Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Odocoileus hemionus

With a lot of snow forecast for 8 of the following 10 days, I feel very lucky that my daughter and I had such a beautiful day on 17 December 2017, for our Christmas get-together. Along with the snow has come much colder temperatures, too, unfortunately. It was such weird weather that day, as the colour of the sunrise sky lasted all day, till we left just before sunset. A gorgeous Chinook Arch crossed the sky, staying the whole day. Some of the fields were bare, and others had a light dusting of snow on them. The day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm - always enjoyable. They do close from the end of the day on 23 December and open again in the morning of 17 January. A well-earned break for everyone who works there. As always, we walked around the grounds to look for things to photograph and, as usual, we were in luck - dead Sunflowers, cats, dogs, and House Sparrows that were flying in and out of one of the greenhouses. From there, we continued south to the area east of High River and drove some of the usual back roads; ones that I had driven just four days earlier. Of course, we were hoping that we might find a Snowy Owl, though I knew not to get our hopes up. Before too long, my daughter spotted our first Snowy Owl of the season - the tiniest speck of white that I could barely see with the naked eye, but it was a Snowy and that was all that mattered. Later in the day, she somehow spotted a second one; again, the tiniest speck perched on a very distant fence post. A few minutes before this second sighting, my daughter spotted two handsome Mule Deer bucks - looked like father and son - lying down next to a metal grain silo, near the edge of the road. They stayed there for a while, which was surprising, as males tend to be far more skittish. Eventually, they stood up and walked off into the field. Of course, we couldn't resist taking shots of any old barns, sheds and houses that we came across. Altogether, a great day that was much enjoyed. Thank you so much, Rachel, for spending the day with me, and doing something that we both love! These are my absolute favourite days in the year.

With a lot of snow forecast for 8 of the next 10 days, I feel very lucky that my daughter and I had such a beautiful day yesterday, 17 December 2017, for our Christmas get-together. Along with the snow will come much colder temperatures, too, unfortunately. Looks like we could be getting around 20 cm of snow tomorrow, badly timed for one of our out-of-city Christmas Bird Counts. Yesterday was rather chilly, with a cold wind. It was such weird weather, as the colour of the sunrise sky lasted all day, till we left just before sunset. A gorgeous Chinook Arch crossed the sky, staying the whole day. Some of the fields were bare, and others had a light dusting of snow on them. The day started with breakfast at the Saskatoon Farm - always enjoyable. They do close from the end of the day on 23 December and open again in the morning of 17 January. A well-earned break for everyone who works there. As always, we walked around the grounds to look for things to photograph and, as usual, we were in luck - dead Sunflowers, cats, dogs, even a little House Sparrow that was inside one of the greenhouses. From there, we continued south to the area east of High River and drove some of the usual back roads; ones that I had driven just four days earlier. Of course, we were hoping that we might find a Snowy Owl, though I knew not to get our hopes up. Before too long, my daughter spotted our first Snowy Owl of the season - the tiniest speck of white that I could barely see with the naked eye, but it was a Snowy and that was all that mattered. Later in the day, she somehow spotted a second one; again, the tiniest speck perched on a very distant fence post. A few minutes before this second sighting, my daughter spotted two handsome Mule Deer bucks - looked like father and son - lying down next to a metal grain silo, near the edge of the road. They stayed there for a while, which was surprising, as males tend to be far more skittish. Eventually, they stood up and walked off into the field. Of course, we couldn't resist taking shots of any old barns, sheds and houses that we came across. Altogether, a great day that was much enjoyed. Thank you so much, Rachel, for spending the day with me, and doing something that we both love! These are my absolute favourite days in the year.

On 10 August 2017, I finally did a drive that I had never done before. I'm always hearing or reading about Sheep River Provincial Park, but it was not until maybe three weeks ago, that I got round to looking on Google to see exactly where it is. I found that maybe the first half of the drive, as far as Turner Valley, I had done before, which helped. The drive west from Turner Valley to just past the Sheep River falls was all new, so I "drove" the whole length on Google Earth to see what it was like, before I actually went there.. The whole distance from home and back was 195 km, so it was a much shorter trip than when I drove all the way south to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre (511 km), on 3 August. I was hoping to see some wildlife and beautiful scenery, but the most important purpose for this trip was simply to make myself do a new drive. I almost didn't go, as I woke up later than I had planned, not feeling the greatest, and didn't leave home till 11:15 am. Glad I pushed myself out the front door, though. The only wildlife I saw was a Mule Deer doe, that I saw in two different places. She was looking for salt along the road and couldn't make up her mind whether to cross the road in front of me or not. I sat in my car and waited, and eventually she did cross and ended up near the passenger side of my car. When I was almost at the very end of this road, I stopped to take a look at the Sheep River Falls. It takes just a short walk from the parking lot to get a view of the falls below. Towards the end of my walk, black clouds rolled in and there was a bit of thunder accompanied by a sprinkling of rain. Short-lived, thankfully. As for scenery, the smoke continued from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires. This resulted in poor landscape shots, at least with my little point-and-shoot. I did post just a couple of scenic views, not for their photographic merit, but just to remind myself what the landscape in that area is like.

"Powerful fall storm to bring heavy rain and snow to the Prairies"! It looks like tomorrow morning will be a winter 'wonderland' or winter nightmare, depending on one's opinion. It is possible Calgary could get up to 10 cm of the white stuff, starting this evening or overnight, and especially tomorrow (with a temperature of 2C). The mountains will be looking a lot different from when I saw them the day before yesterday. This beautiful Mule Deer doe was in amongst the trees on my return drive from the mountains, much closer to home. Managed to reverse my car until I could see an open spot through the trees. Love her sweet face. I was telling her how beautiful she is. I knew that the day before yesterday was going to be my last chance to see some fall photos, so I drove all day long through Kananaskis country. Of course, the mountains look beautiful in any season, but there is something extra special on a sunny fall day. People come from all over the place to see the Larch trees in their fall colour. "Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 20 to 45 m (66 to 148 ft) tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada. Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larch If I remember correctly, this was the first time I had driven alone quite this far, reaching the northern end of Spray Lakes Reservoir. Unfortunately, when I got there, the sun was in the wrong position and there was a haze over the mountains. I wasn't sure how far I would go, as I had intended topping up with gas at Highwood House, along Highway 40. I had also planned on buying a sandwich and a coffee there. However, it was all closed. As it was, I still managed to do the drive I wanted and still have gas in my car. My drive started by going to Turner Valley and taking the back road to join the main Highway 40. Last fall, the views were amazing and the sky full of spectacular clouds along this route. This time, there was a hazy view and the sky was a washed-out, pale blue with not a cloud in sight. Part way along Highway 40, I encountered a cattle drive, which was great to see. Only a small herd with one cowboy, who looked as if he was enjoying his work. He was accompanied by his herding dog, of course. When I came to the area where the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) live, I didn't even stop, as I really wanted to reach Spray Lakes Reservoir, in Spray Valley Park. I had left home later than I wanted, 9:45 am, and wanted to make sure I was not driving home in the dark. As it was, I reached home about 7:15 pm, with just a little daylight to spare. The road to Spray Lakes, from the main Highway 40, is a dreadfully dusty, gravel road. This was a Friday, so I wasn't expecting many people in Kananaskis, but there were lots of cars, which made it difficult to drive this length of road. I was almost constantly in a thick cloud of dust with little or no visibility. The distance for the road from the Spray Lakes road turn-off from near Kananaskis Lakes to the northern tip of the huge Reservoir is 48 km, so just under 100 km return on this dusty road. The dust seeps inside the car, even with all windows closed. I also called in just long enough to take a handful of photos at Peninsular and Buller Pond, which are both along this Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail. The return journey home (giving a total trip distance of 422 km), back the same way I had come, was uneventful, which is usually a good thing when doing such a drive. The gas station near home was a must, so now I have a full tank and I can see out the windows - just in case the better weather later next week lets me do one more long drive.

Two weeks ago, on 10 August 2017, I finally did a drive that I had never done before. I'm always hearing or reading about Sheep River Provincial Park, but it was not until maybe three weeks ago, that I got round to looking on Google to see exactly where it is. I found that maybe the first half of the drive, as far as Turner Valley, I had done before, which helped. The drive west from Turner Valley to just past the Sheep River falls was all new, so I "drove" the whole length on Google Earth to see what it was like, before I actually went there.. The whole distance from home and back was 195 km, so it was a much shorter trip than when I drove all the way south to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre (511 km), on 3 August. I was hoping to see some wildlife and beautiful scenery, but the most important purpose for this trip was simply to make myself do a new drive. I almost didn't go, as I woke up later than I had planned, not feeling the greatest, and didn't leave home till 11:15 am. Glad I pushed myself out the front door, though. The only wildlife I saw was a Mule Deer doe, that I saw in two different places. She was looking for salt along the road and couldn't make up her mind whether to cross the road in front of me or not. I sat in my car and waited, and eventually she did cross and ended up near the passenger side of my car. When I was almost at the very end of this road, I stopped to take a look at the Sheep River Falls. It takes just a short walk from the parking lot to get a view of the falls below. Towards the end of my walk, black clouds rolled in and there was a bit of thunder accompanied by a sprinkling of rain. Short-lived, thankfully. As for scenery, the smoke continues from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires. This results in poor landscape shots, at least with my little point-and-shoot. I did post just a couple of scenic views, not for their photographic merit, but just to remind myself what the landscape is like.

Five days ago, on 10 August 2017, I finally did a drive that I had never done before. I'm always hearing or reading about Sheep River Provincial Park, but it was not until maybe a couple of weeks ago, that I got round to looking on Google to see exactly where it is. I found that maybe the first half of the drive, as far as Turner Valley, I had done before, which helped. The drive west from Turner Valley to just past the Sheep River falls was all new, so I "drove" the whole length on Google Earth to see what it was like, before I actually went there.. The whole distance from home and back was 195 km, so it was a much shorter trip than when I drove all the way south to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre (511 km), on 3 August. I was hoping to see some wildlife and beautiful scenery, but the most important purpose for this trip was simply to make myself do a new drive. I almost didn't go, as I woke up later than I had planned, not feeling the greatest, and didn't leave home till 11:15 am. Glad I pushed myself out the front door, though. The only wildlife I saw was a Mule Deer doe, that I saw in two different places. She was looking for salt along the road and couldn't make up her mind whether to cross the road in front of me or not. I sat in my car and waited, and eventually she did cross and ended up near the passenger side of my car. Just managed to get a quick shot before the passenger side of the car blocked her from such a close view. When I was almost at the very end of this road, I stopped to take a look at the Sheep River Falls. It takes just a short walk from the parking lot to get a view of the falls below. Towards the end of my walk, black clouds rolled in and there was a bit of thunder accompanied by a sprinkling of rain. Short-lived, thankfully. As for scenery, the smoke continues from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires. This results in poor landscape shots, at least with my little point-and-shoot. I'll be posting just a couple of scenic views, not for their photographic merit, but just to remind myself what the landscape is like.

Yesterday, 10 August 2017, I finally did a drive that I had never done before. I'm always hearing or reading about Sheep River Provincial Park, but it was not until maybe a couple of weeks ago, that I got round to looking on Google to see exactly where it is. I found that maybe the first half of the drive, as far as Turner Valley, I had done before, which helped. The drive west from Turner Valley to just past the Sheep River falls was all new, so I "drove" the whole length on Google Earth to see what it was like. The whole distance from home and back was 195 km, so it was a much shorter trip than when I drove all the way south to the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre (511 km), on 3 August. I was hoping to see some wildlife and beautiful scenery, but the most important purpose for this trip was to make myself do a new drive. I almost didn't go, as I woke up later than I had planned, not feeling the greatest, and didn't leave home till 11:15 am. Glad I pushed myself out the front door, though. Out of time and energy to post any photos yesterday. The only wildlife I saw was this Mule Deer doe, that I saw in two different places. She was looking for salt along the road and couldn't make up her mind whether to cross the road in front of me or not. I sat in my car and waited, and eventually she did cross and ended up near the passenger side of my car. When I was almost at the very end of this road, I stopped to take a look at the Sheep River Falls. It takes just a short walk from the parking lot to get a view of the falls below. Towards the end of my walk, black clouds rolled in and there was a bit of thunder accompanied by a sprinkling of rain. Short-lived, thankfully. As for scenery, the smoke continues from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires. This results in poor landscape shots, at least with my little point-and-shoot. I'll be posting just a couple of scenic views, not for their photographic merit, but just to remind myself what the landscape is like.

It snowed again last night and is still snowing. The temperature this morning, 24 November 2015, is -6C (windchill -14C). On 1 November 2015, it was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while, blending in well with their surroundings. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches that made the owl easy to miss. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

It snowed again last night. The temperature this morning (18 November 2015) is -4°C (windchill -11°C) and I suspect everywhere will be very slippery. On 1 November 2015, it was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches that made the owl easy to miss. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Thanks, David and Melanie! Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

The afternoon of 1 November 2015 was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches that made the owl easy to miss. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Thanks, David and Melanie! Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

This morning, it's SNOWING! And it's settling, unfortunately. We really can't complain, though, as we have just enjoyed a wonderful fall. Yesterday afternoon, 1 November 2015, was mostly cloudy with a short windy and drizzly period. Though the temperature was 8°C, it felt cold and, once again, I wore two fleece jackets, a fleece vest and a light jacket! Bebo Grove is one of the coldest places in the city, so I made sure I was prepared. The morning had been nice and sunny, which is why I decided to meet a few friends for a birding walk. However, the rain started shortly before I was ready to leave home and I was very tempted to change my plans. Glad I didn't, as the rain stopped and I would have missed seeing this handsome Mule Deer buck and two others, in a grassy area. They were busy feeding on the dead leaves and twigs and eventually decided to lie down and rest for a while. Our two-and-a-half hour walk took us through the area at the bottom of the stairs, then eastwards to bridge 4 and then west from the picnic area. Bird numbers were certainly way down. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer The other thing I would have missed is a Great Horned Owl, seen in one of the photos I've posted today. Not sure if it's the same one I photographed recently in the same area - I think it could be. It would have been so easy to not see this owl, as it was sleeping on top of a low, broken tree surrounded by a tangle of branches. Not the best photo, but it gives an idea of how easily these owls can hide. Two other friends had just returned to the parking lot after going for a walk and they offered to walk back to show us where they had seen this owl, so that helped. Thanks, David and Melanie! Adding the list of bird species seen, compiled by our leader, Bernie. Thanks for a very enjoyable walk, Bernie! 1. Coopers' Hawk -1 2. Bald Eagle -2 3. Ring-billed Gull-8 4. Great Horned Owl-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-3 6. Northern Flicker-1 7. Blue Jay-2 8. Black-billed Magpie-4 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-30 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-4 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 14. Bohemian Waxwing-27 15. Pine Grosbeak-8 16. Pine Siskin-12

On the first day of three spent in Waterton Lakes National Park, my friends and I came across this beautiful sight along one of the roads in the small town of Waterton. This tiny baby Mule Deer could barely stand and kept falling down. It was trying to nurse - amazingly, its mother eventually lay down to make nursing easier for her new little one. "With its merging landforms, connected ecoregions and its mild, moist, windy climate, Waterton Lakes National Park is an amazing meeting place for an abundant and diverse collection of vegetation. Despite it's small size (505 sq km) Waterton is graced with over 1000 species of vascular plants . Over half of Alberta's plant species are found in this tiny place. The park's four ecoregions - foothills parkland, montane, subalpine and alpine - embrace forty-five vegetation communities. Sixteen of these are considered significant because they are rare or fragile and threatened. Waterton also has an unusually high number of rare plants - over 175 are provincially rare (e.g. mountain lady's-slipper, pygmy poppy, mountain hollyhock), and over twenty of these are found only in the Waterton area (e.g. western wakerobin, Lewis' mock-orange, white-veined wintergreen). Over 50 species are rare in Canada (e.g. Bolander's quillwort, Lyall's scorpionweed, Brewer's monkeyflower.)" From Parks Canada website. www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/f.aspx I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of particular rare species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants and many other things. This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my mental Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the white Mountain Lady's Slipper or the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several of the latter plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. The wind made photographing some of the plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro. Thank you so much, Sandy and Heide, for a great three-day trip in such spectacular scenery, surrounded by amazing nature. The wildflowers were top priority, but I was so happy to see insects, scenery and even a bit of wildlife that included a very distant female Grizzly with a cub from last year and two Black Bears, one of which was along the Crandell Lake trail at the same time we were there. Thanks, too, Sandy, for doing all the driving - so much appreciated by Heide and myself! Also have to thank you both for being so thoughtful as far as my limitations go (lol, I can move much better than I was expecting today!) and for your patience in allowing me to take lots of photos! Heide, you'll be glad to know that I have a bottle of water sitting by my computer - thanks for all the reminders to keep hydrated while hiking. Two other people to mention - Arnold, it was so good to see you at the meeting place. Been a long time since our paths crossed. Jerry (from Calgary), good to bump into you in Waterton, and thanks so much for telling us about various sightings and even taking us to several of the locations, despite the fact that you had just returned from a major mountain hike that day. Loved seeing the distant (nesting) Loon lying in the grass at the edge of one of the wetlands. Great trip, great company! How lucky I am.

On the first day of three spent in Waterton Lakes National Park, my friends and I came across this beautiful sight along one of the roads in the small town of Waterton. This tiny baby Mule Deer could barely stand and kept falling down. It was trying to nurse - amazingly, its mother eventually lay down to make nursing easier for her new little one. "With its merging landforms, connected ecoregions and its mild, moist, windy climate, Waterton Lakes National Park is an amazing meeting place for an abundant and diverse collection of vegetation. Despite it's small size (505 sq km) Waterton is graced with over 1000 species of vascular plants . Over half of Alberta's plant species are found in this tiny place. The park's four ecoregions - foothills parkland, montane, subalpine and alpine - embrace forty-five vegetation communities. Sixteen of these are considered significant because they are rare or fragile and threatened. Waterton also has an unusually high number of rare plants - over 175 are provincially rare (e.g. mountain lady's-slipper, pygmy poppy, mountain hollyhock), and over twenty of these are found only in the Waterton area (e.g. western wakerobin, Lewis' mock-orange, white-veined wintergreen). Over 50 species are rare in Canada (e.g. Bolander's quillwort, Lyall's scorpionweed, Brewer's monkeyflower.)" From Parks Canada website. www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/f.aspx I was so lucky to be invited to join friends Sandy and Heide on a three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, from 19-21 (inclusive) June 2015. We met up with other members of the Alberta Native Plant Council for their annual Botany Alberta weekend. Most people who attended stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground, a 5.6 km drive east of the Waterton Park Gate on Highway 5, but my friends and I stayed at the Crandell Mountain Lodge on the edge of Waterton town. The ANPC people had a list of particular rare species that they hoped to find, and they were very successful. Our stay down south overlapped the annual Waterton Wildflower Festival, but we came across very few people on our various drives and hikes. Needless to say, I was extremely fortunate to spend three days with people who are very knowledgeable about plants and many other things. This meant that I got to see many wildflower species, including several that were new to me, such as the gorgeous Mariposa Lily. It was one of the flowers that was on my mental Wish List - and there were hundreds of them to be seen! I had also never seen the spectacular Bear Grass and I was so thrilled that there were still several plants in bloom. Absolutely made my day! Our two main hikes of the weekend were the Bertha Lake Trail as far as the Bertha Falls (on 20 June), and the Crandell Lake Trail (on 21 June). Makes me smile when a described "short, easy hike" in a book or on the Internet turns into a full day of exploration along the trail, taking hours to reach the destination, though returning to the cars in a much shorter time. The wind made photographing plants a real challenge, including the beautiful Mariposa Lilies in the meadow along the Hay Barn road. Though I took plenty of photos, I wasn't sure that I would end up with any that were sharp enough. Trying to catch a quick shot when a flower is blowing in and out of the viewfinder is not easy! Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to get down and take macro shots (my lens needs to be about 4" away from the subject), so my photos have to be telemacro. I've just been trying to find a list of plant species in Waterton Park, but have so far been out of luck. I do have the book, "Wildflowers of Waterton Park" by Jacinthe Lavoie and Ian Wilson, which has an Index of Plant names, but I was hoping to find a list that I could print out. It's going to take me ages to type descriptions for the various photos I'll slowly be posting, and I will no doubt keep adding new bits and pieces over time. There is just so much information I want to add. Also, my photos of quite a few of the plants will be posted for the use of ANPC members and are, unfortunately, really poor images. Need them added to my Waterton Lakes album, so please bear with me : ) Luckily, you don't even need to look at them. Thank you so much, Sandy and Heide, for a great three-day trip in such spectacular scenery, surrounded by amazing nature. The wildflowers were top priority, but I was so happy to see insects, scenery and even a bit of wildlife that included a very distant female Grizzly with a cub from last year and two Black Bears, one of which was along the Crandell Lake trail at the same time we were there. Thanks, too, Sandy, for doing all the driving - so much appreciated by Heide and myself! Also have to thank you both for being so thoughtful as far as my limitations go (lol, I can move much better than I was expecting today!) and for your patience in allowing me to take lots of photos! Heide, you'll be glad to know that I have a bottle of water sitting by my computer - thanks for all the reminders to keep hydrated while hiking. Two other people to mention - Arnold, it was so good to see you at the meeting place. Been a long time since our paths crossed. Jerry (from Calgary), good to bump into you in Waterton, and thanks so much for telling us about various sightings and even taking us to several of the locations, despite the fact that you had just returned from a major mountain hike that day. Loved seeing the distant Loon lying in the grass at the edge of one of the wetlands. Great trip, great company! How lucky I am.

This photo was taken on 3 February, when I called in at Fish Creek Park for some fresh air and, hopefully, find a friend or two. I was lucky with both - some of the time there were just three of us, watching and photographing this tiny, popcan-sized Northern Pygmy-owl (uncommon in Alberta). It gave us a few good views, including when it flew down to the bushes right in font of us (love it when that happens!). There had just been quite a few days that there had been no reports of the owl, so I always felt very fortunate if it appeared when I was there. On the way out of the park, I stopped briefly to take several shots of this Mule Deer doe and her family that were feeding on the slope down by the road. "The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer

After I called in at Fish Creek Park two days ago, 16 February 2015, and got talking with friends, I came across several Mule Deer as I was leaving the park. The light was failing and the Deer were high up or at the very top of a slope. This photo made this female look very dark and the sky bright white, so I added a "filter" that made the sky look a little less glaring. I just liked the expression on her beautiful face. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer I overslept by an hour this morning, so have to hurry and get ready to go to a volunteer shift.

On 21 January 2015, my daughter and I spent the day together, out in nature. I know I needed to get out myself and the fact that my daughter asked if we could do that, told me that she, too, needed to get a break from all the sadness and reminders of her big sister/my older daughter for a few hours. Friends have been telling me how important it is to be outdoors with my camera, especially at a time like this, and I know they are right. Much as it would have been great to have gone looking for Snowy Owls, I just didn't feel up to that long of a drive. Instead, I drove to a much more familiar, closer area, SE of the city. The day was a mix of sun and cloudiness, and though the sun was in the wrong position for some of our shots, we did OK. As for birds, we saw a couple of Great Horned Owls, a very distant Snowy Owl, a raptor of some kind (either a Prairie Falcon or a Gyrfalcon), several Gray Partridge and what I think must have been Horned Larks. This photo shows part of one of two large herds of deer that we stopped and watched. It was the first time my daughter had seen deer jumping over a fence : ) The rest of the day, we drove mostly roads that we had driven before, except for one short stretch where we found two old, red barns. This day was as much a barn day as a bird day. The larger barn was one that I had been looking forward to finding and seeing for the first time. I would love to have been able to get photos from both sides of it, but it was in a farmer's field that was, of course, private property. There is also an old, round, wooden grain bin and a smaller barn next to this barn. The second old barn was just up the road and round the corner from this larger barn. I think being out with our cameras, driving the backroads, was therapeutic - certainly for me, as I could enjoy my daughter's company, and hopefully for her, too.

Just had a brief problem with Flickr or with the Internet. After I'd typed the description for this photo, I got the message that Flickr was unable to save it. Then I had problems being able to open Flickr again. All seems OK now, though. After a rather disappointing day on 10 August, I decided yesterday to drive SE of the city and see what I could find. Some of the small sloughs had dried up or were quickly shrinking. The edge of the area near the blind at Frank Lake was also drying up. However, I was happy to see Barn Swallows, Eared Grebes, Coots, American Avocets including the one in my next photo, and various shorebird species. Happened to notice this deer making its way through a huge patch of Foxtails that were swaying to and fro in the wind. Was also glad to see a couple of Maximilians Sunflower plants at Frank Lake - all the rest looked like they had been dug up recently. To stop them spreading - or for someone's garden?? I've looked forward to seeing these flowers for quite a few years, so was happy to see that at least a few of them remain.

A family of four Mule Deer were resting and then grazing in the field (corral) next to the barn in Fish Creek Park this afternoon. This doe leapt over the fence and crossed the path in front of me and spent some time eating seeds that someone had left on a log. Unfortunately, a case of out of the sunshine and into the darker woods. She came out a much more grey colour than when in the sunlight.