Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Bow Summit

Had an absolutely wonderful 10 hours of birding today, when a friend invited me to join him on a day out in the Rocky Mountains. The plan was to see if any White-tailed Ptarmigan could be found high up at Bow Summit (between Bow Lake and Peyto Lake). No luck with the Ptarmigan but, oh, what amazing wildlife we (or rather, my friend, who is a superb birder!) found. We stopped off en route at a place called Harvey Heights, a small hamlet right on the boundary of Banff National Park, near Canmore. There, we saw: 1 Stellar's Jay - a new bird for me! 10 Clarke's Nutcrackers - a new bird for me! 24+ Pine Grosbeaks - the first time I could see one close enough 3 Pine Siskins - the first time I could see one close enough 8 Mountain Chickadees 2 Boreal Chickadees 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 or 3 Brown Creepers 1 Downy Woodpecker AND 1 Pine Marten. Neither of us had ever seen one before! "The marten, or pine marten, is a weasel-like animal that is dark brown to blond in colour with a paler head and underparts. The tail is long and bushy; the ears pointed and small. Average weight is 1-4 pounds. Distribution - The marten occurs throughout most of Canada particularly in coniferous forests. Biology - In April, 2-4 young are born blind in a leaf nest. The marten feeds on squirrels, rabbits, birds, mice, eggs, berries, seeds and honey. Their valuable pelts have led to their extirpation in many areas and logging has destroyed their habitats. Martens are now protected." Taken from bcadventure.com. We also came across several VERY friendly Ravens in the Bow Summit area. When the car was stopped, they would fly on to the hood of the car, then manage to get on to the driver's side mirror and wait to be fed!! This photo is of one of the birds sitting on the hood! Note the feathers on the beak.

We had a short-lived, mini blizzard while driving along the Icefields Parkway/Highway #93 in the Rocky Mountains. This area is past Lake Louise and goes out past Bow Lake and Peyto Lake. Absolutely magnificent scenery.

The weather really was a little mild (a few degrees above freezing) but you might not guess it from my landscape photos. Each photo is a different colour - I have a lot to learn about taking photos in snow! The sun was doing its best to break through the clouds, but in vain.

Should really be viewed in the large size (can't usually say that about most of my photos, LOL!). This Raven was at Bow Lake (Icefields Parkway). I didn't get very good photos, as it was difficult to see feather detail when in so much contrast to the snow. After lightening my photo a little, the bird became less of a black silhouette.

One of the Common Ravens that flew down on to the car when we stopped at Bow Summit in the Peyto Lake/Bow Lake area.

A Common Raven standing on the hood of the car. Another photo showing its beautiful irridescence and neck feathers.

We had a mini blizzard that lasted just a short time while we were up at Bow Summit, a drivable pass in the Rocky Mountains between Bow Lake and Peyto Lake. The temperature was a few degrees above freezing and it was absolutely beautiful! Breath-taking scenery!

To me, this photo almost looks like a drawing. Gives an idea of what the weather and scenery was like on Saturday, when I went with a friend to Bow Summit to see if we could find any White-tailed Ptarmigan.