The gusting wind kept me inside this morning. I had plans to work in the yard but instead I watched through the window as branches snapped off the willow next door and my firewood holder blew over on the deck.

It let up a little by mid afternoon so I drove to Elk Island National Park. Not far from home, a young moose was feeding on pond plants.

The bison were active today. A small herd was grazing in the Bison Loop. I noticed that one of the big boys had a collar on. I've never seen that before.

There was a pair of bison along the parkway. Neither paid attention to the park visitors that stopped to watch them.

I noticed that the ice on the shallow ponds has melted. The geese and ducks were enjoying the open water. The deeper ponds are still covered in ice but it is beginning to break up along the edges.

On the drive home, a large bull elk was grazing along the park fence. He was a beauty with a huge rack of antlers.

There was only a light breeze by the time I got to the Strathcona Wilderness Centre so I dug out the pedometer and hiked one of the loops.

I glanced at the trail and decided to wear runners instead of boots. Big mistake. The trail head was deceiving. Further in there were numerous patches of snow; especially on the north side of the hills. Trying to get to the top of them was challenging. I took one step forward and slid three steps back. At the bottom of the hills, huge puddles of water stood. 

The trees creaked in the wind. The chickadees flitted from branch to branch. A flock of waxwings sang from a tree top. Pairs of geese flew overhead. Their honking echoed through the forest.

I detoured off the main trail to the spruce bog. It is my favorite spot to sit and listen to the forest sounds. The sap from the towering black spruce provided some aromatherapy while I listened to the wind and the birds.

On the way back to the trail head, I hiked by the beaver pond. There is still a lot of ice on it. The water level is only half of what it should be. 

My shoes were pretty soggy by the time I finished the hike. There was a squish each time I took a step. Rain clouds were getting close and the drops began falling by the time I got home.

I had to stay on the deck for a few minutes because there is nothing like the fresh smell of a spring rain.

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The timing cannot be more perfect. I have some time off soon and the weather forecast is looking fantastic.

Yesterday's sunshine melted all the fresh snow in the yard, leaving the packed down icy patches. The garden beds are bare again and the perennials are reaching for the warm rays.

The lettuce that began growing in January is still crisp and green but only an inch tall; not quite enough for a salad. The strawberry patch is greening up. Let's hope the deer don't notice this. The perennials are poking through the old growth.

I'm ready for some color in the yard. The deer have helped to ready the yard. They apply the only fertilizer that the plants and lawn get. Note to self; don't walk with cleats on in the backyard.

Yesterday, the first robin of the season sang its spring song and a flock of cranes flew overhead. Spring is in the air and I'm going to enjoy every minute of the warm temperatures forecasted while I'm off; rain or shine.

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Well, there was not as much snow as was anticipated but enough to provide some much needed moisture. Most is gone now from the yard but the trails at Elk Island still had a lot on Friday.

The morning began with a grey, gloomy sky. Big, fluffy snowflakes fell lazily to the ground. Their life was short lived. The clouds parted and the sun came out around noon. 

We traveled to Elk Island National Park for some outdoor time. There was about an inch of sticky new snow on the trails. It was tricky to stay upright because the snow covered the icy patches on the trail.

It was a beautiful day. Some of the parking lots were filled with cars yet the trail we chose was not being used by anyone but us.

This morning the sun is shining. There is not a cloud in the sky. The first robin of the season was singing from a treetop. The chickadees joined in from the forest. What a great spring morning! Happy Easter!

Here it comes! There is a bright, red band across the EC website that reads 'Heavy Snowfall Warning'; expect 10-15cms. That will give us some much needed moisture and a little taste of winter driving again.
I was curious to see what this date was like in years past so I went through the archive of photos that I have collected. A heavy snow has fallen at this time of year for the past few years.

On March 21, 2013 the snow created icy conditions on the Yellowhead Highway, west of the Elk Island Park gate. Semi-trucks littered the ditch. When all was said and done on March 20, 2015 there was more than 15cms on my deck.

The roots of my strawberry plants will be doing a little happy dance with the addition of this moisture. They are greening up nicely in their bed.

The perennials that are growing along the south side of my house will welcome the snow. I've had to water them but there is nothing like the natural moisture of rain or snow.

I hope it doesn't melt off too quickly. The hares in the area are still white. Easter is this coming weekend and the Easter Bunny needs some camouflage.

Happy spring! I wait anxiously each year for the ice on the pond surfaces to break up. One of my favorite activities on a spring/summer evening is to do a stake out at the beaver ponds. I love watching these creatures go about their evening routine of searching for food, grooming and swimming gracefully back and forth.

When I was on the trails the past couple of days, I noticed that the pond creatures could be in trouble unless there is a good amount of spring moisture.

Usually the snow melt fills the ponds but this year there wasn't much snow and the ponds are looking pretty sad; more like bogs than ponds. Where does that leave the beavers, muskrats, waterfowl and all the creatures that are not visible?

Both the ponds that I enjoy going to the most still have ice cover but the level of it is down to about one third of what it should be. I sure hope that spring will bring some good rain or my favorite pond creatures could be in trouble.

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Sometimes I am just in the right place at the right time. This morning I was in the right place to get up close and personal with a lone coyote.

We scared each other. I was headed toward the boardwalk on the Amisk Wuche trail, looking at the beaver lodge on the east side of it. The coyote was in the cat tails on the west side of the boardwalk. As soon as it heard my feet on the boards, it began to howl. It took me a couple of seconds to actually figure out where it was.

It was investigating the muskrat 'push ups', in search of food. The coyote was afraid, yet it wasn't afraid. Curious might be the word. It watched from a distance, came closer then ran away; always watching me.

When it was close, I could see that it was injured. It ran on three legs. It also had a bad case of mange. Looks like the moose are not the only ones infested with ticks at this time of year.

What a great experience to actually see and hear that howling coyote. When it saw me pass over the boardwalk and head into the trees, it went the opposite direction to the next muskrat 'push up'.

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The early bird gets the worm. Well, in this case, the early bird (me) got to see the morning sparkle left from a frosty night and all the wildlife that was eating, hunting, grazing or sunning themselves.

I left home at 9am, really 8am if I go by real time rather than daylight savings time. Elk Island National Park was my destination.

The drive there was sparkly. The humid, chilly overnight temperatures left frost on the bare tree branches and tall grasses. As the morning sun shone through the trees, the light reflected off the frost, creating a million 'twinkle lights' that I got to enjoy.

After turning off the highway into the park, at the Bison Loop, a few bison were out grazing. Their thick coats were covered in frost. As they ate, their steamy breath enveloped their heads.

Not much further up the parkway, I had to hit the brakes. As I drive through the park I am always scanning treetops to see if there are any owls perched in the upper branches. Well, no owls today but I did see a juvenile bald eagle. Talk about excited when I spied this beauty.

It was quite a distance away but the white head and tail was distinguishable. I had my binoculars along so I watched for about 10 minutes as it sat in the upper branches, sunning and grooming itself. What a great find!

I walked the Amisk Wuche trail, 4960 steps on my new pedometer. There was an inch of fresh snow that covered the icy patches. I was glad that I put the cleats on my boots and that I took a hiking pole with me.

There were lots of animal tracks. They were out and about even earlier than me. The birds provided some background 'music'. I noticed more bird calls today than I have heard through the winter, making me think that some of smaller migratory birds might be back already. Pairs of Canada Geese flew overhead. Their honking echoed through the treetops.

On the drive home, a lazy coyote crossed the road in front of me. It cast a quick glance in my direction before it entered the forest.

There is much to be said for the early morning visits to the park. It is serene and a good time for wildlife sightings. This morning had the added bonus of being frosty. It was a great outing all around.

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I love hearing the lonely howl of a coyote; especially under a star-filled, night sky. Coyotes are a common sight in the open pastures. I see them almost as often as I see the local moose.

On the drive to work yesterday I saw a coyote move from one pasture to the other, crossing the range road in front of me. Its thick coat blended in with the coloring of the tall grass along the fence line.

As I stopped to watch, it glanced up at me but got distracted. I could tell there was a tasty morsel in the grass because the coyote cocked its head and pounced. It came out with a mouthful. Breakfast was served.

I was lucky to observe a coyote in action up close. A couple of years ago a lone coyote would hunt in the tall grass alongside the parkway that runs through Elk Island Park. It would move through the ditch, stop, listen, pounce and eat. What a great experience it was to watch it up close in action.

There are so many opportunities to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. I often wonder why people do not take advantage of them more often.

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The neighborhood greeters were out this morning; welcoming travelers along the way. A willow stand at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre is a popular spot lately for a couple of moose.

I've seen them 3 times within the past week. When I stop, they look up for a second or two and then continue their feeding. I'm sure they know me.

Mama appears healthy but the youngster appears to have a bad case of ticks. The poor guy is missing hair and appears underweight but is still eating.

I had some unexpected visitors yesterday as the sun was going down. I stepped outside and heard their song but didn't know where it was coming from. That feathered choir is not heard here very often.
After searching the backyard tree tops, I looked over top the house and found them on the high branches of a tree in the neighbor's front yard.

It was difficult to tell which species of waxwing it was but the sun's rays lit them enough for me to see their telltale crest. They flew in and out of the tree until a noisy truck came by and scared them off.

It wasn't until I loaded my photos onto the laptop and cropped them that I was able to tell that they were Bohemian Waxwings! This was a first for me. Waxwings have visited the mountain ash tree across the road but they were the Cedar species. When my photos were cropped I could see the wing patches and the cinnamon colored undertails.

They were in the tree top for about 10 minutes before being scared away. What a treat to see these 'royal' looking birds. 

I've planted some berry producing trees/shrubs in the backyard with the hope of attracting more birds like the waxwings. It will be a couple of years before they are mature enough to begin producing berries but when they do, I'm hoping that the waxwings will stick around for more than 10 minutes.

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