Best of July 2025

July started off with a celebration of Canada Day. I went down to the Bow River, by the Skip-stone bridge and Saint Patrick's Island. It was a hot day, and lots of people were floating the Bow. The first picture is of a couple floating the Bow and the second is of the Calgary Fire Service water rescue crew - trying to keep everyone safe. The third and last picture from that day is of a young woman taking a selfie down by the water.

 

Later in the month the canola fields were in bloom and I went back out to the canola field of which I took a picture last month. So different now! I took quite a few pictures, but I think this one is the best. The power lines down the left give the field some depth.

Sticking with the no bird theme this month, I would like to finish off with a picture of a Police Car moth (which only makes sense if the police cars in your area are black and white) and a monochrome picture of some flowers in the back alley in Bridgeland.

Okay, three  birds from the middle of the month. The Gray Catbird is an unusual photo because you can see the red coverts under the tail. The Bald Eagle because it is what it is, and the pretty little Song Sparrow are also both worth some recycled electrons.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photoraw 2025

Calgary Stampede Week 2025

On the morning of the Calgary Stampeded Parade I went for a walk to peer through the fences at the horses as they were being prepared for the parade. I was lucky enough to find the spot where the tack and harnesses were checked before the horses and their riders or wagons were allowed into the parade. I was the only person on the sidewalk and it was a great opportunity to view the horses in a quiet spot. This heavy horse picture is my favourite of the day. I love the 'feathers' of the fetlock and the hoof struck the pavemet.

This picture of the Rodeo Queens is also a favourite.  It is fun to note the attitude of the four horses. Two look like this is their first parade (eyes open, ears up and forward) and two look like they have been here many times (necks out, heads down, catching a few more winks). If you enlarge the picture, the queen on the front right is the Rodeo Queen of Australia; how about that!

The night before we had also walked by the holding area for the horses, checking them out. On the way home, the sun was streaming through the clouds and I took this picture from the zoo bridge.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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