This is winter?

A friend had very generously invited me to go along with him today, exploring the area south of the city, in the Porcupine Hills, Foothills and Nanton area. The weather was incredible and the scenery breath-taking! Everything from flat grassland, to rolling hills and the Foothills, to the mountains. And "they" said this was going to be the most severe winter in 15 years! As you can see in this photo, it doesn't look like winter at all. (Snow next week?).

We saw:

2 Golden Eagles
50 Wild Turkeys, approx.
1 Northern Shrike
4 American Dippers
Eurasian Collared Doves, several
Snow Buntings, 1 flock
1 Great Horned Owl
1 Rough-legged Hawk
2 Gray Jays
Rock Doves (Pigeons)
Common Raven, many
Chickadees
Downy Woodpecker
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
Magpies, plenty
House Sparrows

Mule Deer
White-tailed Deer
1 Moose
1 Coyote