There is a small dugout beside the road that I travel each day. It is home to a pair of Canada Geese. I have watched them since they returned this spring.


Most years they create their nest on the far side of the dugout; in the taller reeds away from the road. This year the nest is in the open on the side closest to the road. 

Yesterday, papa appeared to be guarding the perimeter of the water while mama sat patiently on her nest. When those eggs hatch, I'll have a great view of the goslings as long as the local coyotes keep away.

Watching this webcam has been my connection to nature this week. The cam is directed at a nest of Great Horned Owls. It is live day and night. 

Mama is very attentive. As it gets dark, she leaves the nest to hunt and comes back often with food for the hungry owlets. When she is not hunting she is grooming her babes.

What a great way to learn about these beauties!  Check out this feathered family.

http://www.ellisbirdfarm.ca/live-webcams.html 

Perusing last year's hiking photos continues...

My hiking to-do list did not get completed last summer. I didn't make it all the way to Siffleur Falls. I was on the trail and running out of daylight so turned around without seeing the reward at the end of the trail.

If you have not been there before, the Falls are located about 65km west of Nordegg. The scenery is River. The interpretive signs along the way provide some wonderful information on the Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve.
beautiful. There is a boardwalk that leads you toward the long suspension bridge over the North Saskatchewan

When you get to the other side of the bridge, the trail begins to wind through the forest along a deep gorge. The sight is breathtaking.

There are 3 falls along the trail. I didn't make it to the first but this will definitely stay on the to-do list for this summer.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

The past two days I could only dream of hiking. I've been housebound so welcomed the opportunity to search through old photos when a co-worker asked about favorite camping spots.

My go-to area is David Thompson country west of Nordegg. It is a manageable drive with beautiful landscapes. There is an abundance of wildlife to watch for.

I often start the season with a day trip in early June. It's sole purpose is to see the black bears that come out of the forest to eat the tender new dandelions in the ditch. The most memorable trip was seeing 6 bears on the same day with the crowning moment being a lone black wolf at the edge of the tree line.

In addition to bears, I'm always on the lookout for owls, eagles, loons, herons, ospreys; creatures that I normally don't see day to day near home.

I am fortunate to live in a wilderness area but welcome the change of scenery every now and again. I always welcome the mountain scenes beyond my tent door.

More photos at  https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

The sky was clear. The moon was out. It was a perfect night for an Owl Prowl.

The Strathcona Wilderness Centre (SWC) hosted the annual program. We began in the Information Centre with a short presentation on owls in Alberta and visit by Colonel Slade.

The Colonel is a 14 year old barred owl. Due to an injury to one eye, her depth perception is not what it should be. Rather than flying around the forest, running into trees, she is an assistant educator to Gord Court from Alberta Environment and Parks.

She is definitely a star when it comes to the kids. They were front and center when Gord brought the Colonel into the room. We got to see what makes up an owl up close.

I've seen this presentation 3 times before and never tire of it. When we were done inside, we went outside and walked in the direction of the spruce bog to try and call in some owls. As we moved into the forest, before the calls even began, 2 large great horned owls flew from the treetops on silent wings.
We didn't hear any calls from the area that we were in so we moved to the multi purpose trail, west of the info centre. Gord used recordings of calls but didn't get a reply until he vocalized a call on his own. (This man is amazing when it comes to vocalizing owl calls.) 

The moon and stars shone overhead. The wood frogs sang their forest songs from the ponds. The geese honked overhead. The great horned owl called from a distance. The finishing touch to the evening was a falling star as I looked to the sky. What a perfect evening.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

More info on Alberta owls at http://esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wild-species/birds/owls/default.aspx 

I have found a couple of very active beaver ponds in Elk Island National Park. They are my go-to places as the sun begins to set.

On my last visit, there were 5 large beavers swimming, gathering food and grooming. The food gatherer didn't have much luck with the branch that he/she was after. A tree had been gnawed down but it got caught up in a wire fence. Each time the beaver grabbed for a branch, the tree bounced up and down on the wire. It was quite comical to watch this one try to grab the branch. Imagine all that work gnawing the tree down and then having it get caught up in the fence. 

The groomer came out of the water and proceeded to give itself a good scratch. When I saw how long it's claws were, I was glad it was him and not me.

Most of my time there was spent watching them swim gracefully through the water; sometimes alone and sometimes together. A couple of them looked like they were doing a little water dance. 

Time flew by. When I checked my watch, I realized that almost 2 hours had gone by. It was a great way to spend the evening. That is my kind of reality show.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/timeline

I didn't have to travel far today to find my favorite creature. A young moose was feeding in a willow thicket just a couple kilometers from home.

As I approached, it moved effortlessly from the ditch to the road. When it realized that I meant no harm, it turned around and was going back to the willows until a vehicle came from the opposite direction. The vehicle stopped and watched this beauty just as I had done.

Why is watching the sun set beside water so mesmerizing? A slight breeze rippled the surface of the beaver pond. Each ripple caught the sun's rays and created millions of sparkles across the water. 

The setting sun colored the landscape with warm orange light. Ducks and geese in flight created silhouettes against the sky. A great blue heron landed on top of a beaver lodge.

It was an amazing evening to be out with Mother Nature. The final tally for sightings was 5 moose, 1 elk, numerous bison, too many beavers and muskrats to count, 1 blue heron and waterfowl galore.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

Tonight was calm and warm so I ventured to Elk Island National Park and I found heaven there. Bison, moose, deer, beaver, geese, muskrats and ducks were all out in the open.

My hour and a half at the beaver pond was filled with the sights and sounds of a beautiful spring evening. Muskrats swam across the smooth pond water creating gentle waves. Geese flew overhead, honking and landing with a big splash beside the beaver. The beaver got agitated by the geese and put on a big splashing show of their own. Ducks dipped beneath the water for tender plants.

The bison were out along the parkway; some alone and some in a herd. Two young moose were snacking on young willow twigs. The white tail deer were grazing along the park fence line.

I was going to stay until sundown but didn't. I should have. The sunset was brilliant and when I got home I noticed the Aurora Watch high alert was sent out. That would have been the perfect ending to amazing outdoor evening.

More photos at:   https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

After being 'trapped' inside for 6 days, I took advantage of my day off. I was spending it outside no matter what the weather.

The day began at Elk Island National Park. The waterfowl have paired up. The ducks and geese are now swimming in open water. The snow and ice are gone. The muskats were active; swimming with the waterfowl.

I spent one hour hiking the trail and listening to the sounds of nature. Geese flew overhead, honking as they landed with a splash in the pond. A flock of ducks took to the air. 

The trail was dry for the most part. There were very few wet areas. The pussy willows are 'blooming out' and the leaf buds on the shrubs alongside the trail are forming.

I stopped at home before traveling to the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area. I picked up my kickbike because the maiden voyage was happening today. 

The trails at this park are wetter than those at Elk Island. It is going to take some practice to get the kicking right on this bike but for a first time out, it was a lot of fun. No wipeouts!

When I got home, the sun was shining in a bright blue sky. I took advantage of the beautiful afternoon by pulling out the lawn chair and enjoying my coffee in the backyard. 

I closed my eyes and listened to the neighborhood sounds. The chickadees sang songs to each other. The nuthatch gave me a warning before it landed at the bird feeder. A flock of cranes flew overhead. They were so high that I heard them but did not see them.

What a glorious day to be outside!

More photos at: https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/ 

The warm temperatures of the past week made some good progress on ridding the pond surfaces of their ice blankets. I was feeling sorry for the geese and ducks that came back early. They were treading lightly on the ice, looking like they could use some winter boots.

Many of the small ponds along the parkway at Elk Island National Park have either very little or no water in them at all. Last year there were lodges filled with beaver families in them. I wonder where will they live this year?

The goose nest on top of the beaver lodge located at the turn off to Astotin Lake, has a tenant. Mama sat atop the lodge like a queen on her throne while papa swam round and round the base of the lodge.

On the drive home, I stopped by the Strathcona Wilderness Centre to see if the ice was off the beaver pond alongside the driveway. A pair of geese were swimming there. I watched as they came toward the shore and proceeded up to the hiking trail. It looked like mama will be laying her eggs very soon.

Spring is definitely here. The pussywillows are blooming. The shrubs in the yard are budding. The birds are busy building nests. The lawn is raked. The deer took care of fertilizing it. I'm ready for a good spring rain.

More photos at  https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/

The longer hours of daylight are providing me the opportunity to see the deer in my yard once again. Through the winter they come under the cover of darkness. The trail cam captures their images but I cannot see any detail in the photographs. Last night was different.

The time stamp on the trail cam earlier this week told me that the deer have been showing up around 7:30pm. Yesterday they showed up around 7:45pm. They were skittish and kept looking toward the bush as if someone/thing had been chasing them.

When they began their fall/winter visits last year, there were 5; 2 does and 3 fawns. Over time, a couple more began tagging along. The trail cam photos confirmed that 7 deer came regularly to 'break bread with the birds'; in other words they raided the bird feeders. They love their sunflower seeds.

I managed to snap a few photos yesterday before it got dark and was viewing them when I noticed that the largest doe had suffered a nasty injury. It was healed but she is missing a patch of hair. The rest of them appeared to have survived winter without any lasting scars.

As soon as the overnight temperatures remain above zero and I plant the garden, the infrared motion sensor sprinkler will come out. It works great at keeping the deer away from my vegies during the summer. 

If the pattern continues, next fall they will be back with new fawns in tow that will need to learn that the shrubs in the yard are not on the menu.

I had a dream. The warm rays of the sun shone down on me while the breeze I created made my hair flutter from beneath my helmet. I dreamed of a silent trail with only the sounds of the birds and the monotonous rolling sounds of my kickbike tires.

That was my dream. Now let me tell you what really happened. This morning I left the house at 9:30am to go on the maiden voyage of my new kickbike. 

I thought small, so ventured over to the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation area; thinking that a few laps around the parking lot would be a nice warm up before hitting the Neon Lake trail.

I couldn't believe the number of cars that were there. There was no warm up. There was no trail riding so off to Elk Island National Park. I wanted some solitude; some place where I could practice my 'technique'. Well, more so a place where I wouldn't get laughed at when I wiped out trying to switch feet to kick.
As I drove to the park, I thought about what trail would be best and settled on the Hayburger; small hills and flat terrain. 

Things were looking great; no cars in the parking lot. I pulled the bike out and got myself all set up. I made it about 500 feet into the bush; only to find a very soggy trail and lots of mud. That was not what I needed for a first time out so back to the truck I went. 

I was not going to give up. The paved trail at Astotin Lake was the next destination. Wrong again. It still had ice and snow covering it. I was beginning to think that the maiden voyage was not meant to be. As I came back to the parking lot, I did get a chuckle when I heard this little boy yell, 'Mom, look at that adult scooter!"

One would think that after three attempts I would pack it in and go home. Not this gal. Stubborn is my middle name. I was determined to find a spot to practice that was longer than my driveway. Then it hit me. The local elementary school parking lot. Well, that wasn't meant to be either. The street sweeper was in it. 

Needless to say, I'm still dreaming. The maiden voyage did not happen.  The scenic tour did give me the opportunity to see that most of the ponds are almost clear of all the ice. A variety of waterfowl were splashing and feeding in the open water. I noticed that some of the beaver ponds are in sad shape. There is barely any water in them and no snow left to melt and fill them.

Yesterday was April 1 and the temperature got to 16C. It is noon and it is already 17C today. The forecast is for 22C. My maiden voyage will happen on another day. This afternoon I'll be starting the yard clean up. Nothing like a little backyard bonfire to get one dreaming of camping season.

More photos at  https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/