Best of May 2025

The month of May was wonderful in the City of Calgary and surrounding area. We had hot HOT weather and lots of opportunities to be outside. On the May long weekend, I spent time in Banff, Alberta at Tunnel Mountain. That weekend provides a couple of my favourite pictures for the month. The first is of Rundle Mountain that was taken from Vermillion Lakes.

 

The second pictue was taken on my phone after walking away from the spot. I wanted to share right away instead of waiting until I got home. This picture was excellent to share and also made my favourite list.

The following picture of granaries on the Alberta prairies also gets a special mention. A good picture should tell a story, trigger an emotion or bring questions to mind. I think this picture makes me very curious and asks me to create a story. It might be better during harvest or during the growing season. Imagine what this would be like if they plant Canola. I hope I make it back.

This picture from Linden, Alberta is important to me because Maria and I spent our last three summers together camping in Linden. When she was able, she loved walking the path around the ponds and always had a sense of achievement when she made it up the hill.  Toward the end of May I spread some of her ashes around the campground and at the top of this hill. Such a wonderful view to trigger such wonderful memories.

There are two bird pictures from this month that make the favourite list. Both of a Yellow Warbler at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Such a pretty bird. 

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Calgary's Singing Bridge; a lucky happenstance

This is a picture taken from the 12th Street East Bridge in Calgary, between the communities of Bridgeland and Inglewood. I included the west railing in the picture to show the wave from of the rails and the thin-flat shape of all but the top rail. 

According to Canadian Consulting Engineer; "This idea of softer edges was also applied to the pier caps and abutments, and gently flowing lines were shaped into the tear-drop pedestrian look outs. The bridge’s character, lines and colour palette echo other structures nearby, contributing to a common design language in the community." Nowhere can I find any reference to an a priori plan for the bridge to hum. Yet, when the breeze is just right and coming from the west, you can hear the rails hum as you cross the bridge on the pedestrian pathway. The "tear-drop" pedestrian look outs referred to above are a great place for photographers to move out of the way and take pictures of Calgary's skyline.

Happenstance or planned, it is a fun part of a walk. 

Best of April 2025

The good weather was with us for much of April. Early in April I went on a drive with another birder from Nature Calgary. This barn was beside the road Northeast of High River, Alberta. The telephoto really compresses the image so that the Rocky Mountains look right next to the barn.

This farm was also along that drive.

April was also the start of bicycle season for me, and this picture was from one of my first rides.

The Wood Ducks have returned to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. I used a letterbox format for this picture as well to show off the duck.

Middle of the month I was lucky enough to co-lead a field trip for Nature Calgary and East Village on Saint Patrick's Island in downtown Calgary. This was the first Pileated Woodpecker that the President of Nature Calgary and I have seen on the island.

On the same field trip, we noticed for the first time this year that the Osprey have returned to the island. They have successfully raised chicks for the last few years and they are nesting again this year  -- right on the Bloom art display.

With about a week remaining in the month I rode up to Queen's Park Cemetery and on the way home stopped at the south end of Rotary Park. This Elm was looking its finest.

The restored Centre Street Lion is near the same location.

Near the Bridgeland Market I passed this old Pontiac and took a monochrome picture of the front.

At the end of the month I participated in a Field Trip at North Glenmore Park and took this picture of a Black-capped Chickadee. I think this is my favourite picture of the month.

One of the last pictures I took for the month was of the NW Reader Rock Gardens tree. No blossoms yet, so monochrome.

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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.

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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.

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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.