Beauty in the Neighbourhood

On Sunday I walked to Prairie Winds Park in NE Calgary. This was in the early morning and I arrived after the pink sunrise was gone. The sun was still quite low, however, and the western sky was pink and highlighted the setting of the moon. Sometimes you have to look behind you! Once again, the best camera you have is the one you have with you.

iPhone 14, 6mm, ISO 50, 1/377, f/1.5. Oct 29, 2023, 8:25 am.

iPhone 14, 6mm, ISO 50, 1/379, f/1.5. Oct 29, 2023, 8:25 am.

Earlier in the week Calgary received a pretty good dump of snow. In the morning I went outside the take a picture of the snow while it was still fresh. Even just a few minutes earlier in the morning, and the photograph required a higher ISO and slower shutter speed. 

iPhone 14, 2mm, ISO 640, 1/60, f/2.4. Oct 24, 2023, 8:00 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

North Glenmore Park, October 28, 2023

On Saturday I joined a Nature Calgary field trip at North Glenmore Park. It was a chilly windy morning and while I was waiting for the other participants a group of Lesser Scaups quickly flew off the water. When I looked to see what spooked them, I spotted this Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).

 Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 571mm, ISO 2500, 1/125, f/12. Oct 28, 2023, 8:50 am.

After leaving the rim of the reservoir and getting out of the wind, we were lucky to spot this female Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator). This is a new life bird for me (145 and counting).

 Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2500, 1/640, f/13. Oct 28, 2023, 9:50 am.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2500, 1/640, f/13. Oct 28, 2023, 9:45 am.

While at the North end of the park, this Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) was hunting for insects.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 585mm, ISO 2500, 1/200, f/13. Oct 28, 2023, 9:55 am.

All summer and fall I have not seen a Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca), and we saw four at one time in a small ice free area on a pond.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2500, 1/200, f/13. Oct 28, 2023, 10:05 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Searching for Birds October 20, 2023

There was so much beauty in Field, B.C., that it is hard to follow that post and not feel a bit of a letdown. That being said, there is beauty everywhere. Over the last few days I have been to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Carburn Park, and had a nice drive through the gravel roads NE of Calgary looking for migratory birds.  At the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary I found this pretty little Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis). Pretty or not, this bird earned the nick-name of "butcher bird" because of its aggressive hunting skills. It will take on birds its own size. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/320, f/13. Oct 16, 2023, 10:30 am.

It was very pretty at Carburn Park. The trees have very few leaves now in comparison to a couple of weeks ago.

Olympus M5ii, 8mm, ISO 400, 1/80, f/10. Oct 18, 2023, 9:00 am.

While at Carburn Park, this adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flew into a tree on the opposite side of the Bow River. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/2000, f/13. Oct 18, 2023, 9:40 am.

After it got settled in, it provided a more classic pose.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/1250, f/13. Oct 18, 2023, 10:10 am.

While north of Strathmore, this magnificent bull gazed across the fence. They are much more calm this time of year.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 200mm, ISO 1250, 1/1000, f/11. Oct 19, 2023, 9:35 am.

What could have been the highlight of the day was a few Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) on a slough north of Chestermere. Unfortunately they were too far away to fill the picture. They are such a magnificent bird!

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/320, f/13. Oct 19, 2023, 8:20 am.

A juvenile Bald Eagle was perched on the fence on the opposite side from one of the sloughs north of Strathmore. Sometimes it is good to look behind you.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 371mm, ISO 1250, 1/4000, f/12. Oct 19, 2023, 10:00 am.

North of Strathmore, across from a feedlot, the slough contained some Northern Pintail Ducks (Anas acuta). This is a new bird for me (144 and counting). These are such a pretty duck.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/800, f/13. Oct 19, 2023, 10:50 am.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/800, f/13. Oct 19, 2023, 10:50 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Field, BC, October 6-8, 2023

For the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend I went with family to stay at the Truffle Pig Bistro and Lodge in Field, BC.  Considering that this was early October, the weather was fabulous and the scenery was amazing. On Saturday morning we went for a walk to Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park. The falls were beautiful and I enjoyed the spray coming from this ledge part way down the falls. These two pictures were shot at a low ISO and high f-stop so that the water wasn't stopped by the shutter-speed.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 150mm, ISO 400, 1/15, f/22. Oct 07, 2023, 11:10 am.

There was another ledge a little further up from the first picture that provided a different look.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 150mm, ISO 400, 1/15, f/22. Oct 07, 2023, 11:40 am.

The entire falls are almost hard to photograph. In order to get the entire vertical length, the width gets reduced and it doesn't seem as impressive as reality. But I should show the entire falls.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 20mm, ISO 400, 1/150, f/9. Oct 07, 2023, 10:55 am.

Later on Saturday, near dusk, we went to the Emerald Lake Lodge. We avoided all the crowds on the bridge to the lodge and hiked around the back of the lake. About half of the hike was very damp and the exposed branches were quite slippery. My hiking boots could not maintain a grip over this section.

The view from the backside was worth it. This bench was ideally situated. Today is October 10th, the 31st anniversary of the first date for Maria and me. She would have loved this view.

iPhone 14, 2mm, ISO 1600, 1/60, f/2.4. Oct 07, 2023, 7:20 pm.

As we hiked around the lake, it slowly became darker, the sky became saturated, and the detail in the shadows was lost.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 18mm, ISO 1250, 1/640, f/8. Oct 08, 2023, 7:30 pm.

As we completed our circuit of the lake, it was getting dark and I liked this picture of the lodge at dusk.

iPhone 15, 6mm, ISO 640, 1/15, f/1.5. Oct 07, 2023, 7:40 pm.

On Sunday morning I went for a walk down the forestry road just west of the Truffle Pigs Lodge and found this pretty spot. It was tricky getting down to the water, but I managed to not fall in. I arrived at the spot about 7:30 am and waited for half an hour for the light to be just right.

iPhone 15, 2mm, ISO 80, 1/99, f/2.4. Oct 07, 2023, 7:55 pm.

The foreground, the rocks and snags were quite interesting. I took these scenics with my phone because the phone has quite a wide-angle lens. 

iPhone 14, 2mm, ISO 32, 1/247, f/2.4. Oct 08, 2023, 8:30 am.

After standing still for an hour, this red squirrel decided to object to my presence and gave me a bad time.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 150mm, ISO 1250, 1/5, f/14. Oct 08, 2023, 8:25 am.

On the drive home, we stopped at Banff and the Vermillion overlook in order to appreciate the fall colours and Mount Rundle. I photographed this scene with a high f-stop to get the starburst pattern from the sun. 

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 14mm, ISO 400, 1/250, f/22. Oct 08, 2023, 11:10 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

North Glenmore Park, September 30, 2023

Saturday arrived chilly and wet. It was also the sixth month anniversary, so I wanted to be outside. It was surprising that the Nature Calgary Field Trip at North Glenmore park wasn't cancelled, but six of us ventured out into the drizzle and chill.  I left my birding camera at home and was glad that it didn't get exposed to the weather. It is weatherproof, but why chance problems. It was not an exciting day for birds, but the rain eventually tapered off. The colours were rich and vibrant and the wet, cold feet were worth it.

We don't get much red in Alberta during the fall, but this pretty little pond in the park had a sparkling of red.

iPhone 14, 6mm, ISO 50, 1/1449, f/1.5. Sept 30, 2023, 10:25 am.

Although we walked on a lot of grass, there are some nice trails through the park.

iPhone 14, 6mm, ISO 50, 1/1250, f/1.5. Sept 30, 2023, 10:10 am.

North Glenmore Park is right across the Glenmore Dam from Heritage Park. Heritage Park almost looks like an island in this photograph.

iPhone 14, 6mm, ISO 50, 1/853, f/1.5. Sept 30, 2023, 9:45 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.