I drove home at dusk.  A Canada Goose crossed the road.  Closer to home a white tail deer crossed the road.  The animals just kept getting bigger.  A young moose was running down the middle of the road.  It wouldn't move off.  As I got closer, it glanced back and kept running.  I slowed to grab my camera.  When I pulled over, the moose stopped and glanced back at me.  I thought it would stay in place long enough for me to drive ahead.  Not a chance.  It continued down the center of the road for another hundred meters before bolting into the ditch where it stopped and looked at me.  Last night a porcupine wandered across the road in front of me.  As the day turns to night, the animals come out of hiding.



 

I stood on the deck when I got home from work.  The cool night air and the sounds of the evening were calming.  The birds were calling from the lake.  A cow mooed in the farm field.  Coyotes howled in the forest.  The smell of a wood fire hung in the night air.  A low fog was beginning to settle over the tree tops.  I love the calm, the sounds, the smells and the cool air of the evening.

I passed my favorite waterfowl pond this evening.  There are many species of birds that have taken up residence in that water.  This has resulted in a choir of calls and a flurry of colored feathers.

Canada geese, mallard ducks, ring-necked ducks, green winged teals, and blue winged teals are just a few of the beauties that have made that pond their home for the summer.  It won't be long before the young ones hatch and venture out on their first swims.  When that happens, my binoculars will be ready. 

 

 

There was more snow on the deck this morning.  As the wind gusted, branches flew back and forth and the vent on my range exhaust fan flapped open and closed, creating unwanted noise in my kitchen.

I had planned to go for a short hike today but the weather was not cooperating.  I did drive to Elk

Island to see what was happening there.  On the way, just a short distance from home, a moose was enjoying a drink from a slough just inside the park fence.  I slowed to a stop.  It looked up and then continued quenching its thirst.

The wind created waves on the larger ponds within the park, keeping the waterfowl hidden amidst the reeds.  It was only on the small, sheltered sloughs that numerous species of ducks could be seen.  I did remember to take the binoculars with me today.  I saw at least 8 different species.

A backhoe was working at the edge of the beaver pond at Astotin Lake.  It was taking apart the dam that the beavers were working on.  If the dam hadn't been broken up, the water would soon have been flooding over the road.  It won't be too long before the beginnings of another dam will appear.

When I got home, I had the intention of splitting the stack of wood that has been sitting against my garage.  The wind was howling even more so I opted for a good book and a cozy blanket on the couch.

The two deer visiting this evening decided that the green grass was tastier than the grain in their tub.  I thought that I may not need the lawnmower this summer.  If they keep trimming the grass, I won't have to mow and they will fertilize the lawn at the same time.

The male of the pair appears pretty beat up.  It looked like he had been in a few good scraps.  Patches of hair are missing and he's got some visible scars.  He was the closest to the house.  As he made his way along the edge of the lawn, he noticed his reflection in a garden gazing ball.  His reaction was pretty funny to watch.  He circled around the ball as he continued to watch himself in it.

The bird feeders are always empty in the morning which tells me that the group of 5 deer are still visiting overnight.  The 2 deer that come during the daylight hours do not feed on the sunflower seeds.

A flock of red winged blackbirds visited the backyard today.  They fed at the grain tub and at the sunflower seed feeders.  It was quite the sight to watch as they tried landing on the narrow ledges of the feeders.

The chickadees and the pileated woodpeckers have been calling from the trees behind my yard but they have not visited for awhile.  I'm certain that many are caring for eggs in nests.  Warmer weather would sure make things easier for them.

There is a provincial recreation area a short 3.5kms from my home.  On my many visits over the years, I often thought about how under-utilized it is.  There were many times that I was the sole hiker on the trail.

The park offers opportunities for hiking, biking, bird and animal watching, picnicking and more.  I visited the Waskahegan Staging Area today for a short hike.  The Neon Lake / Lost Lake loop is a short 3.8kms but just the right length for a quick, peaceful nature outing.

The sky was blue and the trees were still.  The lake surface was as smooth as glass.  I heard chickadees, crows, cranes, geese and robins throughout the forest and overhead.

The last time I was at the park, we were trying out new x-country skis in the set tracks.  Today, all the snow was melted and there were only a couple of wet areas on the trail itself.  The creeks are flowing and the water level is higher than usual in Neon lake.

I met up with two people walking their dogs and a young couple with a baby in a carrier.  It was nice to see more than me enjoying the spring weather today.

 

 

A spontaneous trip to Elk Island National Park turned into quite the amazing outing.  We got to the park at the peak time for animal sightings before the sun went down.  The first close up encounter happened at a beaver pond.  As we slowed to see if the beavers were swimming, one came out of the water and put on a show for us alongside the highway.  I would have been happy with that but there was more to come.

We continued the drive to Astotin Lake.  Again, we slowed and scanned the water for ripples giving us a sign that the beavers were swimming.  At the edge of the pond, we spied one out of the water.  It was chewing on a tree.  We watched until the tree fell.  That poor beaver worked so hard to chew the tree down but it fell upright off the stump rather than falling to the ground.  The beaver grabbed at it and looked as if it might try pushing it over or chewing it some more.  It soon gave up, wandered to within 4 feet of me and dived into the water.  Fantastic close encounter!

After leaving the lake, we tried one more beaver pond on the way to the Amisk Wuche trail.  Here we saw 2 more beavers working feverishly on the banks.  They were gathering paws full of mud for some construction that they were doing on the shore.  It looked like a new lodge was being constructed.  What great fun to watch.

If that wasn't enough, 2 moose crossed the highway.  They ended up in a slough.  We drove up slowly so as not scare them.  They allowed us to watch as they took a long drink.  They did not mind us observing but a car coming from the opposite direction made them run into the trees when the driver slammed on the brakes after he realized what we were looking at.

This day was just as exciting as the 6 bear day that we had in Nordegg last June.  I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.  I went from practically falling asleep in my coffee cup after work to wide awake from excitement.  Taking all those photos tonight made me as excited as a little kid at Christmas.

I witnessed the funniest thing yesterday morning.  The neighbor's cat is a regular visitor in my yard through the summer.  He stays on my deck for days on end.  I was almost ready to leave for work and noticed that 'The Skinny' was sitting on my deck rail.  The funny part was the fact that the cat was sleeping, sitting up on my deck rail.  I watched for 5 minutes while he dozed.  He would start falling over, catch himself and sit up straight again.  It was rather amusing.

I have not been out to the trails for a few days.  Work has been keeping me busy but the animals must know that.  When I can't go to them, they seem to come to me.

On the way to work this morning I passed by the pond that until recently was covered in ice.  The waterfowl have found it since the surface opened up.  There were many kinds of ducks and geese swimming there this morning.  The surface was as smooth as glass.  The birds appeared to be thoroughly enjoying an early swim.

Further along the way, a young moose was nibbling on young willow branches.  I slowed to watch for a couple of minutes.  It did not mind me stopping to gawk at it.  A young deer was grazing in an open field.  It too glanced up as I slowed but it did not run away.  Numerous hawks were perched along the fence lines, waiting for movement in the tall grass.  It seemed that all of nature's creatures knew that I love watching them carry on with their daily activities.

I got home early enough today to see my backyard buddies.  The two mule deer have been coming faithfully between 7pm and 8pm.  They are quite the couple.  The female has a beautiful, shiny coat.  The male looks like he's been beaten up.  His coat is not sleek and shiny.  It looks battered.

Just as it began getting dark, snowflakes began to fall.  My yard has just dried up from the last snowfall.  I'm just beginning to get used to not having the snow on the ground.

The +21C temperature yesterday melted the remaining ice and snow on a local pond.  Every morning I would see the geese and ducks standing atop the surface.  There was very little open water for them until today.  I drove by on the way home and the entire pond is open water and the waterfowl are happy.

That watering hole is a favorite spot for many species of ducks, geese, terns, gulls, etc.  On a calm summer night, the calls coming from there sound like Mother Nature's choir.  Now that the water is open, I'll be sure to stake that pond out on my next day off.  I've printed off a list of Alberta birds and want to see how many different species I can see on one visit.

There are a number of decaying snags along the Amisk Wuche Trail but one of them held more than bugs.  I caught a glimpse of something shiny which made me wander over to investigate.  An empty beer bottle was tucked in the cavity hollowed out by the woodpeckers.  Those pileateds sure know how to party.

The Canada Geese were active when I staked out the beaver pond yesterday.  They didn't mind sharing the pond with the ducks but they sure did mind my presence there.  One of them kept a close eye on me the entire time that I watched the beavers collect material for their dam. 

Tonight there was action in the pond at the SWC.  The beavers were busy clogging up that culvert.  They dived under water for mud and climbed amidst the reeds for stalks to build their dam.  I could hear them chewing branches that they gathered.

The red-winged blackbirds were calling.  The tree swallows swooped in and out of the birdhouses that are mounted on the fence posts. 

It was a great evening for a walk on the wildside.  


 

I just got back from two glorious hours at Elk Island.  The first was spent hiking the Amisk Wuche Trail.  A symphony of sound was lead by the boreal chorus frogs.  Their songs were music to my ears even though they were deafening. 

The second hour was spent at Astotin Lake; staking out the beaver pond.  I found a spot where I thought there would be some action.  I hunkered down and waited.  It didn't take long for the first one to show up.  It circled round a number of times, checking to see if I was friend or foe.  There were no tail slaps so I guess I passed the test.

While I watched the busy beaver, flocks of cranes flew overhead.  About 30 minutes into my stake out, a second beaver joined the first.  They worked together; bringing branches and mud to a culvert that they were plugging up.

On the drive out of the park, one tick-ridden moose crossed the road.  Bison in small herds, grazed alongside the highway.  They drank from the puddles in the ditches.  A couple of hares nibbled on the new grass growing on the edge of the forest.

What a great way to spend the evening!

 

I really needed an outdoor day.  It's been awhile since I've been on the trails.  The weather was perfect.  The sun shone between little rain showers.  There was just enough rain to make things smell fresh.  

I managed to visit Elk Island and the Strathcona Wilderness Center.  I have to say that both were not for fitness.  They were definitely for mental health; just me, my camera and nature.  The day was perfect.

I started at Elk Island on the Amisk Wuche Trail.  There was still ice on the beaver pond with only a few small areas of open water.  As I crossed the boardwalk, I heard ducks, geese and frogs.  When I reached the other side, I felt like I was being watched.  As I looked around to

find what was giving me that feeling, I noticed a large beaver.  It's color blended in with the brown grasses.  It stood very still, keeping an eye on me.

Almost all the snow is gone from the trail.  There were only a few shady spots that had icy patches.  The low spots had standing water that was home to many swimming bugs.  Butterflies flitted across sunny spots.

I stopped at my favorite area on the trail.  I could smell the damp earth, the wet leaves and the spruce needles.  Water trickled down a bank.  It's soothing sound was music to my ears.

My second outing took place at the SWC.  The beaver pond was ice-free.  It is full of water and home to a pair of Canada Geese.

I could hear the frogs, gulls and ducks.  I could hear the tall grasses rustling in the breeze.  The trees swayed to and fro.  I could see their reflection in the many large puddles on the trail.

I savored every minute of my time outside today.  I could hear, see and feel the earth waking up after a long winter.