FZ1000

Happy Christmas, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day today (Christmas Eve) and tomorrow (Christmas Day). Here in Calgary, it's 11:00 am as I type. The temperature is -12C (windchill -17C), and there is a Snowfall Warning in effect. Yesterday and today, I think we've had more snow than we've had all 'winter', and it's still snowing. A quick look through my window and I think I've decided that I can survive my Christmas dinner without roast parsnips - in all these years, I have never forgotten to buy them before! Blame it on the dizziness that I've had for at least 10 days now, lol, though it's not as bad as it was before. For many people, Christmas is a very difficult time, for various reasons. My thoughts are with them and, as always, with those who for one reason or another will spend Christmas alone. To those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a happy weekend, anyway. Wishing you all a HAPPY CHRISTMAS and all the very best in the New Year! If you will be on the road, please don't drink and drive! Two days ago, on 22 December 2016, my daughter and I had our Christmas together, as she has to work on Christmas Day. We went to the Saskatoon Farm and had a delicious breakfast. She is in so much pain that we can't go for a drive to look for Snowy Owls or old barns. She has an appointment next month and is more than ready to take the absolute earliest date for her major surgery. The Saskatoon Farm is an interesting place that is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside greenhouses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They have a restaurant that offers great food. This little snowman was in the gift shop and gave me the chance to finally take a photo that I could use for Christmas. www.saskatoonfarm.com/ On the way to drop my daughter off at home, we called in at the Glamorgan Bakery - a well-known bakery that we have used for the last few decades. It always feels good to see their traditional cookies, Cheese Buns, cakes and pies. Thanks, Rachel, for a lovely few hours spent together - the best Christmas gift possible.

Friends, Dorothy and Stephen, made a decision to drive down south on 20 February 2017 and asked if I would like to go with them. As always, my answer was a delighted "Yes, please!" Our mutual friend, Janet, also came along to enjoy the day. The weather forecast looked good, especially compared to the forecast snow for the next few days - actually, it has snowed in Calgary the last few days so, if it also snowed south of us, then this whole area will be looking very different now. After meeting at their house, the four of us left at 8:30 am and drove to Nanton. If one travels on Highway 2, Nanton is a 46-minute drive from the southern edge of Calgary, about 72 kms. From Nanton, we basically drove in a huge circle between Highway 2 and Highway 22, covering such beautiful scenery. Some of these roads were new roads for us, certainly for me. Each year, I take part in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton, and my small group covers the area to the SW of Nanton, but much closer to the town than the area we explored seven days ago. There was very little or no snow to be seen for most of the day, which must be a concern to some of the local farmers. Most of the fields were completely bare. The most snow we saw was when we were driving up the Sky View Road. My friends' target bird was the Golden Eagle, but all of us were happy as can be to see anything else that we might come across. As it turned out, not only did we not see a single Golden Eagle, there were not many birds of any kind to see all day. A flock of 50+ Starlings, and 25 Common Ravens, various Magpies, a few Pigeons, Canada Geese and a couple of heard Red-breasted Nuthatches were all that we saw. For animals, we saw one Coyote, five Mule Deer and a couple of White-tailed Deer. However, perhaps our biggest excitement came when we found ourselves in the middle of a cattle drive. We could see the huge herd in the distance, with one lone cowboy on his horse at the rear, coming towards us. The whole procession was following another farmer, driving very slowly with a huge hay bale in the back of his truck. After taking a quick few distant shots, we climbed back into our vehicle and waited, and waited, and waited till the very last cow had walked past us. The cowboy said he appreciated the fact that we had stopped, not wanting to spook any of the animals. As soon as they were past us, we climbed out of the car to take a quick photo or two. I think I've only ever seen a cattle drive maybe twice before. So good to see a genuine cowboy at work, doing what he does so well. Another interesting stop was when we were driving along part of the Sky View Road, which is in the Porcupine Hills. We came across a logging sight, with a couple of large piles of cut logs waiting to be trucked out of the area. We were fascinated by the patterns in the bark of the cut logs, as seen in this photo. Fortunately, it was Family Day, so there were no huge logging trucks on the rough, gravel road leading up the hillside. We were hoping to reach the Lookout in case there were amazing views from up there, but we decided that it might be risky to drive the last part of the road that would have led to the Lookout. We had climbed high enough to already find a lot more snow and the rough, narrow road was not in the best condition. This was where we saw the two White-tailed Deer. We had seen beautiful views already, lower down the road, so we were happy. "Between the Rockies' vigorous upthrusts and the recumbent lines of the grassland plains, the Porcupine Hills provide a softly rounded interface, gentle contours that stir the heart, They are always so beautiful, from the wildflowers of spring to the hazy shimmer of summer and the sharp gold of fall aspens, and even in the austerity of a landscape under the sharp shadows of snow. The hills bring magic to all the seasons." These are the first few lines from the book, "Exploring the Routes Less Travelled - Country Roads of Alberta", by Liz Bryan. This is a book that my daughter gave me a year or two ago and I had forgotten just which journeys it covered. Once I was back home, while I was Googling the area that I had just spent the day exploring with my friends, I came across this book online. The short chapter on this area made interesting reading. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day, exploring a new area. It was so much fun to see some new things and, of course, the scenery was spectacular. How lucky we are to live within reach of such beauty! Having been out so few times in many weeks, and having taken barely any photos at all, this kind of day was exactly what I needed.

Some years, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the town of Nanton is held late in December. Other years, it ends up being held early January, sometimes delayed because of really bad weather. The Count for 2016 was held on 30 December. We drove through such beautiful scenery when we were covering the SW quadrant of the Christmas Bird Count circle that centered on the town of Nanton. A landscape over which the occasional Golden Eagle soars and in which, some years, numerous Sharp-tailed Grouse wander on the ground or perch in trees. Actually, there are not many chances to take photos of birds on many of these Counts, but those of you who know me well know that I love taking scenic shots, old barns, and anything else beautiful and/or interesting. Including farm cats! Last year, the highlight for me was seeing Pine Grosbeaks nice and close. This Count, I think the highlights were the stunning winter scenery, and a Great Horned Owl. I absolutely love this area SW of Nanton! Some of these backroads are extremely steep and almost look vertical when seen from a distance. Some years, the whole area is white, covered in deep snow, so that you can't tell where the roadside ends and the ditch begins. This Count, it wasn't too bad, thank goodness, though I might have felt differently if I had been one of the two drivers for our group! After driving (being driven, for me, which is always pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 3:30 p.m., we returned to the wonderful home of the Truch family. Not only do Bill and Leah Truch and their son, Mike, always welcome everyone with open arms, they also provide a much-appreciated breakfast snack for us and then, at the end of the day, a delicious supper. Have to say that I love travelling these scenic backroads (though I've never driven them myself), but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts, and perhaps the most favourite. Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony and Andrew, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your wonderfully warm welcome! It was another well-organized Count, Mike, as usual - thank you!

This photo was taken on 30 January 2017, when this Northern Hawk Owl flew down to the field across the road from where we were standing, caught a little Meadow Vole, and then flew up into the nearest tree. You can tell by the colour of the sky that the weather was not good for taking photos. The first time I saw the owl in this photo was on 29 January 2017. In the few days after that, I did call in very briefly maybe three other times, once just for 10 minutes. The first day was by far the best day, as the owl perched on a few fence posts, nicely out in the open. The other times, it has been high up in one tree or another, or perched high up on top of a utility pole next to an insulator. Haven't been back in about three weeks, I think. The road is dangerous for stopping and apparently there have been too many people gathering on some days. "The type of prey the Hawk-Owl catches will determine its eating strategy. For mammalian prey the ritual is generally the same: the Northern Hawk-Owl will eviscerate its prey, eats the head first (especially for prey like the red squirrel, whose head is fairly large), and then—when tackling larger prey—it will eat the organs and cache the remains; with smaller prey, the owl will simply swallow the body whole." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hawk-Owl "The Northern Hawk Owl can detect prey by sight at a distance of up to 800 meters (half a mile). Though it is thought to detect prey primarily by sight, the Northern Hawk Owl can find and seize prey under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org

I am doing a superb job of bombarding everyone with photos - sorry! My main aim is to work on and finish all the photos from my trip to Trinidad & Tobago in March. However, I am getting the odd day when I go out and needless to say, I take photos, even though I really don't need any more to look through and edit, ha. This photo is from yesterday, 28 April 2017, when I spent the day with my daughter. She was not up to a long day's drive, so we went to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast and a wander round their grounds. I always love to see and photograph their Artichokes and Sunflowers, at any season. Afterwards, we called in at Spruce-it-Up Garden Centre, which neither of us had visited before. From there, I drove westwards as far as the Priddis area, where we had hoped to see a few birds. Not too much to be seen, though we did see a very welcome little Yellow-rumped Warbler, various hawks including a rather distant, Rough-legged Hawk perched on a lichen-covered fence, American Kestrels, and several Mountain Bluebirds. We had typical weather - a mix of sun, cloud, rain and even a few snowflurries, but at least it didn't rain heavily all day. Thanks for an enjoyable day, Rachel! Lovely to spend it with you. I was so short of sleep and ended up sleeping all morning today. Two back-to-back day trips coming up, so editing time will be very scarce. I have to get up in the middle of the night for the second trip (just after 2:00 am), or I may even stay up the whole night to make sure I don't oversleep. What we birders/photographers do for the chance of taking photos!

I am doing a superb job of bombarding everyone with photos - sorry! My main aim is to work on and finish all the photos from my trip to Trinidad & Tobago in March. However, I am getting the odd day when I go out and needless to say, I take photos, even though I really don't need any more to look through and edit, ha. This photo is from yesterday, 28 April 2017, when I spent the day with my daughter. She was not up to a long day's drive, so we went to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast and a wander round their grounds. I always love to see and photograph their Artichokes and Sunflowers, at any season. Afterwards, we called in at Spruce-it-Up Garden Centre, which neither of us had visited before. From there, I drove westwards as far as the Priddis area, where we had hoped to see a few birds. Not too much to be seen, though we did see a very welcome little Yellow-rumped Warbler, various hawks including a rather distant, Rough-legged Hawk perched on a lichen-covered fence, American Kestrels, and several Mountain Bluebirds. We had typical weather - a mix of sun, cloud, rain and even a few snowflurries, but at least it didn't rain heavily all day. Thanks for an enjoyable day, Rachel! Lovely to spend it with you. I was so short of sleep and ended up sleeping all morning today. Two back-to-back day trips coming up, so editing time will be very scarce. I have to get up in the middle of the night for the second trip (just after 2:00 am), or I may even stay up the whole night to make sure I don't oversleep. What we birders/photographers do for the chance of taking photos!

I am doing a superb job of bombarding everyone with photos - sorry! My main aim is to work on and finish all the photos from my trip to Trinidad & Tobago in March. However, I am getting the odd day when I go out and needless to say, I take photos, even though I really don't need any more to look through and edit, ha. This photo is from yesterday, 28 April 2017, when I spent the day with my daughter. She was not up to a long day's drive, so we went to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast and a wander round their grounds. I always love to see and photograph their Artichokes and Sunflowers, at any season. Afterwards, we called in at Spruce-it-Up Garden Centre, which neither of us had visited before. From there, I drove westwards as far as the Priddis area, where we had hoped to see a few birds. Not too much to be seen, though we did see a very welcome little Yellow-rumped Warbler, various hawks including a rather distant, Rough-legged Hawk perched on a lichen-covered fence, American Kestrels, and several Mountain Bluebirds. We had typical weather - a mix of sun, cloud, rain and even a few snowflurries, but at least it didn't rain heavily all day. Thanks for an enjoyable day, Rachel! Lovely to spend it with you. I was so short of sleep and ended up sleeping all morning today. Two back-to-back day trips coming up, so editing time will be very scarce. I have to get up in the middle of the night for the second trip (just after 2:00 am), or I may even stay up the whole night to make sure I don't oversleep. What we birders/photographers do for the chance of taking photos!

I am doing a superb job of bombarding everyone with photos - sorry! My main aim is to work on and finish all the photos from my trip to Trinidad & Tobago in March. However, I am getting the odd day when I go out and needless to say, I take photos, even though I really don't need any more to look through and edit, ha. This photo is from yesterday, 28 April 2017, when I spent the day with my daughter. She was not up to a long day's drive, so we went to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast and a wander round their grounds. I always love to see and photograph their Artichokes and Sunflowers, at any season. Afterwards, we called in at Spruce-it-Up Garden Centre, which neither of us had visited before. From there, I drove westwards as far as the Priddis area, where we had hoped to see a few birds. Not too much to be seen, though we did see a very welcome little Yellow-rumped Warbler, various hawks including a rather distant, Rough-legged Hawk perched on a lichen-covered fence, American Kestrels, and several Mountain Bluebirds. We had typical weather - a mix of sun, cloud, rain and even a few snowflurries, but at least it didn't rain heavily all day. Thanks for an enjoyable day, Rachel! Lovely to spend it with you. I was so short of sleep and ended up sleeping all morning today. Two back-to-back day trips coming up, so editing time will be very scarce. I have to get up in the middle of the night for the second trip (just after 2:00 am), or I may even stay up the whole night to make sure I don't oversleep. What we birders/photographers do for the chance of taking photos!

I am doing a superb job of bombarding everyone with photos - sorry! My main aim is to work on and finish all the photos from my trip to Trinidad & Tobago in March. However, I am getting the odd day when I go out and needless to say, I take photos, even though I really don't need any more to look through and edit, ha. This photo is from yesterday, 28 April 2017, when I spent the day with my daughter. She was not up to a long day's drive, so we went to the Saskatoon Farm for breakfast and a wander round their grounds. I always love to see and photograph their Artichokes and Sunflowers, at any season. Afterwards, we called in at Spruce-it-Up Garden Centre, which neither of us had visited before. From there, I drove westwards as far as the Priddis area, where we had hoped to see a few birds. Not too much to be seen, though we did see a very welcome little Yellow-rumped Warbler, various hawks including a rather distant, Rough-legged Hawk perched on a lichen-covered fence, American Kestrels, and several Mountain Bluebirds. We had typical weather - a mix of sun, cloud, rain and even a few snowflurries, but at least it didn't rain heavily all day. Thanks for an enjoyable day, Rachel! Lovely to spend it with you. I was so short of sleep and ended up sleeping all morning today. Two back-to-back day trips coming up, so editing time will be very scarce. I have to get up in the middle of the night for the second trip (just after 2:00 am), or I may even stay up the whole night to make sure I don't oversleep. What we birders/photographers do for the chance of taking photos!