Blue-bird Sky

It was another beautiful day.  Blue Alberta sky and sunshine; the perfect combination for an outdoor day.  I started off wanting to revisit the SWC but arrived there to find both parking lots full with cars parked along the driveway.  There were people everywhere!  It was nice to see that many people out for some fresh air and exercise but that was a little too busy for my liking.

I left and decided to visit the local elementary school.  There is a snowbank rink beside the school and I had my skates in the truck.  Well, I struck out again.  The snow hadn't been cleared off of it yet so I headed over to the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation area.  The parking lot was just as busy as the SWC!  There were skiers everywhere!  Well, there was only one more place for me to try; Elk Island.

As I was driving into the park, the bison were out foraging for food.




I drove straight through to the Amisk Wuche Trail.  On previous visits, I've been the only one parked at the trail head.  Today, there were four other vehicles.  I was number five. 

 
I was not going to waste a gorgeous day so I put on the snowshoes and grabbed my gear.  I remembered the trekking poles today, just in case I needed them.  The trail was not hard packed so it was a good thing that I had them.  

This trail is only 2.5km long but it is a challenging walk.  There are many hills that you are constantly climbing.  When the snow is deep, it makes for an even better work out.  Before heading into the forest, I stopped at the boardwalk that crosses the beaver pond.  The pond was blanketed with fresh soft snow that was untouched.  I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face as I took in the beautiful scene.


I could see that there were a couple of hikers ahead of me on the trail.  They stopped at the top of a hill and were watching something in the treetops.  I made it to the top and looked up.  The branches of the tall birch in front of us were filled with redpolls.  As we stood there, we could hear the chickadees.  A raven and a pileated woodpecker were calling from the forest to the south.  A blue jay was squawking at us from a spruce tree to the north.  This was the first day that I've heard that many birds in one spot.  Mother Nature's choir was out enjoying the sunshine as well.

I was about three quarters of the way around the loop when I heard another pileated woodpecker.  I stopped to see where the sound was coming from.  As I caught sight of it, a second woodpecker came flying over and landed on a tree on the opposite side of the trail.  They called out to each other as they worked to find insects hiding under the tree bark.  Bark chips were flying left and right as their strong beaks broke pieces off in search of food.

I made it back to the parking lot.  Just as I was about to take off my snowshoes, another pileated woodpecker flew in from the north and landed in the tree directly in front of my truck.  What a great ending to a beautiful blue-bird sky day.