Outstanding is the word that describes this week. The overnight temperatures dipped to -31C on a couple of nights but recovered nicely during the day. This made for daily outings that totaled 19.21kms this week on snowshoes or skis.

What made the outings even more amazing was the number of wildlife sightings as I wandered through the woods. I did not get a glimpse of the elusive lynx that has been stalking the hares and the squirrels but I did get to see white tail deer, moose, coyotes, and one owl in addition to the usual squirrels and chickadees.

I drove to Elk Island National Park and saw one moose and some bison enroute. I hadn't been to the park for a few weeks. The park staff are working hard to upgrade shower facilities, boardwalks, parking lots, etc. As I pulled into the parking lot at Astotin Lake, I noticed a couple of kite boarders making good use of the wind. 

On the way out of the park, a young coyote was trying to find a way to get to the opposite side of a fence. It was trying to chew the wire. That didn't work so it tried digging under the wire. That didn't work so it stuck its head through one of the openings in the wire. Got to give the coyote credit for persisting but it eventually gave up and lopped back into the trees.

The long range forecast is for warm temps and sunshine. That means the skis and snowshoes will not be collecting any dust next week. What will you do to celebrate the sunshine?

It's been a crazy week of weather. Snow, rain, extreme cold warnings, blowing snow warnings, temps as high as +6C and as low as -31C all in a week. Only in Alberta they say...

I don't think I've ever seen four hours of non-stop rain in February. It sounded and smelled like a summer rain shower. While it was lovely to hear and to smell, it coated the roads in a layer of ice that was thick enough to skate on. Needless to say, trying to drive on that I believe would be like trying to drive on ball bearings. 

When all the warnings got lifted and I finally got to go to the trails, I found the fluffy snow from earlier in the week covered in a layer of thick ice. As I broke trail through the drifts, I also had to break through the ice. Let's just say that there was no sneaking up on any wildlife that day. They would have heard me coming from miles away. I even managed to break trail on the pond surface again. That was a work out to be hold.

I was lucky in the sense that nobody else ventured out to the trails; probably due to road conditions. There was no one to disturb the wildlife so there was a variety of animal tracks to see. Sure, the normal squirrel and hare tracks were everywhere but I found some new ones. They were definitely big cat tracks. From what I could tell, it was keeping an eye on the hares and squirrels. After looking at some photos on line and in books, I think it was probably a juvenile lynx.

The sun was out today and so was I. The wind swayed the tall spruce trees back and forth. The sun's rays cast shadows across the trail between the trunks. The birds sang from the branches above. It was the perfect outing.

With this being a long weekend in Alberta, I hope that you too will have the opportunity for some outdoor time. If you can't make it to one of the parks, just a walk through the neighborhood listening or watching for birds or other wildlife is a good start.

Moose 'bed'

Squirrel made a 'butterfly angel' in the snow.

Deer track

Big cat tracks.  Possibly a lynx.

3 moose ran across the pond and up the hill on the opposite side.

Gusting wind created patterns in the snow.

Rain created some icy driving surfaces.

What a great week for wildlife watching! Moose, coyotes, deer, porcupines and the backyard birds provided my entertainment this week.

The pileated woodpecker announced her arrival in the yard by pecking at the power pole. The hollow sound resonated through neighborhood. She flew down to one of the tray feeders and proceeded to spread the sunflower seeds all over the snow. 

I watched in amazement as she searched for the perfect shells. She was skittish; watching and ready to fly at a moment's notice whenever she detected movement. When she had enough, she flew to a tall poplar behind my yard. I was just about to put the camera away when I noticed a second pileated woodpecker with her on the same tree!

It must have been the week for doubles. I saw two moose in the woods along the roadside and two coyotes crossing the road in front of me when I was driving to a snowshoe trail. 

The driveway and parking lot to my favorite trail were still not plowed so I made my way to the Strathcona Wilderness Centre to check out the snowshoe trail there. There were a couple of visiting school groups. The kids were on snowshoes and having a great time; lots of rosy cheeks. I wanted to avoid the group so I hiked the trail in reverse. That turned out to be a great decision.

The snow on Bennett Lake was fluffy and deep; perfect for the snowshoes. It wound in and out of the willow thickets. Moose tracks crisscrossed in front of me. As I got close to where the trail took me into the trees, I noticed not one but two porcupines in the trees.

It amazed me that they were active in daylight. The opportunity allowed me to observe them feeding on the young birch branches. They carefully nibbled the bark away; stripping the twigs of their covering. I marveled at how the porcupines can perch on the small branches and not have the twig bend. What a treat to be able to watch these two in action!

I missed going to my usual snowshoe trail where it is quiet and peaceful. The only sound I hear there is the crunch of snow underfoot. I tried getting there and made it onto the driveway earlier in the week but drove in and straight out. I was afraid to park for fear of getting stuck as it still had not been plowed out. 

I attempted to get something done about getting a snowplow in there. Success! I received an email last night that informed me that the lot should be plowed out for today. There's a severe cold warning right now but as soon as the wind dies down, I'll be sure to check out my favorite trail again.

Wow! I think the snowfall that we expect for an entire winter has fallen within the past week and a half; 10+ inches last week and another 8 inches this week.

I was first on the Beaver Hills Biodiversity trail after the big snow last week. Breaking trail in 10 inches of fluffy snow took some time because of the depth of the snow but also because I stopped often to take in the beauty of the woods. What usually takes me 45 minutes, took double that time.

The tree branches were laden with snowflakes. Tree stumps were wearing 'snow caps'. It was a winter wonderland like no other. 

On my travels around the loop, I came across a moose foraging in the underbrush. It looked up as I trudged by. Deer and coyote tracks crisscrossed the trail. When I got to three quarters of the way around, I saw two more moose; both at the edge of a pond in the willows.

Woodpeckers visiting the rotten snags, tapped out a song that echoed through the trees. Chickadees sang their 'cheeseburger' songs as they flitted from branch to branch in search of seeds.

The woods were so beautiful after the snow that I didn't want to go home so I traveled to the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation area to see if the ski trails had been set. 

The trail conditions were amazing. There was lots of deep snow for snowshoeing and set tracks for the skiers. 

The sun is out this morning and the sky is blue. There is a lot of new snow from the past couple of days. I think I'll treat myself to an outing this afternoon in the 'freshies'!