The Flickr Anneelliott Image Generatr

Another five photos from 20 May 2025, when my daughter and I spent a long day out together, driving the backroads SW and SE of Calgary. As we do each year, this was a joint Mother's Day/birthday (mine) outing.

Our day started at 9:00 am and we drove 432 km. A spectacular rain storm caught us in the afternoon, which was an interesting experience. Somehow, our route kept us driving towards the blackest part of the storm.

We headed straight down south, first on the highway to save time and then along the gravel back roads that led us along the edge of a Coulee. From there, we headed eastwards, crossing over the north-south highway and as far as Clear Lake, before heading for home.

A reasonable number of birds were seen, including a domestic Helmeted guineafowl / Numida meleagris that was walking in the grasses near the road. I don't remember ever seeing one of these out walking, just the ones in an enclosure at the Saskatoon Farm. Quite a surprise.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was when my daughter spotted a very distant American Badger. I managed to get one very poor shot before it disappeared underground, and stayed there. My daughter had never seen a Badger before.

A few old barns and rusty old vehicles added to the enjoyment of the day. Also, we found a few Prickly Pear Cacti, not yet in flower, but there were a few buds. My favourite kind of day.

Then, on Saturday 24 May 2025, I took part in the May Species Count, one of my absolute favourite days of the year. Three of us drove SW of the city, to our usual area. Though we ended up with a few less total species than last year, we had a great day. How lucky I am to go with two such excellent birders! I haven't yet chosen and edited any photos from the Count, but hopefully will be able to do so soon.

Another five photos from 20 May 2025, when my daughter and I spent a long day out together, driving the backroads SW and SE of Calgary. As we do each year, this was a joint Mother's Day/birthday (mine) outing.

Our day started at 9:00 am and we drove 432 km. A spectacular rain storm caught us in the afternoon, which was an interesting experience. Somehow, our route kept us driving towards the blackest part of the storm.

We headed straight down south, first on the highway to save time and then along the gravel back roads that led us along the edge of a Coulee. From there, we headed eastwards, crossing over the north-south highway and as far as Clear Lake, before heading for home.

A reasonable number of birds were seen, including a domestic Helmeted guineafowl / Numida meleagris that was walking in the grasses near the road. I don't remember ever seeing one of these out walking, just the ones in an enclosure at the Saskatoon Farm. Quite a surprise.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was when my daughter spotted a very distant American Badger. I managed to get one very poor shot before it disappeared underground, and stayed there. My daughter had never seen a Badger before.

A few old barns and rusty old vehicles added to the enjoyment of the day. Also, we found a few Prickly Pear Cacti, not yet in flower, but there were a few buds. My favourite kind of day.

Then, on Saturday 24 May 2025, I took part in the May Species Count, one of my absolute favourite days of the year. Three of us drove SW of the city, to our usual area. Though we ended up with a few less total species than last year, we had a great day. How lucky I am to go with two such excellent birders! I haven't yet chosen and edited any photos from the Count, but hopefully will be able to do so soon.

Usually, I see Mourning Doves perched on high power wires, so this made a welcome change. It sure looks well-fed : )

A few more photos from 20 May 2025, when my daughter and I spent a long day out together, driving the backroads SW and SE of Calgary. As we do each year, this was a joint Mother's Day/birthday (mine) outing.

Our day started at 9:00 am and we drove 432 km. A spectacular rain storm caught us in the afternoon, which was an interesting experience. Somehow, our route kept us driving towards the blackest part of the storm.

We headed straight down south, first on the highway to save time and then along the gravel back roads that led us along the edge of a Coulee. From there, we headed eastwards, crossing over the north-south highway and as far as Clear Lake, before heading for home.

A reasonable number of birds were seen, including a domestic Helmeted guineafowl / Numida meleagris that was walking in the grasses near the road. I don't remember ever seeing one of these out walking, just the ones in an enclosure at the Saskatoon Farm. Quite a surprise.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was when my daughter spotted a very distant American Badger. I managed to get one very poor shot before it disappeared underground, and stayed there. My daughter had never seen a Badger before.

A few old barns and rusty old vehicles added to the enjoyment of the day. Also, we found a few Prickly Pear Cacti, not yet in flower, but there were a few buds. My favourite kind of day.

Then, on Saturday 24 May 2025, I took part in the May Species Count, one of my absolute favourite days of the year. Three of us drove SW of the city, to our usual area. Though we ended up with a few less total species than last year, we had a great day. How lucky I am to go with two such excellent birders! I haven't yet chosen and edited any photos from the Count, but hopefully will be able to do so soon.

Chevrolet?

A few more photos from 20 May 2025, when my daughter and I spent a long day out together, driving the backroads SW and SE of Calgary. As we do each year, this was a joint Mother's Day/birthday (mine) outing.

Our day started at 9:00 am and we drove 432 km. A spectacular rain storm caught us in the afternoon, which was an interesting experience. Somehow, our route kept us driving towards the blackest part of the storm.

We headed straight down south, first on the highway to save time and then along the gravel back roads that led us along the edge of a Coulee. From there, we headed eastwards, crossing over the north-south highway and as far as Clear Lake, before heading for home.

A reasonable number of birds were seen, including a domestic Helmeted guineafowl / Numida meleagris that was walking in the grasses near the road. I don't remember ever seeing one of these out walking, just the ones in an enclosure at the Saskatoon Farm. Quite a surprise.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was when my daughter spotted a very distant American Badger. I managed to get one very poor shot before it disappeared underground, and stayed there. My daughter had never seen a Badger before.

A few old barns and rusty old vehicles added to the enjoyment of the day. Also, we found a few Prickly Pear Cacti, not yet in flower, but there were a few buds. My favourite kind of day.

Then, on Saturday 24 May 2025, I took part in the May Species Count, one of my absolute favourite days of the year. Three of us drove SW of the city, to our usual area. Though we ended up with a few less total species than last year, we had a great day. How lucky I am to go with two such excellent birders! I haven't yet chosen and edited any photos from the Count, but hopefully will be able to do so soon.

American Avocets are beautiful, elegant birds. I was lucky to catch this pair mating and will post a bit of video next time. They have a fascinating ritual.

Three days ago, on 2 May 2025, I did another shortish drive, this time SE of the city, at Frank Lake and the surrounding area. There were SO many people at the Lake, most of them elderly people. Very friendly visitors, who seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Nice to see a few different shorebirds.

Found a few co-operative birds along some of the nearby roads, too. Not the sharpest photos, but maybe the weather had a little to do with that? It got up to 26C and felt a bit humid to me. Probably also the heat rising from my vehicle while I was pulled over. The cooling in my vehicle just didn't put out cold air, just somewhat cooler, so I was so hot by the time I arrived back home.

Despite the heat, it was an enjoyable few hours outdoors. Once my car gets a necessary new set of all-season tires installed this coming week, I will be able to drive further afield.

Four days ago, on 23 April 2025, I was able to get out for a shortish drive SE of Calgary. Posting another five of the photos that were taken. The weather was beautiful, just a little windy as the day wore on.

How different this drive was, compared to other recent drives. Spring is definitely here, and I was so happy to see a reasonable variety of birds. i did start off, though, stopping by to see two beautiful old barns.

The first bird I saw was a Western Meadowlark, then two more which were happily singing but nowhere to be seen. The first one was down on the ground in a field and difficult to see. I got one shot just for the record. It always amazes me how this species can sing so loudly yet so often cannot be found.

The next bird I came across was an American Crow that remained behind on a fence post after several others flew off. I was thankful for any bird that posed on a post, allowing me to get a handful of shots. While I was pulled over in my car, a small bird of prey swooped down as if to harass the Crow. Too fast and quickly out of sight, so no photo.

A field of cows and their babies was my next stop. It was so cute to see one cow with a line of teeny calves beside her. Perhaps she had agreed to babysit these babies for a short while.

Calling in at a favourite wetland, I found several Northern Shovelers, a small flock of Starlings, about half a dozen Yellow-headed Blackbirds who took off almost immediately, a few Red-winged Blackbirds, and a few noisy Canada Geese.

On the spur of the moment, I decided to call in at the Saskatoon Farm. This was partly because I hadn't been able to go there since they opened after the winter break a few weeks ago and also because I wanted to buy some soups and something for an early supper. As always, the food there is so good.

On the way to the Farm, I had my last sighting of the day, when two male Ring-necked Pheasants were running together. Too fast and too far to get a decent photo. Nice to see them, though, as it doesn't happen very often (for me).

All of my drive was SE of the city, and all on familiar roads. I think my next few drives will be fairly short, as I have to wait till 5 May to get new all-season tires installed on my car. My snow tires did not feel great on yesterday's drive, as our temperature was in the mid-teens.

Really enjoyed this drive - it felt so good to finally see, and be able to photograph, a few different birds that made for a lovely, spring day.

Yesterday, 23 April 2025, I was able to get out for a shortish drive SE of Calgary. Posting five of the photos that were taken. The weather was beautiful, just a little windy as the day wore on.

After driving a number of back roads, on the spur of the moment I decided to call in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home. This was partly because I hadn't been able to go there since they opened after the winter break a few weeks ago and also because I wanted to buy some soups and something for an early supper. As always, the food there is so good. All of my drive was SE of the city, and all on familiar roads. I think my next few drives will be fairly short, as I have to wait till 5 May to get new all-season tires installed on my car. My snow tires did not feel great on yesterday's drive, as our temperature was in the mid-teens.

How different yesterday's drive was, compared to other recent drives. Spring is definitely here, and I was so happy to see a reasonable variety of birds. i did start off, though, stopping by to see two beautiful old barns.

The first bird I saw was a Western Meadowlark, then two more which were happily singing but nowhere to be seen. The first one was down on the ground in a field and difficult to see. I got one shot just for the record. It always amazes me how this species can sing so loudly yet so often cannot be found.

The next bird I came across was an American Crow that remained behind on a fence post after several others flew off. I was thankful for any bird that posed on a post, allowing me to get a handful of shots. While I was pulled over in my car, a small bird of prey swooped down as if to harass the Crow. Too fast and quickly out of sight, so no photo.

A field of cows and their babies was my next stop. It was so cute to see one cow with a line of teeny calves beside her. Perhaps she had agreed to babysit these babies for a short while.

Calling in at a favourite wetland, I found several Northern Shovelers, a small flock of Starlings, about half a dozen Yellow-headed Blackbirds who took off almost immediately, a few Red-winged Blackbirds, and a few noisy Canada Geese.

My last sighting was on the way to the Saskatoon Farm, when two male Ring-necked Pheasants were running together. Too fast and too far to get a decent photo. Nice to see them, though, as it doesn't happen very often (for me).

Really enjoyed this drive - it felt so good to finally see, and be able to photograph, a few different birds that made for a lovely, spring day.

I am posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 17 September 2017, after noticing snowflake icons in the weather forecast for Calgary for that week, I decided I would do a drive east and north-east of the city. In 2016, I had done a similar drive with my daughter, but this time I did not go as far as Drumheller. Actually, I still drove quite a bit further than I had intended - 346 km, 215 miles. If I had had enough self-discipline, I would have left home much earlier, as it was 11:20 am when I finally got into my car.

My intention was to drive a few back roads, searching for old barns. Most of my drive ended up on highways, simply for the purpose of saving time, so it wasn't till I was more or less at the furthest point that I actually saw a barn.

I think my first stop was at Sharples - I couldn't see a sign pointing to this tiny place, so it took me a while to find the hilly, gravel road leading to it. By this time, unfortunately, there was a haze over the landscape and the light was far from good. Having driven so far, I was determined to take photos. As with any beautiful old elevator or barn, it will be a sad day when each one finally collapses. The grain elevator at Sharples certainly does not look in good condition, with its outer layer (fire retardant?) peeling badly.

"The Elevator is marked P&H. This company, Parrish & Heimbecker, was one of the smaller players in the Canadian grain industry with a fewer number of elevators seen when compared to the big boys like UGG (United Grain Growers), Pioneer and the Alberta Wheat Pool (“The Pool”). Interestingly, each elevator company used specific colours on their structures making identifying them a fairly easy task. P&H mostly used either silver like what’s seen here, or a light yellow-ish colour – most other companies stuck to one colour.

The elevator here was built just after the rail line was opened (early 1920s) and the large annex attached was added some twenty years later. An annex like this was a quick and easy way to increase capacity and a large elevator allowed for more efficient loading of rail cars. While solid looking, the building is succumbing to the elements. The siding in particular is starting to peeling away.

There used to be a second elevator here, an AWP, Alberta Wheat Pool built late 1920s, that was torn down in the 1980s." From the link below that leads to an excellent site by Chris and Connie "bigdoer".

www.bigdoer.com/461/exploring-history/sharples-alberta-gh...

While I was standing there, taking photos of the grain elevator and the old barn, a farmer came down to the gravel road on his tractor and stopped to have a pleasant chat. I guess I could have asked for permission to walk closer to the barn and elevator, but it is not on his property. Anyway, I never go close to barns or go inside, as I never ask for permission. That doesn't stop a lot of photographers, but I can't do it.

I told this pleasant man that I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, and he said that we WERE in the middle of nowhere, ha. I was planning to go back the same way I had come, but he told me that there was an old house the other way, that people photograph. That changed my mind, though I knew I would continue to feel in the middle of nowhere. Definitely worth it, as I also came across a site of old, abandoned miners' cabins before reaching the old house. When coal was no longer mined, the area was left and the railway lines were torn up at a later date.

One other abandoned house I passed was one that my daughter and I had found last year. It was built among the rolling hills, far, far away from any road, and is a very impressive sight. This year, they were doing road work repair by a bridge just a matter of feet away from the only possible place to pull over and stop. Thankfully, I was still able to stop and take photos.

The last place I stopped on the way home was to take a few shots of a row of five old granaries. They are quite popular with photographers. Later: I believe that these wooden sheds have recently been removed.

Altogether, a good few hours out. Though I didn't see a lot, the things I did see were most welcome and appreciated. I was glad to get in another long drive before the snow arrived."

I am posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 21 September 2016, I left home in sunshine, but by the time I reached my destination south of the city, at the Saskatoon Farm, it was overcast and dreary.

This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries.

I'm always happy to see Sunflowers, at any stage of their life, and on this visit, I saw lots of them. Mainly yellow ones, but with a few orange ones mixed in with them. Beautiful to see, on the very last day of summer."

I am posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 21 September 2016, I left home in sunshine, but by the time I reached my destination south of the city, at the Saskatoon Farm, it was overcast and dreary.

This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries.

I'm always happy to see Sunflowers, at any stage of their life, and on this visit, I saw lots of them. Mainly yellow ones, but with a few orange ones mixed in with them. Beautiful to see, on the very last day of summer."

I am posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"To have the chance to visit Waterton Lakes National Park in June of 2015 was such an absolute treat, but to be able to visit this beautiful region again one month later was just incredible. I think I've only ever been maybe five or so times in the 37 years that I've lived here, so you can imagine my delight to get two chances in one year!! Actually, I signed up for the July trip a while ago and, though there were some aspects of the three-day trip that I wasn't particularly keen on, I knew this was a wonderful chance to go down south. Then, some time later, friend Sandy asked if I wanted to go down to Waterton in June for the Botany Alberta weekend. So, lucky, lucky me!!

Just got back home early yesterday evening (19 July 2015) from this second visit, 17-19 July 2015. Again, wonderful to be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds. Lots of great company with people I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated!

Our first day, which included the drive from Calgary, it rained all day long. Thankfully, the remaining two days were beautiful and sunny, and appreciated even more because of the first rainy day. This day, we drove around Waterton town, calling in at Cameron Falls and then driving to Red Rock Canyon. We did the short walk along both sides of the canyon, in the rain, so it was pretty much useless as far as taking photos was concerned. I was happy to see a Swainson's Thrush, the first time I had seen one close.

This photo of a tiny butterfly was taken on the third and last day of the trip (19 July), along the short Akamina Lake Trail (only 1 km). INaturalist identifies it as Tribe Asthenini.

One of my favourite plants that we saw was Water Hemlock - though I had seen it before, I had never seen it this close and in such detail. The bees and other insects love it, too, with several insects on many of the flower heads. This attractive plant is one of the most deadly poisonous plants in North America. Two other plants that I was thrilled to see were Pink Monkeyflower and Yellow Monkeyflower. I had never seen these wildflowers before. Pearly Everlasting, False Helebore, Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus, Foam Flower, and Thimbleberry were just a few of the other plants we found. We were amazed at how many orchids there were - everywhere. Later on the second day, we called in at Red Rock Canyon again and, because it was absolutely packed with people, we decided to do the Blakiston Falls Trail (2 km return). Along this trail, I was thrilled to see a few Pinedrops plants in flower - I had only ever seen them once before, and they were in seed. Thanks so much, Debbie, for the heads-up about these plants, that you had found earlier! We also saw a couple of Prince's Pine plants along this trail - a first for me. They look rather like Pink Pyrola, so could easily be overlooked. Later, in the evening on this day, Andrew Hart took us to look at a wetland for Sandhill Cranes. He knew they can be seen there and, with the help of a spotting scope, he found a total of 5 seen from two lookouts. Barely visible with the naked eye, they were so far away. I just managed to get a 48x zoomed shot that was kind of fit to post : ) Andrew had also timed it so that we could drive along Chief Mountain Parkway afterwards, stop at the lookout and watch the sunset over the mountain peaks.

The following morning, our last, some of us visited Cameron Lake again and then walked along the very short Akamina Lake trail (only 1 km) that starts from the Cameron Lake parking lot. A beautiful little trail, where we found two Bear Grass plants still in flower, but well past their prime. Also watched a rather thin deer making her way along the edge of the lake. A lovely walk to end our stay in Waterton Lakes National Park. Thanks so much, Darlene, for letting us do this, knowing that we needed to start driving north to Calgary. Thank you SO much, too, for driving three of us to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that we appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! A great time was had by all."

Looks like our return to winter hasn't lasted long. The snow we had the other day has already melted. Friday, 4 April 2025, our temperature at 4:00 pm is +7°C (feels +6°C). Sunrise was at 7:04 am and sunset will be at 8:13 pm.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 8 September 2017, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime, though the one in this photo is already aging. These flowers were very popular with the bees, which was so good to see.

As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place.

Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (what's new?) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there.

This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food."

Looks like our return to winter hasn't lasted long. The snow we had the other day has already melted. Friday, 4 April 2025, our temperature at 4:00 pm is +7°C (feels +6°C). Sunrise was at 7:04 am and sunset will be at 8:13 pm.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 21 September 2016, I left home in sunshine, but by the time I reached my destination south of the city, at the Saskatoon Farm, it was overcast and dreary.

This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries."

Looks like our return to winter hasn't lasted long. The snow we had the other day has already melted. Friday, 4 April 2025, our temperature at 4:00 pm is +7°C (feels +6°C). Sunrise was at 7:04 am and sunset will be at 8:13 pm.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 8 September 2017, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime, though the one in this photo is already aging. These flowers were very popular with the bees, which was so good to see.

As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place.

Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (what's new?) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there.

This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food."

Looks like our return to winter hasn't lasted long. The snow we had the other day has already melted. Friday, 4 April 2025, our temperature at 4:00 pm is +7°C (feels +6°C). Sunrise was at 7:04 am and sunset will be at 8:13 pm.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 8 September 2017, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime, though the one in this photo is already aging. These flowers were very popular with the bees, which was so good to see.

As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place.

Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (what's new?) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there.

This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food."

Looks like our return to winter hasn't lasted long. The snow we had the other day has already melted. Friday, 4 April 2025, our temperature at 4:00 pm is +7°C (feels +6°C). Sunrise was at 7:04 am and sunset will be at 8:13 pm.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more real photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 21 September 2016, I left home in sunshine, but by the time I reached my destination south of the city, at the Saskatoon Farm, it was overcast and dreary.

This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries."

Looks like we are going to be back to winter once again, with snow in the forecast for tonight and the next two days. Tuesday, 1 April 2025, our temperature at 6:30 pm is +8°C (feels +5°C). Sunrise was at 7:11 am and sunset will be at 8:08 pm.

"March is Calgary’s snowiest month of the year, but April snowfall is normal in Canada." From the Weather Network.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"To have the chance to visit Waterton Lakes National Park in June was such an absolute treat, but to be able to visit this beautiful region again one month later was just incredible. I think I've only ever been maybe five or so times in the 37 years that I've lived here, so you can imagine my delight to get two chances in one year!! Actually, I signed up for the July trip a while ago and, though there were some aspects of the three-day trip that I wasn't particularly keen on, I knew this was a wonderful chance to go down south. Then, some time later, friend Sandy asked if I wanted to go down to Waterton in June for the Botany Alberta weekend. So, lucky, lucky me!!

Just got back home two evenings ago from this second visit, 17-19 July 2015. Again, wonderful to be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds. Lots of great company with people I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated!

Our first day, which included the drive from Calgary, it rained all day long. Thankfully, the remaining two days were beautiful and sunny, and appreciated even more because of the first rainy day. The first day, we drove around Waterton town, calling in at Cameron Falls and then driving to Red Rock Canyon. We did the short walk along both sides of the canyon, in the rain, so it was pretty much useless as far as taking photos was concerned. I was happy to see a Swainson's Thrush, the first time I had seen one close.

Cameron Lake is a beautiful lake and I love the small jetty and the colourful canoes lined up. Our walk took us along the right hand side of the lake, through the forest.

One of my favourite plants that we saw was Water Hemlock - though I had seen it before, I had never seen it this close and in such detail. The bees and other insects love it, too, with several insects on many of the flower heads. This attractive plant is one of the most deadly poisonous plants in North America. Two other plants that I was thrilled to see were Pink Monkeyflower and Yellow Monkeyflower. I had never seen these wildflowers before. Pearly Everlasting, False Helebore, Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus, Foam Flower, and Thimbleberry were just a few of the other plants we found. We were amazed at how many orchids there were - everywhere. Later on the second day, we called in at Red Rock Canyon again and, because it was absolutely packed with people, we decided to do the nearby Blakiston Falls Trail. Along this trail, I was thrilled to see a few Pinedrops plants in flower - I had only ever seen them once before (at Cypress Hills), and they were in seed. Thanks so much, Debbie, for the heads-up about these plants that you had found earlier! We also saw a couple of Prince's Pine plants along this trail - a first for me. They look rather like Pink Pyrola, so could easily be overlooked.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicuta

Later, in the evening on this day, Andrew Hart took us to look at a wetland for Sandhill Cranes. He knew they can be seen there and, with the help of a spotting scope, he found a total of 5 seen from two lookouts. Barely visible with the naked eye, they were so far away. I just managed to get a 48x zoomed shot that was kind of fit to post : ) Andrew had also timed it so that we could drive along Chief Mountain Parkway afterwards, stop at the lookout and watch the sunset over the mountain peaks.

The following morning, our last, some of us visited Cameron Lake again and then walked along the very short Akamina Lake trail (only 1 km) that starts from the Cameron Lake parking lot. A beautiful little trail, where we found two Bear Grass plants still in flower, but well past their prime. Also watched a rather thin deer making her way along the edge of the lake. A lovely walk to end our stay in Waterton Lakes National Park. Thanks so much, Darlene, for letting us do this, knowing that we needed to start driving north to Calgary. Thank you SO much, too, for driving three of us to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that we appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! A great time was had by all."

Looks like we are going to be back to winter once again, with snow in the forecast for tonight and the next two days. Tuesday, 1 April 2025, our temperature at 6:30 pm is +8°C (feels +5°C). Sunrise was at 7:11 am and sunset will be at 8:08 pm.

"March is Calgary’s snowiest month of the year, but April snowfall is normal in Canada." From the Weather Network.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"On 21 September 2016, I left home in sunshine, but by the time I reached my destination south of the city, at the Saskatoon Farm, it was overcast and dreary.

This interesting place is maybe a 20-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food - I had a delicious meal of quiche and sweet potato fries."

Looks like we are going to be back to winter once again, with snow in the forecast for tonight and the next two days. Tuesday, 1 April 2025, our temperature at 6:30 pm is +8°C (feels +5°C). Sunrise was at 7:11 am and sunset will be at 8:08 pm.

"March is Calgary’s snowiest month of the year, but April snowfall is normal in Canada." From the Weather Network.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five more photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"To have the chance to visit Waterton Lakes National Park in June was such an absolute treat, but to be able to visit this beautiful region again one month later was just incredible. I think I've only ever been maybe five or so times in the 37 years that I've lived here, so you can imagine my delight to get two chances in one year!! Actually, I signed up for the July trip a while ago and, though there were some aspects of the three-day trip that I wasn't particularly keen on, I knew this was a wonderful chance to go down south. Then, some time later, friend Sandy asked if I wanted to go down to Waterton in June for the Botany Alberta weekend. So, lucky, lucky me!!

Just got back home two evenings ago from this second visit, 17-19 July 2015. Again, wonderful to be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds. Lots of great company with people I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated!

Our first day, which included the drive from Calgary, it rained all day long. Thankfully, the remaining two days were beautiful and sunny, and appreciated even more because of the first rainy day. The first day, we drove around Waterton town, calling in at Cameron Falls and then driving to Red Rock Canyon. We did the short walk along both sides of the canyon, in the rain, so it was pretty much useless as far as taking photos was concerned. I was happy to see a Swainson's Thrush, the first time I had seen one close.

Cameron Lake is a beautiful lake and I love the small jetty and the colourful canoes lined up. Our walk took us along the right hand side of the lake, through the forest.

One of my favourite plants that we saw was Water Hemlock - though I had seen it before, I had never seen it this close and in such detail. The bees and other insects love it, too, with several insects on many of the flower heads. This attractive plant is one of the most deadly poisonous plants in North America. Two other plants that I was thrilled to see were Pink Monkeyflower and Yellow Monkeyflower. I had never seen these wildflowers before. Pearly Everlasting, False Helebore, Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus, Foam Flower, and Thimbleberry were just a few of the other plants we found. We were amazed at how many orchids there were - everywhere. Later on the second day, we called in at Red Rock Canyon again and, because it was absolutely packed with people, we decided to do the nearby Blakiston Falls Trail. Along this trail, I was thrilled to see a few Pinedrops plants in flower - I had only ever seen them once before (at Cypress Hills), and they were in seed. Thanks so much, Debbie, for the heads-up about these plants that you had found earlier! We also saw a couple of Prince's Pine plants along this trail - a first for me. They look rather like Pink Pyrola, so could easily be overlooked.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicuta

Later, in the evening on this day, Andrew Hart took us to look at a wetland for Sandhill Cranes. He knew they can be seen there and, with the help of a spotting scope, he found a total of 5 seen from two lookouts. Barely visible with the naked eye, they were so far away. I just managed to get a 48x zoomed shot that was kind of fit to post : ) Andrew had also timed it so that we could drive along Chief Mountain Parkway afterwards, stop at the lookout and watch the sunset over the mountain peaks.

The following morning, our last, some of us visited Cameron Lake again and then walked along the very short Akamina Lake trail (only 1 km) that starts from the Cameron Lake parking lot. A beautiful little trail, where we found two Bear Grass plants still in flower, but well past their prime. Also watched a rather thin deer making her way along the edge of the lake. A lovely walk to end our stay in Waterton Lakes National Park. Thanks so much, Darlene, for letting us do this, knowing that we needed to start driving north to Calgary. Thank you SO much, too, for driving three of us to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that we appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! A great time was had by all."

We are back to winter once again, with snow falling last night and temperatures dropping. Saturday, 29 March 2025, our temperature at 1:00 pm is -5°C (feels -10°C) and snow in the forecast for the rest of the day, though it has stopped for now.

"March is Calgary’s snowiest month of the year, after all, so it’s no surprise that we’re dealing with bursts of springtime snow heading into the final weekend of the month..... April snowfall is normal in Canada." From the Weather Network.

Finally got round to finding, editing and posting five old photos from my archives today. I will be adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outings.

"I have driven past this old barn quite a few times, but I don't know if I have ever posted a photo of it before. It was seen on the return drive from Kananaskis, closer to home.

I knew that this trip was probably going to be my last or last but one chance to take some fall photos, so, on 29 September 2017, I drove all day long through Kananaskis country. The next two days were a weekend, and I thought there would be a lot more people in the mountains. Of course, the mountains look beautiful in any season, but there is something extra special on a sunny fall day. People come from all over the place to see the Larch trees in their fall colour. As it turned out, three days later, on 2 October, we had a nasty snowstorm. Some of the roads leading out of the city were closed, and it was definitely a day to stay at home if possible. That's exactly what I thankfully did, listening to the strong winds howling around my place, blowing the falling snow.

If I remember correctly, this was the first time I had driven alone quite this far, reaching the northern end of Spray Lakes Reservoir. Unfortunately, when I got there, the sun was in the wrong position and there was a haze over the mountains. I wasn't sure how far I would go, as I had intended topping up with gas at Highwood House, along Highway 40. I had also planned on buying a sandwich and a coffee there. However, it was all closed. As it was, I still managed to do the drive I wanted and still have gas in my car.

My drive started by going to Turner Valley and taking the back road to join the main Highway 40. Last fall, the views were amazing and the sky full of spectacular clouds along this route. On this recent trip, there was a hazy view and in some directions the sky was a washed-out, pale blue with not a cloud in sight.

Part way along Highway 40, I encountered a cattle drive, which was great to see. Only a small herd with one cowboy, who looked as if he was enjoying his work. He was accompanied by his herding dog, of course.

When I came to the area where the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) live, I didn't even stop, as I really wanted to reach Spray Lakes Reservoir, in Spray Valley Park. I had left home later than I wanted, 9:45 am, and wanted to make sure I was not driving home in the dark. As it was, I reached home about 7:15 pm, with little daylight to spare.

The road to Spray Lakes, from the main Highway 40, is a dreadfully dusty, gravel road. This was a Friday, so I wasn't expecting many people in Kananaskis, but there were lots of cars, which made it difficult to drive this length of road. I was almost constantly in a thick cloud of dust with little or no visibility. The distance for the road from the Spray Lakes road turn-off from near Kananaskis Lakes to the northern tip of the huge Reservoir is 48 km, so just under 100 km return on this dusty road. The dust seeps inside the car, even with all windows closed. I also called in just long enough to take a handful of photos at Peninsular and Buller Pond, which are both along this Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail.

The return journey home (giving a total trip distance of 422 km), back the same way I had come, was uneventful, which is usually a good thing when doing such a drive. The gas station near home was a must, so now I had a full tank just in case I managed to make a last drive out of the city. Getting my snow tires put on this afternoon."