This week I've spent a lot of time in a favorite spot. Those who know me personally know that I am a winter person. I love snow and cold temperatures so when the thermometer reaches +28C, you will not find me in the garden or on the trails. You will find me in the basement or on the deck in the shade under the canopy. This week's spot of choice was the deck.

I got a lot of reading done while waiting for the temperature to cool in the evening; three novels in five days. Not bad. When I wasn't reading I was watching the action that was happening in the yard. 

I don't like the heat. I find it exhausting but the pollinators loved it. Many of the native plants that are growing in the yard are blooming and the bees and butterflies are enjoying them. I've seen four different types of butterflies flitting from flower to flower.

The young chickadees have fledged and they provided me with a lot of entertainment. They would take off from my neighbor's willow tree and try to land at the tray feeder where the sunflower seeds were. Some of them caught on quickly but some of them had a difficult time coordinating the wing flapping and stopping. They would come swooping under the canopy and out again. One just about hit the wall at the back of my house. Practice makes perfect though and after a couple of days they flew just like the adult birds.

The icing on the cake this week was the result of a stake out at the hummingbird feeder. The temperature today was one that I could tolerate so I parked my chair about six feet away from the feeder. I managed to photograph a male and a female ruby throated hummingbird as they fed on the sugar water. What fun to watch them up close. 

I got great enjoyment out of watching the action in my yard. Have the pollinators been busy in your yard? What about the bird feeder? Who's been visiting it?

Bees in the poppies

Butterfly on the ninebark blossoms

Male ruby throated hummingbird

Female ruby throated hummingbird

Gusting winds, downed trees, blown away gazebos, rain, sunshine, and swarms of mosquitoes are just a few of the things that happened within the past week. Incredible. 

It is not often that we get wind gusts as bad as those experienced this week. One big gust lifted my deck shelter right off the deck and deposited it into my garden with only a minor bend in a pipe. Again, incredible.

The shelter is now back in place. The broken branches from the willow tree next door are now cleaned up and the yard once again looks as it should.

The wind also destroyed a tarp shed at my dad's farm. We went to dismantle it on Wednesday and were almost complete when a dust devil came down and swirled the tarp into the air. As it moved along, it got caught up in the power lines and wrapped itself around the pole and transformer. That was a funny sight! We had to call the power company to come by and turn off the power so the tarp could be removed.

There hasn't been much time this week for forest excursions. The one time that I did venture out, mosquitoes swarmed up from the grass as I walked. I didn't dare breathe in or open my mouth for fear of swallowing a few.

I did make a quick trip to By the Lake Park in Wetaskiwin. My dad and one granddaughter accompanied me. Dad likes watching the birds and the fishermen. He got to see both.

My granddaughter mentioned that she had never seen a live pelican. She got to see some in action. A fellow caught a fish and as it surfaced, one of the pelicans flew over and dove into the water with the hope of capturing the fish that was on the hook. The fisherman was able to get the fish onto shore before there was a fight over it. What fun this was to watch.

In addition to the birds, my granddaughter spied a garter snake in a shrub bed. Not long after she saw one, a boy about the same age came running with a snake in hand. 

We packed a picnic lunch and were enjoying it at a table. The family at the table next to us left their snacks unsupervised on their table; much to the delight of the seagulls. They helped themselves to nachos and salsa until the family noticed that their snacks were not safe on the table.

It was a great outing that was enjoyed by all. Here's hoping that this week brings more opportunities for outdoor time and that the gusting winds have gusted themselves out.

This was an amazing week even though I had bugs for breakfast. The mornings have been the perfect temperature for me to hike the trails. Rain fell on a couple of evenings. Water droplets formed on the leaves and dripped from the branches in the morning; making for a fantastic way to begin the day. 

The sights were great and so were the smells. Damp earth, fresh rain and an abundance of wildflowers in bloom made for an aroma paradise. There are honeysuckle, lungwort, violets, wild roses, blue eyed grass, wild strawberries and so many more flowers on the trail and in the woods. 
 

The swans have been putting on quite the show. They were not going to have anything to do with having Canada geese swim in the same pond so there have been a few scuffles and the swans always won. Last year at this time, the cygnets were already hatched. There is no sign of babies this year.

The dragonflies have been out in full force. That is a good thing because there are even more mosquitoes. The grass on the trail got mowed but earlier in the week, it was still tall and made for some great hiding spots for the little blood suckers. As I walked, they would swarm up toward my face. I couldn't breathe through my nose due to my allergies and breathing through my mouth in the middle of a swarm of mosquitoes made for some added protein. I think I swallowed about four of them this week. I'd rather have eggs for breakfast. I had to dig out the netting and put it over my cap to keep them at bay.

The best wildlife watching day happened at home. It began with a skunk in my backyard; looking for food. The tiger swallowtail butterflies were feeding on the lilacs. The American goldfinches were finally using the bird bath. A male ruby throated hummingbird visited the red coral bells in my flower bed. It flitted from flower to flower. The final sighting of the day was a white tailed deer that jumped the fence in my neighbors yard. The barbed wire fence behind my yard has been fixed so they are no longer able to squeeze underneath. What a great day for nature watching!

One does not have to go far to watch nature in action. A backyard or a local park can provide a nearby locale to view neighborhood wildlife, birds or insects. What have you seen near your home?

It was a great week for wildlife watching. I didn't have to travel very far for some of it. My backyard provided some of those opportunities.

The beginning of the week was still sunny and hot. The ruby throated hummingbirds were busy at the feeder. I was determined to capture some photos so I set up a stake out from my deck. It took awhile but the wait paid off and I managed a few good shots of one of the females. 

I love those little birds. They flit and fly from feeder to tree branch in the blink of an eye. They rest for a bit and twitter to each other and soon they are back in flight again.

A very welcomed rain happened mid-week. It wasn't only me rejoicing in it. Walking in the rain is one of my favorite things to do. The smell is so fresh and the sound of the drops on the leaves is peaceful. The waterfowl and the bison enjoyed it as well.

The swans, geese, and a variety of ducks were out on the ponds. Raindrops fell all around, creating little circles on the water surfaces. The American goldfinches and the yellow warblers sang from the tree branches. I caught sight of a soggy looking snowshoe hare in the middle of the trail. As I approached it bounded back into the shrubs.

I drove to Elk Island National Park to check out what was happening at the Living Waters Boardwalk. As I made my way to Astotin Lake I passed by numerous bison resting in the ditches. They didn't seem to mind the rain falling on their shaggy coats.

The rain made everything fresh and green. It washed down the pollen and flattened the poplar and willow fuzz. The leaves appeared to grow twice in size overnight. There's nothing like rain water to make that happen.
 
The mosquitoes have been out in full force. I'm thinking of putting up a couple of bat houses in my yard to help with that situation.

The forecast is showing some sunny days ahead. I'm thinking that the first camping trip of the season should happen soon.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy the sunshine?

Female ruby throated hummingbird

Trumpeter swans

Bison at Elk Island National Park

American robin