Drip.  Drip.  Drip.  That's what I heard as the snow melted and puddled beneath the fallen logs on the trail.  The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky.  There was not a cloud to be seen.  

I walked the Lakeview Trail.  The path up to the trail head was extremely icy but my cleats did the job.  I'm glad I had my trekking poles with me to assist with maneuvering over the slippery patches.  By the time I got to the actual trail head, the snow was already softening up.

 
It appeared that I was the first one on the trail since the big windstorm.  The spruce needles and branches that lay on the ground were undisturbed except for the areas where the elk had passed.

The sunshine was warm and inviting.  I had to stop and take in the scenery at the bench that overlooked Astotin Lake.  It was quiet and serene.  I made it to the park early so there was nobody out and about yet.  The squirrels provided the only sound in the forest.

 As I wandered through the trees, a grouse walked beneath the branches of a large spruce tree.  It made its way through the underbrush along the lake shore.  I laughed to myself as it fluffed out its feathers to make itself look intimidating.

Not too much further up the trail, a pileated woodpecker flew up from the decaying tree stump that it was working on.  The pile of wood chips at the bottom of the stump indicated that the woodpecker had been there for awhile.

A gentle breeze swayed the tops of the tall trees.  Squirrels jumped from branch to branch and skittered up and down the trunks.  The chickadees were busy gathering seeds.  They seemed to be most prevalent along the trail where the birch trees were abundant.  Their 'cheeseburger' songs filled the air between the squirrel chatter.

What a difference a day of sunshine and cloudless blue sky can make.  I got back to the parking lot and found numerous people walking and a family getting ready to have a winter picnic.  The kids had their sleds out and their parents were chopping wood for a bonfire.  

I took a different route home today with the hope of seeing a snowy owl.  No luck with an owl sighting but I did see a couple of white tail deer making their way through the deep snow along the park boundary.

At home, the birds were busy in the backyard.  They had one bird feeder just about emptied.  I filled it before leaving and was gone only a couple of hours.  Birds, animals and humans alike were out enjoying a beautiful winter day in Alberta!