The day began with a cloudy, flurry-filled sky but by the time I was ready to head out the door, the sky cleared and the sun was shining.  It was -21C on the thermometer but the sun was high enough that even though it was chilly outside, there was some melting happening on the deck rails.

The deer had visited again overnight and emptied the bird feeders.  I filled the feeders up for the little chickadees that were hiding out in the spruce trees.  They are becoming very brave.  Some of them will land on the hooks where the feeders hang and wait until I finish with the seeds.  I have not been able to convince them to land on my hand.

On the way through Elk Island National Park, I spotted a young moose amidst a tree stand.  It was munching on some young branches and paid no mind to the vehicles moving along the highway.

A little further up the road, I saw some bison in the distance.  Even though there were bare patches of grass on a hill behind them, they were in the deep snow, digging around for something to eat.

I walked the Amisk Wuche trail.  I wanted to see if the parks staff had dealt with the huge spruce tree that toppled onto the trail.  It was still there.  I had to duck even lower to get beneath it.  It's weight is bending the trees that it landed on.  I'm sure it will be almost to the ground the next time I visit.

The squirrels were out, jumping from tree to tree.  Their chattering echoed through the forest.  A couple of them were so busy eating that they didn't care that I was only three feet away.  They didn't mind having their photo taken!

I came to a spot on the trail where someone had ventured onto the beaver pond with their snowshoes.  I had intended to hike across the pond to get back to the parking lot but something kept telling me to continue on the actual trail.  I'm glad that I listened to that little voice because I would have missed seeing a herd of elk sunning themselves on the edge of the forest. 

I found a route home that takes me along the rural roads.The road runs alongside the north boundary of the park, all the way to the range road that I live on.  I've taken that route a couple of times now and each time, I see something new.

Today, as I passed by a farm with numerous rows of silage, a deer poked it's head out from the end of one row.  The silage tarp was open and the deer was helping itself to a tasty snack.

I got home and found that the chickadees had been very busy while I was gone.  They had one hanging feeder almost empty.  As I got out of my vehicle, a blue jay squawked from a tree top.  The wind was ruffling it's feathers which made it look twice as big as what it actually was.

It is supposed to remain cold for a couple more days but then it should be getting back to seasonal temperatures.  I have some time off in the near future so I've got some planning to do for some outdoor adventures.  Yippee!

What's going on under all that ice and snow?