How much are five bucks worth?

This photo was taken very early in the morning before the light was any good : ) I don't know how one of our group noticed this very distant row of handsome Mule Deer bucks, but we were so glad that it happened! I've cropped and lightened this highly zoomed photo, but don't bother to look at it in a larger size, lol. We had such an enjoyable day yesterday, a 13-hour Christmas Bird Count day in the Nanton area. The small town of Nanton is 70 km S of Calgary, (roughly a 45-minute drive). Five of us (in two cars) covered most of the SW quadrant of the large circle around the town, an area of wonderful rolling hills with a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. At the end of the day, we all returned to the home where we had gathered around 8:00 a,.m., for a much enjoyed and appreciated supper (including absolutely delicious Macaroni and Cheese : ) There couldn't be a nicer way to end the day, chatting while all the numbers of species and individuals were counted and recorded. When I got home at 8:00 p.m., I had so many things to see to, ready for getting my heating ducts vacuumed out today, so only got to bed in the wee hours of this morning. However, I've just had a phone call from the company, saying that their duct-cleaning van is in the repair shop, so they are unable to come today - these things happen! They will still be coming to install a new furnace and water heater tomorrow, though, which is good. Might just have to fall into bed this afternoon - which I never, ever do! - as I think I've maybe overdone the Bird Counts (existing on two or three hours of sleep a night) and everything in between. I wasn't sure I felt OK to go to Nanton yesterday, but decided to take the risk, and I was fine. Today, though, I feel really crummy, so will have a leisurely day at home - well, apart from having to clear a lot more stuff in my basment to give the furnace people more room in which to work!

Birds (all distant, so only a couple of photos) that the three of us saw yesterday, between about 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.(thanks for sending the list as soon as you got home, Tony!):

Rough-legged Hawk 15
Golden Eagle 6
Prairie Falcon 1
Ring-necked Pheasant 6
Sharp-tailed Grouse 8
Rock Pigeon 6
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Northern Shrike 2
Gray Jay 3
Magpie 53
Raven 33
B.C.Chickadee 9
Bohemian Waxwing 6
American Tree Sparrow 16
Junco 1
Pine Grosbeak 37
Common Redpoll 110
House Sparrow 33
Snow Bunting 150
Waxwings seen by the second car in our group..