A White-tailed Jackrabbit track left in the fresh snow. Note that the smaller prints are from the forelegs while the larger ones are from the rear, but the animal was traveling from left to right. The front feet come down first, followed by the hind. Unfortunately we didn’t see any of the animals, but there were little rabbit highways in the snow all over the place in the area we were walking. There must be a lot of rabbits in that area at some times during the day!
I love these birds! They are so incredibly beautiful and I really get excited every time I find one. I’ve been lucky enough to find two this year, and also lucky enough that they both allowed me to make a few portraits!
Snowy Owl’s are considered to be very common on the Prairies east of Calgary, and there are reports of them almost daily during the winter months. But that certainly doesn’t mean that they are easy to find. I’ve actually seen very few in the wild yet I look for them every time I’m out and about on the country roads.
I’ve been dreaming of warmer and sunnier times lately, and so I’ve gone back to work on some old images that I never got around to processing. These are pictures of Western Bluebirds that I found while on a trip with my Dad just outside of Winfield, BC (North of Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley).
These are beautiful little birds that shimmer in the sun. They are very curious and easy to spot, but you have to know where to look… I’ve learned a lot about Bluebirds by searching for Mountain Bluebirds in the foothills South East of Calgary. I was quite surprised to discover that the Western variety are extremely similar in both appearance and habit. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and I’m looking forward to next spring and summer when I’ll get to go on another Bluebird search!
This is actually three images of the same bird superimposed in the same frame. When I saw the three images side by side on my computer I immediately saw this composition in my head and I really like how they work together.
These are among a very few images that I have of Northern Flickers in flight. They are extremely fast fliers and it’s very difficult to capture them and make sharp images when they’re flying! I found this one North of Kelowna near Winfield, BC earlier this year.
Here are a few more images from my trip to Kelowna last spring. The Okanagan Valley is an extremely hot and dry location, and only the most rugged vegetation survives without irrigation. So it was very fun to see these beautiful little yellow flowers poking up and reaching for the spring sun. The following images give a little better view of what the Kelowna area naturally looks like. If you’ve ever been there you’ve probably been amazed by the rustic orchards and vineyards. They are very beautiful, but they wouldn’t exist without a whole lot of irrigation. That doesn’t really mean anything on its own, but I think it helps to put my images below into proper perspective.
