Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, September 16, 2023

Saturday found me back at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in SE Calgary, one of my favourite places to go birding or for a walk. It was a beautiful day and in the morning the sun was hitting the birds just right. This male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) just sparkled! During the summer their colours were not as bright, but with Fall approaching the colours of coming back and that makes this my favourite picture of the day.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/400, f/13. Sept 16, 2023, 10:10 am.

The last three walks at Inglewood I have been finding a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). Previously it was on a branch behind the tree and facing away from the camera. It was the same this morning. The owl was on a higher branch, but it was asleep and facing away from the camera. I checked on her three times during two hours and the last time she woke up and looked my way. It was about a five-minute opportunity before she turned around and went back to sleep. It was a good opportunity to capture a photograph.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 490mm, ISO 1250, 1/50, f/12. Sept 16, 2023, 9:45 am.

When first arriving by the lagoon I always check to see if a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is perched on the trees. On this morning one was perched up there and happened to yawn just as I took its picture. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/400, f/20. Sept 16, 2023, 8:20 am.

The tongue is amazing, check out the close-up!

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/400, f/20. Sept 16, 2023, 8:20 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

68th Street Wetlands, September 15th, 2023

On Friday I walked the 68th Street Wetlands in SE Calgary.  On ebird.org  this is noted in the hotspots section as Calgary--Rotary/Mattamy Wetlands (68 Street SE). There seemed to be a much smaller variety of shorebirds; perhaps migration has started for many of them. There were lots of Pelicans and Cormorants. One of my favourite pictures of the day was of this Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum). It is common to see these birds perched with their wings outstretched. This is due to them having less preen oil on their feathers than other water fowl and they must dry out their feathers (allaboutbirds.org). 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 400mm, ISO 1250, 1/640, f/12. Sept 15, 2023, 9:40 am.

Gadwalls (Mareca strepera) are noted for being pretty bland compared to other male birds. I think this male looks pretty cute with the slightly punked up hair and the creative pattern of feathers on its chest. This couple were pretty talkative and you could hear them across the pond. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 772mm, ISO 1250, 1/800, f/13. Sept 15, 2023, 9:25 am.

Parts of the wetlands were very still, and this Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) has quite the reflection as it prepares to grab a morsel from the mud.

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/1250, f/13. Sept 15, 2023, 10:25 am.

During my walk along the East part of the wetlands I saw at least four juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons. They are such a different colour from the full adult. They can camouflage pretty well in the trees. 

Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, 1/250, f/13. Sept 15, 2023, 10:00 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

Bridgeland Walk, September 12, 2023

On Tuesday I walked along the Bridgeland Hill, where the old General Hospital used to be and above Memorial Drive on Meredith Road NE.  There was a pretty view across from downtown, just in front of Saint Vladimir's Uranian Orthodox Sobor.  From this view you get a real appreciation of how the downtown has vertically shot past the Calgary Tower. Although taking pictures with both a camera and my phone, for this view the phone captured the best shot.

iPhone 14, 6mm, ISO 50, 1/3831, f/1.5. Sept 12, 2023, 10:40 am.

For fun I stood behind the arches that are in front of Saint Vladimir's and took a picture towards downtown.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 14mm, ISO 250, 1/2000, f/4. Sept 12, 2023, 10:50 am.

The Saddledome is still part of the Calgary Skyline; I wonder for how much longer.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 60mm, ISO 250, 1/1250, f/5.5. Sept 12, 2023, 10:20 am.

At right angles from the Saddledome picture is a view of the Centre Street Bridge and the river. Calgary does have a pretty downtown.

Olympus M5ii, 14-150mm, 34mm, ISO 250, 1/500, f/8. Sept 12, 2023, 10:45 am.

All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2023.

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.