Sensuous curves of snow
Loving the sunlight
An early Christmas present, 2013
Sunburst near our mystery owl
Yesterday's natural high
Prairie Falcon on a silo
Greenish-white
Is it a Snowy? ... no, it isn't ... yes, it is!
Some white patches have eyes : )
Winter in Alberta
I'm watching you
A certain kind of beauty
Horned Lark / Eremophila alpestris
A photographer's dream clouds
How much is that owl in the window?
The eyes give it away
Leaning Cosmos
A touch of the past
Shoo-fly / Nicandra physalodes
Goodbye, elephants : (
Gray Partridge
Colour from Heritage Park
Zoomed to the max
Listening
Buzzed by a Red-winged Blackbird
Snow slump
Wrapped in warmth
Red barn in winter
Gray Partridge
Elegance
Abandoned
Between Calgary and Lake Louise
Something different
Common Barberry, Berberis vulgaris
Visitor to the city
Summer warmth
Remembering my Dad
The inspiration for Velcro
Out in the open
Lake Louise on a rainy day
Yummy Jelly Babies
Endless land and sky
Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow
The love of cycling
Fancy feathers
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When winter is beautiful


These are winter backroads that I never, ever drive on, lol! In fact, it has been so long since I drove outside the city, that I can't even remember. As you can imagine, it's so difficult or impossible to know just where the road ends and the ditch begins along some of the roads. However, Tony, driving just a small car, did brilliantly! This is another winter scene taken on 5 January 2014, when three of us spent a whole day driving in such conditions and worse, searching for birds to add to our list for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. We covered one quadrant of the large circle around the town of Nanton. As you can see, the weather was bright and sunny for us that day. What you can't see was that it was brutally cold that day! On the hour-long drive south of Calgary, we hit -34C (-29.2F)!!!!! It did eventually warm up a few degrees and thankfully, there was no or very little wind, which makes all the difference. The only walking we had to do was when we called in at various farms and homesteads. One backroad in particular had too much snow on it, so we had to leave that one out. Also, there was just too much snow in many of the farmyards, so we weren't able to check out all the trees and bushes as thoroughly as we would like to have done. I absolutely love the scenery on this Count. Not sure where all the Hawks and Owls were hiding that day, but we did see 2 Golden Eagles and 2 Bald Eagles, plus various smaller species.
After driving (being driven, for me, which was pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 4:00 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, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards to thoroughly enjoy a delicious supper. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts and perhaps the most favourite. Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! Can't wait for next Christmas!
After driving (being driven, for me, which was pure luxury) the backroads from about 8:00 a.m. till around 4:00 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, but I also really enjoy getting together with everyone afterwards to thoroughly enjoy a delicious supper. This is one of my favourite Bird Counts and perhaps the most favourite. Thanks so much for doing all the driving, Tony, and thanks, Leah, Bill and Mike for all the effort and time you put into your warm welcome! Can't wait for next Christmas!
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