Park Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Sean Phillips Photography

White Feather on a Sandy Beach

I found this feather standing upright on the beach while I was in Kelowna a couple of weeks ago. I had been trying to make some nice images of the sandy beach at Waterfront Park in downtown Kelowna, but the light wasn’t cooperating and I really wasn’t all that inspired. When I saw this feather I thought it had some potential and so I switched to my macro lens. I laid right down on the beach beside it to get some closeup images from an interesting angle.

At the time I was out for an early morning walk with my Dad, but he was further off down the beach and nowhere in sight. When I was finished with the feather I stood up and saw him walking towards me. From the look on his face I think he thought I was crazy!

Bohemian Waxwing at Carburn Park

While technically year-round residents of the Calgary area, Bohemian Waxwings aren’t very common in the city and are typically only seen during the spring migration. This is the first one I’ve ever seen here, and it posed nicely for me until a surly Robin landed nearby and flushed it away.

Black-capped Chickadees at Weaselhead

We went for a walk at Weaselhead Provincial Park today and found several groups of very friendly Chickadees. These inquisitive birds are always curious and quick to make an appearance when walkers pass by. They are used to getting handouts from park visitors and as a result they are easily enticed to land on an outstretched hand. One of them even briefly landed on my camera before it realized there was no food there…

Signs of Spring

Although it has been very cold in the mornings, the last few days have warmed up very nicely in the afternoons and it has felt very much like spring is here.

I went for a walk at Carburn Park this evening and saw many signs that spring is on its way. There were squirrels chittering and chattering away in the trees. They were chasing each other all over the place. Squirrels don’t actually migrate or hibernate in the winter, but we definitely don’t see them very often either. When they come out to play it’s a pretty good sign that spring is here.

While walking I saw a lot more people in the park than I’ve seen lately. It was a beautiful evening and there were plenty of people out walking, running, and even just sitting while enjoying it. There were also many more birds than I’ve seen in a long time. There were plenty of chickadees, magpies, sparrows, and huge squadrons of Canada Geese flying high overhead. Although I didn’t see it I’m pretty sure I even heard a blackbird singing. I did see one American Robin which I haven’t seen at Carburn Park in months. Robins are occasionally known to spend the winter in the Calgary area, but they are very rare, and when they return it is usually a very good sign that spring is coming soon.

Overall it was a beautiful night to go for a walk in the park!