Mallard Point, September 9, 2023

Saturday was Maria's birthday. I sang happy birthday to her even though she is gone. Such an emotional day and I needed to get out of the house. Nature Calgary held a field trip at Mallard Point in SE Calgary, just off of Canyon Meadows Drive.  Arriving a little early I was able to photograph a person fly fishing. He had waded a long way out from the shore; the water must be pretty shallow there.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 437mm, ISO 1250, 1/640, f/16. Sept 09, 2023, 8:50 am.

The Osprey were very active. One perched right above us by the river and watched the water for fish - it also watched us pretty closely.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 280mm, ISO 1250, 1/1600, f/11. Sept 09, 2023, 9:40 am.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 437mm, ISO 1250, 1/1250, f/12. Sept 09, 2023, 9:50 am.

While we were watching the Osprey, it dove to the water and picked up a fish.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 400mm, ISO 1250, 1/800, f/12. Sept 09, 2023, 10:15 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Tom Campbell's Hill, Calgary, September 11, 2023

On Monday I split up my walk between the Inglewood Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Tom Campbell's Hill.  I had never been up the hill before and I was interested in what the view was like. On Monday there was just enough clouds to make the view interesting. The skyline really lends itself to the panorama format. This picture is from the Kevin Conroy Lookout. The hill is also one of the few places where a nice picture of the Calgary Tower is attainable, and people aren't everywhere. Phones have wide angle lenses and lend themselves to this type of panorama. 

iPhone 14, 5.7mm, ISO 50, 1/4630, f/1.5. Sept 11, 2023, 11:15 am.

A little bit north of the lookout, this picture frames the Calgary Tower in an interesting way. It is nice to see the Calgary Tower highlighted instead of being overwhelmed by the buildings close by. I remember when the Husky Tower was being built and when it was the tallest building in Calgary and one of the tallest in Canada.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 52mm, ISO 250, 1/125, f/18. Sept 11, 2023, 11:10 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary. September 6&7, 2023

For the last two days, I have enjoyed time at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in East Calgary. It is such an amazing green-space so close to downtown.  It is also a very pretty spot. All of these pictures were taken in the mornings. The first picture was taken mid-morning on Wednesday. It was a chilly morning and there was still some mist above the water. The water was very still and the reflections are beautiful.

 Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 42mm, ISO 640, 1/500, f/7.1. Sept 6, 2023, 10:15 am.

The next two photographs were taken on Thursday. The work the City of Calgary has done on the lagoon have really improved the water flow. I hope that means that we will got more waterfowl in the lagoon this winter than we did last year. The first picture is from the small bridge facing North. I really appreciate all the shades of green. Maria loved to paint green; she would have loved to paint this picture. 

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 14mm, ISO 640, 1/500, f/6.3. Sept 7, 2023, 9:05 am.

This second picture was taken from the same spot, but facing South toward the Bow River.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 42mm, ISO 640, 1/400, f/6.3. Sept 7, 2023, 9:10 am.

This pretty mated pair of Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) will be migrating South pretty soon and I will miss their brilliant colours until they return next spring.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 3200, 1/1600, f/16. Sept 07, 2023, 9:50 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Red Tailed Hawk, Calgary, September 6, 2023

This post will only feature this picture. I absolutely love this photograph! It looks like I painted a picture of what a Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) should look like. It is hard to appreciate when they are flying overhead or perching facing you. The tail on this hawk is just perfect!

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 280mm, ISO 1250, 1/50, f/16. Sept 06, 2023, 10:25 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Township Road 250, East of Calgary. September 2, 2023

On Saturday I drove East of Calgary for a family visit just North of Strathmore. Rather than stick to well travelled paved roads, I kept going east on McKnight Blvd onto Township Road 250. The gravel road was well groomed and I only passed one vehicle travelling the opposite direction, at a stop sign. I had been told about a wonderful place to stop where the fields went on for ever and with just a couple of grain storage bins to break up the landscape. Unfortunately the crop had been taken off and I need to revisit the site next year and hope for some more colour and texture.

 Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 25mm, ISO 640, 1/1250, f/11. Sept 02, 2023, 2:40 pm.

All along the route there were hawks sitting on fence posts and power lines; so typical of the prairies at this time of year. This Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) perched on the cross-bar and called to its mate. Such a prairie sight! At this time of year these hawks are congregating to migrate to their winter grounds in Argentina - one of the longest migrations of any North American raptor. They only fly over land, so as the land narrows in the southern US and Mexico, they are seen in the hundreds or thousands. It must be quite a sight; probably noisy too. Thanks to allaboutbirds.org for the information. 

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 150mm, ISO 640, 1/2500, f/5.6. Sept 02, 2023, 2:50 pm.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, Alberta, September 02, 2023

As I was feeling a little 'antsy' on Saturday, instead of staying home I went to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary early in the morning to walk the trails and to see what wildlife was out and about. The City of Calgary has been working on the lagoon for about 18 months to increase the flow of water through the lagoon and increase the oxygen level in the water.  It looks like it is about done. The water level is higher and I hope this will support the birds better through the winter. Last winter the lagoon froze over for most of the winter and the birds had to over-winter on the Bow River. 

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 31mm, ISO 640, 1/1250, f/8. Sept 02, 2023, 8:30 am.

Shortly after passing through the gate to the Sanctuary, one of the resident Coyotes (Canis latrans) saw me and slowly headed away. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2000, 1/800, f/13. Sept 02, 2023, 8:00 am.

A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) was perched high up in a tree well over an hour. My favourite picture of it was just after it took off from the dead branch.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 371mm, ISO 1250, 1/1250, f/16. Sept 02, 2023, 9:25 am.

It was a good day for predators, I spotted a Bald Eagle, two Osprey, and a Red-tailed Hawk. The two Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) flew over the lagoon and that was what encouraged the Great Blue Heron to find a bit of a safer roost. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 554mm, ISO 1250, 1/1000, f/16. Sept 02, 2023, 9:25 am.

This juvenile American Robin (Turdus migratorius) seemed to embrace the raptor vibe and got all scary looking!

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 500mm, ISO 1250, 1/1600, f/16. Sept 02, 2023, 9:20 am.

Across the river from the Sanctuary, this Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was perched on the trees, keeping eye on the Bow River.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/400, f/16. Sept 02, 2023, 9:00 am.

When in the Sanctuary I usually see Mule Deer, but this morning I saw this year's fawn White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 200mm, ISO 1250, 1/25, f/18. Sept 02, 2023, 8:20 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis, Alberta. September 01, 2023

Friday presented an opportunity to participate in a field trip at West Bragg Creek with one of my favourite leaders from Nature Calgary.  The weather was great, my best time of the day. It was a little cool as we started hiking but we quickly warmed up. We hiked the Snowshoe Hare trail from the North parking lot. It was beautiful on the trails and one of my favourite pictures was of the trail itself.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 14mm, ISO 640, 1/60, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 11:25 am.

During the hike we were lucky enough to see about five Red-naped Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis). 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 508mm, ISO 2000, 1/125, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 11:50 am.

The leader pointed out an Aspen tree that had received attention from the Sapsuckers. The holes almost looked like they were mechanical in nature. We were told that the Sapsuckers drill these holes (just through the bark and not into the wood), and when the sap fills the holes they will come back and "suck" out the sap or roll insects in the sap to feed their young. Perhaps a more balanced diet. :-) The Sapsuckers will, at times, kill the tree if the row of holes in the bark goes all the way around the tree.

The Sapsuckers were a new Life Bird for me (140 and counting).

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 200mm, ISO 2000, 1/25, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 11:45 am.

On our walk we also saw some Pine Siskins, which have a rhyming scientific name (Spinus pinus). This one has an understated row of yellow feathers on its wing.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2000, 1/800, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 10:00 am.

This Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) was high in the trees and difficult to identify until I got home. It is always good to have a picture!

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/2500, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 9:25 am.

Catching them in flight is quite a challenge.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/2500, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 9:25 am.

There was some condensation on the leaves, and the colours were quite rich early in the morning. These Squash Berries (Viburnum edule) were a brilliant red. At ground level the light was low, requiring a high ISO and slow shutter speed; very hard to take a photograph without a tripod - but it worked.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 248mm, ISO 2000, 1/30, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 9:55 am.

No attempt will be made to name the leaf!

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2000, 1/80, f/13. Sept 01, 2023, 10:40 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.