photos taken at Point Pelee, Ontario, back in May! Two days ago, on 18 November 2018, my daughter and I drove west of the city to check out a couple of Christmas Markets. Something I no longer bother to do myself, but it is enjoyable to spend a few hours with my daughter. She had a free day and was hoping we could go west, before coming back to my place and doing a bit more sorting out. I really appreciated her help, sorting and lifting. She suggested we drive a few backroads on the way, and this is one of my favourites in winter, with its gorgeous view - as long as the road is reasonably clear of snow and ice. The sun on the distant, snowy peaks was so beautiful. Along one of the backroads, we had an interesting encounter with a female Moose and her youngster. From a huge distance, we suddenly saw an adult Moose start to cross the road, turning around to look back at the other side. Then we realized that there was a youngster who was unable to either jump over the fence or climb through it because of the wire netting that covered all the gaps. The poor thing kept walking along the fence line looking for a way to reach Mom. Eventually, the owner of the acreage came over and removed part of the fence, but the Moose didn't notice ths. Removal of another piece and - success! Over the lowered fence it jumped and joined its mother. We were so far away, not wanting to risk spooking either animal. Most of my photos were taken through the windshield, so were tinted green and blurry, but a handful were taken with the car door open and turned out OK. An interesting thing to witness and, as usual, all about timing. Right place, right time, and it was so good to see someone helping wildlife.

Quite a change from all my recent 'green' photos taken at Point Pelee, Ontario, back in May! Two days ago, on 18 November 2018, my daughter and I drove west of the city to check out a couple of Christmas Markets. Something I no longer bother to do myself, but it is enjoyable to spend a few hours with my daughter. She had a free day and was hoping we could go west, before coming back to my place and doing a bit more sorting out. I really appreciated her help, sorting and lifting. She suggested we drive a few backroads on the way. The sun on the distant, snowy peaks was so beautiful. Along one of the backroads, we had an interesting encounter with a female Moose and her youngster. From a huge distance, we suddenly saw an adult Moose start to cross the road, turning around to look back at the other side. Then we realized that there was a youngster who was unable to either jump over the fence or climb through it because of the wire netting that covered all the gaps. The poor thing kept walking along the fence line looking for a way to reach Mom. Eventually, the owner of the acreage came over and removed part of the fence, but the Moose didn't notice ths. Removal of another piece and - success! Over the lowered fence it jumped and joined its mother. We were so far away, not wanting to risk spooking either animal. Most of my photos were taken through the windshield, so were tinted green and blurry, but a handful were taken with the car door open and turned out OK. An interesting thing to witness and, as usual, all about timing. Right place, right time, and it was so good to see someone helping wildlife.