Monochrome March

March in Calgary is pretty monochrome -- brown! When we lose our blue skies, we may as well be taking pictures in black and white. Monochrome photography is such an amazing art that it's good to be reminded and to take the opportunity. This post includes some of my favourite pictures from March, but all in monochrome. I hope you enjoy them.  My favourite is at the end of the post. 

The first few pictures are of bike racks in the City of Calgary. These were taken in Bridgeland, at the Saint Patrick Island and at the Zoo parking lot. 

The next picture is of the playground at Saint Patrick Island and the one following is the metal bridge on the island.

The next few pictures are of architecture around the area. The first is a cool house at the top of our hill. 

My favourite picture of the month, colour or monochrome is of this tree at the corner of MacLeod Trail and 25 Ave SE, Calgary. I want to go back when it is in blossom; maybe for a colour picture. Every time I look at this picture the word that comes to mind is Love.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photoraw 2025

Two Years

 March 31, 2025
It's been two years since Maria died.
Two years of change,
Following 
Two years of coping,
Following 
Thirty+ years of adventures and memories!
What an amazing life together!

A few days after Maria died I received an audio message that she had keyed up in advance. In that message she asked that I keep on with my walks, my birding and my photography; and that I keep sharing my pictures.  Thus this blog. She also told me that I should pay particular attention to the Chickadees and Nuthatches. She told me that Chickadees don't say Chick-a-dee-dee or Cheese-burger  --  they say Hi Sweetie!  She also told me that if a nuthatch ever landed on my hand and pooped, that it would be her.  

In mid-March I took this picture of a Red-breasted Nuthatch. It did land on my hand, but it did not leave a present.  I thought the ethereal nature of the picture celebrates Maria's life, death and presence.

I miss you sweetie!

Best of February 2025

I hesitate to call this a 'best of' because I didn't take many pictures in February  --  it was just too cold to get out much with a camera.  My hands get very cold holding a full metal camera body. The last week did warm up, however, and I did take some pictures and get in a few walks.  My favourite picture of the month is a scenic shot taken from the top of Tom Campbell's Hill in East Calgary. This was taken and 5:59am and the lights make the cityscape look like a jewel. 

As the weather warmed up the Bow River started to break up in spots and I like this monochrome picture of the river and East Village.

On my morning walks I usually cross the Bow River in two different spots and the Elbow River once. This picture of the Inglewood Drive in is close to the Calgary Zoo bridge in East Calgary. I love that Dole Whip was a big enough deal - in the day - to have front and centre advertising on the roof of the diner.

The month wasn't completely devoid of animals. This White Tail Deer was photographed at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

It seems wrong to have a blog post without a picture of a bird, and the best bird of the month was another Red-breasted Nuthatch at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Such a photogenic bird, especially when they perch long enough to get a photograph.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photoraw 2025

Best of January 2025

Calgary's winter has continued to be pretty mild. The sunsets also are coming early in the evening, so I have been able to photograph lots of sunsets.  My favourite bird picture of the month is this Red-breasted Nuthatch. I took this picture during one of my shifts at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. It's amazing that such small birds can survive our cold weather, but many stay with us the entire winter. 

My favourite scenic of the month is this sunset. This picture was taken from the top of Tom Campbell Hill in the Bridgeland area. The sun is setting behind the two towers and I love the glow of the sky and the silhouette of the mountains in the background. 

My computer has folders for Birds, Scenics, and Other. This Coyote picture was a favourite for the month. It is close to being "the picture", but the coyote's tail is matted and reduces the impact of the picture -- a bit. The coyote was seen on the Bow River in the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 

The following four pictures are my almost favourites in each of the categories. First are two bird pictures. The first is a Great Horned Owl and the second is a mated pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. The woodpeckers are performing their mating dance when the picture was taken. Both bird pictures were taken at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

This sunset from the hill north of Bridgeland is one of my favourite scenic pictures from January.

These White tailed Deer deserve a place in my favourite pictures for the month.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photoraw 2025.

Best of December 2024

December was a month of contrasts. We had some beautifully clear skies in December and closed the month off with some overcast and snowy days. The month was also highlighted by a wonderful chance to volunteer at Plaza Palooza with the City of Calgary

The first picture is from the first day of the month. Usually on the morning walks I cross the Bow River twice and the Elbow river once. A little river time is a good way to start the day. This was taken from the Skip-stone bridge by East Village. 

On the same walk, I was completing my circuit by crossing the Bow River on the Zoo bridge into Inglewood and took this skyline picture of downtown Calgary.

On a walk about a week later I took this picture of the City of Calgary art on Saint Patrick's Island. This art piece is made up of the different styles of street lights that the City has used through its history. It is a unique piece and is ideally situated to be highlighted by the morning sunrise. 

On the same walk, just a few steps south on the same bridge, I took this picture of the sunrise and the Bow River.

The next few pictures highlight the clear skies we had for most of the month.

With Plaza Palooza, the City held a party for four weekends in a row. The Olympic Plaza downtown will be changing and the party was to let Calgarians come together to celebrate the plaza and say goodbye. It was a chance to have pictures on the stage that held the medal ceremonies for the 1988 Olympics and has celebrated a lot of events since that time. The following pictures are from the party. I volunteered helping Calgarians take self-pictures in the plaza. It was a lot of fun!

The month ended in the cold, with overcast days. For winter, it was a pretty good weather month. The ending weather helped add to the holiday spirit of the season.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photoraw 2025.

Best of November 2024

The wonderful Fall weather in Calgary continued to the middle of the month. November started off clear of snow and wonderful sunrise mornings and sunset evenings. The last two weeks of the months were magical winter moments.  

On the first day of November I was taking a picture of a muskrat at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary when I heard some steps behind me. As I looked over my shoulder, I saw a Mule Deer buck headed my way, using the bridge as a shortcut. He watched me for a while and then calmly walked past me. Those are my first two pictures for the month review.

On the same day, a cute Mountain Cottontail posed for me by the Colonel Walker house. It seemed like it was "mammal day" at the bird sanctuary.

It was a misty day at the sanctuary that first day of the month, and I love how the lagoon looked that morning.

This sunrise is from the LRT station in Bridgeland early in November.

By mid-month we were in magical snow times. I love the picture of the Colonel Walker house at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

The next couple of pictures are of the fog and frost at the end of the month. These are from the Bridgeland area of Calgary.

November ended off with high contrast days of blue-skies and snowy trees. These are from the Rundle area of Calgary.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024 

Best of October 2024

Our beautiful fall continues into October. There were lots of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. This first picture captures some reds; not that common in Alberta. This picture was taken along the north side of the Bow River, between the Bridgeland/Memorial C-train station and the Skipping Rock pedestrian bridge.

Toward the end of the month I was lucky enough to travel with an expert birder to Pine Coulee Reservoir, west of Stavely, Alberta. The next two pictures are of the reservoir.

 

There were not that many birds on the reservoir, but the northern loop around the reservoir did not disappoint. A few of the sloughs had an abundance of birds and we saw over 500 swans. These were mostly Trumpeter Swans, but we also saw some Tundra Swans. The first picture is of Tundra Swans.

The next two pictures are of Trumpeter Swans.

The month ended off a little cloudy, but for October -- amazing.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024