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 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 Summer 2024

Over the summer I took a bit of a break from social media. I also wanted to leave the last post of Maria's paintings first online for a while. As the summer is ending, this post will include the best of my summer pictures. This Great Blue Heron is one of my favourites. This was taken at Frank Lake and the bird was backlit. I thought that I would just go with it and create a silhouette of the GBH in post-edit.

This Cedar Waxing was photographed at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and I love how the blurring of the background separates the waxwing and helps it to stand out. There was a lot of waiting until the waxwing moved around the tree and finally posed in the right spot. They are such a beautiful bird. 

This Cliff Swallow was photographed at Ralph Klein Park in SE Calgary. Despite being in the shade under the visitors' centre, the detail and colours really stand out. 

My favourite scenics of the summer include this picture of Saint Patrick's Island in downtown Calgary. I was co-leading a birding group for Nature Calgary and stopped to take this picture with my phone.

On one of my shifts as a volunteer steward at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, this Calgary Fire Department rescue boat was heading upstream. 

We have lived in Rundle since 1995 and I have taken many pictures of sunrises. This picture was taken during one of my morning walks. It is always good to have a camera with you.

While driving to a wedding and reception in Cranston this summer, I dropped off some donations at the Women in Need Society and swung by the ridge on 26th Street South East. The ride has some great views of the city skyline.

In my file system, I categorize pictures by subject. In a miscellaneous grouping, is this picture of a Boreal Chorus Frog taken this summer at Frank Lake.

Finishing off my summer favourites is this picture taken in Edson while attending a wedding. This horse is a year old and was born during the forest fires in Edson. She is aptly named Ember.

Those are some of my favourite summer photographs.

 

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024 

 

Wild Flowers at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

On Thursday June 6, 2024 I took a guided, golf-cart tour of the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. This was a birding field trip. The scenery and the wild flowers captured my attention. The first picture was taken from the top of the hill by the start of the Tiger Lily Trail.

 Olympus OMD E-M5 Markii, 14-42mm, 31mm, ISO200, 1/320, F14.

The colour of the Bow River always catches my eye.

 Olympus OMD E-M5 Markii, 14-42mm, 14mm, ISO200, 1/320, F11.

The first wild flower is the Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum).

 Olympus OM1, 100-400mm + MC20, 200mm, ISO640, 1/400, F10.

The Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana) blossoms appear quite delicate.

Olympus OM1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO1250, 1/400, F13.

These blossoms are  Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense). 

Olympus OM1, 100-400mm + MC20, 415mm, ISO640, 1/640, F12.

The blues of the Wax-leaf Beardtongue (Penstemon nitidus) are quite saturated.

Olympus OM1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO800, 1/640, F13.

The Cutleaf Anemone (Anemone multifida) are a tiny wildflower, but the colours are very rich.

Olympus OM1, 100-400mm + MC20, 200mm, ISO2000, 1/1000, F10.

The final wild flower of the day was this Lewis Flax (Linum lewisii).

Olympus OM1, 100-400mm + MC20, 200mm, ISO800, 1/1000, F10.

After the tour, I walked the Tiger Lily loop and found this Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) watching me from the trees.

Olympus OM1, 100-400mm + MC20, 524mm, ISO4000, 1/500, F12.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024 

Carburn Park, May 10, 2024

Carburn Park is aways a good place to go for a walk and see some wildlife. It is one of the best birding areas of the City of Calgary. 

 Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark ii, 14-42mm, 14mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/125.

The biggest surprise of the day was that the porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) was out of its nest and was down by the trail on the west side of the park.

 Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 800mm, ISO 1000, f/13, 1/320.

 Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 300mm, ISO 640, f/12, 1/320.

Carburn is also one of the best places to see Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and this one was across the Bow River from the park.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 800mm, ISO 640, f/13, 1/1000.

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) may be common, but they are beautiful when the sun hits them.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 800mm, ISO 3200, f/13, 1/320.

As I was leaving the park, I saw this Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). The colours are unusual as this is its first full year and it doesn't have full colours.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 437mm, ISO 2000, f/12, 1/320.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024 

Magnificent Beast!, May 03, 2024

On Friday I drove west of Balzac and eventually found my way to Woodland Road. Along the way I came across a couple of heavy horses and was able to spend time admiring this magnificent beast as it was framed in the background by some aspen trees. My experience with heavy horses is that they have such quiet power. I love how the background emphasises the subject. 

 Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 524mm, ISO 2500, f/12, 1/320.

The Bearspaw area is a little behind us weather wise and the crocuses are now in full bloom. 

Olympus E-M5 MarkII, 30mm, ISO 400, f/13, 1/80.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 200mm, ISO 800, f/10, 1/500.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024

Calgary Zoo, April 29, 2024

Monday was supposed to be our last warm day for a while, so before the snow started to fall I visited the Calgary Zoo.  I bought a membership, made a donation, and packed up my camera and headed to the zoo. You get a lot closer to animals at the zoo and I did not need my large birding lens. I kept backing away in order to try to get more of the animal in the picture.  The most photogenic animal at the zoo has to be the Red Panda. If going to the zoo puts a smile on your face then the trip is well worth while.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 642mm, ISO 4000, f/13, 1/500.

Driving the backroads around Calgary you don't get very close to Snowy Owls, so it was nice to see this Snowy Owl on my second round through the Canadian Wilds part of the zoo. Both these pictures were taken through a wire fence and yet turned out okay.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 800mm, ISO 1600, f/13, 1/320.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 400mm, ISO 2500, f/12, 1/320.

When going to the zoo I always walk the Canadian Wild first and was nice to be able to take pictures of Rocky Mountain Sheep, Mountain Goats and Wolves.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 456mm, ISO 3200, f/12, 1/400.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 200mm, ISO 400, f/10, 1/320.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 400mm, ISO 5000, f/12, 1/500.

The pictures of the Canadian Wild finished off with a Grizzly bear, Cougar and Polar Bear. It is unusual to catch the Cougar out of its sunny spot and there was only a brief opportunity to take a picture. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 280mm, ISO 1000, f/11, 1/320.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 200mm, ISO 500, f/10, 1/320.

The Polar Bear is our most recent addition to the zoo, and it has a wonderfully large area to roam. Such a contrast to the cages when I was a child! The first picture was taken through a window and the second from a small opening where there is no fence or window. It is a long way away, and I had a tiny moment to take the picture as the bear wandered through.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 200mm, ISO 1250, f/10, 1/400.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 800mm, ISO 1600, f/13, 1/400.

It is always amazing to watch the Siberian Tigers. They are such a large majestic animal. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 340mm, ISO 2500, f/12, 1/500.

Flamingos always add to the colour of the day.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 571mm, ISO 1600, f/12, 1/500.

The Penguins are so personable and the Peacocks are such colourful birds; I ended my trip to the zoo with these pictures.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 200mm, ISO 3200, f/10, 1/1000.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 524mm, ISO 640, f/12, 1/500.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024