As 2023 wound down I went on a field trip with Nature Calgary to North Glenmore Park. The weather continues to be amazingly warm and it was a beautiful walk. One of the highlights of the day was the coyotes on the reservoir ice. Apparently it is a nice and safe place to catch some sun and three coyotes (Canis latrans) were sunning themselves. One coyote closest to shore stood up, stretched, and shook. I love the ring of hair as it moves down the body. If humans could shake like that, we could get all the kinks out!
It was a beautiful morning. There is not much snow on the mountains and much of the snow has left the ground. We are going to need a lot of snow in 2024 if our water table is going to rebuild! But for now, it is awfully nice to walk in such nice weather - in December!
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 300mm, ISO 4000, 1/1600, f/13. Dec 30, 2023, 11:40 am.
We were lucky to see quite a few birds. This female Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) flew into this tree as we were finishing our trip.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 4000, 1/5000, f/13. Dec 30, 2023, 11:15 am.
Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are a pretty common sight, but the sun shining on the water droplets on the ducks back and its iridescent head makes this picture worth while.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 4000, 1/1250, f/13. Dec 30, 2023, 9:55 am.
This House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) and the Red-shafted Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) add even more colour to the morning.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 710mm, ISO 4000, 1/1600, f/13. Dec 30, 2023, 10:40 am.
The water reflecting the brown shoreline makes this Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) really stand out.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 4000, 1/1000, f/13. Dec 30, 2023, 10:00 am.
And finally, at the end our our walk, this Common Ravel (Corvus corax) swooped overhead. As the camera was shooting into the sun, I just made the picture a silhouette.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 300mm, ISO 4000, 1/4000, f/13. Dec 30, 2023, 11:30 am.
Thank you to allaboutbirds.org for help with the Latin!
All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024
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