A Perfect Ending

My little evening road trip took me to Elk Island National Park.  I pulled into the Astotin parking lot and found numerous bison grazing there.  They paid no mind to me as I set up my camera gear.

As I waited for the sun to go down, the bison slowly moved closer to the campground.  Two Canada geese stood atop the old Ukrainian thatched roof house.  Their honking echoed across the lake.  I heard the lonely calls of some coyotes in the distance. 

As the sun set, brilliant shades of orange and yellow reflected off the clouds; providing a beautiful backdrop for the tree silhouettes on the island.  

The animals did not disappoint me either.  The day itself was filled with wildlife sightings that began on the way to work this morning.

A young moose was munching on willow branches along the roadside.  I felt sorry for it.  There were big bare patches of skin where the hair was rubbed off.  I could tell that the little guy was suffering from a bad case of ticks.  I saw the same moose on the way home from work; tucked into a cozy indent that it made for itself in the snow.


On the way to the park I saw numerous white tailed deer and bison; both plains and wood bison.  Six elk were grazing together on a hillside.  They glanced up as I stopped to watch them.  In three separate locations I saw moose in willow thickets, grabbing a late evening snack.  A fourth one was feeding along the highway on the way home.  A herd of about 25 elk were gathered along the fence line where most of the snow had melted.  Fantastic!

The fresh air, the colorful sunset and the numerous wildlife sightings made for the perfect ending to the day.  I am so grateful to have such beauty so close to home.